Is there crossplay in Total War: Warhammer 3?

The notion of having crossplay in Total War: Warhammer 3 is an exciting one for fans around the world. Originally released in February 2024 by Feral Interactive and Creative Assembly, the game has seen a wealth of updates, free and paid, that have only expanded the titanic real-time strategy game.

While there is a multiplayer mode, crossplay between different operating systems is absent in Total War: Warhammer 3. You must be on the same operating system, i.e., Windows, Mac, or Linux. This article explains why, and looks into alternative methods and crossplay across different digital storefronts.

Total War: Warhammer 3 and crossplay explored

While multiplayer might be a huge part of this title, cross-platform is not (Image via SEGA)

According to an answer by the Feral Interactive tech support team, “the Windows version uses maths libraries that are different to the macOS libraries."

The closest thing to crossplay Total War: Warhammer 3 features is cross-store multiplayer. If you and another player are on the same operating system but own the game on different storefronts (Epic or Steam), you can play against each other.

There is reportedly a roundabout method of setting up crossplay for this game, but it’s not entirely reliable. Linux users can attempt to use Proton and force the Windows version of Total War; Warhammer 3 to cross-play with Windows. Proton is a compatibility layer developed by Valve to allow Windows applications and games to run on the Linux platform. This method isn’t guaranteed to work, with at least one user stating that no form of crossplay mod or hack has worked thus far.

Unfortunately, there is no similar alternative to do this with Mac OS users.

Linux users can use Proton to force the game to be compatible with Windows, but not everyone has seen results for cross-platform play (Image via SEGA)

While the developer has put a massive emphasis on the multiplayer aspect of Warhammer 3, it has not yet found a way to let players across platforms enjoy this large-scale tactical game together. Till then, as long as you’re on the same operating system, you can enjoy this game and its many updates such as the Shadows of Change content drop with your friends.