Is Risk of Rain Returns cross-platform?

Risk of Rain was a tough-as-nails rogue-lite made more manageable with the inclusion of friends. With the Risk of Rain Returns remake on PC and Switch, that leaves us wondering if it supports cross-platform play between the two.

I get it: Challenging games are certainly easier to handle and occasionally more fun when you have a friend along. And it’s certainly in the nature of jolly cooperation for two opposing platforms to have games with an option for cross-platform play. It would be a nice addition to a game as rough as Risk of Rain Returns.

Risk of Rain Returns has online multiplayer, but no cross-platform play

Sadly, Risk of Rain Returns does not support cross-platform play. Those on the Nintendo Switch can only play with other Switch users, and the same can be said for players on PC. However, you won’t be able to pair up with your friend if they’re on a Switch and you’re playing on PC — or vice versa.

Cross-platform play in multiplayer games is sadly still something the industry kind of struggles with. There are plenty of games, such as Apex Legends, that allow people on other devices to play together. But it’s still not all too common and, unfortunately, it’s just not available to Risk of Rain Returns players. If you have some buddies who want to play the game co-op, you need to get it on the same platform.

Risk of Rain Returns includes different multiplayer options. You can play the game online or via local couch co-op. All you need to do is enter the online multiplayer or local multiplayer options in the main menu. You can choose to create a lobby and keep it open, private, or for friends only, or choose a lobby from the menu. There are some customization options which include difficulty and voting to play the game under certain rules.

Does Risk of Rain Returns have cross-progression?

Unfortunately, Risk of Rain Returns also doesn’t support cross-progression between devices. This takes a bit more effort, as some games require you to play using one account if you want to continue progression across different platforms. With Risk of Rain Returns, the items and characters you unlock will only stay unlocked for the device on which you play the game.