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How to Group Up and Enable Cross-Platform Play in Overwatch Game

Introduction

Overwatch is a popular team-based multiplayer first-person shooter game developed by Blizzard Entertainment. It features a diverse cast of over 30 playable hero characters across different roles such as damage, tank, and support.

The game emphasizes teamwork and coordination to complete objectives and win matches. As such, grouping up with friends or other cooperative players can greatly improve one’s experience and performance in Overwatch.

In June 2021, Blizzard introduced full cross-platform support across PC, Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch platforms. This allows Overwatch players on different platforms to group up and play together.

Here is a guide on how to utilize Overwatch’s cross-platform capabilities to group up and play with friends on other platforms:

Cross-Platform Play Overview

  • Cross-platform play is enabled by default for Quick Play, Arcade, and Custom Games.
  • Competitive Play has partial cross-platform capabilities:
    • Console players can group up with players on other consoles
    • PC players can only group up with other PC players
  • To utilize cross-platform, players need to link their console account to a Battle.net account

Linking Console Account to Battle.net

To play with friends cross-platform, console players must link their Xbox Live, PlayStation Network, or Nintendo Account to a Battle.net account.

Here are the steps:

  1. Create a free Battle.net account if you don’t already have one
  2. On the console, open Options and select “Link Account”
  3. Sign in using Battle.net account credentials
  4. Click “Link Account” to complete linking process

Once accounts are linked, friends on console and PC can see each other online and form groups.

Adding Friends Cross-Platform

There are two ways to add friends from other platforms:

In-Game

  1. Open the Social menu
  2. Click “Add Friend”
  3. Enter the BattleTag (e.g. Player#1234) of the friend you want to add
  4. Friend will get a notification to accept your friend request

Battle.net

  1. Log in to the Battle.net website
  2. Click “Add Friend”
  3. Enter the BattleTag and click “Send Request”
  4. Friend has to accept request on their end

Forming Groups

Once connected as friends, players can form cross-platform groups:

  1. Open Social menu and select friend
  2. Click the “+” icon next to their name
  3. Friend gets notified to join the group
  4. Once friend joins, the group is formed

The group leader can then queue up for matches in eligible game modes and everyone will join the same match.

Cross-Platform Limitations

While cross-platform opens up Overwatch gameplay across platforms, some limitations exist:

  • Players on PC and consoles cannot form competitive groups
  • If a PC and console player group up, they will be matchmade into the PC matchmaking pool
  • Nintendo Switch players have further restrictions for competitive

So while Quick Play and other modes have full cross-platform capabilities, Competitive Play remains segregated between PC and console.

Conclusion

The addition of cross-platform support now allows Overwatch players to easily team up with their friends that may be on other gaming platforms.

By linking console accounts to Battle.net, forming cross-platform friend connections, and creating groups, players can overcome hardware barriers and enjoy the game together.

Grouping up cross-platform improves coordination and teamplay, helping players have more fun and find more success across Overwatch’s various game modes.

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