If you’ve ever logged into Overwatch 2 wanting to squad up with a friend who plays on a different device, you’ve probably asked can you do crossplay on Overwatch 2. I’ve been playing the Overwatch series for almost 5 years, and I’ve spent hundreds of hours queuing with friends across Switch, PS5, and PC, so I’ve sorted out every last detail of how crossplay works for this game. This guide breaks down everything you need to know to start playing with friends no matter what platform they use, no confusing jargon included.
Can You Do Crossplay on Overwatch 2? Official Support Breakdown
The short answer is yes, full crossplay support is available for all Overwatch 2 players across every supported platform. Blizzard rolled out crossplay functionality the day Overwatch 2 launched in 2022, and it’s been expanded to cover every version of the game, including the recent mobile beta releases. Crossplay is enabled by default for all new Overwatch 2 accounts created after October 2022, so if you just made your account, you likely already have access without adjusting any settings.
Supported platforms for crossplay include PC (both Battle.net and Steam versions), PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S, Nintendo Switch, and the limited mobile beta. That means if your friend plays on any of these devices, you can queue up for matches together as long as your accounts are set up correctly. The only exception is regional restrictions, which only apply if you’re playing in a country that blocks cross-regional play entirely.
How to Enable Crossplay on Overwatch 2 for Your Platform
If you have an older account or you turned crossplay off by accident in the past, enabling it only takes a few steps. The first thing you’ll need to do is make sure all your gaming accounts are linked to a single Battle.net account, as this is the backbone of all Overwatch 2 cross-platform features. You must link all your platform accounts to a single Battle.net account to access crossplay features, and you can only link one account per platform type to your Battle.net profile.
Once your accounts are linked, follow these simple steps to turn on crossplay for your device:
- For PC players: Open the options menu, navigate to the "Gameplay" tab, scroll down to the "Crossplay" toggle, and switch it to "On" if it’s disabled. You don’t need to do any extra setup beyond linking your account if you’re playing on Steam or Battle.net.
- For console players: Launch Overwatch 2, follow the on-screen prompt to link your Battle.net account when you first open the game, then confirm crossplay is active in the gameplay settings menu. You can unlink your account at any time from the Battle.net website if you need to switch profiles.
- For mobile beta players: Sign in with your existing linked Battle.net account during onboarding, and crossplay will be active automatically for matches with PC and console players. You can’t turn crossplay off for the mobile beta right now, as the player pool is still relatively small.
Once you’ve toggled crossplay on, you won’t need to adjust the setting again unless you want to turn it off temporarily. Your preference will save across all devices linked to your Battle.net account, so you don’t have to redo the setup if you switch from your PS5 to your PC for a session.
Key Crossplay Limitations and Rules You Should Know
While crossplay works seamlessly for most game modes, there are a few limitations in place to keep matches fair and avoid player frustration. The biggest rule most players notice first is input-based matchmaking, which separates players by their control method rather than their platform. Blizzard uses input-based matchmaking to keep crossplay matches fair for all players, so controller users will only match with other controller users by default, and mouse and keyboard players will only match with other mouse and keyboard users.
The main exception to this rule is if you queue with a group that uses mixed inputs. If one person in your squad uses mouse and keyboard, the entire group will be placed in the mouse and keyboard matchmaking pool, even if most of the team uses controllers. That’s a good thing to note if you’re a controller player queuing with a PC friend, as you’ll be going up against mostly mouse and keyboard players who might have faster reaction times.
There’s also a limitation for competitive play: console players can only queue for competitive matches with other console players by default. You can opt in to match with PC players if you want, but PC players can never opt in to the console competitive pool. You also can’t add cross-platform friends using their console or Steam ID. You can only add cross-platform friends using their full Battle.net display name, including the 4-digit number after the #, so make sure you get that full tag from your friend before you try to send a request.
Cross-progression works alongside crossplay, so all your skins, battle pass progress, rank, and in-game currency will sync across all your linked devices. The only exceptions are platform-exclusive skins, like the PlayStation-themed Tracer skin or the Xbox-themed Mercy skin, which will only appear when you’re playing on that specific platform.
Tips to Make Your Overwatch 2 Crossplay Experience Smoother
After hundreds of crossplay sessions with friends across every platform, I’ve picked up a few tricks that make the whole experience much less frustrating. First, if you’re a controller player who doesn’t want to match against mouse and keyboard users, you can turn off crossplay entirely in your settings. Just be aware that queue times will be much longer, especially for less popular game modes like Mystery Heroes or Competitive Open Queue.
If you’re playing crossplay with a mix of controller and mouse & keyboard users, your matches will be placed in the mouse & keyboard matchmaking pool, so it’s a good idea to warn your controller teammates before you queue up. You might also want to adjust your controller sensitivity if you’re playing against mouse and keyboard players, as you’ll need faster turns to keep up with faster aiming.
If you run into lag during crossplay matches, try switching your server region to one that’s closest to all members of your squad. You can adjust your server region in the gameplay settings menu, and picking a middle ground for your group will cut down on ping for everyone. You should also make sure all your accounts are fully linked and verified before you try to queue, as unlinked accounts can sometimes cause group join errors that kick everyone out of the lobby.
One last important rule: Never use third-party tools to force crossplay matches outside of Blizzard’s official system, as this can result in a permanent account ban. Blizzard’s anti-cheat system flags any modified crossplay tools as cheating software, so stick to the official in-game settings to avoid losing your account and all your progress.
Now you have a clear answer to can you do crossplay on Overwatch 2, plus all the details you need to set it up and play with friends no matter what device they use. I’ve used these exact steps to queue up with my little brother on his Switch, my college roommate on his Xbox, and my work friends on PC, and the only issues I’ve ever run into were from typos when entering Battle.net tags. Take a minute to double check your account links and settings, and you’ll be queuing up for crossplay matches in no time.