Understanding Cross-Platform Play

For much of gaming's history, players were divided by the devices they owned, unable to play with friends on different systems. Cross-platform play, which lets people on different devices play together, has changed that, becoming one of the most welcome developments in modern gaming. Looking at why cross-platform play matters reveals how breaking down the barriers between devices unites players, strengthens communities and keeps games alive, and why its spread has been such a benefit to players everywhere.

Playing with anyone

The core benefit of cross-platform play is simple: you can play with anyone, regardless of their device. Friends no longer need the same system to play together, removing a longstanding barrier. Freedom to connect. By letting players on any device join the same game, cross-platform play removes the old requirement that friends own matching systems, so that people can finally play together freely regardless of what hardware they happen to have, which is a profound and welcome change.

Uniting divided players

Cross-platform play unites players once divided by their devices, bringing separate communities together. That unification creates larger, livelier player bases and richer communities. Unity strengthens gaming. By joining players who were previously separated by platform, cross-platform play unites once-divided communities into larger, more vibrant ones, and that coming together of players from every device strengthens the social fabric of a game and enriches the experience for everyone who plays it.

Playing with friends

Cross-platform play lets friends play together whatever devices they own, which is its most cherished benefit. No longer must friends match hardware to share a game. Friendship transcends devices. Perhaps the most treasured effect of cross-platform play is that it lets friends play together no matter what systems they own, removing a barrier that long kept people apart and ensuring that the device in someone's hands never again stands between friends who simply want to play together.

Bigger, healthier player bases

Cross-platform play creates bigger player bases by pooling players from all devices. Larger populations mean faster matchmaking, livelier communities and healthier games. Size brings health. By combining players from every platform into a single pool, cross-platform play produces larger and healthier player bases, and that greater size brings real benefits, from quicker matchmaking and fuller servers to more active communities, all of which make a game more enjoyable and more sustainable over time.

Keeping games alive longer

Cross-platform play helps games live longer by sustaining their populations. A game drawing players from all devices can maintain a healthy community long after a single-platform game would fade. Longevity follows unity. Because it pools players from every device into one community, cross-platform play helps games sustain healthy populations for far longer, keeping matchmaking quick and communities active well past the point at which a platform-divided game would struggle to find enough players to thrive.

Fairness across devices

Cross-platform play raises questions of fairness, since different devices can offer different advantages. Good cross-play design addresses this, keeping matches fair across platforms. Fairness needs care. Bringing together players on different devices raises genuine fairness concerns, as some systems may offer advantages over others, and good cross-platform design takes care to keep matches fair across platforms, whether through matchmaking choices or balancing, so that no one is disadvantaged simply by their device.

Freedom to choose your device

Cross-platform play gives players freedom to choose their device without fear of being cut off from friends or communities. That freedom lets players pick the system that suits them. Choice is liberated. By ensuring that your choice of device no longer determines who you can play with, cross-platform play frees players to choose whatever system suits them best, confident that they will still be able to join their friends and communities whatever hardware they decide to play on.

A more connected gaming world

Cross-platform play creates a more connected gaming world, one where devices no longer divide players. That connection makes gaming more social and inclusive. Connection enriches gaming. By dissolving the barriers that once separated players by platform, cross-platform play has helped create a more connected and inclusive gaming world, one in which the device you own no longer isolates you, and that greater connectedness has made gaming a more social and welcoming pursuit for everyone.

Progress that follows you

Closely tied to cross-platform play is the growing freedom to carry your progress between devices, so that the account you build on one system follows you to another. That continuity lets players switch freely, playing on a console at home and a handheld on the move without losing a thing. Being able to pick up exactly where you left off, whatever device is to hand, removes another old barrier and makes gaming fit more naturally around daily life. Together with cross-platform play, this portability of progress completes the picture of a gaming world where the hardware you happen to be holding no longer dictates how, where or with whom you play.

Why cross-platform play matters

Cross-platform play matters because it lets players play with anyone, unites divided communities, and keeps games alive longer by pooling players from every device. Breaking down the barriers between systems has been a great benefit to players. For readers who enjoy how gaming connects us, cross-platform play is a welcome and important development. See our story or recent writing for more.