Video games are associated with a platform on which they run such as PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo, on PCs or through websites, to name just a few. Cross platform games are those that can be played on more than one hardware platform simultaneously. It refers to the ability of players playing on a specific game console to play with others who are using a different game console or other hardware platform, such as a PC.

The ability to play the game with others using different platforms is distinct from cross platform development which means that a game is developed so that it can run on multiple platforms but where players cannot play with others on different platforms; they can however save their progress in the game through cloud storage features and then continue their game on a different platform.

Cross platform games, while technically possible with currently available hardware, face issues with the different game control systems that are used by consoles and personal computers. The PCs keyboard and mouse controls, for example, are regarded as giving a player certain advantages in games that cannot be replicated in console controls. Another issues in cross platform gaming is that different manufacturers of games seek to implement closed systems so that they can protect their intellectual property and provide a safe and consistent environment for their customers sometimes making them reluctant to cooperate with other manufacturers.

With the advent of seventh generation consoles such as the Playstation 3 for example, which uses a PC-compatible processor, cross platform development became much easier since standard software development libraries and gaming engines could be used and simplified the process of releasing games on multiple platforms. The penetration of the internet, however, is probably the main driver for cross platform games. Through the use of a standard interface, the web, players on different computer systems hardware could play the same game simultaneously. Most games with online play use the TCP/IP protocol to communicate with player clients in games, or between these clients and a game server, so that processing is not performed on a player’s machine which negates any differences between different players’ hardware.

The wide uptake of the internet and the development of games that are played through web browsers may be changing the attitude of console game manufacturers who have arguably been reluctant or lukewarm in supporting cross platform games since they could pose a threat to their dominance in certain platforms and games. Many have, however, decided to take a more open stance to cross-platform support since it is clearly in demand by users and aligns with providing the best customer experience.