Cross-play feels like a dream come true for many players. With the feature, friends separated by the console brand can enjoy many games together, even across generations. Not all is green and rosy for cross-play, however. Some games have issues that become apparent while playing with people on other consoles.
Some of it has to do with cheaters on PC, while other times it comes down to issues with the UI of the particular title. All the titles listed below are either great or have their unique strengths, but cross-play brings down the experience a little bit. Fortunately, it can be turned off for most of the games on this list. With the magic of modern technology, some of the newer titles on the list still have a chance to be improved upon through patches.
6 Halo: Infinite
By all accounts, it looks like Halo Infinite is the long-awaited return to glory for the legendary franchise. In a somewhat surprising, but smart, move, the multiplayer was released weeks ahead of the main campaign and is completely free. Players don't even need a subscription to jump into the thick of combat.
Reviews of the multiplayer are almost universally positive, with the only grievance being the controversial progression of the battle pass. Recently, however, more console players are reporting experiences of encounters with cheaters. Currently, cross-play cannot be turned off, but it should be an option. It wouldn't eliminate cheaters entirely, but it would curb the issue somewhat.
5 Warzone
Warzone is the free-to-play, battle royale accompaniment to the Call of Duty franchise. It came out in March 2020, a few months after Modern Warfare's release. It changes with subsequent entries. Like all other recent Call of Duty games, the title features cross-play across virtually every platform on which the game is available.
Unfortunately, cheating has always been a major problem for Warzone. There have even been stories about popular streamers being caught using aimbots. Players are free to turn the feature off, and they are more likely to have a more enjoyable experience without it. The only drawback is it might take a little longer to find a lobby since it takes over 100 players to start a match, but it is worth the wait if it means a cheater-free game.
4 Apex Legends
Respawn Entertainment was smart to shadow drop Apex Legends. Hyping up a battle royale for months would not have worked as well considering how crowded the genre is becoming. Cross-play is prominently featured. However, console players have a distinct disadvantage when it comes to facing off against PC players, at least if they are using a controller.
It is just impossible to be as precise and fast with a gamepad. Nintendo Switch owners have an even bigger hurdle when it comes to this battle royale. The game looks and performs worse, and playing with the joy-cons or in portable mode is even less precise than playing with a controller. Fortunately, PC players only match with console players if they are in a party with other console players, so those going it alone don't run the risk of dropping into a game with PC users.
3 Quake
This entry is mostly referring to the re-release for modern consoles and PC, but believe it or not, Quake for the Dreamcast had the ability to go online against PC players if players knew how to access it. This was usually a bad idea since a mouse and keyboard are a much more efficient way to play an FPS than the bulky Dreamcast gamepad.
The same argument against cross-play pertains to the re-release. Even though a PS5 DualSense and the Xbox Series X controller both have sleeker designs than older consoles' controllers, nothing quite lives up to the standard of a mouse and keyboard. Cross-play can be disabled from the menus. Competitive modes aren't the only reason players should play multiplayer since the game also features cooperative play throughout the whole campaign.
2 Call Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
Warzone is not the only Call of Duty experience with cross-play, nor is it the only one with problems. While cheating does not appear quite as rampant in individual games' multiplayer suites, it still is a problem.
Additionally, playing with friends across consoles is ever so slightly more inconvenient than if everyone were on the same platform. If anyone is going to play with friends on different platforms, it is recommended not to use the game's voice chat and opt for Discord. At least the game is kind enough to show which players are using a gamepad or a mouse and keyboard.
1 Battlefield 2042
Battlefield 2042 launched in a less-than-stellar state. Players have reported numerous bugs and glitches in addition to problems connecting to games. EA and DICE have promised they are working on fixes. One of the most egregious issues, however, is the lack of in-game voice chat.
This means friends playing across consoles have no way to actually communicate in-game. It is weird to lack this feature in a franchise so heavily dependent on teamwork. Battlefield 2042 is still a new release, however, so there is time to fix these issues before the community abandons it altogether.