Is Outlast Trials Cross Platform? Crossplay Guide 2026
Sarah Chen|No, Outlast Trials does not currently support cross-platform play. Red Barrels hasn’t implemented crossplay functionality, meaning you can only team up with players on the same platform as you.
This limitation significantly impacts the co-op horror experience, especially with the game’s current player count of 8,208 Steam users spread across five different platforms. If you’re planning to play with friends, make sure you’re all on the same system before purchasing.
Outlast Trials Cross-Platform Support Explained
Red Barrels released Outlast Trials on March 5, 2024, across PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S/X. Despite launching on multiple platforms simultaneously, the developer chose not to include crossplay support at launch.
This means your platform choice locks you into that ecosystem. PC players using Steam can only matchmake with other Steam users, while PlayStation 5 owners are restricted to other PS5 players. The same isolation applies to Xbox and PlayStation 4 users.
The lack of crossplay is particularly problematic for Outlast Trials since the game focuses heavily on cooperative multiplayer. Up to four players can team up to survive the twisted experiments, but finding teammates becomes more challenging when the player base is fragmented across platforms.
Red Barrels hasn’t made any official statements about future crossplay implementation. While some developers add crossplay post-launch through updates, there’s no confirmed timeline or commitment from Red Barrels regarding this feature.
Which Platforms Can Play Together?
Currently, no platforms can cross-connect with each other. Here’s the complete breakdown of platform compatibility:
| Platform | Crossplay Supported | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| PC (Steam) | No | Only connects with other Steam players |
| PlayStation 5 | No | Isolated to PS5 ecosystem only |
| PlayStation 4 | No | Cannot connect to PS5 or other platforms |
| Xbox Series S/X | No | Limited to Xbox Series console family |
| Xbox One | No | Cannot connect to newer Xbox consoles or other platforms |
Even within the same console family, there’s no confirmed backward or forward compatibility. PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 users can’t play together, and the same limitation exists between Xbox One and Xbox Series consoles.
Why Outlast Trials Doesn’t Have Crossplay
Red Barrels hasn’t provided specific reasons for omitting crossplay, but several factors likely influenced this decision. As an independent developer, Red Barrels has limited resources compared to major studios, and implementing crossplay requires significant technical infrastructure and ongoing maintenance.
Crossplay development involves creating unified networking systems that can handle different platform requirements, account systems, and certification processes. Each platform has unique technical specifications and security protocols that must be accommodated.
The horror genre also presents unique challenges for crossplay implementation. Outlast Trials relies on precise timing, atmospheric tension, and coordinated gameplay that can be affected by platform-specific performance differences and input methods.
Additionally, the game launched simultaneously across all platforms, suggesting Red Barrels prioritized getting a stable release across multiple systems rather than implementing complex crossplay functionality at launch.
Cross-Progression and Account Features
Beyond crossplay, Outlast Trials also lacks cross-progression support. Your character progress, unlocked customization items, and completed challenges remain tied to the platform where you created them.
This means switching platforms requires starting completely over. All your earned currency, unlocked outfits, and progression through the game’s twisted trials won’t transfer between systems.
The game doesn’t use a unified account system that could potentially enable cross-progression in the future. Each platform maintains separate save data and progression tracking, making any future cross-progression implementation technically challenging.
If you’re considering playing on multiple platforms, be prepared to maintain separate progressions and potentially repurchase the game for each system you want to play on.
Limitations to Keep in Mind
The platform restrictions create several practical limitations you should consider before purchasing. Your friend group must coordinate platform choices before anyone buys the game, as there’s no way to connect across different systems later.
Matchmaking times may be longer on less popular platforms. While PC shows 8,208 current players on Steam, console player counts aren’t publicly available, potentially making it harder to find teammates on certain platforms.
The horror genre tends to have a more dedicated but smaller player base compared to mainstream multiplayer games. Without crossplay to unite all players, you might experience longer wait times for full lobbies, especially during off-peak hours or months after launch.
Platform-specific technical differences can also affect gameplay experience. PC players might have higher frame rates and different control precision compared to console players, though this disparity becomes irrelevant without crossplay functionality.
Can I play Outlast Trials with friends on different consoles?
No, you cannot play with friends on different platforms. Outlast Trials doesn’t support crossplay, so PlayStation users can only play with other PlayStation users, Xbox players are limited to Xbox, and PC players can only connect through Steam. You and your friends must be on the same platform to play together.
Will Red Barrels add crossplay to Outlast Trials later?
Red Barrels hasn’t announced any plans to add crossplay functionality to Outlast Trials. While some games receive crossplay support through post-launch updates, there’s no official confirmation or timeline from the developer. Players hoping for crossplay should monitor Red Barrels’ official channels for potential announcements, but shouldn’t purchase the game expecting this feature to be added.
Does Outlast Trials have cross-progression between platforms?
No, Outlast Trials doesn’t support cross-progression. Your character progress, unlocked items, and completed challenges are tied to the specific platform where you play. If you purchase the game on multiple platforms, you’ll need to start fresh on each one with separate progression systems and save files.
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Sarah Chen
Sarah Chen is the Reviews and Guides Editor at Explosion.com. With a background in game design studies and 6 years of gaming journalism, Sarah brings technical insight to her reviews and creates comprehensive guides that help players get the most out of their games. She has reviewed over 200 titles across PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo platforms. Her current obsessions include FromSoftware titles and indie roguelikes.
