Why Can‘t I Enable Crossplay on Fortnite?

ByJames Dorn Last Update on

As one of the world‘s most popular games with over 350 million registered players, Fortnite brings together people across competing platforms to squad up. But despite massive demand from users begging developers for cross-platform play, sometimes the reality of getting PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, PC and mobile players into the same lobby can prove challenging on the technical side.

If you‘re struggling with getting crossplay functioning, this comprehensive guide will break down all the common issues while arming you with expert troubleshooting advice.

An Introduction to Crossplay

First, what exactly is crossplay and how does Epic manage to combine competing ecosystems like Xbox Live and PlayStation Network into shared Fortnite matches?

[inset]

Crossplay Statistics

  • Over 70% of Fortnite players enable crossplay while only 30% opt to disable it according to Epic Games
  • 3x higher matchmaking pool with crossplay enabled
  • Average Fortnite squad has at least 2 platforms represented
    [/inset]

On a base level, crossplay involves linking your platform account like your Gamertag on Xbox or PSN name to an overarching Epic Games account. This Epic account becomes the connective tissue that allows Epic‘s servers to recognize your identity across different devices.

So while you may be on Xbox, your buddy might play on Switch and another squadmate could be on PC, everyone still links up by adding each other as Epic Friends. This is a universal connecting system.

But crossplay requires careful coordination between sometimes competing interests. PlayStation developers have to work closely with the Xbox, Nintendo and PC teams to constantly tweak protocols and systems to keep cross-connectivity working properly. Issues can come up if:

  • Firmware updates change network infrastructure or data sharing procedures
  • Certification processes delay deployment of game patches across platforms
  • Server outages or downtime disrupt connection between Eco accounts

While Fortnite aims for widespread compatibility in their ecosystem, other games like Call of Duty disable crossplay more often due to these technical challenges. Players can be left confused on why core online functionality gets disrupted.

Common Crossplay Issues

So when crossplay gets broken for you and your squad, what are the most common culprits responsible?

1. Privacy and Settings Misconfigurations

The first places to check are your own system settings and Fortnite‘s in-game settings menu:

  • Double check Fortnite‘s crossplay setting: Navigate to Settings > Account and Privacy > Gameplay Privacy and verify "Allow Cross Platform Play" is toggled ON
  • Confirm crossplay opted in system-wide:
    • On Xbox head to Settings > General > Online safety & family > Xbox Live privacy > View details & customize > Communications & multiplayer > "You can play with people outside of Xbox Live" ON
    • For PlayStation enable crossplay under Settings > Account Management > Account Settings > PlayStation Network/Account Information > Communication Preferences

Issues here commonly occur when the game recently updated and reset people‘s preferences or a new system update shifted those sensitive permissions. Always double check!

2. Friends List Desync

Do you show online and active inside Fortnite but your buddy on PS5 still can‘t join your party? This usually boils down to your Epic friends list falling out of sync on either side. Usually simple to remedy:

  • Re-add each other as Epic friends by searching those usernames and sending requests to refresh that connectivity
  • Confirm notifications and invites are enabled under Settings > Notifications and Privacy to allow invites and adds to come through

Especially after patches or server downtime, Friends syncing bugs happen frequently so re-establishing that link is key.

3. Server Outages and Maintenance Downtime

The reality is it only takes one blacked out platform to severely disrupt crossplay for everyone. When Xbox Live or PSN suffers an outage, suddenly those players vanish from matchmaking lobbies and groups.

4. Game Mode Restrictions

Epic does disable crossplay purposely for certain competitive modes like tournament qualifiers to maintain fairness. So don‘t panic if your squad is separated in say the World Cup Finals since competitors play exclusively on high powered PCs.

Outside of those special events, nearly all social playlists and core game modes fully support uniting friends across all devices. But double check if issues pop up repeatedly and you want to play competitively balanced games.

Step-by-Step Troubleshooting Guide

When pressing "Enable Crossplay" remains greyed out and disconnected, methodically walk through these troubleshooting steps before panicking or getting frustrated with friends left stranded on different platforms mid-gaming session.

Follow this checklist to restore full cross-connectivity:

1. Restart Your Device

The simple restart remains an essential first step when encountering any persisting technical issue to freshly reload the operating system and flush any corrupted temporary memory.

Give your console, computer or mobile device a quick full power down before rebooting. Upon restart, immediately test joining friends via crossplay before any hiccups resurface.

2. Update Games and Apps

With multiplayer connections, frequently an impending update gets queued up already so it never hurts to manually activate updates for games and supporting apps.

Navigate into any pending downloads on:

  • Gaming Dashboard
  • App Stores
  • Game launchers

This automatically pulls down the latest live data Epic Games shared across networks while clearing out any corrupt cached files sitting locally that might conflict. Updates also refresh your credentials.

Ideally maintain game apps fully up to date always.

3. Hard Reset Networking

If you tried the usual restart and updates with no improvement, it‘s smart to completely reset everything network related through these steps:

  1. Powercycle Network Hardware – unplug modems, routers and other networking hardware for 2 full minutes before replugging to clear all locally stored data
  2. Flush DNS Settings – Inside network settings manually select "Flush DNS" and "Renew IP" options to grab fresh addressing
  3. Reset Network Defaults – To fully start connectivity from scratch, default router settings and perform factory reset on all related hardware like wireless access points

Drastic but remarkably effective when facing stubborn environment issues.

4. Contact Platform Support

Unfortunately stuck with lingering connection failures between environments after the above steps still warrants contacting technical teams directly:

Describe your full troubleshooting history including crossplay setting configurations. Reference any overlapping outage reports or server maintenance windows causing problems worldwide.

Care teams monitor community complaints always so volume tickets help urge resolutions faster internally from responsible developers. Remain patient but persistent through multiple contacts until satisfied.

For any cancellation reasons or restrictions, support agents provide individual explanations to regain access restoring multiplayer immediately.

Enjoy Playing with Friends Far and Wide

I hope this guide gives both struggling Fortnite players plus generally curious folks a deeper peek into what functionally enables cross-platform play plus common quirks disrupting things.

Just remember with a few proactive troubleshooting steps, almost always you can self-resolve pesky issues blocking your squad from uniting across Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, PC and mobile players together no matter where life takes people. Games become exponentially more rewarding (and competitive!) by leveraging crossplay so take advantage of this revolution in multiplayer.

Now get out there and hopefully rack up some Victory Royales with friends equally excited to team up across ecosystems! No console left behind when mastering these connectivity tips. Game on!

James K. Dorn, a passionate gamer deeply immersed in the world of video gaming. My journey in gaming is not just about playing; it's about exploring every facet of the games I love. I am particularly fascinated by the intricate worlds of role-playing games like "The Witcher" series and "Elder Scrolls: Skyrim," where every decision shapes the story.

As a strategy game enthusiast, I spend hours devising tactics in games like "Civilization VI" and "StarCraft II," always eager to share my strategies with fellow gamers. I'm also an ardent follower of the ever-evolving landscape of indie games, finding gems like "Hollow Knight" and "Celeste" that offer unique, compelling experiences.

My content isn't just reviews; it's about deep dives into game mechanics, storytelling, and the art of game design. I love dissecting the narratives of games like "The Last of Us" and discussing the innovative gameplay of titles like "Death Stranding."

Being at the forefront of gaming news, I eagerly anticipate and share insights on upcoming releases like the next big open-world adventure or the latest in the "Final Fantasy" series. My goal is to build a community where we not only play games but also appreciate the artistry and effort behind them. Join me in this gaming journey, where every session is an adventure, and every game is a story waiting to be told.

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