Do all games support crossplay?

No, not all games support crossplay. Developers need to add this feature, and some platforms or stores may not allow crossplay between all versions.

Can I turn off crossplay?

Yes, many games allow you to turn off crossplay if you prefer to play with people using the same platform.

Does crossplay cost extra?

No, crossplay itself doesn’t cost extra, but you may still need to pay for online services like PlayStation Plus, Xbox Live Gold, or Nintendo Switch Online to play games online.

Will my game progress carry over between platforms?

In some cases, yes, but it depends on the game.

What is crossplay?

Crossplay (cross-platform play) allows players from different platforms to play together on the same server/session. PlayStation, Xbox, PC, and Nintendo Switch players can join the same game when crossplay is enabled.

Why is crossplay important?

In modern society, we have plenty of choice in what device to play on. You can buy PlayStation, Xbox, PC, or Nintendo Switch, but not having the ability to play together with a friend who owns a different gaming platform adds loneliness to life.

We want to highlight some of the benefits of games that support cross-play:

Allows friends to play together no matter what platform they use;
Increases player base for faster matchmaking;
Increases the game's lifetime;
Avoids buying several gaming platforms or game copies;

How do developers implement crossplay?

One of the reasons why crossplay is not something standard is the engineering process that stands behind this feature. Players are accustomed to platform-specific features like Steam Friends or PlayStation Game Base, and when you are playing with someone who is using the same platform, you will most likely send them an invite through your platform. But crossplay changes everything.

To connect players from different platforms, you can no longer use the platform's native features and need to develop a custom shared server architecture, manage infrastructure, or use an existing solution, but you have to pay for it, which increases the operational spending. If you are a big studio with a big engineering base, it is not usually a problem, but for indie or AA games, implementation of a shared server infrastructure that should be managed and paid for can be a disaster.

Why use CrossWatch?

While most websites inform you if the game features crossplay between platforms, CrossWatch takes it a step further by displaying crossplay between specific stores and platforms.

For instance, a game has been released to Xbox, PC (for Steam and Xbox Store for Windows), and crossplay compatibility may look like:

Xbox ↔ Microsoft Store ✅
Xbox ↔ Steam ❌

Instead of simply stating that the game is compatible with "Xbox and PC," we display exact crossplay compatibility details and want to highlight that every game on our website is manually checked, and for most of them, we have dedicated pages with screenshots and in-depth dives.

Challenges

Unfortunately, in multiplayer PvP games, crossplay is not always a welcome feature, as it can cause many problems, especially for console players. For example, Call of Duty and Battlefield 6 have awful crossplay implementation as they put everyone into the same lobby, no matter what platform you are using.

That creates many challenges for console players who are using controllers, as they usually have a worse and locked framerate, and slower reaction speed compared to players on mouse and keyboard.

We also have good examples of how it should be done. For example, Respawn Entertainment implemented the gold crossplay standard for multiplayer PvP games in Apex Legends.

Players on Consoles, and PC have their own fully isolated lobbies;
You can create an in-game party and have someone from console and someone from PC, as crossplay is supported;
But since the party is created, you will only be able to play in the PC lobby until someone from PC is in your party;

That decision fully isolates console players so they don't meet software cheaters and can play as close to fair matches as possible.

It is worth admitting that you, as a console player who plays in the PC lobby, have an aim assist constraint, so you can't just rely on it, and it creates some honest competition.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is crossplay available in all games?

Not always. Crossplay depends on the developer and varies by platform and store.

Is it possible to disable crossplay?

Yes, many games give you the option of disabling crossplay.

Will it cost extra money?

No. However, an online subscription for the platform might be required, e.g., PlayStation Plus, Xbox Game Pass Core, or Nintendo Switch Online.

Does my progress transfer to other platforms?

It is a different thing called cross-progression, and it has nothing to do with crossplay, although many multiplayer games support shared progress across platforms while using the same account.

The future of crossplay

Crossplay is becoming one of the key features for multiplayer games. With time, crossplay support will become even more widespread among developers.

CrossWatch displays all crossplay details correctly, including platform and store compatibility with references from official sources.