Unturned! The unofficial Roblox spinoff took an identity of its own and went on to become quite the sensation. The game’s popularity skyrocketed like no other, and its sole creator Mr. Nelson Sexton became a celebrity of sorts.
PC was the ideal platform for Unturned, but then the focus was shifted to the console giants Xbox and PlayStation. Unturned was released on both home consoles in 2020, and with it grew hope for its player base that perhaps cross-platform is upon us.
We’re 3 years removed from the release of Unturned on almost every major platform, so let’s find out if you can play Unturned cross-platform in 2023?
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Does Unturned Support Cross-Play?
With a heavy heart, I inform everyone that despite so much time passing since Unturned was released, Cross-play between PC and consoles has not been made a reality.
If you look at things from the technical point of view, you’ll notice that it was likely never going to happen anyway. The question then becomes, why?
Why Is Cross-Play Not Implemented?
Cross-play, in general, is a difficult element of multiplayer to implement in games, and those games that have achieved it, deserve praise.
Sadly, Unturned isn’t one of those games, but one can hardly blame the developer Smartly Dressed Games. (Okay, one of our writers will definitely borrow that name for a username in one of these online games. HA!)
The answer to why cross-platform or cross-play hasn’t made it into Unturned is simple. The PC version of Unturned is vastly different and more open from the limited and streamlined consoles version. Therefore, that cross-play with Unturned just can’t be done.
Is Console Cross-Platform Between Consoles Possible?
Okay, we get it. The PC version of Unturned is clearly superior and super flexible, but what about cross-platform play between the consoles? Great question! Unfortunately, the answer is still the same, albeit for a different reason.
Microsoft and Sony, the respective owners of Xbox and PlayStation have made it no secret that they’re competitors. The two companies do not have the financial incentive to invest resources for integrating cross-platform play between their systems.
Even if one of them agrees to work to support cross-play, if the other party isn’t interested, then cross-platform play won’t happen. As the saying goes, it takes two to tango.
Comparing Unturned to Other Cross-Platform Supported Games
So Unturned is a survival game with a zombie apocalypse setting with a loyal and dedicated fanbase. No doubt that the game is still being talked about, and content is still being made about it, and despite no cross-play, it’s still a good game regardless.
The only problem with holding out hope for Unturned to have cross-platform play in the future is that some of the heavy hitters with cross-platform support have a much larger player base.
Games like Apex Legends, Call of Duty, and Genshin Impact, have a ridiculous number of players, and it makes sense for cross-platform console and PC support.
Related Article: Apex Legend Cross Progression
Chances of Cross-Platform Play for Unturned in the Future
Nothing is ever set in stone, especially in the gaming industry. Stranger things (no, not the tv show!) have happened, like Bungie, the original creator of Halo, the flagship franchise of Xbox is now owned by Microsoft’s fiercest rival Sony.
It’s better to temper expectations but never to abandon all hope. If cross-play support is announced, it’ll be a shocker but something everyone will welcome; otherwise, it was never meant to be.
