Crossplay Explained: Full, Partial, and Everything In Between
"Supports crossplay" is meaningless
Every store page and game trailer loves to mention "crossplay support." What they don't tell you is what KIND of crossplay. There are at least four different things that all get called "crossplay," and the difference matters when you're about to spend money.
The types of crossplay
Full crossplay - Every platform can play with every other platform. PC, PS5, Xbox, Switch, all in the same lobby. This is the gold standard but it's less common than you'd think. Console-only crossplay - PS5 and Xbox can play together, but PC is in its own pool. This usually happens in competitive shooters where mouse and keyboard vs controller is a balancing problem. The store page still says "crossplay" without mentioning PC is excluded. Partial crossplay - Some modes work cross-platform, others don't. Campaign co-op might be crossplay but competitive multiplayer isn't. Or crossplay works in private matches but not public matchmaking. Opt-in crossplay - It exists in the settings but is disabled by default. You have to dig through menus to enable it. Some games also require account linking (Epic, Microsoft, game-specific accounts) before cross-platform parties work.The platform pair problem
Even "full crossplay" might not mean what you think. Some games support PC-to-PS5 and PC-to-Xbox but not PS5-to-Xbox. The crossplay matrix isn't always complete.
This is why we track crossplay per platform pair, not as a blanket yes/no. Check specific combos:
The version problem
Some games have different versions on different stores. The Steam version might not cross-play with the Xbox version, but the Microsoft Store version on PC does. Minecraft is the classic example: Java Edition (PC only, no crossplay) vs Bedrock Edition (crossplay across everything).
Before buying, check which version supports crossplay with your friend's platform. The game pages in our database note these differences when they're known.
How to check before buying
1. Look up the game on pickthe.games/games
2. Check the crossplay section for your specific platform pair
3. If it says "full crossplay" you're good
4. If it says "partial" read the details
5. If there's no data, the community can report it through the app
Or skip the manual research entirely. Create a board with your group's platforms. The matching algorithm checks crossplay compatibility for you and only surfaces games that work for your specific platform mix.
It changes over time
Games add crossplay. Games remove crossplay. A game that didn't support PC-to-PS5 last year might now. Our database updates through a mix of automated checks and community reports.
If you find something outdated, you can report it directly while swiping. More reports mean more accurate data for everyone.