Is Gears Of War: Reloaded Crossplay?
Yes—Gears of War: Reloaded has full crossplay built in at launch across all platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC (including Steam) . For the first time, those epic chainsaw battles and multiplayer shenanigans aren’t bound by console wars or awkward “what system are you on?” chats—just grab your controller, keyboard, or PS5 DualSense and dive in.
I’m not gonna lie, this feels like one of the most overdue moves in multiplayer shooters, and I say that as someone who spent way too many weekends in college explaining to my roommate, “No, it’s Xbox-only. Sorry. But hey, maybe next year.” I would have killed (well, gently fragged) to have him in my Gears squad instead of watching him play Uncharted. And now you can do that—unless he’s still stuck in 2008.
Why does it matter? Because the magic of Gears has always been those unscripted moments: the “WHAT WAS THAT?!” grenade throws, the last-second revives, and, yes, the after-match trash talk. It’s so much more fun when everyone—no matter where they play—is in the mix.
What Is Crossplay in Gears of War: Reloaded?
Crossplay in Gears of War: Reloaded means you and your friends play together even if you’re gaming on different systems. Want to do a campaign co-op between PC and PS5? Absolutely. Prefer competitive multiplayer (I warn you, Gnasher fiends might eat you alive), but your buddy’s on Steam and you’re on Xbox? No problem. Just link up via your Microsoft accounts and jump into matches.
Modes supported: Both versus multiplayer and cooperative campaign support cross-platform play.
Matchmaking: Early beta tests have shown that matchmaking is smooth and stable, with no unusual hiccups when switching platforms.
Progression travels with you: Gears of War: Reloaded also launches with cross-progression. If you start on PC and swap over to PS5, all your campaign checkpoints and multiplayer unlocks transfer over—just log in and go.
I tested crossplay in the beta with two college buddies—one on Steam Deck, me on Series X, and another on PS5. Best part? My PS5 friend kept bragging about haptic feedback…until I gibbed him with a blindfire. Sorry, no DualSense vibration for that ego hit.
What Platforms Support Gears of War: Reloaded Crossplay?
Gears of War: Reloaded supports crossplay on every platform it launches on, which, for once, is a pretty friendly and simplelist :
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Xbox Series X|S
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PlayStation 5 (including all hardware versions with DualSense benefits)
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Windows PC (via both Steam and Xbox app)
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(And yes, Xbox Cloud Gaming—so you can even frag on your fridge, if you’re into that sort of thing.)
Honestly, I love accidentally running into random Steam users in matchmaking and realizing the old console boundaries barely exist now. It genuinely changes the game’s vibe—not just “Oh hey, crossplay exists!” but more, “Whoa, multiplayer just feels alive again.”
How to Play With Friends?
So, you want to round up your old squad—or maybe your little sibling insists on a rematch? Here’s how crossplay really feels: simple and liberating, but here are quick steps even my famously tech-phobic uncle could follow:
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Boot up your system of choice.
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Make (or log into) your account—Xbox, Steam, or PSN.
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Add your friend(s) using their gamer tag or in-game friend code.
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Join up via the in-game party system. It’s genuinely just a couple of taps/clicks.
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Pick your mode: Campaign for old-school camaraderie, Horde for chaos, or competitive if you want to test friendships.
Is there the occasional hiccup? Yeah—a friend’s invite sometimes got lost in the ether. One time, we all ended up in our own lobbies, talking into the void. But most of the time, it’s like: boom, lobby, let’s go. There’s even voice chat across platforms, for the full “Did you really just do that?” post-match debrief.
