Many developers have added crossplay matchmaking to their games over the years. Popular titles such as PUBG and Fortnite support crossplay, allowing players to team up with their friends on different platforms. This also reduces the queue time for console players, reducing downtime between matches.
Since releasing in 2016, Overwatch has been available on Xbox, PlayStation, PC, and Nintendo Switch, but players were been confined to their platforms’ servers for a long time. In 2018, Overwatch game director Jeff Kaplan revealed Blizzard was “in discussion” with Sony and Microsoft to merge the servers. But are Overwatch and Overwatch 2 cross-platform now?
In June 2021, Overwatch finally started supporting crossplay after a global Battle.net update. Console players who played Overwatch without a Battle.net account were required to create a Battle.net account and link their console accounts to become eligible for crossplay.
Here’s how you can create a Battle.net account and link it with your console username.
Create a Battle.net account
- Navigate to Battle.net on a web browser
- Click on the My Account tab that’s located toward the top right of your screen and choose Create an account
- Once you create your Battle.net account, log in with your new details to proceed with the linking process
Link your console account to your Battle.net account
- Turn on your console and launch Overwatch
- You should receive an alphanumeric code and a QR code
- Log into your Battle.net account on a browser and head over to Battle.net/pair
- Enter the numeric code you received on your console to the pairing page to complete the linking process
- If you use the QR code instead, you’ll be automatically forwarded to the pairing page, and the alpha-numeric code will be entered
