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

For years, multiplayer games have been dominating the global market with ease. Whether it’s tens of millions of people playing Fortnite at the same time or a group of friends exploring a dangerous, post-apocalyptic world, there’s nothing quite like a good multiplayer-based game. With the growth of multiplayer games, we’ve seen a huge boom in the number of crossplay games. In this guide, we’re taking a look at the best crossplay games on the market – the top titles that are crossing those digital borders.

There are some fantastic free cross-platform games out there and some that boast a considerable price tag, but ultimately, they’re all trying to accomplish the same thing. It’s all about making the global gaming community as seamless as possible, allowing users to connect regardless of their platform of choice. If you’ve been hunting for the best crossplay games, look no further than this guide. It’s our comprehensive solution to the top cross-platform games you’ll ever play.

What Are The Best Crossplay Games?

We’ll break this down by paid crossplay games and then free crossplay games. You’ll be pleasantly surprised to learn how many crossplay games won’t cost you a penny to pay.

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)

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

For years, Rainbow Six Siege offered very little in the way of crossplay mechanics. However, thanks to a major update in 2023, the borders have been removed somewhat, linking players between certain ‘types’ of platforms. For instance, PlayStation and Xbox players can now connect, and PC players can connect with those on the Amazon Luna streaming service. There’s no way to link PC players with console-based players in Rainbow Six Siege, but that’s by design.

Rainbow Six Siege is one of the best cross-generation games on the market, though. It covers a wide base of platforms and has millions of players around the world. Despite being on the market for almost a decade, it remains one of the most popular tactical shooters in the world.

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

For those seeking a sense of pirating-based adventure, there’s nothing better than Sea of Thieves. This exhilarating pirate title has players assume control of a ship in a vast open, working alone or with friends to become a legendary pirate and face off against all comers. It’s one of the best crossplay games on the market, and it’s only going to get better in the future.

It was revealed in 2024 that Sea of Thieves will be breaking free of its Xbox exclusivity and moving to PlayStation platforms. It’s a huge leap for the game that’ll help to broaden its horizons immensely, and it has already been confirmed that it’ll be crossplay between the entire network. There will be full Sea of Thieves cross-platform mechanics to take advantage of when this epic change happens.

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. Many 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 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 who 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!

Crossplay FAQ