Halo Infinite's multiplayer is here, it's free, it's good, and it also supports crossplay. A multiplayer shooter with crossplay feels increasingly like the norm these days, but it's a big deal for Halo, a series that until only recently was only available on a single platform. Now, across both Halo Infinite and the Master Chief Collection, damn-near every Halo can be played with PC and console brethren alike.
That said, the nuances of how crossplay works in Halo Infinite aren't as clearly communicated as they are in games like Call of Duty: Warzone or Fortnite. It's hard to tell if crossplay is even on, and whether or not you can turn it off is dependent on the mode you're playing. Here's exactly how Halo Infinite crossplay works so far.
How do you turn Halo Infinite crossplay on?
Crossplay is always on in Halo Infinite by default. As far as I can tell, you don't have to do anything to activate it.
I'm an Xbox player who wants to turn off crossplay. Can I?
Not really. There is no overall crossplay toggle in the current build of Halo Infinite, but it's possible it will come soon. The game is still tagged as a "beta," though the "full" release with the campaign is out in less than a month.
Based on how integral crossplay appears to be for Halo Infinite multiplayer, 343 Industries might not be eager to add a toggle to turn it off. To alleviate the potential balancing issues of commingling platforms, 343 has opted for a limited implementation of input-based matchmaking. That said, Halo has always been designed with the speed and capabilities of controllers in mind, so the skill gap between controllers and mice is likely smaller than in faster shooters.
Does Halo Infinite have input-based matchmaking?
Yes, but only in one mode right now. If you're playing Ranked as a solo player or with one friend as a duo, you'll find an option on the matchmaking screen to choose your input. You can choose between "Keyboard/Mouse" and "Controller." Whichever you choose, you'll only be matched with players using the same input.
Be aware: Ranked Solo/Duos is currently the only mode with this feature. The larger Arena Ranked mode has a dropdown menu that looks like it'd let you turn crossplay off as an option, but the only option in the menu right now is to keep it on.
How can you tell when Halo Infinite crossplay is working?
Halo Infinite's crossplay is always on, but there isn't any visual signifier that the players in my lobby are on PC or Xbox. Neither the pre-game lobby nor the in-game scoreboard have "Xbox/PC" symbols next to usernames like they do in Battlefield 2042 or Apex Legends.
It's possible 343 intentionally hides this information from players. Halo Infinite is still too new to say for sure, but so far it seems like keyboard/mouse users have a slight advantage over controller players who are predominantly on the Xbox. 343 may be obfuscating who is using what and where to limit the tools players have to harass others.
Halo Infinite: How to invite Steam friends
Halo Infinite makes it easy to invite Xbox friends that are playing on PC or console, but the game's social menu doesn't surface Steam friends as easily. To invite Steam friends to your fireteam, you have two options:
- Press Shift+Tab to summon the Steam overlay, right-click a friend, and invite
Or
- Go to Halo's social menu by pressing Tab on the main menu, then click "Find Friends" at the bottom (or click G). From there, select Steam.
Halo Infinite: How to invite Discord friends
Hey, this is pretty neat: You can invite friends to your Halo Fireteam over Discord. The easiest way to do this is not in-game, but on your Discord client. If all is working as intended, you should see an invite option in the text box of whatever server you're in while Halo Infinite is running. The button looks like this:
Once you send the invite, it'll appear in the text channel you're viewing with a join button that will automatically place friends in your fireteam.
