Published , by Chris Jarrard
Published , by Chris Jarrard
The 2021 entry into the acclaimed MLB The Show series is a special one, indeed. For the first time in franchise history, the Sony-produced baseball sim has been made available outside of the PlayStation ecosystem. Microsoft console owners are now able to play MLB The Show 21 on both Xbox One and Xbox Series X consoles. Naturally, baseball fans can play exhibition or franchise modes online within their own console ecosystems, but is it possible for PS4/PS5 users to crossplay with Xbox One/Series X users?
In short, yes. One of the coolest features of this year's edition of MLB The Show is support for crossplay between PlayStation and Xbox users. Thankfully, there are no restrictions placed on the game’s online modes for crossplay. While at first, players will only be able to see friends within their own console ecosystem, there is an option to send friend requests to players who are not in your current network.
Like most multiplayer games, users will need either Xbox Live Gold (for Xbox consoles) or PlayStation Plus (for PlayStation consoles). While interacting with friends within your own console ecosystem works like any other game, a few extra steps must be taken to add users from the opposite platform to your MLB The Show friends list.
To access The Friends List, first tap the touchpad on the PlayStation gamepad (or View/Select on your Xbox gamepad). A popup menu will appear with an option for Friends. After selecting that option, tap R1 (or RB on Xbox) to navigate to the Requests tab. From there, you will be granted the option to Send New Friend Request. Here is where you enter the username of the friend you want to add. Note: The friend in question must have launched MLB The Show 21 and logged into its online services prior to sending the request. After the request has been accepted, the friend will appear in your MLB The Show friend list and an indicator of which console they are using.
To access the crossplay functionality toggle, simply press the touchpad on your Playstation gamepad (or View/Select on Xbox). Navigate to the My Profile tab using R1/L1 (or the Left/Right bumper on Xbox). Within the My Profile menu, you will see an option to enable or disable crossplay for matchmaking or private matches.
Now that you have everything you need to know to get crossplay matches up and running with PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Series X, hitting the ballpark with your friends is easy. If you are new to the series or not sure if the game is for you, check out our full review of MLB The Show 21.