Cross play is coming to Overwatch and will be available on all consoles and PCs. Cross Play will automatically be enabled for all users, and PC users will not be able to disable the feature. Additionally, competitive matches will not feature cross play on launch, with PC and console players split into two different matchmaking pools. Console players must make a Battle.net account to participate in cross play.
While cross play will be coming to Overwatch, Blizzard states that cross progression will not be available for the time being. However, Game Director Aaron Keller states in a developer update video that the team is “excited to bring cross-progression to the game” at a later date.
This seems to be a major update that begins to set up Overwatch for the release of Overwatch 2, which is going to act as more of a massive expansion and update to the original Overwatch than as an entirely separate sequel .
Console players are required to create a free Battle.net account to play Overwatch via cross play. After creating the account, users can link their account to their consoles by going to the “Connections” section under their account settings. After doing so, they will be eligible to receive a free golden loot box. Furthermore, by logging in users can redeem a free gold loot box on any device, regardless of if they are associated with the same Battle.net account.
Console players can choose to continue playing with other players on their same platform by disabling cross play. Blizzard warns that, by disabling cross play, queue times will likely increase due to cross play being the default. Once cross play is enabled, console users will be able to matchmake with other consoles in solo queue, or with PC players if they are grouped up with another PC player in quick play mode. However, aim assist is disabled for cross-play matches that include both PC and console players in order to appropriately balance the game. Note that if you don’t group up with a PC player, you will never be matched against other PC players. Cross play is also disabled for competitive matches during Season 28 and will be enabled on July 1, 2021, at the start of Season 29.
As cross play will be in beta on launch, Blizzard states that it will continue to monitor the game’s balance as well as player feedback. If you’re interested in learning more, the company also opened a new FAQ page as well. You can also check out the official developer update video below:
Overwatch cross play will be enabled soon, with more updates to come throughout the year on Overwatch and Overwatch 2.
