Valorant crossplay is a topic that has gained a lot of traction since Riot Games finally brought its tactical shooter to the living room.
For years, the game was a PC exclusive, but with the launch on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, the community started asking if they could finally team up with friends regardless of their hardware.
If you are wondering whether you can play with your buddies on different systems, the answer is a bit more nuanced than a simple yes or no.
Does Valorant have crossplay between PC and consoles?
No, Valorant does not support crossplay between PC and console players.
This means that if you are playing on a high end gaming rig, you cannot join a lobby with a friend who is playing on a PS5 or Xbox. Riot Games made this decision to protect the competitive integrity of the match.
Since Valorant is a game that relies heavily on precision, the developers felt that mixing mouse and keyboard players with controller users would create an unfair environment.
The differences in how you aim on each platform are too significant to ignore.
On PC, you have the flick speed of a mouse, while on console, Riot introduced a specific Focus mode and aim assist to help controllers feel snappy.
Combining these two worlds would likely lead to frustration for both sides, as one input method would inevitably have a technical advantage over the other in certain situations.
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Is there crossplay between PS5 and Xbox Series X/S?
Yes, Valorant features full crossplay between PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. This is great news for console gamers because it keeps the player pool large and the queue times short.
If you own an Xbox and your best friend has a PS5, you can group up, use the in game voice chat, and climb the ranks together without any restrictions.
This console to console crossplay is enabled by default. Since both platforms use controllers and the same console specific gameplay mechanics (like the Focus mode), the playing field is perfectly level.
You will be matched against other console players regardless of which brand of hardware they prefer.
Does Valorant support cross-progression across all platforms?
Yes, Valorant supports full cross-progression, meaning your skins, agents, and battle pass progress are shared.
As long as you link your console accounts to the same Riot Account you use on PC, everything you have unlocked or purchased will be available to you.
This is a huge win for players who want to switch between their desk and their couch depending on their mood.
Here is a list of what carries over:
- Unlocked Agents
- Weapon Skins and Melee Cosmetics
- Player Cards, Titles, and Gun Buddies
- Radianite Points and Valorant Points (VP)
- Battle Pass progression and rewards
- Account Level
However, there is one major exception: your competitive rank. Your Rank on PC is separate from your Rank on console.
This is because the meta and the skill sets required for each platform are considered different.
You might be an Immortal on PC but find yourself starting fresh in your placements on console.
Which consoles can you play Valorant on?
Currently, Valorant is available on the current generation of consoles.
Riot focused on hardware that could support the high tick rate and performance requirements of a tactical shooter.
The supported consoles include:
- PlayStation 5
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
If you are still on a PlayStation 4 or an Xbox One, you unfortunately won't be able to join the fight.
The game was built to take advantage of the newer hardware to ensure that the 128 tick servers and high frame rates remain consistent, which is vital for a game where a single millisecond of lag can result in a loss.
How do you enable or disable crossplay on consoles?
Enabling or disabling crossplay is a straightforward process within the game menus. While it is usually better to leave it on for faster matchmaking, some players prefer to stick to their own ecosystem.
To manage your crossplay settings, follow these steps:
- Open the main menu in Valorant on your console.
- Navigate to the Settings gear icon in the top right corner.
- Select the "General" tab.
- Scroll down until you find the "Privacy" section.
- Look for the "Allow Crossplay" toggle.
- Set it to "On" to play with both Xbox and PS5 players, or "Off" to stay within your console family.
Keep in mind that turning crossplay off will significantly increase your wait times for a match, as you are limiting the number of available players you can be matched with.
Also read: How to Fix Valorant Connection Error
Can you use a keyboard and mouse on the console version of Valorant?
No, Riot Games does not officially support keyboard and mouse (KBM) on the console version of Valorant.
In fact, they have taken a very strict stance against it. Using third party adapters to plug a mouse and keyboard into your console is considered cheating and can lead to a permanent ban.
Riot wants the console experience to be purely about controller skill. They even designed a new shooting mechanic called "Focus" specifically for controllers.
It acts as a sort of hip fire sensitivity reduction that allows for more precise shots without the need for traditional Aiming Down Sights (ADS) on every weapon.
This keeps the game feeling like Valorant while adapting to the limitations of thumbsticks.
Why is there no PC to console crossplay?
The main reason is competitive balance. In a tactical shooter like Valorant, the "time to kill" is incredibly low.
Often, the person who clicks the head first wins. A mouse provides a level of precision and speed that is almost impossible to replicate on a controller without massive amounts of aim assist.
If Riot added aim assist strong enough to compete with a mouse, PC players would complain that the "game is aiming for the console players."
If the aim assist was too weak, console players would simply get crushed by PC players. By keeping the pools separate, Riot ensures that everyone in a match is using the same basic tools to win.
This prevents the community fragmentation often seen in other shooters where the "Controller vs. KBM" debate never ends.
What about the future of Valorant crossplay?
While Riot has been firm about keeping PC and consoles apart for now, the gaming industry is always changing.
However, don't expect a change anytime soon. The game is being balanced as two separate entities.
Patches might even differ slightly between versions if a certain agent becomes too dominant on one platform but remains balanced on the other.
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