Will Valorant have crossplay on consoles? Not for everyone

It’s an exciting time for console fans with an interest in Valorant, but will crossplay allow them all to play together?

Riot officially announced at Summer Games Fest that Valorant will be available on consoles. The news comes after a few years of rumors of console play and specific edits made to ensure a comparable experience. However, crossplay has become an appreciated feature in multiplayer console games. With Valorant already breaking molds as a controller-friendly tactical shooter, will it also buck crossplay as an industry standard?

Players can already register to beta test the console version of Valorant, but the crossplay options may be more limited than some originally suspected.

Crossplay is supported on some Valorant consoles, but not all

Valorant beta testers on Playstation and Xbox can battle with each other, but PC gamers are left to their own devices. 

Ahead of the announcement, players were concerned that console gaming would leave them at a competitive disadvantage against PC players. Tactical gun fights with precision are harder to play on a controller compared to a mouse and keyboard. Many fans were concerned that they would be disadvantaged by switching to  PS5 or Xbox.

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The developers were well aware of this issue with PC Valorant crossplay and others with consoles.

In a public statement about the beta, Valorant’s chief production director Arnar Gyfalson revealed why Valorant would not be getting crossplay between consoles and PC.

“It is a bit of a leap of faith… to take this hardcore competitive tactical shooter to a platform that doesn’t have the same background and history of tactical shooters as PC,” said Gyfalson.

Thus, Valorant seems to have decided to focus on heightening console gameplay and not engaging with PC-console crossplay. Currently, Riot hasn’t released any information on if or when Valorant crossplay will reach PC or additional consoles.

Will the Valorant beta include crossplay?

Yes, the Valorant beta test on consoles will have crossplay between PlayStation and Xbox.

Applications to become a beta tester must be submitted by June 14, and Riot will send out select invitations. Anyone seeking to apply should do the following.

• Sign up here
• To be in North America, Europe, or Japan
• Have a valid Valorant account
• Own a PS5 or Xbox Series X or S

Beta testers can also send a referral code to five friends, allowing them to test out the new Valorant crossplay options in a group.

The full release date of Valorant for consoles is unknown, but beta players will be able to start testing it out on or after June 14.