Is Arc Raiders Crossplay? PC, PS5, Xbox Explained

Arc Raiders supports full crossplay across PC through Steam and Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S, all matched together by default since launch on October 30, 2025. Rather than splitting lobbies by platform, Embark Studios groups players by input method, controller users are matched with other controller users, and mouse and keyboard players are matched together, regardless of which storefront or console they are on. Cross-progression through your Embark ID keeps gear, character level, quests, and your stash synced everywhere you sign in, though the game itself still needs to be purchased separately per platform. Here is exactly how crossplay and cross-progression work, and where the limits are.

Crossplay Works Across Every Platform

Since Arc Raiders launched simultaneously on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S, crossplay was part of the plan from day one rather than a feature added later in response to player demand. Anyone on Steam, Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5, or Xbox Series X|S can matchmake into the same raids as everyone else, so a squad split across three different storefronts can still play together without any of them switching platforms. That is a meaningful design decision for an extraction shooter specifically, since a smaller player pool on any one platform tends to mean longer matchmaking queues and less varied opposition, both of which crossplay directly solves by pooling everyone together.

Matchmaking Is Split by Input Method, Not Platform

The detail that trips people up most is that Arc Raiders does not separate lobbies by platform the way some crossplay shooters do, splitting PC from console instead. Arc Raiders splits by input method: players using a controller are matched with other controller players, and players using mouse and keyboard are matched with other mouse and keyboard players, regardless of whether they are on PC, PS5, or Xbox Series X|S. That means a PS5 player using a controller and a PC player using a controller land in the same matchmaking pool, while a PC player on mouse and keyboard is matched against other mouse and keyboard players across every platform. The logic mirrors why games like Valorant keep PC and console fully separate, input method changes what is mechanically possible, but Arc Raiders solves it differently by matching on input rather than blocking platforms from mixing entirely.

No Console-Only Matchmaking Pool

One limitation worth knowing about: Arc Raiders does not offer a console-only matchmaking pool. You cannot set up a group or queue that includes only PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S players while excluding PC, the way some other crossplay games allow console players to opt into a PC-free experience. If you specifically want to avoid facing mouse and keyboard players while on a controller, switching to a controller yourself is the only lever available, since the input-based matchmaking already handles that separation automatically rather than needing a manual platform toggle.

Cross-Progression Through Embark ID

Cross-progression in Arc Raiders runs through your Embark ID, the account system that ties your profile together regardless of which platform you are actively playing on. Once you are signed into the same Embark ID across devices, your character level, gear, quest progress, and your stash of stored items all carry over, so switching from a PS5 session to a PC session, or the other way around, picks up exactly where you left off rather than starting a second, separate profile. This is the same account system that also handles matchmaking and party invites across platforms, so linking it correctly at setup matters for both crossplay and cross-progression working properly.

You Still Need to Buy the Game on Each Platform

Cross-progression does not mean cross-ownership. If you bought Arc Raiders on PlayStation 5 and want to also play on PC, you need to purchase the PC version separately, since Embark does not offer a shared license that unlocks the game across every platform from a single purchase. This is a common point of confusion since progression syncing makes it feel like the game itself should follow you too, but the standard $39.99 purchase, or $59.99 for the deluxe edition, only covers the platform you bought it on. Budget for that if you are planning to switch your primary platform partway through a season rather than assuming your existing purchase carries over.

Adding Cross-Platform Friends

You cannot use your existing PlayStation Network or Xbox Live friends list to send cross-platform invites in Arc Raiders, those platform-specific friends systems do not carry over into the game. Instead, everyone adds friends through their Embark ID tag, a name plus a numbered handle similar to PlayerName#1234, which works identically no matter what platform the other person is on. Once someone is added as a friend through their Embark ID, inviting them to a squad works the same as inviting anyone else, regardless of whether they are on Steam, Epic Games Store, PS5, or Xbox Series X|S. It is worth trading Embark ID tags with your regular squad ahead of time rather than trying to find each other in-game after a platform switch, since there is no cross-platform search by platform username.

Can You Turn Off Crossplay?

Yes, crossplay can be disabled from the Settings menu, under the Gameplay tab, in the Online section, where a Crossplay toggle can be switched off. Doing so is generally not worth it in practice, since turning crossplay off shrinks your matchmaking pool down to only players on your exact platform, which several players have reported leads to a near-empty pool and significantly longer matchmaking wait times, particularly outside peak hours or on the smaller of the console player bases. Voice chat issues are more often the real problem players are trying to solve when they consider disabling crossplay, and those are usually fixed separately, checking PS5 Game Base voice settings, toggling Xbox party chat, or disabling IPv6 on PC tends to resolve most party and proximity chat problems without needing to touch the crossplay setting at all.

It is also worth checking Embark's own support pages periodically, since crossplay and friends system behavior in live service games can shift with patches, and a setting or workaround that applied at launch in October 2025 is not guaranteed to still be accurate a year later without a fresh check.

Setting Up Crossplay and Cross-Progression

Crossplay is enabled by default in Arc Raiders, so there is no setting to toggle on to start matchmaking with players on other platforms, it works out of the box from your first raid. Cross-progression requires linking your Embark ID across each platform you plan to play on, which typically happens the first time you log in on a new device and are prompted to sign into or create your Embark ID rather than a fresh, unlinked profile. If you skip that step and create a separate account on a second platform by accident, your progress on that device will not match what you have built elsewhere, so it is worth confirming you are signed into the correct linked Embark ID the first time you launch the game on any new platform.

Why Embark Chose Input-Based Matchmaking

Splitting matchmaking by input method instead of by platform is a deliberate design choice, not a technical limitation Embark has not gotten around to fixing. The core problem crossplay always has to solve is that mouse and keyboard aiming carries a real mechanical advantage over a controller in most shooters, and different studios solve it differently. Some, like Riot with Valorant, avoid the problem entirely by keeping PC and console separate regardless of input device. Others add aim assist to controller players and let everyone mix freely, accepting some balance tradeoffs in exchange for a single unified pool. Arc Raiders takes a middle path: mixing platforms freely, since PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S share the same input options, controllers work on PC and PS5 controllers can be used natively, while still separating by the input method itself so a controller player is not facing down a mouse and keyboard player who can flick and track targets faster. That approach keeps the matchmaking pool as large as possible while still addressing the actual mechanical fairness concern at its source.

What Crossplay Means for Squad Play

For most groups of friends, Arc Raiders' crossplay setup means platform choice stops being a reason to pick a different game together. A friend group split between a PC player, a PS5 player, and an Xbox Series X|S player can form a squad, communicate through in-game voice chat, and raid together without anyone needing to buy a second copy of the game on a shared platform just to play together. The one thing crossplay does not solve is skill and experience gaps within a mixed-input squad, a full mouse and keyboard team will generally play differently and more aggressively than an all-controller group, so mixed squads sometimes need to adjust roles and positioning to account for who on the team is running what input, even though matchmaking itself is handling the harder platform-level compatibility question in the background.

How Arc Raiders' Crossplay Compares to Other Shooters

Arc Raiders' input-based matchmaking approach sits closer to how a lot of modern battle royale and extraction titles handle the PC versus console balance question than the harder platform split some competitive shooters use. Valorant, for example, keeps PC entirely separate from console regardless of input device, since Riot treats the separation as a permanent competitive-integrity decision rather than a technical limitation, a difference we cover in more detail in our own Valorant crossplay guide. Arc Raiders' PvPvE structure, where the primary threat in a lot of encounters is ARC enemies rather than only other players, likely makes Embark more comfortable mixing input types across platforms than a strictly player versus player competitive shooter would be.

One Thing to Double-Check Before Switching Platforms

Before you make a second platform your main way of playing, confirm you are actually logged into the same Embark ID you used originally, since it is easy to accidentally create a fresh, unlinked account on a new platform if you skip past the sign in prompt too quickly during first launch. A quick way to check is looking at your character level and stash contents immediately after logging in on the new platform, if they show up empty despite hours logged elsewhere, you are very likely on a separate, unlinked profile rather than your existing one. Embark's support pages walk through how to merge or correct a mislinked account if this happens, and it is worth sorting out early rather than building up progress twice across two disconnected profiles.

Before You Jump In

If you have not started yet, our guide on Arc Raiders' release date and full 2026 roadmap covers what has shipped since October 2025 and what is coming with Frozen Trail in October 2026, and our system requirements breakdown covers exactly what PC hardware you need before installing. Beyond Arc Raiders, Flush covers a growing range of shooter and extraction adjacent esports betting markets, alongside the casino, sportsbook, and Originals sections. Take a look at what else is on offer at flush.com.

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Arc Raiders keeps crossplay simple in practice: every platform is matched together by default, split only by input method rather than by storefront or console, with cross-progression through Embark ID tying your account together everywhere you play. Add friends by Embark ID tag rather than a platform friends list, expect a much smaller matchmaking pool if you switch crossplay off, and remember the one thing crossplay will not do is unlock the game on a second platform for free, that still needs its own purchase. Explore more of what Flush covers at flush.com.