Start by identifying whether you are playing the full game or the demo, then verify the correct crossplay setting for that version. The full game enables crossplay by default at Character selection screen > System > Options > Social > Enable Crossplay. The demo uses a different Gameplay setting and a game-code invitation flow. If those checks do not resolve the problem, collect Square Enix’s requested technical details and report the issue through the channel for your platform.
Use this order before changing anything else
Outriders has two separate sets of official crossplay instructions: one for the released game and another for the demo. Applying the demo instructions to the full game, or the full-game menu path to the demo, can leave you looking in the wrong place. Your first check is therefore the product version and the platforms in your party.
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- Identify the version. Decide whether the affected players are using the full game or the demo. Keep the two procedures separate throughout troubleshooting.
- List the platforms. Note every platform represented in the party and whether the problem occurs only when different platforms are involved.
- Verify the applicable crossplay control. Use the full-game Social menu or the demo’s Gameplay menu, as described below.
- Use the correct friend-joining method. Demo players joining across platforms should use the lobby’s generated game code rather than assuming a normal platform invite will work.
- If the issue remains, stop changing network settings at random. Record the diagnostic information Square Enix requests and submit a report through the appropriate official route.
These checks can distinguish a disabled or misconfigured crossplay option from a problem that needs publisher investigation. They do not establish that toggling a setting will solve every connection failure.
Full game: check the Social crossplay option
Exact menu path
From the character selection screen, open System, choose Options, open Social, and verify Enable Crossplay. Square Enix’s full-game FAQ describes cross-platform play with the sentence, “Yes, the game offers an option for cross-platform gaming.” The control is the setting that determines whether your matchmaking can include other platforms.
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What the default setting means
The full game’s FAQ says crossplay is enabled by default. If you have never changed the option, it should normally be on. Nevertheless, verify the visible setting on the affected character-selection screen instead of relying on what another player remembers, especially when one member of a party has recently changed options.
What happens when it is disabled
With crossplay turned off, the official FAQ says matchmaking is limited to players on the same platform. That restriction can make queues take longer because the available player pool is smaller. A long wait after disabling the option is therefore consistent with the documented behavior; it is not evidence by itself of an outage.
Full-game verification checklist
- Open the menu from the character selection screen, not from an unrelated in-game screen.
- Follow the complete sequence: System > Options > Social > Enable Crossplay.
- Confirm whether the option is on for the player who is trying to start or join matchmaking.
- Check the other party members’ platforms before interpreting a same-platform-only match as a crossplay failure.
- If the option is off, understand that the resulting matchmaking pool is restricted and may produce a longer queue.
Demo: enable crossplay and join by game code
Demo-specific toggle
Square Enix’s demo FAQ says crossplay is available across the demo’s supported platforms but is disabled by default. Open the demo’s Gameplay settings and turn crossplay on. This is a demo instruction; do not substitute the full game’s Social menu path.
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For a demo player trying to join a friend on another platform, Square Enix documents a lobby code sequence:
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- Open Play With Friends in the lobby.
- Generate a game code.
- Give that code to the friend who is joining.
- Have the friend select Join A Game Using Code and enter the generated code.
Keep the code procedure tied to the demo. The available official instructions do not establish that this exact flow is the required method for the full game.
Demo verification checklist
- Confirm that everyone is running the demo rather than mixing the demo with the full game.
- Open Gameplay settings and enable crossplay; the demo starts with it disabled.
- Use Play With Friends to generate the lobby code.
- Have the joining player use Join A Game Using Code.
- If the code flow still fails, document the failure and move to the reporting steps rather than assuming a router or port change is required.
Full game and demo: the differences that matter
| Situation | Full game | Demo |
|---|---|---|
| Where crossplay is controlled | Character selection screen > System > Options > Social > Enable Crossplay | Gameplay settings |
| Initial state described by Square Enix | On by default | Off by default |
| Effect of crossplay being off | Matchmaking is limited to the same platform; queues may be longer | Not stated in the cited demo FAQ |
| Joining a known cross-platform friend | The cited full-game FAQ does not specify a game-code sequence | Play With Friends > generate a game code; friend uses Join A Game Using Code |
The “not stated” entry is deliberate: the official demo and full-game pages provide different levels of procedural detail, so the demo’s code instructions should not be generalized to the full game.
Diagnose the symptom without guessing at the cause
You cannot find a friend on another platform
First classify the product version. In the full game, verify Social > Enable Crossplay for the player initiating the session and confirm that the party actually spans platforms. In the demo, enable crossplay under Gameplay, then use the documented game-code route: the host generates a code under Play With Friends, and the other player enters it through Join A Game Using Code. If the demo code is rejected or the friend still cannot join, record the exact step and message for the report.
Matchmaking only returns same-platform players
For the full game, inspect the Social crossplay option. If it is disabled, same-platform-only matchmaking is the expected result according to Square Enix’s FAQ. The same setting can also explain a longer queue. Do not describe that behavior as a server outage without separate, current evidence.
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The queue keeps running or the session never forms
Check whether crossplay is enabled in the correct version first. If the setting is correct and the problem is reproducible, capture the circumstances instead of trying unverified network remedies. Include whether the failed attempt was open matchmaking or an invitation to a known friend, which platforms were involved, and the exact point at which the session stopped progressing.
An invitation works on one platform combination but not another
Record the successful and unsuccessful combinations. Platform details are part of the information Square Enix asks players to provide, and comparing the two cases gives support a concrete reproduction pattern. Avoid assuming that a platform-specific difference proves a particular router, firewall, port, VPN, or DNS cause; the cited Outriders material does not establish current procedures for those systems.
What to record before contacting support
Square Enix’s bug-report guidance asks for enough context to reproduce the failure. Prepare the following as one report rather than sending a short description such as “matchmaking is broken.”
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- Platform and operating-system version: identify the platform for every affected player and provide the OS version where applicable.
- Exact sequence of events: describe what you selected, what happened next, and what led up to the failure. For example, state whether you opened matchmaking, selected Play With Friends, generated a code, or used Join A Game Using Code.
- Reproducibility: say whether the issue happens every time, intermittently, or only under a particular party or platform combination.
- Game language: include the language selected in the game.
- Multiplayer party size: state how many players were in the party when the issue occurred.
- Crossplay state: say whether crossplay was active and, for the full game, whether you checked the Social setting.
- PC hardware, when relevant: include CPU, GPU, and RAM for a PC report.
- Visible errors and timing: copy the wording of any error and note when the failure occurred in the sequence. If there is no message, say so explicitly.
Keep the description factual. “The demo had crossplay enabled in Gameplay settings, the host generated a code, and the joining player received [exact message] after selecting Join A Game Using Code” is more useful than a general claim that crossplay does not work.
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Where to report a persistent problem
Steam PC players
Square Enix’s bug-report page directs Steam PC players to the official Steam discussion forum. Include the diagnostic details above and identify the game version. A forum is a place to report and compare incidents; it is not a promise of one-to-one technical support for every post.
Console players
The same Square Enix guidance points console players to the Outriders subreddit as a community reporting destination. Treat it as a place to describe the reproducible issue and look for corroborating reports, not as guaranteed publisher support.
Publisher support route
Square Enix’s bug-report page also provides a publisher support contact route. Use that route when the setting checks and the documented friend-joining procedure do not resolve the problem, particularly when you can supply a clear reproduction sequence and platform information.
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Choose the route that matches the affected platform
Do not send a Steam-specific report that omits PC details, and do not describe a console-only failure as a PC issue. Selecting the channel that matches the platform and including the requested technical context reduces the need for support to ask for basic information again.
What this guidance does not establish
The available official Outriders pages do not establish a current service-status result, a current router or NAT procedure, firewall or port-forwarding instructions, or a platform-specific DNS or VPN remedy. They also do not support recommending a particular cable, router, adapter, or hardware replacement as an Outriders fix.
That limitation matters because a setting check and a report are evidence-based actions, while an unverified network change can introduce a new variable and make the original failure harder to reproduce. If Square Enix support identifies a platform-specific network requirement for your case, follow the current instructions it provides for that platform rather than relying on generic port lists or old forum posts.
A compact decision tree
- Are you using the full game? Verify Character selection screen > System > Options > Social > Enable Crossplay. If it is off, matching is restricted to the same platform and may queue longer.
- Are you using the demo? Enable crossplay under Gameplay. For a cross-platform friend, generate a code in Play With Friends and have the friend use Join A Game Using Code.
- Did the setting or code flow resolve the issue? If yes, no further network change is needed. If no, write down the exact failed step and message.
- Can you reproduce it? Record platform, OS version, game language, party size, crossplay state, PC specifications where applicable, and the full sequence of events.
- Where should it go? Use Square Enix’s stated Steam discussion route for Steam PC, the stated Outriders subreddit route for console community reports, or the publisher support contact route for direct assistance.
This process keeps the full-game and demo procedures distinct, explains the documented queue behavior, and gives support enough information to investigate a failure that survives the official checks.
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