Can Console Players Join a Rented Server? Crossplay for Every Game We Host
Short answer. In five of the games we host, a PlayStation, Xbox or Switch player can join a dedicated server rented on PC today: Palworld, Valheim, ARK: Survival Ascended, Abiotic Factor and Farming Simulator 25. In the others, the console version either has no crossplay with PC or cannot use dedicated servers at all, and no server setting changes that. The table says which, and how console players actually connect where they can.
Console Players on a Dedicated Server, Game by Game
| Game | Consoles | Can console players join a rented server? | How they join | What the server needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palworld | Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5 | Yes | From the in-game community server list, searching the server's name. Xbox has no field for an IP address. Joining on Xbox | CrossplayPlatforms lists the platforms (the default is Steam, Xbox, PS5 and Mac) and -publiclobby puts the server on the list |
| Valheim | Xbox, PS5, Switch 2 (since 9 September 2026) | Yes | With the server's join code | Started with crossplay enabled (-crossplay). Mods stay PC-only |
| ARK: Survival Ascended | PS5, Xbox Series X|S | Yes, on unofficial servers | From the unofficial server browser, searching the server's name | -ServerPlatform=All and no PC-only mods |
| Abiotic Factor | PS5, Xbox Series X|S (since 1.0, 22 July 2025) | Yes | From the in-game server browser, searching the exact server name, with crossplay switched on in Settings | Nothing: all platforms are allowed by default, and the host can restrict them |
| Farming Simulator 25 | PS5, Xbox Series X|S | Yes | From the in-game server list, by the server's name and password | Only mods that are on the console ModHub, or console players cannot join |
| Minecraft (Java server) | Bedrock Edition on Xbox, PlayStation, Switch | Only through Geyser | Consoles have no field for a server address, so they connect through a workaround such as a DNS redirect | The Geyser plugin, so Bedrock clients can reach the Java server |
| Satisfactory | PlayStation, Xbox (since 4 November 2025) | No | Console players host and join console sessions only: there is no crossplay between PC and console | Dedicated servers are not available on console |
| Enshrouded | PS5 from 1.0 (15 October 2026); Xbox Series X|S in spring 2027 | No | No crossplay with PC at 1.0 | |
| Icarus | PS5, Xbox Series X|S (Console Edition, 26 March 2026) | No | Console co-op is peer-hosted for up to four players, with no crossplay | Console Edition has no dedicated servers |
| Conan Exiles | PlayStation, Xbox | No | Each platform has its own server pool; only the PC stores share servers | |
| V Rising | PS5 | No | PC and PS5 run separate server pools | |
| Rust | Rust Console Edition on PlayStation and Xbox | No | Console Edition is a separate game with its own servers | |
| Unturned | Console Edition on PS5 and Xbox | No | PC and Console Edition are separate products with separate servers | |
| Core Keeper | PlayStation, Xbox, Switch | No | Crossplay covers the PC storefronts (Steam, Epic, GOG) only | |
| Terraria | Consoles and mobile | Not yet | Crossplay is planned for the 1.4.6 Crossplay Phase One update | |
| The Forest | PS4 (plays on PS5) | No | Separate builds, no crossplay | |
| ARK: Survival Evolved | PS4, Xbox One | No | A rented ASE server is for PC players, where Steam and Epic play together | -crossplay joins Steam and Epic, not consoles |
PC only, no console version to ask about: Project Zomboid, Sons of the Forest, Windrose (early access on PC since 14 April 2026; the studio hopes to reach consoles eventually, after 1.0), Hytale (PC only in early access; Hypixel plans consoles for a later stage and is still evaluating mobile) and HumanitZ.
What Decides Whether a Console Player Can Join
Three things have to be true at once, and the server owner controls only the last one.
- The console version crossplays with PC. This is the developer's decision. Satisfactory, V Rising and Conan Exiles all have console versions that play only with other consoles, so a PC server is out of reach whatever it is set to.
- The console version can use dedicated servers. Some console editions only play peer-hosted sessions, where one player's console is the host. Satisfactory and Icarus on console work this way, which is why even a perfect server setup cannot bring those players in.
- The server allows the console platform and runs nothing consoles cannot load. This is the part you set: Palworld's platform list, Valheim's crossplay switch, ASA's platform flag. Mods are the usual trap. A console cannot download PC mods, so a modded server quietly becomes PC-only even with crossplay on, unless the mods come from a source the console version also uses, such as Farming Simulator's console ModHub.
The joining step is also different from PC. Most console versions have no box for an IP address and port, so console players find the server by name in an in-game list (Palworld, ASA, Abiotic Factor, Farming Simulator 25) or type a join code (Valheim). If a server does not show up for a console player, check that it is published to that list before suspecting the network.
Before You Rent a Server for a Mixed PC and Console Group
- Find your game's row above. A "No" today cannot be fixed with server settings, so plan two worlds, or a game where the answer is yes.
- Decide on mods first. Any mod the console version cannot load locks console players out, even with crossplay switched on.
- Keep the server on the build the console players have. When a patch reaches PC and consoles on different days, a server updated early turns console players away until their patch arrives.
- Test from one console before inviting everybody: find the server by name or join code, join, and check that a second platform can see the same world.
Common Questions
Can a PS5 player join a server I rent on PC?
In Palworld, Valheim, ARK: Survival Ascended, Abiotic Factor and Farming Simulator 25, yes, once the server allows PlayStation and runs no PC-only mods. In Satisfactory, Enshrouded, Icarus, V Rising, Conan Exiles, Rust and Unturned, no: the PS5 version cannot reach a PC server.
Can a console host its own dedicated server?
No. A dedicated server is a PC or Linux program, and consoles join servers rather than run them. A console-only group that wants a world online around the clock rents one, in the games where consoles can join it.
Why can my Xbox friend not find the server by IP address?
Because most console versions have no field for one. They find a server by name in the in-game list, or with a join code in Valheim, so the server has to be published to that list for them to see it.
The surprise in this table is Satisfactory, whose console release on 4 November 2025 plays only between PlayStation and Xbox; the official Satisfactory wiki's console release page spells out that there is no crossplay between PC and console and no dedicated servers on console.
Hosting for a group that mixes PC and console? Supercraft game servers run the PC dedicated server that console players join in the games above, online around the clock whether or not anyone in the group is playing.
Related Guides
- Admin setup for every game
- Restart, reinstall and wipe explained
- Game server lag: shared VPS or dedicated