Overwatch crossplay: How to play with friends on PC, Xbox, Switch, PS

Overwatch has been released on PC< Playstation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch, so there are a variety of users playing on different platforms.

credit: Overwatch
By Nilavro Ghosh | Nov 29, 2021 | 3 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

It’s no secret that Overwatch appeals to a diverse range of gamers all over the world. You’ve got casual gamers to pro players, and the cartoon style and low skill barrier to entry make the title a hit with both younger and older players. Overwatch 2, the title’s highly anticipated sequel, is still a while away, so players will have to make do with the original title for the time being.

But there was always one issue with Blizzard’s flagship FPS: cross-platform play. That shouldn’t be an issue anymore, thanks to the June 22 Overwatch patch, which officially enabled crossplay.

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WHAT IS CROSSPLAY?

Overwatch isn’t just for computer gamers. The game has also been released on Playstation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch, so there are a variety of users playing on different platforms.

It will join titles such as Fortnite and Apex Legends, which have a feature known as ‘cross-platform play,’ which allows players to group up and play with friends regardless of platform.

So, if your friend prefers to throw down on the sticks with their PS5 but you’re more of a cold, calculating PC player, you can still farm some loot boxes together despite your different hardware; just don’t bring up the subject of which is “better” for everyone’s sake.

IS OVERWATCH CROSSPLAY?

One of the main complaints that fans have had about the iconic FPS since its release is that it never supported crossplay, whereas other games did. However, Blizzard has listened to our concerns and has finally added the feature to the game.

Blizzard finally added the crossplay feature to Overwatch earlier this year, in June. To participate, simply ensure that your console account is linked to your Battle.net account and that you’ve added the friends you want to play with.

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HOW TO LINK CONSOLE AND BATTLE.NET ACCOUNTS?

In order to play with your friends on different platforms and utilize crossplay, Blizzard have announced that you’ll need to make sure your console is linked to your Battle.net account.

Here’s what you need to do:

  1. Sign up for Battle.net if you don’t have an account.
    • For those who do, just sign in.
  2.  Click your account’s name in the top right corner.
  3.  Choose ‘account settings’ from the dropdown menu.
  4. Select “connections.”
  5. In the list that appears, connect your Battle.net to your Xbox Live, Playstation Network or Nintendo account.
  6. Jump into a game and play with your friends!

HOW DOES CROSSPLAY WORK FOR OVERWATCH?

With the exception of Competitive games, all game modes in Overwatch support crossplay. Competitive players will be divided into two pools based on their system of choice: one for console players and another for PC players.

For competitive matches, PC and console players will not be mixed in the same pool for balance reasons. This means that if you’re on PC and want to play with friends on console, you can only do so in non-competitive game modes. Any group that includes both PC and console players will be assigned to the PC player matchmaking pool.

Regardless of who is in their group, mouse and keyboard players will be unable to join the console player matchmaking pool.

Finally, if console players want to prove themselves to PC players, they’ll have to do so without Aim Assist, as the feature is disabled by default if you team up with a PC player to equalise play during the match.