Blizzard Entertainment’s vastly popular FPS game landed in the hands of eager players back in 2016. As a team-based multiplayer game, Overwatch took the gaming community by storm by virtue of its unique “hero shooter” style. Players assigned into two teams of six get to choose their favorite Heroes from a huge roster of vivid characters, each with unique abilities, in this hectic ability-based battle royale!
Surely a game this popular couldn’t stay restricted to only one platform, thus it was released for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows (PC), and Nintendo Switch. To make the experience all the better, they even released optimized performance patches for the Xbox Series X and Series S. With this many platforms, Cross-platform play became increasingly important and the 22nd of June, 2021 marked the end of this issue!
First off, what on earth is Crossplay?
There are just so many players playing Overwatch on different platforms. While the Platform Supremacy Wars wage on, it’s apparent that some issues could be fixed if these players were simply allowed to play together and better understand each other. While this might not have been the end goal, Blizzard made it possible via their Cross-platform play function, letting players party up and play with friends regardless of platform.
No matter which side of the Platform Wars you are on, you can now make a conscious choice to put your differences aside and grind together with friends simply as “Overwatch players”, nothing more, nothing less. Additionally, if you’re seeking to land a better rank before stepping into or continuing your crossplay experience, consider enlisting some Overwatch Boosting Services to help you out! This is the swiftest and easiest way of climbing the ranks and might just be the solution you’re looking for. Simply bear in mind the Golden rule of Crossplay… Don’t bring up the topic of which platform is better for any reason! You have been warned!
How does one “Crossplay”?
Made up your mind to accept other Platform players as your equals? At least on the surface? Now you are ready to take the next step. But before starting, just double-check to ensure that your Console Account is linked to your Battle.net account. Next, run a quick check on whether you’ve already added the friends you want to one-up…. I mean, co-op with, into your list of buddies as far as Overwatch is concerned.
Step-by-step Manual
Just in case, here is a neatly sorted sequence of steps that must be followed if you wish to engage in Overwatch Crossplay, including even the basics!
1. Open your Web Browser and head over to Battle.net to Register yourself, in the event you don’t have an account yet.
Most of you have already done it ages ago. But just in case you haven’t and didn’t feel the need to, it is time now. Select the “My Account” tab at the top right of the screen and click on “Create an account”. After the formalities are over and your Battle.net account is created, Sign In with your new creds to proceed onto the linking process. Let your presence be known and fear not, Blizzard won’t bite (at least, not directly). For those of you who have already done this daunting task, simply Sign In.
2. Now that you’re in, make a beeline for your Account Name located at the top right corner of the screen. And yes, just press it!
3. You will now be graced by a generous dropdown menu, here to help. From the many enticing options, select the “Account Settings” option.
4. You’re looking to connect with people, so click on the “Connections” option.
5. From the list that appears before you, connect your Battle.net account to your preferred Console account. Be it Xbox Live, Playstation Network, or Nintendo, they have you covered.
6. You’re pretty much set now. Just dive head-first into the game and play with your friends from “inferior” platforms!
Forming the Bridge for Overwatch Crossplay
But wait! If you’re a console player, you might need to go over these additional steps to link your prized Console account to Battle.net.
- Crank up your console and launch the one-and-only Overwatch!
- If you did everything right, you’ll be greeted by an alphanumeric code and a QR code.
- Now return to your Battle.net account on the browser and load up the Battle.net/pair page.
- Simply enter your very own numeric code here (the one you received on your console) on the pairing page and voila~
Prefer the QR code more? This method will automatically forward you to the pairing page, where the alphanumeric code is already entered. Pretty convenient.
Whether you are a Console or PC player, Overwatch boosting services are still available for you. If you would like the extra push, don’t hesitate to get the help of Veterans!
Is everything topsy-turvy in Overwatch Crossplay?
Well, the short answer is, no. Like all things, Overwatch’s Cross-Platform play comes with its own pros and cons. The Pros are already mentioned, it simply opens the doorway for you to connect and play with gamers from other platforms. Thing is, this feature is not entirely perfect and it comes with a number of limitations.
1. All players must have a Battle.net account. Now, this might not appear to be a big issue but many console players could easily skip this extra step. It’s just another account they make for gaming purposes that will probably flood their email accounts with Overwatch and Blizzard-related content.
2. Overwatch Crossplay on Xbox, PC, and other consoles will only allow players to band together for matches in Quick Play, Arcade, and Custom modes only. Yes, you cannot queue Competitive here.
3. Many players have qualms about the Competitive matchmaking process across a number of different games. For Blizzard, it is more convenient to split their Competitive players into two groups depending on their platform; PC and Console. In the name of true fairness and balance, PC players will not be pitched against Console players and vice-versa in Ranked.
4. Overwatch comes with the default mindset of pitching Console players against other Console players only, even in Quick Play mode. To get over this conventional barricade, Console and PC players must intentionally group up via Overwatch Crossplay. Change starts with you, right?
5. “Does Overwatch have Crossplay?” Well, it provides the bare minimum required. This means it does not allow shared progression and similar rewards amidst various platforms. Platform locked Cosmetic items and Stats will remain that way and they certainly won’t transfer among sessions. They aren’t quite that generous.
6. “How does Cross-Platform Overwatch work?” Well, they made an attempt to equalize the playing field in Crossplay and the end result was quite a mess. The best example is how the amount of damage dealt by some heroes on consoles is increased. While they only wished to give a more stable footing against the PC version, characters like Ana, Ashe, Symmetra, and Torbjörn are adversely affected. Gamers will notice how their damage output is considerably lower on console and this inconsistency is quite problematic for serious players.
7. They seem to be actively considering Crossplay for Overwatch 2, but whether this would be an improvement or degradation is still unknown. All we can do is hope for the best!
There are many more issues with Overwatch’s Crossplay right now. If you do not wish to feel the brunt of the blow, Overwatch Boosting Services can help you again! Even if Competitive matches aren’t allowed in Crossplay, you can still play with friends of differing ranks on the same platform thanks to efficient and timely boosting!
This concludes this article on Overwatch’s Crossplay and how it works. Despite its many hitches, Overwatch is a Cross-Platform game right now and some appreciate this simple fact a lot more than others. If you’re here reading this, you surely have an interest in the Crossplay function to some extent and we hope you found what you were looking for. Additionally, we hope you know exactly how to play Cross-Platform Overwatch now if you so wish. Thanks for reading and we hope you make the most of your Overwatch experience henceforth!
