Best Crossplay Games: Top Paid and Free Cross-Platform Games you should play

For years, developers have been eager to include crossplay elements in their multiplayer-based games. It’s one of the most in-demand things for modern-day gamers, and it’s a quick and easy way to unite an entire community, regardless of the platforms they play on. However, not every multiplayer game is cross-platform compatible – even if some of them should be. Today, we’re breaking down the best crossplay games, letting you about the top games that are cross-platform.

As the gaming community is split up across multiple platforms, it makes sense that most multiplayer titles should include crossplay features. These relatively simple mechanics allow gamers to connect with other players, regardless of the platform they play on. For the most part, the biggest and best games out there have cross-platform mechanics – but it isn’t a universal inclusion… Yet.

Let’s break down the best free crossplay games and the best crossplay games that you need to pay for. Once you’re done with this list, you’ll fully understand which games are the best to play with friends across different platforms.

Best Paid Crossplay Games

1. Minecraft

For years, Minecraft has been one of the most popular multiplayer games in the business, and it’s available on basically every format out there. It was one of the first games to adopt cross-platform technology when in 2016, the developers enabled the PC and mobile platforms to link up seamlessly. In 2017, this feature was expanded to include the entire host of platforms that Minecraft can be purchased on, from Xbox to Nintendo Switch.

As one of the best crossplay games, Minecraft allows players with the same version of the game to connect effortlessly with one another. This means that if you have the Bedrock version of the game, you can connect with someone else playing the Bedrock version on any other format. Furthermore, with Minecraft Realms, the game becomes cross-progression. This immediately makes it one of the best games with cross-progression, as it’s not a super common feature.

2. Call of Duty (Multiplayer Titles)

Image Credit: Activision

Since 2019, all Call of Duty multiplayer titles have boasted some of the best crossplay features out there. It all started with 2019’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, and since then, every successive title has launched with cross-progression and crossplay mechanics. It has enabled the community to come together as one, and friends can connect and play together regardless of their platform of choice.

If you’re wondering how cross-progression games work, look no further than Call of Duty for a great example. It’s all tied in with your Activision account – this is where your progress is centrally stored. If you were to own a Call of Duty multiplayer game on PC and then move to PlayStation, for example, you can recover your progress. This is essentially how cross-progression games work, and it’s a fantastic time-saving feature.

3. Rainbow Six Siege

Image Credit: Ubisoft

At the moment, Rainbow Six Siege features both cross-play and cross-progression mechanics between users on the same family of consoles. This means that if your friend is playing on Xbox One and you’re on Xbox Series X, you can still connect with one another. There’s also a cross-progression feature that means your progress will port across to another platform, provided it’s in the same family, of course.

However, later in 2022, universal cross-play in Rainbow Six Siege will arrive. This will allow players to connect with one another across platforms – PlayStation 5 will be able to connect with Xbox Series X, for example. This means that Rainbow Six Siege will tick all the boxes, establishing itself as one of the best crossplay games, a top cross-progression title, and one of the best cross-generation games.

4. Overwatch

Image Credit: Blizzard

Since June 2021, Overwatch has been one of the best crossplay games on the market. It’s a fun-for-all hero shooter that boasts bright colours, exciting gameplay, and a range of characters that fans of the franchise have come to know and love. It took quite a while, but eventually, Blizzard, the developer, enabled crossplay functionality in the game, but the change came with a couple of extra terms and conditions.

For instance, crossplay is only open to those not playing competitive games. If you want to play at a higher, more skilled level in Overwatch, you’ll be split up according to your platform. In one corner, you’ll have the PC group, and in another, those playing on consoles. It’s a system that’s designed to promote as fair and stable an environment as possible, and since Overwatch became one of the best crossplay games in 2021, it has worked quite well.

5. Sea of Thieves

Image Credit: Rare

Sea of Thieves is one of the best open-world games on the market right now. It’s an exhilarating pirate adventure that sees players take command of the open ocean atop a ship that they pilot wherever and however they so desire. It’s one of the best crossplay games around today, but it’s only a cross-platform title between Xbox and PC. However, there’s a good reason for that – the game doesn’t actually exist on any other platform.

Regardless, this means that players on Xbox One, Xbox Series, and PC platforms can all link up and sail the seas together. It’s a massively popular title that launched way back in 2018 and has been growing and expanding ever since. The developer, Rare, is constantly pumping fresh content into Sea of Thieves, making it one of the most regularly updated crossplay games, and a fantastic choice for any fans of open-world adventures.

Best Free Crossplay Games

1. Fortnite

Fortnite is easily one of the best free crossplay games. (Image Credit: Epic)

Fortnite is arguably the king of free crossplay games. It has been free-to-play for years and it has picked up an audience of tens of millions of players from all around the world. It’s one of the most popular video games of all time, and it’s one of the best free crossplay games on the planet. With Fortnite, the cross-platform mechanics are some of the sharpest around, allowing players to connect with their friends regardless of what platform they’re on.

And the best part is, you can do so without spending a single penny. There are many who will argue that Fortnite is the best battle royale game to exist – and they might just be right. This is a game that pioneered the genre, and today, it’s still the most popular battle royale game by sheer numbers alone.

2. Rocket League

Image Credit: Psyonix

Rocket League went free-to-play in 2020, and it has prospered ever since. As one of the most unique games in the industry, Rocket League enjoys a fanbase of millions of players. It’s a perfect fusion between high-octane racing and football, and it’s one of the best free crossplay games in the business. It doesn’t matter if you’re playing Rocket League on Xbox, PlayStation, PC, or Nintendo Switch, you can buddy up with your friends on any other platform.

It’s as typical as things get where the best cross-platform free games are concerned. If you’re in the mood to drive rocket-powered cars across a soccer field, then Rocket League is certainly the game for you.

3. Call of Duty: Warzone

Image Credit: Activision

Call of Duty: Warzone launched in 2020, and from the moment it dropped, it was widely regarded as one of the best battle royale games out there. It became massively popular almost overnight, surpassing 100 million players in no time at all. By today, the player count has subsided somewhat, but it’s still one of the best free crossplay games on the market. It costs nothing to get involved with Warzone, and that’s partly why it became so popular in such a short period of time.

However, Call of Duty: Warzone isn’t just one of the best crossplay games – it’s also cross-progression. Like the Call of Duty multiplayer titles, Warzone players link their progress to a central account, and if they move across platforms, they simply bring their progress with them. It’s a beautifully simple system that fans appreciate endlessly.

4. Genshin Impact

Image Credit: MiHoYo

Genshin Impact made such a huge splash on the scene when it launched in September 2020. It emerged as one of the best free-to-play games to burst onto the scene in recent years, coming equipped with graphics reminiscent of Breath of the Wild and a huge open world ripe for exploration. It became hugely popular in no time at all, launching on PC, PlayStation, and mobile platforms. It’s set to launch on Nintendo Switch, but by September 2022, that version still hasn’t appeared.

Ultimately, Genshin Impact stands firm as one of the best games that are cross-platform and entirely free. There’s a catch, though – players must reach a certain level in the game before they unlock the co-op mode, at which point they can connect with their friends that are playing Genshin Impact on any other platform.

5. Apex Legends

Image Credit: EA

In May 2022, Apex Legends went crossplay, inviting players on all formats to become one immense community. It was a decision that was praised by critics and fans of the franchise, opening up the potential for players to connect with their friends regardless of which platform they played on. It instantly cemented Apex Legends as one of the best free cross-platform games, uniting players across PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch platforms.

As one of the most popular battle royale games, Apex Legends enjoyed a fantastic position when it went crossplay. It meant that the community was bigger and broader than ever, and it joined the likes of Warzone and Fortnite as battle royale games with cross-platform features.

More Games That Are Cross-Platform

What Is The Difference Between Crossplay and Cross-Platform

Warzone is crossplay, cross-platform, cross-everything! (Image Credit: Activision)

Ultimately, there’s no difference between the two terms – they’re what’s known as ‘interchangeable’.

If you’re at the end of this article and you’re still asking, ‘what is crossplay’, it’s time for a very simple and final definition. It’s a technical feature that allows players to connect with gamers playing the same game on other platforms. That’s essentially cross-platform games explained, as the two terms mean the same thing.

Traditionally, the term ‘cross-platform’ described the scenario where one game releases across a range of platforms. For instance, a game could launch and wind up being on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC – but times have changed, and so has the most common usage of the term.

So, that’s our breakdown of the best crossplay games out there in the market today. It’s time for you to jump in with your friends and have some fun!