Bloodborne fans get first taste of online PC play as ShadPS4 emulator makes breakthrough
For many years, PC gamers never got to experience FromSoftware’s PlayStation-exclusive Soulsborne title Bloodborne. Gamers have waited for a Bloodborne port for years with an uncapped framerate, mod support, and higher fidelity visuals, with even online multiplayer support.
Fortunately, that dream is slowly becoming a reality thanks to the rapid progress of the ShadPS4 emulator. ShadPS4 started as a small project that quickly snowballed into an emulator capable of running PS4 games smoothly on modern hardware. That said, a breakthrough has emerged: online multiplayer is being tested on the Bloodborne emulator.
The news broke when George Mroalis, a lead developer for ShadPS4, showcased a YouTube video featuring Bloodborne’s online features running on PC. In the footage, players would see asynchronous elements, such as bloodstains and messages from other hunters, along with hints of early co-op gameplay.
However, ShadPS4’s Bloodborne project is far from complete. It’s still rough around the edges, with glitches and instability issues cluttering the screen. Still, it’s a monumental milestone to get Bloodborne finally running on PC.
Similar to many FromSoftware titles, Bloodborne’s online features have been a big part of its gameplay. Players struggling to defeat tanky enemies could summon help, invade the worlds of other hunters to engage in PvP battles, or embark on journeys in community-created Chalice Dungeons via glyphs.
As with Bloodborne on the PlayStation, users need a PlayStation Plus subscription and a durable link to Sony’s servers, but ShadPS4’s emulation changes things up. According to Moralis, the team behind ShadPS4 is actively exploring alternatives, such as dedicated community servers or local hosting, to make Bloodborne’s online features work without relying on official Sony servers.
ShadPS4 has been building an impressive track record, with version 0.13.0 providing substantial performance improvements not only in Bloodborne but also in God of War III Remastered, along with performance tweaks for the Steam Deck.
Still, there’s a long way to go before ShadPS4 can nail PS4 emulation and Bloodborne’s PC port, for that matter. Players still report instances of crashes and bugs. However, the dev team is actively rolling out tweaks and patches via GitHub or ShadPS4’s official website.
Hunters have been waiting to play Bloodborne on PC for more than a decade, with online testing seeming to be a fitting cap to a year of emulation victories.
No comments for this article
Add as a preferred