Outriders was released on April 1st, 2021. It has proved to be a hugely popular title at launch. As an online RPG-shooter, the game also supports cross-play. This means that you can play alongside up to 3 friends, even if you are all playing on different platforms. While there were some issues with cross-platform play at launch, Square Enix have released a patch which has hopefully resolved this.
But one of the questions that has been asked alongside cross platform gaming, is whether or not Outriders supports cross-progression. So what is this, and is it something that you can do on this particular game?
What does cross-progression mean?
Cross-progression and cross-platform sound similar, but are two very different concepts. Cross-platform, also known as crossplay, allows players to play alongside each other, even if they are using different consoles. So you might be playing Outriders on your PlayStation, while your friend is playing on their Xbox, for example.
Cross-progression is very different. With this, the idea is that you would be able to start playing your game on, say, a PC, and then later on, switch on a different console, and continue where you left off on your PC. It would simply retain and transfer all your saved date.
While this sounds lovely in theory, the reality is more complicated. Because of the different architecture involved in different consoles, if you did want to play the game with cross-progression across different platforms, then you would need to own multiple copies of the same game, to be able to do this. For most people, buying the same game repeatedly, doesn't make a whole lot of sense.
So is Outriders cross progression, and can I transfer saves?
Well, the answer is, kind of. A bit. If you are upgrading your console from one generation to the next - PS4 to PS5 for example, then you can transfer your saves. You won't lose any progress, you won't lose any gear that you've battled for. Additionally, any progress you made while playing the demo, can be transferred into the full game, provided you are playing on the same platform. It is worth noting that Steam and the Epic Games Store are treated as separate platforms in this context.
That's the good news. The bad (if not unexpected) news, is that you would not be able to transfer saves from one platform to another - Xbox to PC, say.
And that, is all you need to know about whether Outriders supports cross-progression, and whether or not you can transfer saves.
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