Big Walk Crossplay, Join Codes and Host Saves
How Steam, PS5, and Switch 2 players get into the same world, why mixed groups always use a Join Code, and what happens to your progress when the host leaves.
Quick answer
Crossplay is officially supported between Steam, the Mac App Store, PS5, and Switch 2. Players on the same platform can join through their friends list. Everyone else uses a short Join Code the host shares, which works across platforms. The host keeps the only save, so continuing a trip later means the same person hosting again.
- Crossplay
- Steam · Mac · PS5 · Switch 2
- Players
- 2–12 online
- Join method
- Friends list or Join Code
- Save owner
- Host only
Two ways into the same session
If you are friends on the same platform — Steam with Steam, PlayStation with PlayStation, Nintendo with Nintendo — sessions your friends host appear on their own. Nobody has to type anything.
For everyone else there is the Join Code: a short, unique string generated per session that the host reads out. It is platform-agnostic, so a Switch 2 player typing a code from a Steam host lands in the same world as everyone else.
Mixed-platform groups always use the code, because Steam cannot friend-link to PSN or to Nintendo accounts. That is a platform limitation rather than a Big Walk one, and it is not going to be fixed by a setting.
The Mac App Store build has the same constraint for a different reason: it does not support Game Center, so those players use a Join Code even when playing with other Mac owners.
The host owns the save
A Big Walk host is the keeper of the save game and of all the group's progress. It records automatically on their side; nobody else holds a copy.
When the host ends the session, every other player is disconnected. That is designed behaviour rather than a fault, so nobody needs to start troubleshooting a connection that was working fine.
Continuing next week means the same person hosting again. If somebody else opens a session, that is a new save with the puzzles reset, and your original world is untouched on the first host's machine.
Because of this, choosing the host is a scheduling decision, not a technical one. Pick whoever is most likely to be free for the next few sessions, not whoever has the best hardware.
World size travels with the session, not the group
Every time the host opens a session they pick a 2-player, 3-player, or 4-plus version of the world, and that changes which puzzles appear. The number is a minimum rather than a cap.
This matters for crossplay groups specifically, because mixed-platform sessions are the ones most likely to lose someone part-way through. If two of five people can only stay an hour, opening the smaller world means the puzzles still work after they go.
When a Join Code does not work
Almost every failed join comes down to timing or transcription rather than networking. Work through these before touching any settings.
- The host has to be fully loaded into the world before anyone enters the code.
- Codes are per session. If the host restarted, backed out, or loaded a different save, the old code is dead — ask for a new one.
- Type it exactly, with no spaces. Read it out character by character rather than pasting from a chat app, since the whole point is that you cannot talk outside the game.
- Everyone should be on the same game version. A platform that has not applied the latest update is a common cause on release weeks.
- Voice problems are usually not join problems. Proximity voice runs inside a session you have already joined, so if people who are in can hear each other, the issue is the code, not your microphone.
Managing who is in the world
The host has moderation controls under Session Details while a session is running, which is where you remove a player if you need to.
Group size can also change mid-session. New people can arrive without restarting, though the world size chosen at the start still governs the puzzles you meet.
Frequently asked
Is Big Walk crossplay between PS5 and Steam?
Yes. Crossplay covers Steam, the Mac App Store, PS5, and Switch 2. PS5 and Steam players share a world through a Join Code, since the two platforms cannot see each other's friends lists.
Where do I find the Join Code?
It is generated for each session and shown to the host, who reads it out. It is short and unique per session, and it stops working once that session ends.
Do we need PlayStation Plus?
Playing online with other people on PS5 follows PlayStation's usual subscription rules. Check the store page for the current requirement rather than assuming, since these rules change independently of the game.
Can Switch 2 play with the original Switch?
There is no original Switch version to play with. The Nintendo release is Switch 2 only.
What if the host cannot make it next week?
The save is on their machine, so the group either waits or starts a new world with a new host. There is no transfer, which is why the host choice matters up front.
Is there matchmaking to find other players?
No. Big Walk has no random matchmaking. It is built for the same group returning across several sessions, so finding players happens outside the game — the r/BigWalk community is the usual place.
Sources and verification
Official pages are the primary reference. Player reports are labelled as community samples and never presented as official facts.