Is Granblue Fantasy: Relink crossplay or cross-platform?

It depends on who you ask, for some reason.

Image displays several Granblue Fantasy characters battling a griffon in a fantasy desert setting
Image via ONE PR Studio

Granblue Fantasy: Relink has generated a lot of community excitement as a long-awaited next installment to what was originally a phone and web browser game. The game is designed for online play, so the question of what kind of cross-platform and crossplay features come alongside the game is naturally being asked.

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Showcases for the game have presented what looks to be a fast-paced, excitement-fueled hack-and-slash RPG: while it will no doubt still be enjoyable to play solo, it seems to be the kind of game that can be greatly enhanced by playing with friends. Read on to learn what all of your multiplayer and crossplay options are for Granblue Fantasy: Relink as well as what consoles it will be released for.

Promotional artwork of the main cast from Granblue Fantasty: Relink.
What if I want to play with my console friends? Image via Cygames

Granblue Fantasy: Relink will feature cross-platform from day one of its launch, although not every console will be included. On Feb. 1, the game will be released for PS4, PS5, and Steam. While those who are still playing on the last generation of Sony consoles can rejoice at this news, there are currently no plans for the game to ever be released on Xbox—though it hasn’t been explicitly stated as an impossibility either.

Of course, for any game that releases on multiple platforms, the natural next question is whether or not you and your buddies all need to be on the same platform in order to play together. The short answer to that question is, “Yes, you can,” but it’s a tiny bit more nuanced than that.

Displays a screenshotted snippet of the Granblue Fantasy: Relinked website that displays the specs for the game.
You gotta read the fine print, folks. Screenshot via Cygames

Granblue Fantasy: Relink does offer crossplay between PS4 and PS5 players. This information is coming directly from the game’s official website. So we know all Sony consoles will be able to play together online regardless of generation, but what about crossplay between PlayStation and PC?

In a Granblue Fantasy: Relink showcase held on Jan. 11, Cygames emphatically confirmed there will be no crossplay functionality between the PlayStation and PC versions. So, if you’re playing the PC version, you can only play with other PC users.

There were initially claims this wasn’t the case, but now you’ve heard it straight from the developer’s mouth. Cygames hasn’t issued any real explanation for why crossplay has been omitted but, regardless, this is ultimately disappointing to hear. For any game with co-op functionality, you would think an effort would be made to ensure everyone could play together regardless of their platform of choice. Especially in an age where crossplay has become more commonplace.

Author
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Pierce Bunch
Freelance writer and jack-of-all-games.
Author
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Michael Beckwith
Staff writer at Dot Esports covering all kinds of gaming news. A graduate in Computer Games Design and Creative Writing from Brunel University who's been writing about games since 2014. Nintendo fan and Sonic the Hedgehog apologist. Knows a worrying amount of Kingdom Hearts lore. Has previously written for Metro, TechRadar, and Game Rant.