Apex Legends cross-play beta arrives October 6th

Cross-play is finally set to arrive in Apex Legends. The feature that Respawn Entertainment originally promised back in June will arrive tomorrow in an initial beta test available on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Origin for PC. The cross-play beta will arrive with update for the start of the Aftermarket Collection Event and an all-new limited-time event called Flashpoint.

Get revved up for the Aftermarket Collection Event. Take part in the cross-play beta, dive into the new “Flashpoint” LTM, take on challenges to earn exclusive rewards, and more! It’s going to be a hell of a ride! 😎

Speed off into the Aftermarket Collection Event starting Oct 6. pic.twitter.com/iwEDkX1i9U

— Apex Legends (@PlayApex) October 1, 2020

Starting tomorrow, beta participants will be able to party up with friends that play on other platforms. The new in-game system will essentially function as a friends list that allows them to send invites to players on other platforms – a similar system to those used other popular titles with cross-play including Fortnite and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Warzone. The new friends list will also indicate each players platform.

While in beta, in-game chat will work for cross-platform parties, however, cross-platform progression will not be supported. Support for this feature may arrive later down the road though, as Respawn stated they will discuss the issue in more detail later this year when the game launches for other systems. There is currently no support for Apex Legends on Switch or Steam, however these versions of the game are expected to be available soon and it is logical to assume they will be integrated into the cross-play system when they do arrive.

Respectfully, Respawn has stated they will not force console players to match with PC players. All console players, however, will now automatically play together, while PC players will only play with other PC players. This decision is in stark contrast to how Activision handles cross-play for Warzone, where Xbox One players are forced to play with PC players – a decision that has created a lot of public outcry from the Xbox One community.

Respawn stated, “We want to ensure that keyboard and mouse PC players are not being matched against console players, for reasons that should be obvious. If, however, an Xbox One or PlayStation 4 player and PC player party up together, they will be put into PC matches.”