If you’ve ever sat down on your PS5 after a long day, booted up Valorant, and wondered if you can queue up with your friend who only plays on their gaming PC, you’re not alone. Thousands of players ask the same question every week, especially as Riot Games expands Valorant’s reach to more console platforms. I’ve tested both the PS5 and PC versions of the game over the past six months, so I’m breaking down everything you need to know about is valorant crossplay ps5 and pc, plus all the related rules and future plans you won’t want to miss.
Is Valorant Crossplay Between PS5 and PC Currently Supported?
Let’s get the most common question out of the way first. I tried to queue for a casual match on my PS5 last month and invite my friend who was on PC, and the invite button was grayed out entirely, which confirmed the lack of crossplay for me before I even checked the official FAQ. As of the latest Valorant patch, crossplay between PS5 and PC is not available for any game mode.
Right now, crossplay is only enabled between PS5 and Xbox Series X/S players. Console users can queue up with other console players across all game modes, no extra settings needed. But there is no way to connect console and PC lobbies, even for unrated or custom games. Riot has not set a hard release date for crossplay between PS5 and PC, but they have confirmed it is something they are actively exploring for future updates.
You might see third-party tools or hacks online claiming to enable crossplay between PS5 and PC, but you should avoid these entirely. They violate Riot’s terms of service, and you risk getting your account permanently banned if you use them. It’s not worth losing all your skins and rank progress just to play a few matches with friends on a different platform.
Why Riot Hasn’t Rolled Out PS5 and PC Crossplay Yet
You might be wondering why crossplay is available for other popular FPS games like Call of Duty and Apex Legends, but not Valorant. The short answer is that Riot is prioritizing fair play over quick feature rollouts, and there are a few big hurdles they need to clear first. The biggest barrier to PS5 and PC crossplay right now is competitive fairness, according to Riot’s lead game designer.
I’ve played plenty of crossplay FPS games before, and I can see why Riot is being cautious. Keyboard and mouse inputs give players much faster, more precise aim control compared to controllers, even with aim assist turned up. In a tactical shooter like Valorant where a single well-placed headshot can win a round, that difference can create a massive unfair advantage for PC players going up against console users. Riot is currently testing adjusted aim assist values and balance changes to make sure neither side has an edge if crossplay launches.
Anti-cheat is another big concern. Vanguard, Valorant’s anti-cheat system, works differently on PC and console. PC players have far more ways to run cheat software undetected, and Riot doesn’t want to put console players at risk of running into cheaters who have been banned from PC lobbies. They are working to align anti-cheat protocols across both platforms first, to make sure crossplay lobbies are as safe as possible for all players.
The last major barrier is cross-progression. While basic cross-progression is available now if you link your accounts, there are still a few bugs and limitations with unlocks and event rewards carrying over between PS5 and PC. Riot wants to fix all these issues before enabling crossplay, so players don’t lose access to content they paid for when switching between platforms.
What to Expect If PS5 and PC Crossplay Launches
Riot has shared a lot of details about what crossplay between PS5 and PC will look like if it launches, based on public development updates and beta tests for console versions of the game. Most of these features are designed to keep play fair and give players control over who they queue against. You can expect all of the following if crossplay rolls out officially:
- Separate crossplay queues for casual and competitive play, so you can opt out if you don’t want to play against other platforms
- Adjusted aim assist values for controller players facing PC opponents, to level the playing field without giving console players an unfair edge
- Full cross-progression support, so your skins, rank, and unlocks carry over between your PS5 and PC accounts seamlessly
- Input-based matchmaking as an optional setting, so you can queue only against players using the same input method as you, regardless of platform
I tested the input-based matchmaking feature during the console beta last year, and it works really well. I never felt like I was at a disadvantage playing against other controller players, even if they were on Xbox instead of PS5. Input-based matchmaking will almost certainly be a core feature if crossplay between PS5 and PC launches, per Riot’s public development updates.
Riot has also said that casual game modes like Spike Rush, Deathmatch, and Swiftplay will get crossplay support first, before it rolls out to ranked competitive play. That gives them time to test balance changes and fix bugs before the feature affects players’ rank progress. So even if crossplay is announced soon, you’ll probably have to wait a few extra months to use it in ranked lobbies.
Tips for Playing Valorant Across PS5 and PC Right Now
Even if official crossplay between PS5 and PC isn’t available yet, there are still a few things you can do to make playing across both platforms easier, especially if you share an account or want to play with friends on different devices. The first thing you should do is link your Riot account to your PSN account if you haven’t already. Linking your Riot and PSN accounts takes less than two minutes, and unlocks full cross-progression immediately.
Once your accounts are linked, all your skins, battle pass progress, unlocks, and event rewards will carry over between your PS5 and PC accounts. That means you can grind the battle pass on your PS5 when you’re on the couch, then switch to PC to play with your PC friends later, without losing any progress. You won’t have to repurchase skins or agents either, which saves you a ton of money if you play on both platforms regularly.
If you switch between PS5 and PC often, take time to align your settings across both platforms to reduce muscle memory confusion. Use the exact same crosshair settings on both versions, and adjust your controller sensitivity on PS5 to match your mouse sensitivity if you use a controller on PC too. If you regularly switch between PS5 and PC, stick to one input method across both platforms to cut down on muscle memory confusion. I play with a controller on both, and keeping my settings identical cuts my warm-up time in half every time I switch devices.
Right now, the only way to play with friends on the opposite platform is to switch to their platform if you have access to both. It’s not the most convenient workaround, but it works, and you won’t risk getting your account banned by using third-party tools. Keep an eye on official Valorant patch notes for crossplay announcements, because Riot usually teases big new features a few weeks before they roll out.
At the end of the day, it’s only a matter of time before we get official support for is valorant crossplay ps5 and pc, but Riot is taking the time to get it right instead of rushing a broken feature to market. For now, you can still take advantage of cross-progression, and keep an eye on official patch notes for announcements about crossplay testing in the coming months. If you’re desperate to play with friends on the other platform, switching between your PS5 and PC account is a solid workaround that works right now, no extra hoops to jump through.
