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Forza Horizon 5 is the strongest starting point for a mixed-platform group: the official Forza announcement confirms cross-play among Xbox consoles, PC and PlayStation 5, with the PS5 release containing the same game content as the Xbox and PC versions. Choose F1 25 instead if your group wants structured Formula racing, ranked competition or private custom lobbies. Need for Speed Unbound is the simpler street-racing choice, while The Crew Motorfest needs a mode-by-mode check because Ubisoft confirms cross-platform matchmaking only for some multiplayer modes.
This is a feature-based guide, not a laboratory ranking. Cross-play support, the specific online mode, account setup and cross-progression matter more than a universal “best” label when friends own different systems.
What “cross-play” means for a racing night
Cross-play lets people on different gaming platforms enter the same online race, lobby or matchmaking pool. It is separate from cross-progression, which means carrying a profile, unlocks, purchases or other progress from one platform to another. A game can support one feature without supporting the other.
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Quick comparison
| Game | Verified cross-play platforms | Cross-play and friend details | Best fit | Important limitation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forza Horizon 5 | Xbox consoles, PC, PlayStation 5 | Forza says cross-play is available for all players across those platforms. The PS5 version has the same content as the Xbox and PC releases. | Large mixed-platform groups that want open-world driving | Confirm the current edition and retailer listing for your platform before purchase. |
| F1 25 | PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S | Electronic Arts lists F1 World, ranked, unranked, local multiplayer, leagues and custom lobbies among the cross-play modes. Cross-play can be toggled. | Formula racing, organized competition and private sessions | Disabling cross-play restricts matchmaking to people on the same platform. |
| Need for Speed Unbound | PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S | Cross-play is enabled by default. Friends are located with their EA ID and added as EA Friends. | Street racing with a straightforward friend-search process | Progress and content do not transfer when you switch platforms. |
| The Crew Motorfest | Ubisoft confirms cross-platform matchmaking in some multiplayer modes; a complete platform matrix is not established here. | Cross-platform play is mode-dependent according to Ubisoft’s support information. | Groups already interested in its festival-style driving, after checking their target mode | Do not assume unrestricted cross-play in every activity. |
1. Forza Horizon 5: the broadest mixed-platform recommendation
Forza Horizon 5 is the clearest choice when the group contains Xbox, PC and PS5 players. A January 30, 2025 announcement from Forza and Playground Games confirmed that the game would come to PS5 with the same content as the Xbox and PC releases and that cross-play would be available across Xbox consoles, PC and PS5.
Why it suits a mixed group
The important advantage is breadth: the verified support covers all three platform families named in the announcement, rather than a narrower console generation pairing. That makes it the safest first game to investigate when nobody wants to reorganize the group around one device.
Forza Horizon 5 is also an open-world recommendation rather than a dedicated circuit-racing simulator. Friends can meet for informal driving, explore together and turn a session into races without committing to a formal championship structure. “Open-world” describes the game’s format, not a claim that it is objectively superior to the other choices.
What to verify before buying
- Check that the listing is for the platform each friend actually uses: Xbox console, PC or PS5.
- Confirm the edition and current regional availability at the time of purchase. The cross-play announcement does not mean one purchase automatically grants the game on every platform.
- Make sure everyone is using the intended online account and has access to the platform’s multiplayer service requirements.
The evidence confirms cross-play and content parity for the PS5 release, but it does not provide a universal promise about every retailer bundle, upgrade entitlement or future platform edition. Treat those as purchase-specific checks.
2. F1 25: best for Formula racing and planned private sessions
F1 25 is the better fit when your group wants a defined Formula racing experience, competitive ratings or a private event that you can schedule in advance. Electronic Arts Help lists PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S as supported cross-play platforms and identifies several online modes that accept cross-platform competitors.
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Modes covered by the documented cross-play support
- F1 World for the game’s broader online activity.
- Ranked and unranked racing when you want either competitive progression or a more relaxed session.
- Leagues for an organized series.
- Custom lobbies for a private group with control over the session.
- Local multiplayer, which Electronic Arts includes in its listed cross-play modes.
Because the support page names modes rather than making a vague “online multiplayer” statement, F1 25 is a useful choice for groups that already know how they want to race. A custom lobby is more predictable for a planned friends’ night than hoping everyone lands in the same public matchmaking session.
Turning cross-play on or off
Cross-play is configurable in the game’s Settings. Leave it enabled if the group spans PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. Electronic Arts states that disabling the option limits matchmaking to players on the same platform, so an apparently missing friend may simply be outside the selected pool.
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Do not choose it solely because the title says “Formula.” If your group prefers free-roaming map exploration or arcade-style street events, its structured racing focus may not match the session you have in mind. The cross-play support is strong, but platform compatibility cannot compensate for a mismatch in racing style.
3. Need for Speed Unbound: the easiest street-racing setup
Need for Speed Unbound supports cross-play among PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. Electronic Arts says cross-play is on by default, and friends can find one another with an EA ID and then add each other as EA Friends.
How to add friends across platforms
- Have each player identify the exact EA ID used by their game account.
- Open the game’s friend or social interface and search for that EA ID.
- Send the EA Friend request and wait for it to be accepted.
- Invite the accepted friend to the intended online session.
Using the EA ID is important because platform usernames may not be unique across PC, PlayStation and Xbox. If a search returns no result, check spelling, capitalization and whether the other player has accepted the request on the correct EA account.
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Checking the cross-play setting
Need for Speed Unbound lets you change cross-play in Settings and Accessibility > Game. It starts enabled by default. If two friends cannot see one another, compare this setting before troubleshooting network connections or reinstalling the game.
The cross-progression limitation
Electronic Arts says progress and content do not transfer when you switch platforms. You can still race with friends across the supported platforms, but a player moving from one platform to another should not expect the same progression or owned content to follow automatically. Decide which platform will be the long-term home for the profile before investing substantial time or purchases.
4. The Crew Motorfest: include it only after checking the mode
Ubisoft support information confirms cross-platform play for The Crew Motorfest, but specifically describes cross-platform matchmaking in some multiplayer modes. That wording is narrower than a guarantee that every activity, event or social feature accepts players from every platform.
What this means for your group
Motorfest can be a reasonable option if everyone already wants its festival-style driving and you have identified the exact multiplayer activity you plan to use. It is not the safest blind recommendation for a group buying the game solely for unrestricted cross-platform racing.
- Name the activity you intend to play, rather than asking only whether the game “has cross-play.”
- Check Ubisoft’s current support information for that mode and the platforms involved.
- Verify the result again if an update, edition change or platform change occurs before purchase.
- Only then organize the group’s purchase and accounts.
Ubisoft also describes cross-progression across platforms separately. That does not expand cross-play to modes that do not support cross-platform matchmaking; the two features answer different questions.
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Choose by the group’s platform combination
Xbox, PC and PS5 together
Start with Forza Horizon 5 because the official announcement explicitly covers all three. F1 25 and Need for Speed Unbound also cover PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, but their Xbox support is stated for the Series X|S generation. If an Xbox player is on a different generation, do not assume compatibility from the title alone; verify the exact edition and platform listing.
PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S
All three of the first choices have a documented path for this combination: Forza Horizon 5, F1 25 and Need for Speed Unbound. Select based on format: open-world driving, Formula competition or street racing.
A group that includes another console generation
The supplied platform confirmations do not establish a universal cross-play path for older console hardware. Avoid telling a friend that they can join until the game’s current platform list explicitly names their device. A platform omitted from a support page is not evidence of support.
Choose by racing style
| Your group wants | Start with | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Open-world driving and flexible meetups | Forza Horizon 5 | Its confirmed Xbox, PC and PS5 cross-play makes it the broadest mixed-platform starting point. |
| Formula racing, ratings or a scheduled league | F1 25 | Cross-play is documented for ranked, unranked, leagues and custom lobbies. |
| Street racing and quick friend invitations | Need for Speed Unbound | EA ID search and default-on cross-play simplify initial setup. |
| A festival-style driving game already chosen by the group | The Crew Motorfest | Use it only after confirming that the intended multiplayer mode supports cross-platform matchmaking. |
Cross-play setup checklist before race night
Use this sequence regardless of which game you choose, then apply the game-specific settings above.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute- List every exact platform. Write down PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S or another device instead of using broad labels such as “console.”
- Match the platform list to the game. Confirm that every device is named in the official support information and that the desired mode is included.
- Install the same current game version. Different editions, expansions or platform releases can expose different purchase and access rules.
- Complete the publisher account link. F1 and Need for Speed use Electronic Arts account features; Motorfest uses Ubisoft’s ecosystem. Use the account that owns the game and receives the friend request.
- Enable cross-play. In F1 25, check Settings. In Need for Speed Unbound, check Settings and Accessibility > Game. For Motorfest, confirm the selected mode’s support rather than relying on a global assumption.
- Add friends through the required identity. Need for Speed Unbound uses EA IDs and EA Friends. Other games may expose invitations through their publisher or platform interface.
- Test a short session. Create or join the intended mode before the scheduled event. This catches account, edition and setting problems while everyone is available to fix them.
Troubleshooting when a friend cannot join
The friend does not appear in search
- For Need for Speed Unbound, search the EA ID rather than the console username and verify that the request was accepted.
- Confirm both players are signed into the accounts that own the game.
- Check that cross-play has not been disabled on either side.
- Verify that both platforms are in the documented support list.
Matchmaking finds only same-platform players
In F1 25, disabling cross-play limits matching to the same platform. Re-enable it in Settings and retry. In Motorfest, same-platform results may be expected if the selected activity is not one of the modes Ubisoft identifies as supporting cross-platform matchmaking.
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The game works, but progress is missing on another device
Do not treat that as a cross-play failure. Cross-play only lets players enter the same race. Need for Speed Unbound explicitly does not transfer progress and content between platforms. For any other title, check the publisher’s current cross-progression statement separately from its multiplayer support.
A platform is not listed
Stop and verify before buying another copy or changing network settings. The documented lists for F1 25 and Need for Speed Unbound name PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S; Forza Horizon 5’s announcement names Xbox consoles, PC and PS5. Those statements should not be expanded to unlisted hardware.
Buying decisions and expectations
Cross-play does not mean that one purchase unlocks every platform. Forza’s PS5 announcement confirms the same content as the Xbox and PC releases, but you should still check the edition, format, region and retailer listing for each player. The same platform-specific purchase check applies to the other games.
Also separate three questions before spending money:
- Can our devices run the game? This is the platform and edition question.
- Can our intended mode put us in the same session? This is the cross-play and mode question.
- Will our profile and purchases follow us if we change devices? This is the cross-progression question.
A game is a good recommendation for your group only when all of the relevant answers fit the way you intend to play.
Bottom line
Choose Forza Horizon 5 for the widest clearly documented Xbox–PC–PS5 group. Choose F1 25 for Formula racing, ranked events, leagues or custom lobbies. Choose Need for Speed Unbound for street racing with EA ID friend search, while accepting that progress and content stay on the original platform. Choose The Crew Motorfest only after confirming that your specific multiplayer mode supports cross-platform matchmaking.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
