Cross-Progression Meaning: What is Cross-Progression in Gaming?
With this guide, we’ll break down the concept of cross-progression, finding out what developers are doing to give cross-progression meaning. If you’re eager to learn how cross-progression games work, read on. There are basically no downsides or negatives to the concept of cross-progression gaming, and in our fast-moving, technical society, it’s a feature that is both welcomed and praised by all.
Cross-Progression Games Meaning Explained: What is Cross-Progression?
Cross-progression has existed for a few years in the gaming world, and it’s a much-appreciated feature. It’s typically reserved for the most high-budget games that span multiple platforms and generations, and it’s something that exists to support players to an immeasurable level.
Cross-progression is a wonderful feature that allows players to carry their progress with them wherever they go. That’s as simple as we can explain it, and it really is that basic a concept. With games that boast cross-save mechanics, players have the ability to seamlessly carry their progress from one platform to another. Typically, this will involve using a centralised account that backs up data, and when a player boots up the game on another platform, they simply sign in to that centralised account and recover their data.
That’s how cross-progression games work, and in terms of cross-progression meaning, it doesn’t get any clearer than that explanation.
Traditionally, the best cross-platform titles will also be cross-progression compatible. What is cross-platform, we hear you ask? It’s another simple concept that allows players to connect with gamers playing the same game as them on different platforms.
For example, Call of Duty cross-progression features are backed up with some of the most versatile crossplay mechanics on the market. As another example, PUBG cross-progression features also exist, and that game is also cross-platform.
Are There Any Negatives to Cross-Progression?
There are absolutely no negatives to cross-progression mechanics! It’s a brilliant and relatively new concept that has been included in many more games of late. As gaming technology becomes more advanced, crossplay, cross-generation, and cross-progression features are becoming more common.
It’s a huge win for players that might upgrade their platform later than others. Or, it’s a beneficial feature for players looking to simply change platforms, for whatever reason.
Let’s say you’ve been playing Call of Duty: Warzone on PlayStation 4 since launch, and you want to move over to the PC platform. If this scenario was unfolding five or six years ago, you’d need to start again from the beginning, and there would be nothing you could do about it.
With cross-progression features, all you now need to do is recover your account and download your data. This includes all of your unlocks, your online progress, and your statistics. There’s one caveat to cross-progression titles, and that can sometimes concern paid-for content.
If you were to use ‘platform credit’ such as PSN credit to purchase something in a game, that ‘thing’ might not be available if you were to move over to Xbox, for example.
Regardless, cross-progression is one of the most innovative and helpful mechanics to emerge in the gaming industry in recent years.
Read Also: What is Crossplay?