I’ve been bouncing between my PC and a console copy of Arc Raiders for weeks now, which means I’ve actually had to live with the crossplay settings rather than just read the menu screenshots. So let me save you the spec-sheet rehash. Yes, Arc Raiders is crossplay. Yes, it’s cross-progression. The interesting part is everything either of those words quietly hides.
Crossplay is on, and it’s on by default. The moment you boot up, you’re in one big shared matchmaking pool with PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC players, and PC covers Steam, Epic and GeForce Now. Nobody opts in; you’re already in. For a co-op extraction game that’s lovely. I can drop into Speranza with a mate on Xbox while I’m on PC and we never think about it again.
Here’s the honest caveat I’d want flagged early: there is no proper console-only pool. Plenty of solo and PvE-leaning players want to dodge PC inputs, the aim-assist-versus-mouse mismatch is real in a game where a clean headshot ends an encounter. You can turn crossplay off. Settings > Gameplay, find the Crossplay toggle, switch it to Off. But Arc Raiders doesn’t then sort you into a tidy “consoles together” bucket. It only matches you with people on your exact platform who also turned crossplay off. That’s a small club. The queues get long, fast.
So the toggle is real, but it’s a trade, not a free win. If you’re genuinely bothered by aim mismatch and you’d rather wait than get clipped by a mouse player, flip it. If you mostly want bodies in the lobby so raids actually fill, leave it on. I leave mine on and treat the odd PC sweat as the cost of fast matchmaking. Your mileage will depend on how competitive your region’s pool is at the hour you play.
Xbox players get a second, sneakier off-switch. If the in-game toggle isn’t enough, the console itself can block cross-network play: Settings > Account > Privacy & online safety > Xbox privacy > View details & customize > Communication & multiplayer, then set “You can join cross-network play” to Block. It’s a blunter hammer and it’ll affect other games too, so I wouldn’t reach for it first, but it exists if you want the platform enforcing it rather than trusting an in-game switch.
Now cross-progression, which is the bit that actually changes how you buy the game. Your progress isn’t bolted to a platform, it’s bolted to your Embark ID. That’s Embark’s master account, and once you link your PlayStation, Xbox and Steam or Epic logins to a single Embark ID, your loot, levels, quests, cosmetics and Battle Pass all follow you everywhere. Swap from PC to console mid-evening and you pick up exactly where you left off. The only friction I hit was a short tutorial prompt the first time I launched on a fresh platform, minor, one-time, then it’s seamless.
The link is the bit people forget, so do it deliberately. Set up your Embark ID once and make sure every storefront account points at the same one. Get that wrong, two Embark IDs, say, and you’ll think cross-progression is broken when really you’ve split yourself in half. One ID, all platforms linked, done.
But, and this is the wallet bit, cross-progression is not cross-buy. Carrying your save across platforms doesn’t mean you own the game on those platforms. By default you buy Arc Raiders separately in each ecosystem: a PlayStation copy, an Xbox copy, a PC copy. The save travels; the licence doesn’t. Worth knowing before you assume one purchase covers your whole setup.
The one genuine money-saver is Xbox Play Anywhere. If you buy Arc Raiders digitally from the Microsoft Store, that single purchase grants both the Xbox Series X/S version and the Windows PC version via the Xbox app, two licences, one payment, and with your Embark ID linked, progress syncs between them. So if you’re an Xbox-plus-PC player, buying through the Microsoft Store rather than Steam is the move. It’s the only route here where you don’t pay twice to play on both. One caveat to keep your expectations honest: that covers the game licence, not your premium currency, buy Raider Tokens on PlayStation and they tend to stay on PlayStation.
My take, briefly. For the solo/PvE crowd, Arc Raiders gets the important things right: progress that follows you, friends you can squad with regardless of box, and an actual off-switch if aim mismatch is your hill. The asterisks are that “off” means tiny queues rather than a console pool, and “cross-progression” doesn’t pay your second invoice unless you go the Xbox Play Anywhere route. Know those two and you’ll set it up correctly the first time instead of cursing the menu.
If you’re still weighing whether to jump in at all, I went deep on that in my Arc Raiders worth-it verdict, and there’s more solo-shooter coverage over on the intel index.
arc raidersextraction shootercrossplaycross-progressionco-op
FAQ
Is Arc Raiders crossplay?
Yes. Crossplay is enabled by default across PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC (Steam, Epic and GeForce Now), and everyone shares one matchmaking pool. You can toggle it off in Settings > Gameplay, but there's no dedicated console-only pool, so you'll only match the handful of others who also turned it off, expect long queues.
Does Arc Raiders have cross-progression?
Yes. Progress is tied to your Embark ID, not the platform. Link your PlayStation, Xbox and Steam/Epic accounts to one Embark ID and your loot, levels, quests, cosmetics and Battle Pass carry across every system.
Do I have to buy Arc Raiders twice to play on PC and Xbox?
Usually yes, it's not cross-buy across ecosystems. The one exception is Xbox Play Anywhere: buy the game digitally from the Microsoft Store and you get both the Xbox Series X/S and Windows PC versions on one purchase, with progress synced via Embark ID.
How do you turn crossplay off in Arc Raiders?
Go to Settings, then Gameplay, and switch the Crossplay toggle to Off. The catch is there is no console-only pool, so it only matches you with people on your exact platform who also turned it off, which means long queues.
Can Xbox players block crossplay another way in Arc Raiders?
Yes. The console itself can block cross-network play via Settings, Account, Privacy and online safety, Xbox privacy, then setting cross-network play to Block. It is a blunter hammer that affects other games too, so it is not the first thing to reach for.
How do you avoid buying Arc Raiders twice on Xbox and PC?
Buy it digitally from the Microsoft Store via Xbox Play Anywhere. That single purchase grants both the Xbox Series X/S and Windows PC versions, with progress synced through your Embark ID. It is the only route here where you do not pay twice.
Comments ▸ 0 here now