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Online Features
August 20, 2026 at 02:54 AM
Created the online features page covering Online Shop, Online Battles, per-platform subscription requirements and offline play scope
Two online features are named for DRAGON QUEST MONSTERS: The Withered World: an Online Shop and Online Battles. They have different requirements, and the difference matters if you do not hold a paid platform subscription.
The Online Shop works with a linked platform account and nothing else. No subscription is needed on Nintendo, PlayStation or Xbox. Square Enix answers the question separately for all three platforms and the answer is the same each time.
Online Battles put your party against other monster wranglers around the world. Square Enix describes a range of modes, from serious tournaments to friendly matches, with prizes for sending a strong party into battle. This is where a raised and synthesized party gets tested against something other than the story.
Platform | Requirement for Online Battles |
|---|---|
Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch | Nintendo Switch Online subscription |
PlayStation 5 | PlayStation Plus subscription |
Xbox Series X|S | Xbox Game Pass. The Xbox store listing specifies Game Pass Core or Ultimate for console online multiplayer |
The PlayStation 5 listing records support for up to four online players and states that PlayStation Plus is required for online play.
The Steam listing carries a broader set of multiplayer flags than any Square Enix description covers: multi-player, PvP, online PvP, co-op, online co-op and cross-platform multiplayer, alongside Steam Achievements, Steam Trading Cards, Steam Cloud and Family Sharing.
Cross-platform multiplayer and co-op therefore have first-party support in the storefront metadata, but Square Enix has not published a description of how either works, who can play with whom, or what a co-op session involves. Treat the flags as confirmation that the features exist and nothing more.
The physical Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5 versions can be played through the main story to completion without an internet connection. A connection is required to download updates, to claim purchase bonuses and to use downloadable content, and the physical Nintendo Switch 2 release needs one for its first-play download. Those version differences are on Platforms and Versions.
Square Enix notes that playing with several people requires one copy of the game per player. No further detail about local play has been published.
The game carries In-game purchases and Online interactivity as ESRB interactive elements, which reflects both the paid add-ons on Downloadable Content and the online play described here.
