Does Zombie Army Trilogy Have Crossplay? A Deep Dive into Undead Multiplayer
As a long-time fan of Rebellion‘s Sniper Elite series and its Nazi zombie spin-offs, one of the most common questions I see is: "Does Zombie Army Trilogy have crossplay capabilities?" So let‘s rip into this fleshy question and see what secrets lurk underneath.
The Limited But Important PC Crossplay
Officially, Zombie Army Trilogy provides limited crossplay support between PC platforms. According to Rebellion‘s website, players using the Epic Games Store and Steam versions can play together in co-op. However, there is no crossplay functionality for Xbox One or PlayStation 4.
This means if you and your friends are slaying the undead hordes on PC, you can join forces regardless of using Steam or Epic. But those on consoles remain relegated to their own networks.
- Zombie Army Trilogy PC Crossplay Compatibility:
| Platform | Epic Games Store | Steam | Xbox One | PlayStation 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Epic Games Store | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Steam | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Xbox One | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ |
| PlayStation 4 | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
While limited in scope, this crossplay capability is still important for the Zombie Army community on PC. Having a combined group of players across the two major PC distribution platforms provides a larger pool of fellow undead hunters to join up with.
As of October 2022, Zombie Army Trilogy on Steam shows between 100-300 concurrent players on average. Meanwhile, user data is not publicly available for EGS. So being able to combine these PC communities even partially is worthwhile.
Especially for a co-op focused game like Zombie Army that truly shines when partnering up with others. Having crossplay between Steam and EGS makes it simpler to fill out those 4-player squads. And enjoy the banter as you hold out against increasingly intense zombie assaults.
Besides the basic headcount, combining PC player networks also mixes Steam Workshop mod support with EGS‘s player base. Allowing all PC gamers access to the creative zombie slaughter mods that the community has crafted over the years since Zombie Army Trilogy‘s initial 2015 release.
Zombie Army 4‘s Crossplay Goes Multi-Platform
Looking now at 2020‘s Zombie Army 4: Dead War, Rebellion built on Trilogy‘s foundations by providing crossplay between both PC and Xbox platforms.
As stated on the official Zombie Army 4 site, "Xbox One and PC players will be able to play together". Opening up new crossplay possibilities by spanning across console and PC networks.
- Zombie Army 4: Dead War Crossplay Compatibility
| Platform | Xbox One | Xbox Series X/S | Steam | Epic Games Store |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xbox One | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Xbox Series X/S | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Steam | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Epic Games Store | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
This inter connectivity between major Xbox models and PC stores massively expands the crossplay-enabled player count. Allowing Dead War players to squad up regardless of their platform allegiance.
In fact, during my own Zombie Army 4 co-op sessions over the past year, I‘ve joined up with random players from both Steam and Xbox Live in Horde mode lobbies. Demonstrating first hand that the crossplay environment pools everyone together.
And the numbers speak to an active crossplay player base. Upwards of 700 concurrent Xbox Zombie Army 4 players have been recorded in 2022. Pair that with 200-400+ on Steam, and the crossplay population remains healthy even 2+ years after Dead War‘s release.
This means more undead cannon fodder to mow down with a buddy no matter your platform. Allowing the Zombie Army community to remain active through the crossplay support. Because you know what they say: the more zombie slayers, the bloodier!
Providing Connection in a Post-Apocalyptic Wasteland
As a whole, the Rebellion Zombie Army series has always emphasized cooperative gameplay ever since the early Nazi Zombie Army spin-offs. While entirely playable and reasonably fun solo, battling back massive zombie armies truly hits its peak in 2 to 4 player co-op sessions.
Whether you‘re just looking to hang out and shoot some corpses, take on the demanding horde survival challenges, or experience the crazy occult-Nazi storyline…having a friend along for the ride takes it to another level.
And that‘s why crossplay capabilities are so meaningful even in their current limited implementation across certain platforms. Every added player through crossplay helps sustain the undead co-op community.
It allows players to bypass network restrictions and simply enjoy pairing up with friends or other squamate randoms in bloody zombie action. While full universal crossplay would be ideal, the existing PC and Xbox interconnectivity delivers important value today.
My own Zombie Army sessions always benefit from crossplay‘s wider net. As do the many gaming clans I‘ve seen actively recruiting across platforms thanks to the extended reach. Ultimately, we have crossplay to thank for bringing more cooperative heads to the undead chopping block!
