How Multiplayer and Crossplay Work

9 Kings PC Early Access rules as of November 9, 2026. Mobile access requirements are listed separately below.

Your army cruises through the opening fights, then a rival kingdom turns it into royal confetti. Early strength does not always mean enough scaling—the ability to keep growing stronger—for the finish. Multiplayer is where you test that little engine against kingdoms other players have built. First, know what kind of contest you are entering.

Ghost battles let you take your time

Multiplayer is asynchronous: your opponents are recorded kingdoms from earlier player runs. These saved versions are called ghosts. You fight the army another player built, without needing that player online or taking turns alongside you.

Take time between battles to read card effects, check which nearby plots a support building affects, and plan your next placement. Nobody is waiting for you to finish a sprawling hand. The enemy is not changing its board in response to your current choices.

There is no live co-op, shared kingdom building, or option to select a specific friend as your opponent. Crossplay does not add a friend lobby.

Enter multiplayer on your platform

1. On PC: complete three single-player runs, then open Multiplayer and follow the prompts to create your multiplayer profile. The older nine-run unlock requirement has changed.
2. On mobile: purchase the full game and complete three single-player runs before creating a multiplayer profile. The free trial alone does not grant multiplayer access.
3. Choose a king you have unlocked, then check your multiplayer perk setup before starting. Perks are bonuses arranged before a run; review the multiplayer setup rather than assuming your solo arrangement carries over unchanged.

If profile creation is still locked, first check your solo-run progress against the three-run requirement. Check the requirement shown by your installed version if the recorded progress seems wrong.

Year 33 settles placement differently

In standard single-player, running out of lives ends the run. Normally, an enemy reaching your base costs a life; the King of Nomads uses life statues instead. Losing a life during the year-33 final battle ends that standard run even if you had lives left.

Multiplayer has its own ending. At year 33, you face the surviving rival kingdoms in separate final matchups. Losing one showdown does not immediately end the sequence: you still fight the remaining rivals to settle your placement. Keep going when the next fight appears. One loss is not the whole result.

Crossplay shares opponents, not everything else

Cross-platform matching lets recorded kingdoms from different supported platforms meet in multiplayer. It does not guarantee shared purchases, universal save transfers, or identical features. Check ownership and save support separately before switching devices. Crossplay also does not tell you which consoles are currently available; check the specific platform's release status.

Before reusing a familiar plan, open the seasonal pool screen in the bottom-left corner of the multiplayer lobby. Check both rainbow cards—special cards outside the regular king decks—and royal decrees, the bonuses chosen at councils. These pools rotate by season. If a key piece is absent, change the plan before starting. If it is available, remember that availability does not guarantee an offer. Give your kingdom an opening that works while you wait for the royal nonsense to snowball.