Is Palworld Crossplay or Cross-Platform?

Palworld is basically Pokémon with guns, and since it’s still currently available via Steam Early Access and Xbox Game Pass, you may want to try playing with friends. With that in mind, here’s whether Palworld is crossplay or cross-platform.

Is Palworld Crossplay or Cross-Platform?

Palworld is available on both Xbox and PC, so you might want to play the Xbox version with someone on PC. Unfortunately, that’s not as straight forward as you might think. Palworld does not support crossplay between Steam copies of the game and Xbox, but it does support crossplay between the Microsoft Store copies of the game and PC. So if you buy it from Steam, you can’t play it with Xbox. But if you buy it from the Microsoft Store or get it via Game Pass you can.

It’s not totally clear on why that is, but it may have to do with the fact that Game Pass and Steam actually use different versions of the game, with the former being an earlier version than the latter. According to the devs, that’s due to certification issues with the Xbox version.

What about cross-platform progression? Can you play the game on PC and then bring your progress to the Xbox? Some games, such as Baldur’s Gate 3, have a system whereby, optionally, you can sign up for an account with the publisher or developer. Play BG3 on the PC with a Larian account, and you can then jump onto PS5, log in with your account there, and continue your adventure.

The same issue applies here. You have cross-platform progression on the Microsoft Store and Xbox versions, but not with the Steam version. That shouldn’t be enough to put you off Palworld, particularly if you’re just interested in single-player Pokémon, but it’s something to keep in mind.

Is Palworld Getting Steam Crossplay or Steam Cross-Platform Progression Later?

Palworld will, at some point, getting crossplay between Steam and Game Pass, but it’s not totally clear at this time just when that’ll happen. Pocketpair, the developer behind the game, released a roadmap, explaining that was an improvement that’s on the way in addition to new Pals, bosses, Raid Bosses, PvP, and many other features.

So, the answer to whether Palworld is crossplay or cross-platform is it depends whether you’re on Steam or not, but that issue will be resolved in the future.