Enshrouded has no crossplay at 1.0, so PC and PS5 cannot share a world yet. Here is how co-op works, the player cap, permissions and progress sharing.
Enshrouded Crossplay and Multiplayer: How Co-op Works in 1.0
Enshrouded crossplay is not available at 1.0. The developer's own launch FAQ states plainly that the game will not be cross-platform at launch, meaning a PC player and a PlayStation 5 player cannot join the same world today. Cross-platform play is in development, but Keen Games has given no release estimate. Within a single platform family, co-op works well, with a world supporting up to 16 players at once.
The essentials:
- No PC to PS5 crossplay at 1.0, and no timeline for it.
- Up to 16 players can share one world simultaneously.
- Hosted co-op and dedicated servers behave differently for permissions.
- World progress is shared; personal characters and permission levels are remembered.
- Enemy counts can now scale automatically to nearby players.
Is Enshrouded Cross-Platform at 1.0?
No. Every version of the game shipped without cross-platform multiplayer, and this was a stated decision rather than a launch bug. In the launch FAQ, the studio wrote that Enshrouded will not be cross-platform at launch, confirmed it is working on bringing cross-platform play, and added that it has no current estimate for how long that will take.
That means the multiplayer pools are separated:
| Your platform | Who you can play with at 1.0 |
|---|---|
| Windows (Steam) | Other Windows players only |
| PlayStation 5 | Other PS5 players only |
| PS5 Pro | Other PS5 players only |
| Xbox Series X and S | Not released; planned for spring 2027 |
If your regular group is split between PC and PlayStation, this is the single biggest limitation of the current release, and it is worth knowing before anyone buys. The two platforms are sold separately on Steam and the PlayStation Store, and the solo and co-op verdict weighs the missing crossplay against the rest of the game.
Store pages list single-player and online co-op, which is accurate, but online co-op here means within one platform. Do not read an online co-op tag as a promise of crossplay.
Official source: Enshrouded Launch FAQ on cross-platform play
How Many Players Fit in One World
A single Enshrouded world supports up to 16 players online at the same time. That is the figure the game itself advertises, and it applies to a world whether you host it yourself or run it on a dedicated server.
There is a persistent rumor that the practical limit is lower, often quoted as around eight players for a session hosted inside the game client. The community has repeated that number for a long time, but Keen Games has not published a per-session cap that differs from the 16-player ceiling, so treat the lower figure as an unconfirmed player report rather than a documented rule. The honest answer is that the number you can realistically gather depends on whether you host in-game or through a dedicated server, and on how much hardware is behind it.
In practice, most long-running groups settle well below the maximum. A world of three to eight players is easier to coordinate, easier on a home machine, and keeps base building from turning into a scheduling problem.
Hosted Co-op Versus a Dedicated Server
These are two different things, and the difference shows up in how permissions behave.
In-game hosted co-op means one player opens their world from the game client and invites others. The host's machine does the work, and the world exists while they are playing. Sessions like this are the easy way to play with friends for an evening.
A dedicated server runs the world independently of any player's client. It stays online when everyone logs off, which is what you want for a persistent base that a group builds over weeks. Dedicated servers also keep the older permission model, where access is organized around user groups and a password, and permission levels cannot be changed from inside the game.
For a group that only plays together in scheduled sessions, hosted co-op is simpler. For a group building a shared world over months, a dedicated server is worth the setup.
Quest and Progress Sharing in Co-op
Enshrouded shares progress at the world level rather than the account level, which produces a specific set of rules you should understand before inviting people.
- World progress belongs to the world. When your group unlocks a region, finishes a main quest or opens a new area, that progress is available to everyone who plays in that world.
- Your character belongs to you. Levels, gear and skill points stay on your character, and you can take that character into a different world.
- Quests are split into main and side quests, and a quest marked difficult simply means the target area's enemies are two or more levels above you.
- Joining a friend's world does not advance your own world. If you have your own save, its progress is separate.
The practical consequence is that a group should pick one world as the shared home and treat other worlds as solo sandboxes. Otherwise you end up rebuilding the same early quest chains in several places.
The early game itself is friendlier than it used to be, with more chests and cleaner routes through the starting regions, so a friend joining late catches up faster than they would have in Early Access. The beginner guide covers the first-hour beats worth repeating with a newcomer.
Permission Levels Explained
Version 1.0 reworked how the host manages other players, and the change is worth understanding because it determines who can demolish your base.
The new model works like this. The host sets a single password and a default permission level that applies to everyone who joins with it. From there, the host can raise or lower individual players as needed. A character's personal permission level is remembered, so if someone leaves and comes back later, they return at the level they were given.
That is a meaningful quality-of-life improvement over a world where every guest arrives with identical rights. It lets a host run a public-ish world while keeping build and demolition rights restricted to trusted players.
Dedicated servers are the exception. On a dedicated server, the older user-group and password logic still applies, and permission levels cannot be adjusted from inside the game while it is running.
Leave the default permission level modest and promote specific trusted players. It costs one extra step and saves you from a random visitor taking a pickaxe to your base.
What Changes When a Party Grows
Co-op is not just more players doing the same things. A few systems shift once a group is involved.
Enemy counts can now be set to Automatic. Rather than a flat increase, automatic scaling sizes encounters to how many players are actually nearby, so players elsewhere in the world do not inflate the fight you are in. This replaced the older behavior and makes a large world feel less punishing for small subgroups.
Loot and progress flow naturally to a group. Because chests across the map now include coins and legendary odds got a small bump, a group that spreads out and clears different areas feeds the shared base faster.
The economics of building change too. New furniture, props, building blocks and plants were added in 1.0, storage chests can be upgraded where they stand, and no-build zones were relaxed. A group can scale a base up without hitting the old placement walls.
The one thing that does not scale is coordination. Sixteen people in one world need rules about who builds where and who can demolish what, which is exactly what the permission system now lets a host enforce. If your group plays on PlayStation, the Enshrouded PS5 overview confirms the console build supports the same co-op features, and the release date and price page covers who can buy in and when.
FAQ
Is Enshrouded cross-platform in 1.0?
No. The game is not cross-platform at launch, so PC and PlayStation 5 players cannot share a world. The developer says cross-platform play is in development but has given no date.
How many players can play Enshrouded together?
Up to 16 players can be in one world at the same time. Some players report a lower practical limit for in-game hosted sessions, but that number is not officially confirmed.
Can PS5 and PC play Enshrouded together?
Not at 1.0. Crossplay between platforms is not supported yet, and no release window has been announced.
Does co-op share quest progress?
World progress is shared inside that world, so unlocked regions and finished quests are available to everyone who plays there. Your character's levels and gear stay with you, and joining a friend's world does not advance your own.
Is there a dedicated server for Enshrouded?
Yes. Dedicated servers run the world independently, which suits long-term group worlds. Permissions on a dedicated server use the older user-group and password model and cannot be changed in-game.
Related Guides
- New to the game with a group? Enshrouded Beginner Guide: What to Do First
- Deciding whether to buy for co-op? Is Enshrouded Worth It in 1.0?
- On PlayStation and want the details? Enshrouded PS5 Guide: Price, Performance and Features
- Comparing platforms and prices? Enshrouded Release Date, Platforms and Price
More Enshrouded Guides
Enshrouded ranger build for 1.0: Puncture, Barrage and Survival Instinct, the three new Eternal arrows, aim assist settings and the reworked ranger armor tiers.
What Enshrouded 1.0 changed about bosses, including the reworked Albaneve Summits fight, stun tactics, and boss health recovery.
How to reach Cinder's Cradle in Enshrouded 1.0, what the lava ruins and floating islands contain, its 12 new Shroud Roots, and the Flame level to bring.
How crafting works in Enshrouded 1.0: which stations exist, crafting from storage, the Gem Forge and Quick Stash Station, and the recipes the patch rebalanced.
The server tool ships free with the game and is Windows only for now. Config fields, UDP port 15637, user groups and the new Automatic enemy scaling.
An Enshrouded Elixir Well is a Shroud pocket with a Shroud Root at the bottom. What it awards, why it may not reset, and what 1.0 did and did not change.
How many enemy types Enshrouded 1.0 adds, which factions got new variants, and how the reworked damage susceptibility system changes fights.
What the Flame Altar controls in Enshrouded 1.0, the 15 and 16 Altar caps, cheaper Flame level 6 to 9 recipes, and the level 11 Shroud pushback.