Crossplay: Cross-Platform Multiplayer Explained

Last updated: 2026-10-30

ARC Raiders supports full crossplay, so you can squad up with friends no matter whether they are on PC, PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X/S. Your progress is also tied to your Embark ID account, which means character, unlocks and gear carry across platforms. The one catch is that there is no console-only matchmaking: enabling crossplay always opens you to PC players as well.

• Platforms: PC (any store), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S.
• Toggle: on or off in Settings → Online; the process is identical on every platform.
• Cross-progression: yes — progress follows your Embark ID across platforms.
• Console-only queue: not available at time of writing.

Which Platforms Support Crossplay

Everyone in the party must have crossplay enabled to match together. Leave it off and you queue only against players on your own platform.

How to Enable Crossplay

The process is the same on PC, PS5 and Xbox:

1. From the main menu, click the gear icon in the bottom-right to open Settings.
2. Under the Online tab, find Crossplay and click the arrow to enable it.
3. Return to the main menu — you will see “Crossplay: On” underneath the Play button.

Cross-Progression (Cross-Save)

Your Raider is tied to your Embark ID account, so your character, unlocks and gear move with you. You can start a raid on Xbox, switch to PC, and pick the game up on PS5 right where you left off — no re-grinding, no lost loot.

Should You Keep Crossplay On or Off?

Most of the crossplay debate in ARC Raiders is really about platform differences, not the feature itself:

• Aim assist vs. precision. Controller players get aim assist to compensate for the inaccuracy of a thumbstick, while mouse players rely on raw precision. Aim assist can feel strong in a controller’s hands, which is the usual argument against matching controller users with mouse players.
• PC hacks. The open PC platform is easier to install aimbots and hacks on, so a weak anticheat exposes console players to cheaters when crossplay is on.
• Movement tech. PC separates crouch and dodge roll onto different binds and lets you hold sprint, while console shares crouch and dodge roll on one button and uses toggle sprint — making sprint-roll movement tricks noticeably faster and cleaner on keyboard and mouse.

The common advice: keep crossplay off unless you actually need it to play with friends on another platform, then switch it back off when you’re done. Console players after the most even matches usually queue with it disabled.

Tips

• Turn it on for friends, off for solo. Leave crossplay on only when grouping with people on other platforms; disable it otherwise.
• Queue times vs. fairness. Crossplay on means faster queues and bigger possible squads; off means a platform-only ecosystem.
• Your build follows you. Because cross-progression is account-wide, you do not lose skill points, Outpost upgrades or loot when you switch machines.