For gamers, few things beat playing with your friends. But what if they game on Xbox and you‘re on PlayStation? Or you‘re on PC with a keyboard and mouse and they‘re kicking back on the couch with a Nintendo Switch? Gaming may be social, but platforms aren‘t always.
That‘s where crossplay comes in. Crossplay offers the holy grail: connectivity across consoles, computers, and mobile devices. With crossplay, we can play with friends (or foes) regardless of their platform. Over the last few years, crossplay has gone from a technical curiosity to a staple feature players now expect.
But questions linger about how crossplay works and what it means for gaming‘s future. In this guide, we‘ll demystify crossplay and see how it‘s bringing players together across the gaming universe.
Crossing the Streams: A Crossplay Definition
Simply put, crossplay allows multiplayer interconnectivity across platforms. You can play on Xbox while your friend is on PlayStation. Or you can squad up on Nintendo Switch to take on players rocking the keyboard/mouse combo on PC.
Crossplay enables a shared online environment and player base via the magic of the internet. For developers, it also offers the holy grail of avoiding split communities across fragmented platforms.
While variations exist, crossplay typically means you can do 3 key things:
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See and play with people on other platforms
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Carry over account progress, unlocks, and customization
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Use unified friends lists and communicate across platforms
Crossplay provides freedom and flexibility for players. You‘re no longer limited by what device you or your friends happen to own. Crossplay breaks down barriers.
A Crossplay Timeline: The Road to Unification
Crossplay may seem like a new phenomenon, but the foundations were laid decades ago. Let‘s look at some key milestones:
2000s: Early titles like Final Fantasy XI (PS2, Xbox 360, PC) and Portal 2 (PS3, PC) enable limited cross-platform play.
2017: Epic Games accidentally enables PS4 vs. Xbox One crossplay in Fortnite, highlighting demand.
2018: Growing pressure from fans convinces Sony to pilot PS4 crossplay starting with Fortnite.
2019: Crossplay comes to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare across PS4, Xbox One, and PC.
2020: The Outer Worlds, Spellbreak, and Star Wars: Squadrons launch with crossplay.
2021: Crossplay is announced for upcoming AAA games like Halo Infinite and Destiny 2.
2022: Crossplay becomes a standard feature players expect to see included.
Supported by improving technology and pressure from fans, gradual adoption led to a crossplay revolution almost overnight. It‘s now common for major releases to support crossplay on multiple platforms.
Crossplay Adoption Stats
Crossplay went from rare to ubiquitous seemingly instantly. Let‘s look at some statistics that quantify its meteoric rise:
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60% of multiplayer console games released in 2021 supported crossplay, up from under 30% in 2019 (IDC)
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90+ million Fortnite players participated in crossplay in its first year after launch (Epic Games)
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Call of Duty: Warzone saw a 2X increase in matchmaking speed after enabling crossplay (Activision)
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75% of gamers now consider crossplay availability when making purchases (Newzoo)
Chart showing massive growth in crossplay game releases in recent years.
As the numbers show, crossplay is here to stay as a core social feature players demand.
How Games Enable Crossplay Across Platforms
Crossplay requires an online infrastructure that can handle distinct platforms connecting. Here are some of the key ingredients developers use:
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Linked Accounts – Players need a unified ID like an email to link progress across devices.
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Multiplatform Servers – Games run dedicated servers compatible with all platforms.
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Input Translation – Controller inputs are translated to keyboard functions when needed.
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Feature Parity – The game must offer comparable features across different versions.
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Content Syncing – New items and unlocks sync across the linked account.
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Anti-cheat Detection – Checks prevent cheating and hacking across platforms.
While complex, these capabilities enable the seamless cross-platform gameplay players now enjoy.
The Upsides and Downsides of Crossplay
Crossplay provides obvious networking benefits, but does come with some tradeoffs:
Pros of Crossplay:
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Play with friends on other platforms
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Larger player pools and faster matchmaking
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Shared account progression and purchases
Cons of Crossplay:
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Potential cheating by PC players
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Hardware inconsistencies like controllers vs. keyboard/mouse
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Can‘t take advantage of platform-exclusive content
Crossplay needs to balance these factors to create a fair, enjoyable experience for all players. Some titles have implemented smart systems like input-based matchmaking to pair controllers with controllers.
Sony Comes Around on Crossplay
Sony resisted crossplay between PS4 and Xbox One longer than other platforms. But why the past opposition? And what changed their mind?
Fans assumed it was to avoid giving Microsoft‘s Xbox a leg up. But according to Sony‘s CEO, it came down to business. Enabling crossplay would "[require] a commercial agreement with the other platform holder."
Essentially, Sony wanted to get paid for opening its network. However, following mounting pressure from fans, Sony finally relented and launched open crossplay betas throughout 2018 and 2019. The response was so positive, crossplay is now championed across the industry.
What Players Need to Know About Crossplay Settings
For players, here are some tips to get crossplay working:
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Check your platform and game settings for a crossplay toggle. Network settings often have the option to limit play between consoles only or include PC.
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Link your gaming accounts ahead of time before launching a crossplay game. This allows progress to carry over.
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When joining friends on other platforms, you may need to add their unique crossplay username.
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Use crossplay communication options like Discord that span platforms.
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Report cheating or abusive behavior across platforms to ensure fair play.
With the right settings, crossplay opens up gaming‘s borders. Hop in and see who‘s waiting!
Gazing into the Crossplay Crystal Ball
Crossplay has come a shockingly long way in just a few short years. But what does the future hold? Here are some educated predictions:
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More platforms added – Mobile and cloud gaming services could get in on the crossplay action.
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Account merging – Linking or transferring an account between platforms could be possible.
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Game-specific accounts – Accounts will become tied to games rather than platforms.
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Shared marketplaces – Items and DLC may work across linked accounts regardless of platform.
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Cross- saves and progression – All of your progress syncs seamlessly across devices.
As technology improves and evolves, expect crossplay functionality to become more advanced, intuitive, and platform agnostic.
Let the Crossplay Revolution Commence
Crossplay provides a connectivity utopia – access to our gaming friends regardless of what device is in front of us. While not without challenges, developers have heroically found ways to bring players together that once seemed impossible.
As players, we owe it to keep pushing the industry towards further unification and accessibility. Tribalism should have no place when it comes to enjoying videogames with friends new and old.
So whether you‘re on Xbox or PlayStation, PC or Switch, tablet or who knows what‘s next – take advantage of crossplay. Discover new allies. Relive old grudges. Most importantly, have fun forging new connections across the digital frontier.
