Play Online

Plunder Panic is a great game to play online with your friends and frenemies! Below are frequently asked questions about using Plunder Panic for online multiplayer play.

1. Which gaming platforms do you support for online play?

Plunder Panic is currently available on Steam for Windows, macOS, and Steam Deck AND all major game consoles including Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S! For online play, some platforms require subscription to the respective platforms’ online service, such as Switch Online for Switch, PlayStation Plus for PS4/PS5, and Xbox Live Gold for Xbox. There is no subscription requirement on Steam for Windows, macOS, and Steam Deck.

All platforms support crossplay. That is, you can play online against another player using a different gaming platform than you, such as PS5 vs. Xbox vs. Nintendo.

2. How can I play online?

Plunder Panic supports the following online modes:

Public or Private Online Rooms

Playing in an online room is the standard way to play online games in Plunder Panic. The rooms can host up to 12-players (6 vs. 6) and are customizable in terms of game mode, items, modify-arrs, and islands.

There are multiple ways to get into an online room:

  • Quick Join – You can quick join a public room. If no public room is currently available, the game will create a new one for you with you as host (see below).
  • Create Room – You can create your own online room. Rooms can be public or private. Public rooms are seen by other players using the Find Room feature (see below). Private rooms do not show up in the Find Room list. You can invite players to join your room through the gaming platforms “invite” friends system. This will require the invited friends to be on the same gaming platform as you. If you want players on any system to join your room, either make it public so it shows up in the Find Room list OR you can share a room code to have players join your room directly. When you are the room host, you can setup the game is you like in terms of game modes, items, modify-arrs, and islands. You also have the power to moderate the players in the game.
  • Find Room – You can search for available online public rooms within your Preferred Region. The region defaults to the fastest (usually closest) region you are located within. However, you can change it to other regions if you desire. Generally the farther the region away from you geographically, the more potential for lag. NOTE: Depending on how the public room is setup, you may be able to “late join” an in-progress game.

Ranked Play

Ranked matches are intended for competitive (serious) play. They are set to the “Conquest Best of 3” game mode. Each match is fixed at 4 vs. 4.

Ranked games are schedule to concentrate players during specific times. Our current ranked schedule is Wednesday – Saturday evenings, based on each regions targeted timezone.

When ranked play is available, you can search for a ranked game as a solo player or as a crew (up to 4 players on a crew). You can set you role preference as well (Captain, Crew, or Either). The ranked matchmaking system will attempt to match you based on your role preference and current rank with other eager players. The system will try to match you with 4 human players vs. 4 human players first and then reduce down to 3 vs. 3 and then 2 vs. 2 and then 1 vs. 1. However, all ranked matches run 4 vs. 4 where AI pirates fill out the crew in a balanced fashion. 

3. How many online players are supported?

Plunder Panic supports 1 vs 1 up to 6 vs 6 within an online game. That is a total of 2-12 players for you math-challenged pirates. 

With the full version of Plunder Panic, you can have multiple players join online matches from one device. That is, you can have multiple local players joining online games. We support up to the maximum number of local players designated by each platform. 

    • For Windows and macOS, you can have up to 12 local players using a combination of wireless and wired controllers (a maximum of 7 Bluetooth controllers.) Depending on the type of wired controller, their may be limitations beyond 8. For example, Windows only supports up to 8 wired Xbox controllers. You can also use the keyboard and mouse as one controller in the game.
    • The Nintendo Switch has a maximum of 8 local players (8 joycons can be paired), but to support 8 joycons, you will need to go into the game Settings and turn on separated JoyCon mode.
    • Xbox has a maximum of 8 local players.
    • PlayStation has a maximum of 4 local players

If you’re having trouble filling your online games, you can play smaller match sizes! From 1 vs 1 up to 6 vs 6, which can include both human and AI players. Plunder Panic also supports asymmetrical play with different crew sizes, such as 3 vs 5. We think 4 vs 4 is the sweet spot for maximum enjoyment!

4. Can I play online with the free Plunder Panic demo?

Yes. Online play is supported on both the full version of Plunder Panic and the demo version. However, the demo version has various limitations (see below):

  • Demo can only host public games, not private games.
  • Demo hosted games have limited items, islands, modify-arrs and game modes, since you can only unlock the first set within the demo.
  • Demo cannot join ranked games.
  • Demo cannot use the premium pirates shown in the character select. Once you select a pirate in the character select, you are transformed into a standard demo pirate.
  • Demo players are limited in the taunts they can do in game.
  • Demo is limited to 1 human player per device. That is, you cannot have multiple local players joining or hosting an online match from one device, like you can in the full version.
  • Demo cannot play local games and are limited to the first set of single player campaign chapters.

With that said, the demo is both an excellent way to try out Plunder Panic before you buy AND it is a great way to get your friends or streaming community to join you in online matches with a low barrier of entry!

5. Can I voice chat with others online?

Communication amongst your crew is the best way to succeed in Plunder Panic! Each gaming platform has their own voice chat system which you can employ while you play Plunder Panic. However, we do recommend you join our Discord server. We have several voice channels available that you can use while you play Plunder Panic. This is a great way to chat across gaming platforms as well, if some of your crew are on other gaming platforms.

If you are playing via Steam, we also offer a text chat within the character select to coordinate with other Steam players. This can be a good way to signal what Discord channel to join.

6. How can I play with or against my friends?

When you start an online (non-ranked) match, the first thing that comes up is the character select scene. Within the character select scene, each player with a controller can choose which pirate and crew they want. Therefore, you can play together in co-op fashion OR competitively in team-based versus fashion OR in any combination. So for example, if you have 6 players total, you can have all 6 on one team or have 3 on one team and 3 on the other or any other combination such as 1 vs. 5 or 3 vs.2.

In a ranked match, if you want to play together with your friends, you can assemble your crew (up to 4 players) prior to joining the ranked queue. Or just queue up at the same time and hope that the matchmaking system will put you together.

7. Can you fill your crew out with AI pirates?

Crews can also include AI pirates if the human variety are hard to find. You can play with or against AI in any combination. The captain of each crew chooses the number of AI on their crew prior to the ship sailing away.

You can even play solo! That is 1 local human. If you are playing solo, you can select how many AI are on your crew AND THEN how many AI are on the enemy crew within the character select.

8. Can multiple local players also join in online games?

Yes! Once you join an online room, you can use your available controllers to select pirates within the character select. Multiple local players are NOT supported for ranked games. As mentioned above, the demo version also does not support multiple local players.

9. Do you have any recommendations for setting up your gaming device for online play?

For more details setting up your gaming device to play Plunder Panic, such as controller setup, see the Play Local FAQ.

10. Can I play Plunder Panic in an online eSports tournament?

Yes! Plunder Panic is an excellent team-based fighting game that involves strategy, tactics, and team coordination. It is a great fit for an eSports tournament (either online or locally.) While the game can be played up to 6 vs. 6 in any of our game modes, for eSports competitive play, we recommend 4 vs. 4 Conquest Best of 3, similar to our ranked mode.

11. Can I stream Plunder Panic on Twitch, YouTube, etc…?

Yes! Plunder Panic is a great game to stream online. Games are intense, thrilling, and often humorous. You can stream multiple local or online players player together. You can also engage in your online communities to join in and play with you on stream, as the game supports up to 12 players and the free demo makes it a low barrier of entry for community members to join!

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