Is Risk of Rain 2 Cross Platform? What Works on PC and Console

Summary: Only partly. Risk of Rain 2 lets Steam and Epic Games Store players on PC play together once both turn on the crossplay option. Consoles stay separate: PlayStation, Xbox and Switch players only match within their own family, and PC never connects to a console. There is no cross-progression, so unlocks stay on each platform.

• Steam and Epic players on PC can play together with the crossplay option turned on.
• PC players cannot join console players.
• PlayStation and Xbox players never connect to each other.
• There is no cross-progression between any platforms.

Is Risk of Rain 2 cross platform? Only partly. The game supports up to four players in co-op, which makes the crossplay question a common one, and the answer is narrower than most players hope.

Where Risk of Rain 2 Crossplay Works

The one real crossplay connection is on PC. Since the game moved its PC multiplayer to Epic Online Services around the Seekers of the Storm update in 2024, Risk of Rain 2 Steam and Epic Games Store players can join each other. Both players have to switch the crossplay option on in the settings menu before their lobbies appear to each other.

On consoles, play works within each family. PS4 and PS5 players have been able to play together, as have Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S players. Switch players only match with other Switch players.

Why PC and Console Stay Separate

Risk of Rain 2 has always treated PC as the lead platform. Updates usually reach PC first and consoles later, so the versions are often out of step. Crossplay needs every connected version to match, which is hard to guarantee with staggered release schedules.

The game has also changed hands. Gearbox took over the Risk of Rain franchise in 2022, and development has continued without the original studio, Hopoo Games. No PC-to-console crossplay has been announced, so if you are asking is Risk of Rain 2 crossplay between PC and console, the answer is still no.

What Is Changing on Older Consoles

In January 2026, 2K said it would stop releasing new content for the older console generation: PS4, Xbox One and Switch. Some reporting has linked this to cross-generation play ending on PlayStation with a later update. If you are buying on console now, the current-generation version is the safer choice.

Cross-Progression Is Not Supported

Progress, unlocks and achievements are stored separately on each platform. A survivor you unlocked on PC stays locked on PlayStation, and there is no account system to move it across, so the Risk of Rain 2 progression system starts from zero on every new platform and every "risk of rain 2 how to unlock characters" guide applies again. There is no Risk of Rain 2 skill tree to carry over either, since skills are unlocked per survivor.

Risk of Rain 2 Characters: Unlocking Survivors Again on a New Platform

The Risk of Rain 2 survivors are the same on every platform, with close to 20 Risk of Rain 2 characters across the base game and its three DLCs. A few are open from the start and the rest unlock through challenges, which is the core of the Risk of Rain 2 progression system. If you are starting over on a second platform, these are the unlocks behind most "risk of rain 2 how to unlock characters" searches, along with single names like "bandit risk of rain 2", "acrid risk of rain 2" and "artificer risk of rain 2":

• Bandit: complete three stages in a single run.
• Risk of Rain 2 Acrid: stabilize all nine cells in the Void Fields, a hidden realm reached from the Bazaar Between Time.
• Artificer: collect Lunar Coins and spend them in the Bazaar Between Time to free her.
• REX: carry the Fuel Array from your first stage to Abyssal Depths. While you hold it, dropping below half health makes it explode, which is why "fuel array risk of rain 2" is such a common search.
• Loader: defeat the Alloy Worship Unit, the hidden guardian of Siren's Call.
• Drifter: needs the Alloyed Collective DLC. Beat the Solus Wing boss, collect two Prison Matrixes from the platforms above the arena, and use them in the Vault to free her.

Loader is the survivor most players chase first, so "how to unlock loader risk of rain 2" and "how to get loader risk of rain 2" have the same answer: on Siren's Call, destroy the eggs around the map to make the Alloy Worship Unit appear, then beat it. "How to unlock drifter risk of rain 2" only applies if you own Alloyed Collective, since Drifter is part of that DLC.

Cosmetics follow the same rules. Mastery Risk of Rain 2 skins unlock by beating the game or obliterating on Monsoon difficulty with that survivor, and like every other unlock, Risk of Rain 2 skins stay on the platform where you earned them.

Risk of Rain 2 Best Character and Tier List

Every Risk of Rain 2 tier list is opinion, and item luck matters more than which survivor you pick. Still, community rankings agree on a few names. Loader tops most picks for the best Risk of Rain 2 character thanks to her mobility and damage, with Railgunner, Huntress, Captain and Void Fiend often close behind.

A Risk of Rain 2 character tier list also shifts with each patch, so treat any ranking of the Risk of Rain 2 best character as a starting point. There is no Risk of Rain 2 skill tree either. Instead, each survivor has alternate skills you unlock through challenges and swap in the loadout menu before a run, and that loadout is where Risk of Rain 2 builds start.

The newest options are Operator and Drifter, the Risk of Rain 2 new character pair from Alloyed Collective. Operator is available as soon as you own the DLC, while Drifter has to be unlocked. Players without the DLC can still join a lobby that uses it, but cannot pick either Risk of Rain 2 new character.

Risk of Rain 2 Items, Lunar Items and Builds

Risk of Rain 2 items are colour-coded by rarity: white for common, green for uncommon, red for legendary and yellow for boss items, plus orange equipment and purple void items. Risk of Rain 2 lunar items are the blue ones. They cost Lunar Coins in the Bazaar Between Time or from lunar pods, and each pairs a big upside with a drawback, which is why searches like "blue items risk of rain 2" and "lunar items risk of rain 2" are so common.

Most Risk of Rain 2 builds are improvised around whatever drops, but Risk of Rain 2 lunar items such as Shaped Glass and Gesture of the Drowned change a run more than anything else. Lunar Coins carry over between runs, but only on the platform where you earned them.

Risk of Rain 2 Artifacts and Artifact Codes

Risk of Rain 2 artifacts are optional rule changes you switch on before a run, such as more enemies, shared deaths in co-op, or picking items from a menu instead of random drops. There are 20 in total, and 19 are unlocked with Risk of Rain 2 artifact codes: a 3x3 pattern of shapes entered on the Compound Generator below Sky Meadow, which opens a trial in Bulwark's Ambry.

The codes are identical on every platform, so a PC list of "artifact codes risk of rain 2" works on console too. The community Risk of Rain 2 wiki keeps the full list, and most "artifacts risk of rain 2" searches end up there. As with survivors, Risk of Rain 2 artifacts you unlock stay on that platform.

Risk of Rain 2 DLC and the Latest Update

There are three Risk of Rain 2 DLC expansions: Survivors of the Void (2022), Seekers of the Storm (2024) and Alloyed Collective, released on 18 November 2025 for PC, Xbox and PlayStation, with Switch following on 5 February 2026. Each costs about $15 and adds Risk of Rain 2 survivors, stages and items.

Every major Risk of Rain 2 update lands on PC first, one more reason the PC and console versions do not connect. In a mixed lobby on the same platform, only one player needs to own a Risk of Rain 2 DLC for its stages, monsters and items to appear, but only owners can play its survivors.

Risk of Rain 2 Mods Are PC Only

Risk of Rain 2 mods only run on PC, which is another reason PC is the best platform for a group. Most players install them from the Thunderstore mod site using the r2modman manager. If you want to know how to mod Risk of Rain 2, the usual steps are:

• Install r2modman and select Risk of Rain 2 as the game.
• Create a profile and add mods, such as extra survivors, custom skins or quality-of-life fixes.
• Launch the game from the mod manager rather than from Steam directly.
• Make sure everyone in the lobby uses the same mod list, or joining can fail.

Big updates often break mods for a while, so after a patch, check that your mods are up to date before following any how to mod Risk of Rain 2 guide. Mods, DLC and the base game all come from your Steam Wallet if you play through Steam.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Risk of Rain 2 cross platform between Steam and Epic?

Yes. Risk of Rain 2 Steam and Epic players can play together as long as both turn on crossplay in the options menu.

Is Risk of Rain 2 crossplay between PC and Xbox?

No. PC and Xbox versions do not connect.

Can PS4 and PS5 players play together?

They have been able to, but 2K's plans for older consoles may change this. Check the latest patch notes before buying for a mixed group.

Does Risk of Rain 2 have cross-save?

No. Progress stays on the platform where you earned it.

What is the Fuel Array in Risk of Rain 2?

It is the equipment you carry from the first stage to Abyssal Depths to unlock REX, and most "fuel array risk of rain 2" searches are about keeping it from exploding on the way.

How do you unlock Loader and Drifter?

For "how to unlock loader risk of rain 2" or "how to get loader risk of rain 2", beat the Alloy Worship Unit on Siren's Call. For "how to unlock drifter risk of rain 2", beat Solus Wing in Alloyed Collective and use two Prison Matrixes in the Vault.

How do you unlock Risk of Rain 2 Acrid, Bandit and Artificer?

Searches for "acrid risk of rain 2", "bandit risk of rain 2" and "artificer risk of rain 2" are mostly about unlocks: Acrid needs all nine Void Fields cells stabilized, Bandit needs three stages cleared in one run, and Artificer is freed with Lunar Coins in the Bazaar Between Time.

What are lunar items in Risk of Rain 2?

They are the blue items, so "lunar items risk of rain 2" and "blue items risk of rain 2" lead to the same list. You buy them with Lunar Coins, and each one has a drawback.

Do Risk of Rain 2 artifact codes work on console?

Yes. Codes from any "artifacts risk of rain 2" guide work the same on PC, PlayStation, Xbox and Switch, and the Risk of Rain 2 wiki lists all of them.

Is there an official Risk of Rain 2 tier list?

No. Every Risk of Rain 2 character tier list is made by players and changes with each patch. Loader is the most common pick for the best Risk of Rain 2 character, while Huntress is often called the safest survivor to learn on.

The Best Setup for a Mixed Group

If your group wants to play together without worrying about versions, PC is the clear choice. It gets every Risk of Rain 2 update first, supports Risk of Rain 2 crossplay between Steam and Epic, and is the only platform with Risk of Rain 2 mods.

If your group is on PC, browse Steam gift cards.