In video games with online gaming functionality, also called cross-compatible play, cross-platform play, crossplay, or cross-play describes the ability of players using different video game hardware to play with each other simultaneously. It is commonly applied to the ability for players using a game on a specific video game console to play alongside a player on a different hardware platform such as another console or a computer. A related concept is cross-save, where the player's progress in a game is stored in separate servers, and can be continued in the game but on a different hardware platform.
A Japanese print ad for the 2001 video game Capcom vs. SNK 2 that emphasizes the cross-platform play by depicting a PlayStation 2 user competing against a Dreamcast user. The tagline translates to "Fight on the net! Go beyond the hardware!"
Rocket League is a vehicular soccer video game developed and published by Psyonix. The game was first released for PlayStation 4 and Windows in July 2015, with ports for Xbox One and Nintendo Switch being released later on. Rocket League was available on Steam for Windows players and the PlayStation Store for PlayStation 4 players. In June 2016, 505 Games began distributing a physical retail version for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment taking over those duties by the end of 2017. Versions for macOS and Linux were also released in 2016, but support for their online services was dropped in 2020. Epic Games acquired Psyonix in 2019 and made the game free-to-play in September 2020.
Rocket League
Gameplay in Rocket League, where players aim to hit the ball into the opposing team's goal using their rocket-powered cars
Corey Davis, Rocket League's design manager, giving a presentation at GDC 2016
The "Hoops" mode in Rocket League, one of the many updates to the game after its release, has players shoot the ball into a basket instead of a goal.
