Dragonkin: The Banished supports online co-op for up to four players through the whole story and endgame, couch co-op for two players on one screen, and, since the free update of 27 July 2026, full crossplay between PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S using invite codes. On PS5 you need PS Plus for online play but not for couch co-op, and the whole game still works offline if you prefer to play alone.
Everything here comes from Eko Software's multiplayer, couch co-op and crossplay announcements on Steam, the PlayStation Store listing and the official patch notes, checked in November 2026.
Multiplayer Modes at a Glance
Dragonkin's multiplayer is built around its hub, the City of Montescail. Online, a city is a shared space that friends join by invitation; offline, it is your private save. Eko designed the online side as a "friend-oriented experience" rather than a public marketplace: there is no global trade system, and the studio states there is no major gameplay advantage to playing online.
| Mode | Players | What you need | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online co-op | Up to 4 per group | PS Plus on PS5; internet on PC | Story and endgame hunts |
| Online city | Up to 50 members, 16 online at once | An invitation or invite code | Shared city progression |
| Crossplay | PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S | Invite code from a city member | Live since 27 July 2026; can be disabled |
| Couch co-op | 2 on one screen | One copy, two controllers | Added with 1.0 in March 2026 |
| Offline solo | 1 | Nothing extra | Fully playable |
On Steam, couch co-op also works over Remote Play Together, which Eko suggested for friends who do not share a sofa. The PlayStation Store lists one to two offline players and up to four online players with PS Plus.
How Online Cities and Groups Work
Every online session lives inside a city. The Multiplayer Update patch notes cap a city at 50 members with 16 online simultaneously; an earlier developer blog had floated 32, so trust the shipped figure. You can create one or join a friend's by invitation, have several characters in the same city or spread across different ones, and move freely between groups. Each city is organized into groups of four, and a group can take on Story content or endgame hunts together. In a story group, progression is shared by any character that joins, so a friend who arrives late picks up at the group's current point instead of starting over.
The city owner manages members from Options, then Player Management, where you can see who is online, check each player's location, teleport to friends instantly and set ranks with permissions. Ownership can be transferred, and because character progression is saved locally, nothing is lost if a city is deleted or the owner leaves: your character simply needs a new city the next time you log in.
- Loot: drops are personal, but you can give any item to anyone by dropping it or using the city's shared chest.
- Level Catcher: lower-level players level faster when a high-level player is in the party.
- Revives: you can bring fallen allies back during or after combat.
- City XP: quests, relics and crafting by every member feed the same city level.
That last point is why playing together is the fastest way to develop Montescail. Our Dragonkin city upgrade guide explains what those shared levels unlock.
Crossplay and Invite Codes
Crossplay arrived in the Crossplay Update (version 1.5.74) on 27 July 2026, after Eko announced in May that it would be compatible with all game versions and could be switched off by players who prefer not to use it. It works through an invite code system: any member of an online city can generate a unique code and share it however they like, and anyone with the code joins that city regardless of platform. Before this, the only way into an online city was a Steam invitation.
Eko called crossplay a first for the studio, and the early weeks needed fixes. A hotfix on 5 August addressed a synchronization issue that could affect servers running for a long time, and the July update itself fixed quest objectives not validating online, damage and kill events not registering correctly, and the final boss achievement not triggering for every player in an online session. The 12 November Harrower update added another visible improvement: Wyrmling armors now display to all players during an online session.
If your group also plays other cross-platform co-op games, the approach will feel different. Our explainer on Helldivers 2 crossplay covers a friend-code system, while Dragonkin's codes join you to a persistent city rather than a single match.
Multiplayer on PS5 in Particular
PS5 players got the full multiplayer package from day one of the console release on 19 March 2026, because online co-op had already arrived on PC in the Multiplayer Update of 25 February and couch co-op shipped with 1.0. Online play needs PS Plus, and PlayStation's own membership page lists online multiplayer as included with every tier, Essential, Extra and Premium, so the cheapest tier is enough. Couch co-op on one console needs no subscription at all.
The PlayStation Store listing also supports Remote Play, and cloud streaming to PS5 or PlayStation Portal is available to Premium members. Since the July update, a PS5 player can host an online city and share its invite code with friends on PC or Xbox, or join theirs the same way, and anyone who would rather stay with PlayStation players only can disable crossplay.
Older advice you may find online predates these changes. During most of Early Access, which began on Steam in March 2025, there was no online co-op at all, and before July 2026 joining an online city required a Steam invitation. If a guide tells you PS5 players cannot join PC friends, it was written before the Crossplay Update.
Couch Co-op on One Screen
Couch co-op launched with the 1.0 release in March 2026 alongside the console versions. Two players share one copy on one device, using two controllers or a mouse and keyboard plus a controller. Both characters belong to the same account, so the second player picks an existing character from that save or creates a new one. The prologue and tutorial are solo, but once you reach Montescail the second player can drop in at any time, even mid-quest.
- Player 1 controls the main menus, settings, world map and Hunting Board; otherwise each player opens inventory, Ancestral Grid and city services independently.
- Loot is assigned to a specific player but anyone can pick it up, and it goes to the right inventory. Resources and currencies are shared, since they come from the same account.
- Each player has a colored ring, the screen edge flashes on the side of whoever is taking damage, and either player can revive the other.
- The July update let both players use the Tributes wall, Eternal Gift customization, loot filters and loot preview, and a later hotfix fixed players going out of bounds in local co-op on PS5.
One rule to know before starting a hardcore run: in the Survival mode added on 12 November, adding a second local player automatically makes that character a Survival character too.
Playing Solo and Offline
None of this is mandatory. Eko built Dragonkin to remain fully playable offline, partly because it does not want the game to become live service, and it has repeated that position since 1.0. Characters can be transferred between online and offline cities from the main menu at any time; you keep your inventory, resources and gold, though you lose bonuses from your old city if the new one offers fewer.
Since April 2026 whole cities can move too. Only the owner can transfer a city between online and offline, and its level, gold, resources and groups carry over. The shared chest is the exception: it travels from offline to online but not from online to offline. If an owner takes an online city offline while you are in it, you can copy it into your own offline list so no progress is lost. That makes it easy to start a city with friends and keep playing it alone later, or the reverse.
Making a Co-op Group Work
Four players is enough to cover every role, and the classes are designed with that in mind. A Knight can hold attention with taunts and summons, a Barbarian thrives in the middle of a pack, and the Oracle and Tracker deal damage from range; our guide to all five Dragonkin classes explains each hero's kit. Mixed Wyrmling elements add flexibility, since damage adapts to each player's highest elemental bonus.
Keep the group's difficulty sensible for the weakest character, use the shared chest to gear up newer friends, and let the Level Catcher do its work rather than carrying a low-level player through Apocalypse tiers. Agree early on who owns the city, since only the owner can transfer it between online and offline and ownership changes are easier to arrange before everyone has invested in it. Many of the habits in our co-op squad tips apply here too. For a wider view of how the game has been received, see our Dragonkin: The Banished review roundup.
Bringing a Maxed Hero to the Party
Joining friends who are already deep into the endgame can mean many hours of catching up. The Dragonkin: The Banished page on our store lists a Mega Modded Save with all four original heroes and the city at Level 50, every attribute at 1,000, six modded Heroic Legend gear pieces and a Level 50 Pale Wyrmling, plus a platinum trophy service. Both are for PS5 only, so friends playing through crossplay on PC or Xbox cannot use them, and the save replaces your existing PS5 save.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Dragonkin: The Banished crossplay?
Yes. Full crossplay between PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S arrived in the free Crossplay Update on 27 July 2026, using invite codes to join a city.
How many players can play Dragonkin co-op?
Up to four online in a group, or two on one screen in couch co-op. An online city can hold up to 50 members, 16 of them online at the same time.
Does Dragonkin have split screen?
It has shared-screen couch co-op for two players rather than a split view. Both players stay on the same screen.
Do I need PS Plus to play Dragonkin co-op on PS5?
For online play, yes. Couch co-op on one console and offline solo play do not need it.
How do I invite friends in Dragonkin?
From an online city, any member can generate an invite code and share it through any app. Anyone with the code joins the city, whatever platform they play on.
Can I play Dragonkin offline?
Yes, completely. Characters and whole cities can be moved between online and offline at any time.