Path Of Exile 2: Cross-play, Co-op, and Friend Invites Explained

Path of Exile 2 has a three-act campaign experience in early access plus loads of endgame content to dive into. You can take part in the story as a solo character, only relying on your abilities for help, or as a part of a six-player party. Five additional players are supported to join you on your journey, but you’re free to make a party of any size up to that number.

While making a party for your friends and blasting your way through Path of Exile 2 together sounds great, the logistics of getting that set up can be complicated. Allow us to explain everything you need to know about adding friends and making a party in Path of Exile 2.

How to add friends in Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2 makes it easy to add friends, as all you need is their username and tag number. As we’ve explained in a previous guide, Path of Exile 2 is fully cross-play, so you can add any friend regardless of their system.

To add a friend, simply open the Social tab (J on keyboard by default) and find the “Friends” tab. From there, just type in your friend’s username and the number that follows the “#” sign after their name in the “Friend Invite” box. If you’ve typed in everything correctly, press “Send” and your friend will get the request in their Social tab.

Alternatively, you can find your friend requests in the Social tab as well. You can view your requests in the “Friends” tab under the “Invitations Received” box. You’ll also be able to view all of your online and offline friends from here as well.

As a note, the Social tab looks differently if you’re on keyboard and mouse or controller. However, the menu acts the same way, as you still need to view the Friends tab and type in a friend’s name and tag to add them.

If you’re already a part of a Guild in Path of Exile 2, scroll over one tab to view the “Guild” section of the Social menu. Here, you can view your Guild and see everyone that’s online. This allows you to message them privately and invite them to a party in-game. If you’re not part of a Guild yet, this is also where you can join one or view your invites to a Guild.

How to make a party in Path of Exile 2

Once you add some friends in Path of Exile 2, it’s time to get all of you in a party together. To do this, follow the steps below:

• Scroll over to the “Create Party” tab from the Social menu.
• Here, you’ll have the option to create a party or join a party.
• If you want to create a party, select that option and invite any online friends to join it. You can also make your party public and have anyone join it.
• You can set certain restrictions on your party, which include opening it up to friends only or invite only.
• Once someone joins the party, you’ll be notified so you can all group up in the same location.
• To join a party, select that option. However, this will only allow you to join Public Parties, which are parties that others have made.
• To join a friend’s party, click on their name in your friends list and if their party is open to friends, you can join it.
• If your friend’s party is set to invite only, you’ll need an invite from them to join the party.

Everything relating to friends and parties is managed through the Social menu, so when all else fails, check there to view any requests, invites, or your friends list.

How to play couch co-op in Path of Exile 2

Of course, going through the friends list isn’t the only way to play in a party in Path of Exile 2. The game also supports couch co-op, meaning you can play with another person from the same system you’re using. To play in couch co-op, you need two controllers connected to your system and you’ll need to make two separate characters as well. This is not possible with two sets of keyboards and mice.

With your two controllers connected, go to the character selection screen. In the top-left, press the settings cog and go to the Input menu. Make sure your input is set to “Controller.” Once that’s done, go back to the character selection screen and each controller should have the ability to create or select a character. Player 1 will be on the left side of the screen and Player 2 is on the right.

If you don’t see the option to make a second character, you’ll likely see “P2: Connect a controller” in the top-right of the screen. This means your second controller either isn’t connected or isn’t working.

After you get both characters up and running, you can play Path of Exile 2 as you normally would. Only now, your screen will be split into two.

Can you disable cross-play in Path of Exile 2?

While Path of Exile 2 offers full cross-play between PS5, Xbox, and PC, some players might only want to see players from their specific system in-game.

However, there doesn’t appear to be a way to fully disable cross-play. If you go through all the settings and the Social menu, you won’t find an option to disable or enable the feature. It’s possible the ability to turn off cross-play could arrive later in early access or at the full launch, though.

For now, if you’re on Xbox Series X|S or PS5, you can disable cross-play across your entire system through the console’s settings. This is done through the “Account and Network” settings of your console. PC players currently have no way to disable cross-play in Path of Exile 2.