Can PS5 players join my PC dedicated server?

Almost always no for major survival games (Palworld, Valheim, ARK, 7DTD). Sony's platform agreements keep PS5 in a separate ecosystem. The pattern is consistent enough that you can assume no unless the game's docs explicitly say otherwise.

Does Game Pass PC crossplay with Steam?

Yes, Game Pass PC is treated as part of the Xbox ecosystem and crossplays cleanly with Steam dedicated servers for Palworld, ARK ASA, and Valheim.

Does crossplay add latency?

Yes, the cross-platform relay (Xbox Live for Microsoft-side games) adds 10-30ms typically. If your group is all Steam, turning crossplay off gives slightly better ping.

Are dedicated servers required for crossplay?

For most survival games, yes, the host-and-play co-op mode is platform-specific. Dedicated servers are the path that works across PC and Xbox.

Why does my Xbox player see 'Server not found' when PC players see the server?

Crossplay flag is off, the server isn't listed publicly, the Xbox client is on a stale patch, or the mod stack on the server isn't installable client-side on Xbox. Check those four in order.

field notes

Crossplay on Dedicated Servers: PC, Xbox, and the PS5 Wall

PC + Xbox Series X/S crossplay is mostly solved for the popular survival games in 2026. PlayStation 5 lives in a parallel universe most of the time. Honest per-game read on what crossplay actually requires on the server side, and where it breaks.

Published 2026-05-21

The pattern: PC + Xbox vs PS5

Across survival games, the crossplay situation has converged on a similar shape:

PC (Steam) and Xbox Series X/S support full crossplay on dedicated servers. Microsoft has been broadly permissive about cross-platform play.
Microsoft Store / Game Pass PC usually crossplays with both Steam and Xbox (treated as part of the Xbox ecosystem).
PlayStation 5 typically lives in a separate ecosystem due to Sony's platform agreements. PS5 players can connect to PS5-only dedicated servers, sometimes also Microsoft-hosted ones, rarely to mixed PC/Xbox dedicated.
Nintendo Switch rarely supports dedicated server crossplay at all for survival games.

The shape is consistent enough that you can start there and verify per game.

Palworld crossplay

Palworld crossplay between Steam and Xbox (including Game Pass PC) is solid via dedicated servers. PS5 (October 2025 port) is a separate ecosystem.

A r/Palworld thread "Best Dedicated server for crossplay?" from a Host Havoc customer trying to add Xbox players is a good representative case, the answer is mostly "any of the named hosts work, just verify the host has the Xbox crossplay flag enabled in the server config."

Server-side requirements:

Set bIsUseAuth=False in PalWorldSettings.ini if your group has Game Pass + Steam mixed (turn off Steam-only auth gating).
Server name appears in both Xbox and Steam server browsers as long as the server is publicly listed (bIsMultiplay=True, bIsPvP as appropriate, etc.).
UDP port 8211 needs to be open and discoverable.

What doesn't work: PS5 players cannot join PC/Xbox crossplay servers. They have their own ecosystem. Workaround: maintain two parallel servers, manually sync builds via Xbox dedicated host on the PC/Xbox side. Painful but it's the realistic answer.

Valheim crossplay

Valheim crossplay launched in 2023 and matured through 2024-2025. Currently supports Steam + Microsoft Store + Xbox Series X/S on dedicated servers. PS5 has a separate ecosystem.

The known pain point: crossplay relies on the Xbox Live relay layer for cross-platform connections, which adds 10-30ms latency vs. pure Steam P2P. For pure-Steam groups, turn crossplay off in the server config (-crossplay 0) for slightly better ping.

A recent r/ValheimLFG community-server post is a useful canary, vanilla crossplay-enabled servers are commonly listed there, suggesting the feature is mature enough for community use.

Server flags that matter:

-crossplay enables crossplay (default in recent server builds, but verify).
-password still works across platforms (Xbox players type the password the same way).
The Xbox Live relay is the connection layer for cross-platform, if it goes down (rare), crossplay breaks even if your server is up.

ARK ASA crossplay

ARK ASA crossplay between PC and Xbox is solid. PS5 went into ASA in 2025 and currently has limited crossplay, PS5 players can sometimes join Studio Wildcard's official cross-platform servers but third-party dedicated server support is patchy.

Server-side: ASA uses the Unreal Engine 5 Server Browser. Crossplay-enabled servers appear in both PC and Xbox browsers as long as the server flags are set correctly in GameUserSettings.ini.

Watch out for: mods break crossplay. Heavy mod servers (S+ structures, total conversions) usually mean Xbox players can't join because their mod set differs. This is the canonical "I can't see the server from Xbox" cause, the host has mods enabled, and the Xbox client doesn't have those mods.

For Nitrado-hosted ARK servers: Nitrado has the official-partner relationship with Studio Wildcard and handles the crossplay flag-setting cleanly. For other hosts you may need to verify the flags manually.

7 Days to Die crossplay

7DTD shipped crossplay in 2025 and a r/7daystodie thread on dedicated server crossplay (12p/25c) is a good representative of the early-adopter experience. The community signal: works fine for PC + Xbox crossplay, occasional auth hiccups during peak hours, mostly mature.

PS5 7DTD is also in a separate ecosystem. Same pattern as the others.

For 7DTD specifically, the canonical reference for everything dedicated-server-related is 7d2d.net, the long-running community hub for the game, with current hosting recommendations and configuration guides specific to the 1.4 release cycle.

Server-side setup checklist

Common pitfalls across games, with quick fixes:

Symptom	Likely cause	Fix
Xbox player can't see server in browser	Crossplay flag off, or server not listed publicly	Set crossplay=true, set public listing flag
Xbox player joins then immediately disconnects	Anti-cheat version mismatch, or server doesn't accept Microsoft Store auth	Disable Steam-only auth gating, update server to latest patch
PS5 player wants to join PC server	Platform agreement, PS5 doesn't crossplay with PC dedicated for this game	Maintain parallel PS5-only server, or accept the limitation
Modded server doesn't show on Xbox	Xbox client doesn't have the mods	Either use only client-side-compatible mods, or accept PC-only for this server
Crossplay works but Xbox players have high ping	Microsoft relay routing through distant datacenter	Usually unavoidable, relay routing is what it is

FAQ

Can PS5 players join my PC dedicated server?: Almost always no for major survival games (Palworld, Valheim, ARK, 7DTD). Sony's platform agreements keep PS5 in a separate ecosystem. The pattern is consistent enough that you can assume no unless the game's docs explicitly say otherwise.
Does Game Pass PC crossplay with Steam?: Yes, Game Pass PC is treated as part of the Xbox ecosystem and crossplays cleanly with Steam dedicated servers for Palworld, ARK ASA, and Valheim.
Does crossplay add latency?: Yes, the cross-platform relay (Xbox Live for Microsoft-side games) adds 10-30ms typically. If your group is all Steam, turning crossplay off gives slightly better ping.
Are dedicated servers required for crossplay?: For most survival games, yes, the host-and-play co-op mode is platform-specific. Dedicated servers are the path that works across PC and Xbox.
Why does my Xbox player see 'Server not found' when PC players see the server?: Crossplay flag is off, the server isn't listed publicly, the Xbox client is on a stale patch, or the mod stack on the server isn't installable client-side on Xbox. Check those four in order.