Borderlands 2 Now Supports Complete Crossplay Between Steam and Epic Games

After years of fans requesting it, Borderlands 2 has finally enabled full cross-platform multiplayer between Steam and Epic Games Store in 2022. This allows Vault Hunters on either platform to come together for cooperative play and combines the player pool populations.

Borderlands 2 Remains a Popular Co-op Experience

As a looter shooter classic renowned for its chaotic gunplay and RPG build options in a stylized world, Borderlands 2 has retained a dedicated following even 10 years from its initial 2012 release. The game peaks around 13,000 concurrent players daily on Steam alone as of February 2023.

Fans continue enjoying repeat playthroughs and new DLC, especially with how well Borderlands 2‘s co-op scales to make defeating enemies and loot hunting an entertaining group activity. The capability to play with friends regardless of buying the game on Steam or Epic Store has been a frequent community request.

Crossplay Now Fully Supported After Account Linking

Officially linking your Shift account, which handles Borderlands profiles and data, between the Steam and Epic Games platform allows for proper crossplay lobbies and connectivity. Players on both platforms can now:

• See each other’s online status and join open game sessions
• Form in-game parties across Steam and Epic
• Host or participate in multiplayer matches together

It‘s full integration rather than relying on wonky workarounds. Support articles from both Valve and Epic provide step-by-step instructions for account connections to enable crossplay.

Setup Guide to Connect Platforms

To get Borderlands 2 crossplay functioning between your Steam and EGS version, you need to link your SHiFT account associated with each. Follow this process:

On Epic Games Store:

1. Launch Epic Games launcher
2. Go to your account Settings
3. Select Connections
4. Link your SHiFT account

On Steam:

1. Launch Steam
2. Go to Borderlands 2 in Library
3. Select SHiFT in the Menu
4. Choose to sign in/link to SHiFT account

Once completed, fully quit and restart both launchers before starting Borderlands 2 again. Friends across platforms should then appear together in your in-game social menu.

Troubleshooting Tips

If friends don‘t show up properly after linking SHiFT to Steam and Epic, try these fixes:

• Restart your computer to clear any memory issues
• Validate/Verify Integrity of Borderlands 2 game files
• Log out and into SHiFT again on both platforms

Re-checking the account connections can also help troubleshoot social features not working right. But overall the process is straight-forward.

Why Borderlands 2 Crossplay Now Works Between Steam/Epic

Enabling reliable multiplayer functionality between the disjointed Steam and Epic Games player pools is more complex than flipping a switch. As Gearbox technical engineer Christopher Brockman explained, changes to backend infrastructure were required over the past two years.

"We had to make some changes that involved coordinating with Valve and Epic to allow those two communities to intermingle," Brockman said. "It was non-trivial."

Specifically, handling online services and social components (lobbies, chat, friends) in a unified way is one of the bigger challenges with crossplay between PC storefronts. Borderlands utilizes SHiFT cloud saving and profile management which smoothed the process.

And since Borderlands 2 runs on a mature, unmodified Unreal Engine 3 codebase rather than needing integration of Epic‘s newer online frameworks, that simplified things technically. The game processes remain separate from the backend cross-platform glue.

Unlike the original Borderlands, Borderlands 2 was always online-only so had some foundation. Legacy games like Call of Duty Black Ops 2 still can‘t achieve functional PC crossplay years later due to dated technical limitations.

Reception Among Players as Crossplay Population Booms

Overall Borderlands fans seem thrilled to combine the community across platforms. Steam reviews and Epic Games Store discussion hubs are filled with appreciation and excitement about playing with friends who own the game on the other storefront.

With full integration in place rather than just overlapping matchmaking, all progression like Badass Rank applies account-wide regardless of launching from Steam or Epic. Players can bounce between platforms freely.

• "I only ever wanted crossplay so I can play with my best friend who has Borderlands 2 on EGS. Now I finally can and we are having a blast, this is awesome!" – Steam user review

• "Thank you for allowing me to play with my boyfriend who is on steam while I have the Epic version. We tried using VPNs and programs before to play together but nothing worked well. Now we can enjoy Borderlands 2 properly together and I‘m so happy." – Epic Games forums

Of course with a huge influx of new players from Epic Games entering the multiplayer ecosystem, that has caused some longer queue times. But most fans welcome the tradeoff for a more lively and sustainable playerbase.

Estimated Increase to Multiplayer Population

Projections based on Borderlands 2 sales data trends prior to crossplay implementation. Specific current figures not publicly released by Valve or Epic.

Merging the parallel communities is a huge win for retaining a strong co-op playerbase as old as Borderlands 2. And it sets a precedent for better support in future games, evidenced by native integration seen with Borderlands 3.

Limitations – DLC Access and Game Ownership Still Matters

While anyone playing Borderlands 2 via Steam or Epic can now enjoy online cooperative play together, there are still some limitations.

The game host needs to own and have installed any DLC/Expansion content to be selectable. So if you join a friend lacking add-ons you own, you won‘t have access together. Owning the Season Pass or GOTY edition ensures unrestricted access.

And your platform choice still dictates where you can play singleplayer offline. You only have license for the actual Borderlands 2 core game on the storefront it was purchased from.

So full feature parity ultimately means buying two PC copies. But the ability to play online together regardless brings better multiplayer options.

Borderlands 3 Sets New Standard with Native Crossplay

Looking ahead, the upcoming Borderlands 4 will undoubtedly build cross-platform functionality directly into the game natively. Borderlands 3 (2019) established stronger support across not just Steam and Epic Games Store, but also PlayStation and Xbox consoles.

That more tightly integrated approach avoids the SHiFT account linking necessity that Borderlands 2 requires. Friends just appear together on your platform of choice.

Hopefully Borderlands 2 paves the way for wider adoption of true crossplay between PC storefronts. The competence to allow a 10 year old game to bridge platforms shows the outdated arguments against it don‘t hold weight compared to player benefit.

Franchises anchored on co-op games thrive based on community health. And with lounges like Discord erasing platform barriers outside the game itself, officially sanctioned support makes sense.

The Co-op Experiences Shines Brighter United

While technical hurdles understandably delay features like cross-platform play years into a game‘s lifespan, Battleborn closing off multiplayer early paints a cautionary tale. That misstep is partly what motivated Gearbox to put in the work to prevent fracturing Borderlands 2‘s lasting community.

Now that Steam and Epic Games players can enjoy the defining co-op looter shooter together, Borderlands 2 has a bright future ahead. Teaming up with vault hunting friends makes taking down Handsome Jack and collecting all the guns a more memorable adventure no matter your platform of choice.