Is Zombie Army 4 Cross Platform between PC and Xbox? The Complete Crossplay Guide
As a passionate co-op shooter fan, I was thrilled to jump back into the brutal zombie hordes of Zombie Army 4: Dead War. Rebelling against the undead Reich once more with friends is gory good fun. But questions lingered in my mind – does Zombie Army 4 feature crossplay? Can I team up with squads across PC and Xbox platforms?
After digging into the guts of Zombie Army‘s crossplay functionality, I can definitively confirm that yes, the game fully supports crossplay between PC and Xbox console platforms – including last and current-gen variants. Read on as I break down everything you need to know about playing co-op cross-network on this gruesomely entertaining co-op shooter…
Does Zombie Army 4 Have Crossplay?
Zombie Army 4: Dead War added full crossplay support after launch via a free game update. Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Windows PC platforms can all play together.
This crossplay implementation enables you to squad up with friends that prefer gaming on console or PC. Parties with both Xbox and PC players are seamlessly united to take on the zombie menace as one undead-purging unit.
Crossplay functions between console generations too – Xbox Series X/S users can join forces with Xbox One players in chaotic 4-player co-op engagements.
How Crossplay Works via Rebellion Account Linking
Crossplay hangs together through Zombie Army‘s Rebellion account system. All players first need to link a Rebellion account to their platform of choice – whether Xbox, PlayStation or Steam.
- On Xbox consoles, head to account linking from the main menu or pause screen and sign into your Rebellion account.
- For Steam linkage, select ‘Link Account‘ from the in-game menu and login to Rebellion account credentials.
- Once your platform account is paired to a Rebellion ID, you can squad up with players on different platforms whose Rebellion accounts appear as friends.
Progression like weapon levels and cosmetic unlocks are tied to your Rebellion account too – so grinding weapon mods carries between versions.
Enabling Crossplay on Xbox Consoles
Playing Zombie Army 4 crossplay co-op between your Xbox buddies and PC compadres takes a few quick enable steps:
- Press the Xbox button to open the console Guide overlay
- Navigate to Settings > Account > Privacy & Online Safety
- Under Xbox Privacy, select View Details & Customize
- Head to Communications & Multiplayer
- Set the You can play with people outside of Xbox Live option to Allow
After enabling cross-network play in your Xbox privacy settings, you‘ll be matchmaking with PC players in online lobbies and custom games.
No Xbox Live Gold subscription is required for connecting with other platforms. As long as players have linked Rebellion accounts, crossplay on Xbox transpires free.
Zombie Army 4 Co-Op Modes: Campaign, Horde & More
Zombie Army serves up plenty of pus-ridden undead to pop, blast and splatter across two chaotic cooperative modes for 1-4 players:
Campaign Mode
The 9 mission-long campaign continues the alternate history struggle against zombie Hitler‘s forces. Rally the resistance across Italy‘s zombie-infested lands in objective-driven levels like:
- Surviving a perilous mountain cable car ride
- Fighting through narrow ancient catacombs
- Defending a village from undead siege
Campaign play supports local split-screen or online co-op crossplay between Xbox and PC. The average completion time is around 10-12 hours – longer on harder difficulties!
Undead Horde Mode
This wave-based survival mode pits your squad against escalating zombie threats across four maps:
- Abandoned train yards
- Desolate towns
- Mountain tunnels
- Secret bunker facilities
Fend off the decaying hordes while completing side objectives like bombing runs. Surviving bosses emerge every 5 waves – taking teamwork to take down their bulging undead forms!
I‘ve played for hours failing to conquering wave 30. The addition of floor traps and mounted guns brings welcome versatility to crowded zombie-slaying. Horde crosses over Xbox/PC too.
Class Roles and Ping System Teamwork
Zombie Army enhances co-op coordination through distinct character classes and in-game pinging:
Classes
While any player can use any weapon, classes like Gunslinger, Slayer, and Hellraiser have unique abilities that support certain combat roles:
- Gunslingers marksman shots cause precision explosive and headshot damage
- Slayers ward off enemies that stray too close to the squad
- Hellraisers demolish crowds with heavy weapons and equipment
Class strengths shine when coordinating loadouts as a complementary unit. Our squad stacked Gunslinger rifle damage buffs to crack undead skulls with pinpoint efficiency!
Ping System
In-game pings via button press or mouse let you call out:
- Zombie locations
- Tactical positions
- Environmental weaponry
- Supply crates
- and more
We utilized the intuitive ping tool constantly on harder difficulties. Spotting lurking enemies, signaling to regroup – absolutely vital for surviving the overwhelming decayed masses.
Customizing Your Undead-Purging Arsenal
Zombie Army arms resistance fighters with an extensive arsenal – from rifles, shotguns, LMGs to pistols, melee weapons and dynamite. Wreck zombies from range then finish off the remnants with brutal skull-cracking melee executions!
Weapons level up individually with headshots granting XP – unlocking damage buffs and ammo mods. I live for tinkering powerful weapon loadouts between missions.
Some of my go-to guns include:
- Rifles: Long-range semi-autos with piercing rounds to nail enemy weak points
- Shotguns: Shredding hordes at close range with incendiary shells
- LMGs: Chainsawing down droves of corpses with drum mags
- SMGs: Stunning zombies to finish off low health stragglers
Don‘t be shy about expelling all that delicious ammo – crates are dotted around and scavenging dead comrades restocks your reserves.
Gore Galore: Dismemberment and Zombie Physics
Studio Rebellion crammed Zombie Army‘s festering constructs with gloriously grotesque gore systems. Crimson headshots spray skulls in spectacular fashion while shotgun blasts send piles of rotting limbs soaring.
Zombos react impressively too – fumbling back from bullet impacts before I pump another round into their putrid craniums. Flamethrowers engulf the ambling cadavers in raging incineration as they flail about in the throes of sizzling death. It‘s sickeningly satisfying to behold!
And few thrills match lining up a firing squad to unleash full automatic fury – transforming advancing cadavers into twitching limb salad! Ultimately it‘s about unloading as much lead as possible before the next inevitable undead tide.
Post-Launch Support: Optimizations, DLC, and the Road Ahead
Rebellion has impressively continued supporting Zombie Army 4 since its 2020 launch:
- Major updates targeted quality-of-life fixes, progression bugs, gameplay balancing, private lobbies, and more
- Graphical optimizations raised performance and visuals across platforms
- Free playable characters like Nina Berg, new weapons, and cosmetics
- DLC Season 1 added 3 remixed campaign missions, weapon packs, character packs
- DLC Season 2 continued the Nazi zombie war across France
- Ongoing content like character outfit packs and weapon bundles
This stream of tweaks, features, and expansion is fantastic. Rebellion clearly remains invested in the franchise – understandable with such sky-high sequel potential! I eagerly anticipate jumping back in whenever new undead-infested locations or gear drops.
Zombie Army 4‘s Impressive Co-Op Showing
Looking across the spectrum of recent co-op experiences, Zombie Army 4: Dead War stands tall as quality squad play. The satisfyingly gunk-splattering gunfeel, varied undead types, customizable loadouts, objective missions, character classes, ping system, and progression reflect a thoughtful co-op template.
Coupling that strong cooperative core with next-level dismemberment physics and Rebellion‘s technical wizardry makes blasting Nazi zombies an absolute riot with buddies or randoms. Performance consistently cruises even on lower hardware making joining the resistance dead easy.
It may not reinvent the shooter formula but Zombie Army 4 nails the tactical, trash-talking camaraderie which defines enduring co-op greatness. Slaughtering in droves sparks that hypnotic "just one more horde‘ compulsion – plus in my experience even painstaking defeats like wave 28 wipes make for memorable bonding moments!
For co-op shooter fans the chaotic, gruesome joy here is addictive. And with full crossplay uniting PC and Xbox platforms, now is the best time to enlist hardened comrades against the Zombie Reich.
I award Zombie Army 4: Dead War a severed undead arm out of 5 for its gory co-op glory – now playable with squads across Xbox and PC alike! Let the fetching zombie-bonking continue…
