Gears of War 4 is getting competitive ranked cross-play between Xbox One and Windows 10

Cross-play is a desired feature for any game and today The Coalition announced plans to expand it beyond its current capabilities. According to the developer, when they released cross-play support in Social playlists, players on Windows 10 flocked to the playlist with the broadest player base possible. Since that time, Windows 10 players have found it increasingly difficult to find matches in Core and Competitive, so the team has been working on solutions as quickly as possible to provide an improved experience on the platform. Today, they’re excited to announce a series of updates to unlock Core and Competitive play for fans on Windows 10.

Apart from changes to existing playlists that make it easier for gamers to join matches, ranked matches will feature cross-play in the near future. This is the permanent solution to the problem PC gamers face in Gears of War 4 and expands the people they can interact with. That means Xbox One and Windows 10 owners will be able to play alongside each other and compete in any Core and Competitive playlist.

However, in order to make sure no one has a disadvantage when it comes to the differences between playing Gears of War 4 on Xbox One or Windows 10, there will be a “Ranked Crossplay” toggle on the console which allows gamers to choose between having Windows 10 gamers in their matches. Why anyone would allow PC gamers in their matches is confusing because a serious Gears of War 4 player with an advanced third-party gaming mouse and keyboard can easily trounce the competition. There are also ways to get around restrictions like only allowing gamers with controllers to play in competitive matches. While this is a great feature for Windows 10 players, it might cause serious issues on the Xbox One side. Only time will tell how this plays out.