Key Takeaways
- Disabling crossplay on the system level will prevent matching with other platforms.
- This can protect against unfair advantages from PC players but may decrease match availability.
- To block crossplay on Xbox Series X, adjust settings under Privacy & online safety in the dashboard.
There’s no denying that there are some games where playing with a keyboard and mouse has a distinct advantage over controllers. This is typically shooter games, but can apply to many more genres that are played in competitive online matches. The Xbox Series X, PS5, and Switch all have adopted crossplay features that have broken down the walls between platforms so we can all play with, and against, each other. At first, this seemed like a fantastic move that would keep more games alive by increasing the player populations, but it also revealed some imbalances between platforms.
Developers can try and tweak things, but there’s only so much that can be done to try and even the playingfield between keyboard and mouse and controller. It’s one thing to be outplayed by an opponent, and another thing entirely to know they were only able to pull off those moves when you couldn’t because they happened to be on PC. Each game with crossplay usually allows you to disable it from the game itself, but you can bypass that entirely by making your Series X block crossplay on all games so you never have to deal with unfair advantages again. Here’s how to do it.
The following steps will work on the Series X, S, and Xbox One.
Microsoft Xbox Series X
- 4K Capabilities
- Yes, with HDR
- Brand
- Microsoft
- Game support
- Digital and physical media
- Storage
- 1TB internal SSD (expandable
How to disable crossplay on Xbox Series X
Stick to only other Xbox players
Keep in mind this will also stop you from matching up with PlayStation players as well.
Disabling crossplay on the system level will mean you won’t get matched up with anyone else on other platforms. This is great for making sure you don’t get crushed by PC players, but keep in mind it will also stop you from matching up with PlayStation players as well. Depending on the game, this could mean it takes a bit longer to find a match since you will only be able to play with a much smaller portion of the game’s population. If you’re willing to make that sacrifice, follow these steps:
- From the dashboard, press the Settings button at the top of the screen.
- Under General, choose Online safety & family.
- Choose Privacy & online safety and Xbox privacy.
- Make sure Customized is selected and then go into View details & customise.
- Go into Communication & multiplayer and under the You can join cross-network play option, change the toggle from Allow to Block.
Once done, your console will not allow you to play with anyone playing on another platform besides Xbox. Again, remember that this includes PlayStation and Switch players, even if they are on your friends list or you are playing co-op games.
