PUBG Is Adding Cross-Play Between PS4 And Xbox One

PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds developer PUBG Corp. had some big news to share during Microsoft's pre-Gamescom episode of Inside Xbox. Following a trailer for the game's upcoming Season 4 update, which is set to kick off soon on Xbox One after its release on PC last month, the studio revealed that it is working on implementing a highly requested feature: cross-play on consoles, and it's coming soon.

According to PUBG Corp., cross-platform play will be enabled on the game's public test server in late September, with a live rollout expected to follow in early October. Once the feature is implemented, players on Xbox One will be able to jump into matches in the popular battle royale game with those on PS4.

"Our first goal with cross platform play was for 100 players from both console communities to be able to play in the same match," PUBG Corp. community manager Cecillia Lee wrote in an Xbox Wire post. "Our second goal was to improve our matchmaking times, which we expect to be shorter for due to the wider matchmaking pool."

There was no word if cross-play will eventually be extended to include PC players as well, but this is nonetheless a significant step for the game, and a further sign that Sony is loosening its traditionally hardline stance against the practice. For many years, the company was criticized because it resisted allowing cross-play between PS4 and other platforms, but since Fortnite exploded in popularity, it has begun allowing a handful of games, such as Rocket League and the Monster Hunter-like Dauntless, to support cross-platform play.

As for PUBG's Season 4 update, that will be arriving on Xbox One on August 27. The new season will bring a visual overhaul of the game's original map, Erangel, as well as an assortment of gameplay and balance tweaks, plus a new Survivor Pass, which adds more than 100 rewards to unlock as players complete challenges and level the pass up. You can read more details about the season on the official PUBG website.