If you’ve ever wanted to play a game with a friend who owns a different console than you, you’ve probably run into a wall. Maybe you have a PlayStation and your friend has an Xbox. Or you’re on a PC and your buddy only has a Nintendo Switch. In the past, this meant you simply couldn’t play together. Today, thanks to something called cross-platform play, that wall is coming down in more and more games.

This blog will break down what cross-platform play actually means, why it matters, and which popular games let you jump in with friends no matter what device they’re using.

What Is Cross-Platform Play?

Cross-platform play, often shortened to “cross-play,” simply means you can play a game with people who are using a different device than you. So if you’re playing on a PlayStation 5 and your friend is playing the same game on an Xbox Series X, cross-play lets you team up or compete against each other in the same match.

Without cross-play, players are kept in separate boxes. PlayStation players can only play with other PlayStation players. Xbox players can only play with other Xbox players. This used to be the normal setup for almost every online game. But over the last several years, game companies have realized that keeping friend groups apart is bad for everyone, so many games now let all platforms mix together.

It’s worth knowing there are actually a couple of related ideas that often get lumped in with cross-play:

• Cross-play means playing together in the same match, regardless of device.
• Cross-progression means your character, items, or save file carry over from one device to another. So if you play on your phone during the day and switch to your console at night, your progress follows you.
• Cross-save is similar to cross-progression but usually refers specifically to your save file moving between platforms.

Some games offer all three. Others only offer one or two. It’s a good idea to check which type of support a game actually has before assuming everything will carry over perfectly.

Why Cross-Platform Play Matters

Think about how people actually own gaming devices these days. One friend might have grown up with a PlayStation because that’s what their family bought. Another friend might have an Xbox because it came bundled with a subscription deal. A third friend might only play on a phone or a Nintendo Switch because they like gaming on the go. Without cross-play, this friend group simply couldn’t play most games together.

Cross-play fixes that problem. It also keeps games feeling alive longer. When every player, no matter their device, is tossed into the same pool of matchmaking, it becomes much easier to find a match quickly. This is especially helpful for games that are a few years old and might not have huge player counts on any single platform anymore.

For game companies, cross-play is also smart business. Games become more valuable and more fun when your entire friend group can play, not just a portion of it.

Popular Games With Cross-Platform Play

Let’s look at some of the most well-known games that currently support cross-play, grouped loosely by genre so it’s easy to scan.

Battle Royale and Shooter Games

Fortnite was one of the earliest and biggest games to fully embrace cross-play. You can play together whether you’re on PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, PC, or mobile. It also has cross-progression, so your skins and battle pass progress follow you everywhere.

Call of Duty (including modern titles like Call of Duty: Warzone, Black Ops 6, and Modern Warfare III) supports cross-play across PlayStation, Xbox, and PC. This was a big shift for the series, since older Call of Duty games kept players locked to their own platform.

Apex Legends allows players on PlayStation, Xbox, PC, and Nintendo Switch to team up or fight against each other. It also includes cross-progression, so your unlocked characters and cosmetic items are the same no matter where you log in.

PUBG: Battlegrounds supports cross-play between consoles and PC, letting squads form no matter what they’re playing on.

Destiny 2 offers full cross-play between PlayStation, Xbox, and PC, along with cross-save so your character and gear are shared across all your devices.

Overwatch 2 supports cross-play across all major platforms, including the Nintendo Switch, and also includes cross-progression.

Sandbox and Building Games

Minecraft is probably the best-known example of cross-play done well. Through what’s called the Bedrock version, players on PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, PC, and mobile can all play together in the same world. It’s a big part of why Minecraft has stayed so popular with families and friend groups over the years.

Roblox is built entirely around cross-play. Since it runs on nearly every device, from phones to consoles to PCs, players jump between platforms constantly without a second thought.

Racing and Sports-Style Games

Rocket League was a pioneer for cross-play in competitive games. Players on PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and PC can all play together, and progress carries across devices when you link your accounts.

Fall Guys dropped its paywall a while back and became free to play, and along with that change came full cross-play support across all major platforms.

Forza Horizon games allow cross-play between Xbox and PC, since both platforms run on similar backend systems from Microsoft.

Role-Playing and Adventure Games

Genshin Impact supports cross-play across PlayStation, PC, and mobile, along with cross-progression so your character and items are the same no matter where you log in.

Diablo 4 allows cross-play across PlayStation, Xbox, and PC, along with cross-progression for your character’s gear and levels.

Final Fantasy XIV supports cross-play between PlayStation and PC, letting fans of the long-running series team up regardless of their setup.

Party and Social Games

Among Us supports cross-play across PC, consoles, and mobile, which is part of why it exploded in popularity. Friend groups scattered across different devices could all hop into a lobby together.

Brawlhalla is a free fighting game that supports cross-play across basically every platform, including PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, PC, and mobile.

Games That Still Limit Cross-Play

Not every game has jumped on board. Some games only allow cross-play between certain platforms, while blocking others. For example, some titles let Xbox and PC players team up since they share similar technology, but leave out PlayStation. Other games restrict cross-play to only work between consoles, while keeping PC players separate to avoid unfair advantages from a mouse and keyboard.

It’s also worth noting that competitive shooters sometimes separate players by input type, even with cross-play turned on. This means a player using a controller might be matched only with other controller players, since aiming with a mouse can give a big advantage in fast-paced shooters. This isn’t really a knock against cross-play itself, but more of a fairness feature built on top of it.

How to Check If a Game Has Cross-Platform Play

If you’re not sure whether a specific game supports cross-play, here are a few quick ways to find out:

1. Check the game’s settings menu, usually under an option like “cross-play” or “multiplayer settings.”
2. Look at the game’s store page description, since most modern games advertise cross-play support directly.
3. Search the developer’s official website or support page, since they usually list exactly which platforms can play together.
4. Ask in the game’s community, since other players often know the details better than anyone.

Final Thoughts

Cross-platform play has changed the way people game with their friends. It used to be normal to lose touch with a friend group simply because everyone owned different consoles. Now, with so many major games supporting cross-play, that barrier is mostly gone.

Games like Fortnite, Minecraft, Call of Duty, Rocket League, and Apex Legends have shown that keeping players connected, no matter what device they use, makes games more fun and keeps communities alive longer. As more developers continue adding cross-play to their games, it’s likely that playing together across different devices will simply become the expected normal, rather than a special feature worth pointing out.

So next time you’re picking a game to play with friends, it’s worth checking for that cross-play label. It might be the difference between playing together tonight or waiting for everyone to somehow end up with the same console.