Not all Elite Dangerous licenses can be accessed on a platform other than that on which they were purchased. This article details any limitations on where/how Elite Dangerous can be run, depending on where it was obtained.
FRONTIER STORE
- Elite Dangerous licenses purchased from the Frontier Store will be added directly to your Frontier account.
- Only Frontier license owners can claim Steam partner keys, to download the game via a Steam account that has not purchased ED through the Steam store.
- A link to Steam is not required to play, but is needed to access a partner key, and can otherwise be added as a matter of preference.
You can access a Frontier store copy of Elite Dangerous via any Steam account that has the game installed, any Epic account that has the game installed, and via a standalone installation.
EPIC
- Elite Dangerous licenses purchased from the Epic Games Store are non-key.
- They will not exist on your Frontier account, even when linked.
- Your link to Epic will not be displayed under 'third-party accounts' on the Frontier Store
As a result, Epic copies must be run through the Epic launcher. They cannot be logged in through a Steam or standalone installation of the game.
STEAM (non-key)
- All Steam purchases of Elite Dangerous made after April 2019 are non-key.
- They will not exist on your Frontier account, even when linked.
- Your link to Steam will be displayed under 'third-party accounts' on the Frontier Store.
Non-key Steam licenses must be run from the Steam account that made the purchase, via linking, and use of the 'Steam log in' button. They cannot be run from a different Steam account, nor a standalone or Epic installation of the game.
STEAM (key copies)
- All Steam purchases of Elite Dangerous made prior to April 2019 will be key copies.
- You need to redeem your Steam keys to your Frontier account, at which point, they will show as license entitlements/orders on your account, when viewing your products on the Frontier store.
- A link to Steam is not required, but can be added if preferred, and will appear under 'third-party accounts'.
Steam key copies can be run via any Steam account that has the game installed, any Epic account that has the game installed, and via a standalone installation.
Note that if you intend to run multiple PC saves (Commanders) you will need separate licenses for each, added to separate Frontier accounts, as outlined in this FAQ.
You should bear the above limitations in mind, when deciding which platform you will purchase your additional licenses for.
CONSOLE
- Console licenses cannot be accessed via PC.
- Xbox and PlayStation licenses are not interchangeable.
- You may link a console and PC license to the same Frontier account, but the two will remain separate; cross play is not possible.