More than a decade after launch, The Elder Scrolls Online will finally get cross-play, as developer ZeniMax Online Studios has confirmed it’s actively working on the feature. However, it might still “be a while” until the feature is ready.
While cross-play has long been something ZeniMax Online has said it wants to do and has explored options for, this is the first time the developer has confirmed it’s actually happening, though there is not yet a clear idea of when, exactly, the feature will arrive.
“Cross-play is definitely coming, but it’s going to be a while,” ESO executive Susan Kath said as part of a virtual Q&A attended by GameSpot ahead of the game’s 2026 preview livestream. “Just to set the stage on that. We are working on it. It is a complex problem for a game like ESO–it was not ever built with this in mind. There are a lot of considerations we have to make.”
Though it might still be a bit of a wait, Kath said players could potentially see some tests related to the feature by the end of the year.
The news came as part of recent livestream previewing the year ahead for the nearly 12-year-old MMORPG, which is moving to a seasonal content release model in 2026 in contrast to the yearly chapter (expansion) releases that have defined the game for most of its life.
Currently, ESO players can only play with other players on their respective platforms, with separate servers for PC, Xbox, and PlayStation players. ZeniMax Online has previously outlined the technical problems that have prevented cross-play up to this point, including issues stemming from the game being built without cross-play in mind, concerns surrounding each server’s separate economies, problems around performance, and the fact that PC players can play with game-modifying add-ons that console players can’t.
Cross-play was just one of the big announcements ZeniMax Online shared for its long-running MMO, as it also detailed what else players can expect in the months and year to come.
After a transitional 2025 that also saw the ZeniMax Online team hit by Microsoft layoffs and its unannounced MMO project Blackbird canceled, 2026 is the year ESO is going-all-in on seasons, complete with the introduction of a battle pass system called Tamriel Tomes. The year will also see the introduction of several class reworks, new experimental zones and activities, the introduction of solo dungeons, and the addition of previously paid DLC content like the Dark Brotherhood and Thieves Guild into the base game for free.
