You may be asking, “Is Among Us cross platform?”
It’s quite astounding just how huge Among Us — 2018’s game of murder and deceit developed by Inner Sloth — has become.
I first remember the game during the 2020 pandemic lockdown when my non-gamer friend had become obsessed with it. We played it on our mobile devices, but the sheer popularity of the game has led to its release on all major gaming platforms since then. You can even play it with a virtual reality headset these days!
Considering the wide variety of platforms you can use to play the game, a natural question is whether the game has crossplay.
Bottom Line Up Front
The short answer is yes — Among Us features and quick and easy-to-use crossplay set-up that includes functionality for all platforms.
Below, I’ve detailed the simple steps required to get it working as well as some important gameplay info you should know.
Among Us Gameplay Overview
Core gameplay
Among us is a social deduction game, and it’s pretty straightforward to get the hang of. A team of four to fifteen players load into the map and are to complete a variety of mundane upkeep tasks — but one of them is an imposter.
It’s the imposter’s job to carefully kill every player on the ship without the others knowing, and it’s everyone else’s job to figure out who the killer is before it’s too late! If the number of imposters is ever equal to the number of crew-mates, the game is over with the imposter winning.
If a body is found, an alarm can be signaled and a discussion between all players is brought forward. This is the only time microphones are allowed to be used.
The game’s main map consists of an elaborate spaceship in which a multitude of different tasks that need completing. As a crew-mate, you need to fix up the ship and keep it running: players will perform a variety of tasks such as fixing the wiring and monitoring waste disposal — but all the while, the imposter is plotting to kill everybody.
As is generally the case with social deduction games, anything goes; the core principles of Among Us are simple, but the fun comes in all the clever ways the traitor can try to deceive the crew-mates, and how the crew-mates can effectively decipher who’s the traitor.
Game modes
Officially, the main mode detailed in the section above is the only official play style, but if you’re on PC, there are a ton of amazing mods to check out.
My particular favorite is the Sheriff gameplay mod. This mode attributes the role of Sheriff to one of the players: this player then has the ability to kill the player they suspect as the imposter, but if they get it wrong, they die themselves. It’s simple but effective in its ability to add a new flavour to the game, and the same can be said for the wide plethora of awesome mods that are now available.
Maps
Aside from The Skled — the original spaceship map — there are currently three other environments available to play. These are as follows:
MIRA HQ: Taking place at MIRA HQ, The Skled crew’s main base of operations that is located high above Earth’s atmosphere, this map is currently the smallest of the available four.
Polus: This map takes place on the fictional planet Polus. Notably, its design features inside and outdoor areas — it functions as a planetary outpost of sorts.
The Airship: Existing as the largest map in the game, The Airship is also the newest addition. Players traverse a sprawling environment featuring more tasks and locations than ever before.
A fifth map is due to release sometime this year, and if you’re on PC, there’s a wide array of custom maps you can dabble in.
For more information
If you get stuck with anything, the game features a handy ‘How to play’ section in the main menu, and if you get really stuck, I recommend posting a question to the Among Us board on Reddit or checking out their FAQ section in the sidebar.
Does Among Us have Crossplay?
With a huge, ever-growing player base, thankfully, Among Us features an easy-to-use crossplay system. As the popularity of the game increased exponentially in 2020 and 2021, the feature was added when it was ported to a wide plethora of platforms.
As such, no matter what platform you’re playing on, you can jump in with players on iOS, Android, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch — and it’s simpler than you think.
How to Enable Crossplay
Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of how to set up the crossplay features in Among Us (and it’s the same no matter what platform you’re playing on!).
Playing using crossplay on a local network: Local games refer to those being played in the same room, whereas Online covers every other such distance.
Clicking the Local tab on the main menu will prompt you with the setup for creating a game across your own network as a Host. It’ll ask you to input features such as the number of players and the desired map.
Each player must then ensure they are connected to the same Wi-Fi network. If they’re connected, clicking the Local tab will display the created lobby, and selecting it will enable that player to join.
It’s as simple as that, and it’s similarly simple to do the same for Online play.
Playing using crossplay Online: Clicking the Online tab in the main menu enables you to do one of two things: Access someone else’s Online lobby or create your own.
Creating your own game as a host follows the same process as above. You’ll notice that doing so will generate an alphanumeric code below the start button.
For friends to join your game, you merely need to provide them with the code. Once they have it, the player goes to the Online tab, clicks Private, and then enters the code where prompted. They will then appear as a player in the lobby of the host’s created game.
Public play: Even if you’re not playing with a set group of friends, cross-play in among us is an inevitability. Unlike other sorts of games — such as first-person shooters where some want to remain in lobbies with mouse and keyboard or controller players — there’s no real advantage to playing on a specific platform. As such, the developers chose just to let everyone play together by default.
Clicking public play will display a list of available games for you to join, and jumping in is as simple as selecting ‘find a game’ and clicking one from the list that has space for more players.
Other Games with Great Crossplay Features
Thankfully, crossplay is becoming an increasingly common feature. Here are some other games that feature a rich crossplay experience:
Fortnite: Also featuring crossplay is the exceedingly popular Fortnite. You’ve no doubt heard of the online, battle-royal phenomenon, and being able to fight with (and against) your friends across PC, iOS, Android, Xbox One/SeriesX/S, PlayStation 4/5, and Nintendo Switch is something the series helped to popularise.
Fall Guys: Mediatonic’s Fall Guys — a battle royal featuring absurd, colourful, and hilarious obstacles courses — received an update for crossplay a couple of months ago. You can play across PC, Xbox One/Series X/S, PlayStation 4/5, and Nintendo Switch, so check it out if you haven’t already.
Quake: Everyone knows Quake as the outstanding first-person shooter that popularised 3D polygonal graphics, and in a surprising turn of events, the game received crossplay functionality when it was overhauled last year. You can now play with friends across PC, Xbox One/Series X/S, PlayStation 4/5, and Nintendo Switch.
FAQ
Question: Will I still be able to join modded PC games if I’m playing on a different platform?
Answer: Unfortunately not: you’ll need to be playing on PC to access any modded content. It’s worth noting, though, that even if you don’t have the PC version, you can still play Hide-and-seek no matter what platform you’re on.
Question: If my friends are in the same room, can I still use Online mode?
Answer: You can, but it’s best to play the game over your own network if your friends are within the same proximity; you should experience smoother gameplay and snappier load times this way. If only a couple of you are in the same house and you want to also play with others, you will indeed need to use Online mode.
Question: With so many systems to choose from, is there a ‘best’?
Answer: So far as the core experience, Among Us plays the same on every system. PC, however, will allow you to take the game further with modded content.
Conclusion
This guide has given you everything you need to know regarding setting up crossplay in Among Us. It’s nice to see such simple implementation of these features, and it’s safe to say Inner Sloth has set the precedence for easy setup. Have fun! (but watch your back!).
His one true love in the indie space is the puzzle genre, and outside of gaming, you'll often find him sculpting himself in the gym.
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