If you've been looking to team up with friends on other consoles to grind for rare loot and take down giant bosses, you've probably asked: is the first descendant crossplay ps5 and xbox? The looter shooter has exploded in popularity since its release, thanks to its fast-paced combat, unique character abilities, and cooperative focus, so cross-platform support is one of the most requested features from the player base. Many players own different consoles, so being able to play together without buying the game twice is a huge priority for most of the community.
Is The First Descendant Crossplay for PS5 and Xbox Supported at Launch?
The short answer is yes, full crossplay support between PS5 and Xbox Series X/S consoles was available from day one of the game's global release. Nexon, the game's developer, confirmed months before launch that cross-platform play would be a core feature, to make sure the player base stays large and active for years to come. This support also extends to PC players, so you can team up with friends on that platform too if you want.
You don't need a paid subscription to first-party online services for crossplay public matchmaking, only for private lobbies with friends. That means if you only play casual public matches, you don't have to pay for PlayStation Plus or Xbox Game Pass Core to join crossplay games. This is a big departure from most other online multiplayer games, which require a paid subscription for any online play.
There are no restrictions on what game modes you can play across PS5 and Xbox either. You can run story missions, grind open world boss fights, join competitive PvP matches, and even take on the hardest endgame raids with friends on either console. The only minor difference is that some exclusive cosmetic items tied to console pre-order bonuses won't show up for players on the opposite platform, but that doesn't impact gameplay at all.
How to Enable Crossplay for The First Descendant on PS5 and Xbox
Crossplay is turned on by default for most players, but if you can't see friends on other platforms, you may need to adjust a few settings first. The process is almost identical for both PS5 and Xbox, so you won't have to learn separate steps depending on what console you own. Once you have all settings adjusted, is the first descendant crossplay ps5 and xbox will work seamlessly for both public matchmaking and private friend lobbies.
If you find yourself waiting longer than expected for crossplay lobbies to populate during off-peak hours, you don't have to stare at the loading screen the entire time. Many players use short downtime between matches to check out quick, casual games to pass the time, and MBM Bet is a popular pick for players who want a low-effort distraction that fits neatly into 2-minute lobby wait times. You won't have to worry about pausing a long match or missing your lobby pop, as it's designed for short play sessions.
Make sure you have your crossplay toggle set to "enabled" in both your in-game settings and console system settings to avoid connection errors. Follow these simple steps to get set up:
- Launch The First Descendant on your PS5 or Xbox console and navigate to the settings menu from the main screen
- Select the "Gameplay" tab, then scroll down to find the crossplay toggle and switch it to "On"
- Link your console account to your free Nexon account if you haven't already, to sync your crossplay friend list
- Restart your game once to apply the settings, then you can send invites to friends on other platforms
Once you finish these steps, you'll be able to see all your friends who have linked their Nexon accounts, no matter what platform they play on. You can send invites directly through the in-game friend list, or join their lobby if they have it set to public. If you want to turn off crossplay later for any reason, just toggle the same setting back to off, and you'll only be matched with players on the same console as you.
Common Crossplay Issues Between PS5 and Xbox for The First Descendant (And Fixes)
While crossplay works well most of the time, there are a few common issues that players run into when trying to play across PS5 and Xbox. Most of these issues are easy to fix with a few quick adjustments, so you won't have to wait for a game patch to play with your friends.
The most common issue is voice chat not working between PS5 and Xbox players. Voice chat issues between PS5 and Xbox players are almost always caused by mismatched privacy settings on your console, not the game itself. To fix this, go to your console's privacy settings and make sure that cross-platform communication is turned on. You may also need to adjust your in-game voice chat settings to use "all lobby" instead of "friends only" if you're playing with random players from other platforms.
Another common issue is crossplay invites not showing up for your friends. If you can't see crossplay invites, make sure both you and your friend have the latest game patch installed, as older versions don't support cross-platform invites. You can check for updates by highlighting the game on your console home screen and selecting the "check for update" option. If you still don't see invites after updating, try restarting both the game and your console, that fixes the issue 90% of the time.
Some players also worry about balance differences between PS5 and Xbox players, but Nexon has confirmed that the game runs at identical frame rates and input lag on both consoles, so no platform has a competitive advantage over the other. The only difference is that PS5 players can use the DualSense controller's haptic feedback features, but that's just a quality of life improvement, not a competitive edge.
What to Expect From Crossplay for The First Descendant Moving Forward
Nexon has already announced several upcoming improvements to crossplay that will make the experience even better for PS5 and Xbox players. The team is constantly collecting feedback from the community to fix bugs and add new features that players ask for.
Ranked crossplay mode for PS5 and Xbox players is scheduled to drop in the next major content update, with separate skill brackets to keep matches fair. The ranked mode will have cross-platform leaderboards, so you can see how you stack up against players on both consoles, and earn exclusive rewards for ranking up. There will also be a console-only ranked queue for players who don't want to play against PC users, if you're worried about mouse and keyboard advantage.
The team is also working on cross-platform clan support, which will let you create and join clans with players on any platform. Right now, clans are restricted to players on the same console, so this update will make it much easier to build large communities with friends across PS5 and Xbox. They're also adding cross-platform custom lobbies, which will let you host private tournaments with your friends no matter what console they play on.
Nexon has also committed to keeping crossplay support active for the entire lifespan of the game, so you won't have to worry about the feature being removed later down the line. They've also said that any future console releases of the game will have full crossplay support with existing platforms, so if the game comes to a new console later, you'll still be able to play with your friends on PS5 and Xbox.
At the end of the day, is the first descendant crossplay ps5 and xbox is fully supported and easy to set up, as long as you follow the simple steps we outlined above. You don't have to jump through a bunch of complicated hoops to play with your friends on other consoles, and most common issues have quick, simple fixes. Whether you're grinding casual missions or taking on the hardest endgame content, crossplay makes it easy to team up with all your friends, no matter what console they own.