This year’s Call of Duty will be the first to feature cross-platform multiplayer across PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC, but details have been pretty scarce as to how the system would work until now. Earlier today, Modern Warfare developer Infinity Ward outlined exactly how crossplay will function in the game’s upcoming open beta as well as the full release.
Per an official blog post, players will be able to choose to opt-in to crossplay or opt-out and remain locked to their respective platform. Even if you choose to opt-out, you’ll still need a COD account to play multiplayer. If you opt-in, a COD account will be the means to invite your friends on other platforms, and they’ll all show up in one central friends list.
To keep things somewhat balanced, Modern Warfare will implement an input-based matchmaking system similar to games like Fortnite. Keyboard and mouse players will be matched with other keyboard and mouse players, and the same goes for controller users. Keyboard and mouse are natively supported on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions of Modern Warfare, so even console players will be able to compete in keyboard and mouse lobbies. You also have the option to remove all control scheme filters from matchmaking entirely so you and your friends can use different input devices in the same lobby. Despite Modern Warfare pushing crossplay heavily, the feature won’t be available across every game mode. Ranked Play and competitive tournaments will not support cross-platform play.
Outside of playing with your friends from other platforms, crossplay has a few additional perks that are sure to benefit Modern Warfare in the long run. The first is shorter matchmaking times, allowing players to hop into multiplayer matches with relative ease. This should help keep things alive on the PC side of things, considering Call of Duty player counts on PC usually tend to drop off dramatically a few months after release.
The other benefit is the game’s post-launch content schedule. The majority of Modern Warfare‘s post-launch content, including maps, modes, and spec ops missions, will be released simultaneously across all platforms. They did say “most” and not “all,” so there probably will still be some platform exclusive content, but it’s nice to know that important things like maps and modes won’t see segmented releases like how things worked in older Call of Duty titles. Still, the blog post stated that PS4 users will have “an exciting Day 1 advantage,” although it’s unclear what that entails.
Crossplay will be live in the upcoming Modern Warfare open beta, which begins on September 19 for those who have pre-ordered the game and September 21 for everyone else. We had a great time with the PlayStation 4 exclusive beta last weekend, and you can read all about that here. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare will be released on October 25 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
