Arma Reforger Server Crossplay: Enable PC, Xbox & PS5

To enable Arma Reforger server crossplay, set game.crossPlatform to the Boolean true in config.json; that is Bohemia’s all-platform mode for PC, Xbox and PlayStation 5. Back up the file before editing, restart the server, and check the client versions, browser visibility and required Workshop mods before asking console players to connect. This guide walks through those checks without treating a visible listing as proof that a console join worked.

Set the all-platform switch inside game#

The server’s game.crossPlatform setting defaults to false, which means PC-only. Change it to the Boolean true to accept the supported PC, Xbox and PlayStation platforms together. It is a JSON Boolean, so write true without quotation marks and put the key inside the existing game object. Bohemia lists that default and behavior in its Server Config reference.

{
  "game": {
    "crossPlatform": true
  }
}

This is a small excerpt, not a replacement config. Keep the rest of your existing game settings and preserve their commas and braces. If you use Game Hosting’s managed Arma Reforger server, its settings panel starts crossplay on and writes the setting into config.json; the Workshop panel also estimates whether the required mod list fits console storage. Those controls save you from hand-editing this key, but they cannot make an incompatible mod or game build compatible.

Leave supportedPlatforms out of this setup#

For crossplay across all three stable platforms, use crossPlatform: true and omit supportedPlatforms. Bohemia recommends that pattern. Its current configuration reference documents only two valid arrangements: PC-only, or PC, Xbox and PlayStation together. An explicit subset such as PC plus Xbox is not a supported server configuration, even though old guides show platform tokens next to each other.

Do not set both crossPlatform and a platform array while trying to build a custom pair. When crossPlatform is false, the documented default list is PLATFORM_PC; switching the Boolean on is the supported way to open the server to consoles. Older tutorials may also mention supportedGameClientTypes, which Bohemia marks as a legacy name predating version 0.9.8.73. Follow the current config.json field guide if you need to understand the surrounding objects and defaults.

Back up, validate and restart the server#

Make a separate copy before changing the live config. Reforger reads a case-sensitive JSON file at startup, and malformed JSON can stop the server from starting. Change only the crossplay field first so you can identify the cause if startup fails.

1. Find the active config

   Use the path selected by your server’s -config launch option or the file panel’s documented config location. Do not assume a nearby sample or an old backup is the file the server reads.

2. Save a recovery copy

   Copy the current config.json to a separate filename or use your host’s backup control. Keep this copy until the server starts with the edited file.

3. Edit and parse the JSON

   Set game.crossPlatform to true, remove a conflicting supportedPlatforms entry if one exists, and save. On a machine with Node.js, you can check the file parses with node -e "JSON.parse(require('node:fs').readFileSync('config.json','utf8').replace(/^\uFEFF/,'')); console.log('JSON parses')". A JSON parser checks syntax; Bohemia’s server still validates the fields it understands.

4. Restart and inspect the result

   Restart the server so it reads the saved file. If startup stops or reports a config validation error, restore the backup or correct the field before changing ports, scenarios or mods. A backend registration message is not evidence that a console client connected.

If the parse command is not available, use a JSON parser on the admin computer or the config validation your host exposes. Do not paste a passwordAdmin value or RCON password into an online validator; the syntax check does not need secrets to be shared. After the server starts, reopen the saved file and confirm the value stayed true. If it changed back, check that you edited the active path and that a panel or startup script is not generating the file from separate settings. Restore the backup before trying a different config if the server stops during this check.

If you would rather edit a switch in a panel, Game Hosting’s Arma Reforger settings expose crossplay directly and begin with it enabled. Its current code writes the typed setting into the game’s config copy at startup. That avoids a manual JSON edit; the same version and mod checks below still apply.

Keep each player on the same release channel#

Stable and Experimental are separate builds. Bohemia’s latest Stable news entry for this check is version 1.8.0.13, released across platforms on September 3, 2026. The latest Experimental entry is 1.9.0.10, published September 22 for the separate Steam and Xbox Experimental applications. Bohemia says Experimental multiplayer is for other Experimental users, not Stable clients.

Use the Stable 1.8.0.13 notes and the 1.9.0.10 Experimental update to compare the version printed by each client. The Experimental overview describes the app as a separate testing build and says its multiplayer is compatible with other Experimental users. Those release pages are a dated snapshot; check Bohemia’s news index again if you are reading this after a major update.

That means a PS5 player on Stable cannot use the current Experimental server build: Bohemia did not list a PS5 Experimental application in the release sources checked on October 14. Do not tell a group to “update to the latest” without checking which application each person launched. Ask everyone to read the version shown by the game, and keep the server and all joining clients on the same channel.

Check the community server browser from a console#

Keep game.visible enabled if players should find the server in the browser; Bohemia documents true as the default. On Xbox or PS5, open Multiplayer and search for the server name in the community browser. Ask a PC player to check the same name, then compare the exact client and server release if one platform cannot see it.

A listing is a useful discovery check, not a successful connection test. This article does not claim a tested Xbox or PS5 join, and the server registration line alone cannot prove that crossplay is configured correctly. If a console player still cannot join after finding the server, check required mods and platform compatibility before changing unrelated network settings. For the player-side answer about which platforms share Stable servers, see is Arma Reforger crossplay?.

Check every required Workshop mod against console limits#

Arma Reforger uses Bohemia’s in-game Workshop, not Steam Workshop. PS5 received Workshop support in version 1.4, so a modded server can include PlayStation players when each required item supports their platform. The 1.4 update announcement introduced PS5 Workshop, and Bohemia’s mod-use guide explains how required content is downloaded for a server. The server’s required set is shared: a player cannot choose to skip one of its required mods and still join.

Console storage can be the next limit after crossplay is enabled. Bohemia lists a 25 GB allocation for PS5 and up to 50 GB on Xbox; that allocation is not a promise that every byte is free for a particular server’s downloads. The game shows the required set and data still needed before joining. Check the Workshop item’s platform compatibility and version, then keep the total list within the room each console player actually has. Console downloads may also take longer than a PC download, so allow time before a scheduled session. The Xbox figure is an upper allocation that can grow with use, not a guaranteed empty 50 GB cache. On PS5, a player can also have other servers’ mods occupying the available space, so ask them to check their own mod manager instead of relying only on a server-side estimate.

Do not infer that a server is console-ready from the crossPlatform switch alone. If one Workshop item is incompatible, outdated or too large for a player’s remaining space, that player can still be unable to load the full server content. This guide does not recommend a specific mod; follow each item’s Bohemia Workshop page and credit its author when you share it with your group.

Check these settings before changing anything else#

If friends still cannot see the server, work through a short list in order:

1. Confirm the active file is valid JSON and the game block contains Boolean "crossPlatform": true.
2. Confirm game.visible is true if you expect a browser listing.
3. Compare the exact client and server version and release channel.
4. Check that each required Workshop item supports the player’s platform, is on a compatible version, and fits their available console storage.
5. Read the current server log for a startup or configuration error before changing another setting.

This order separates a server setting from a client build or Workshop problem. Avoid pasting Arma 3 server instructions into Reforger: this setup uses Reforger’s JSON config and Bohemia Workshop. The server config reference explains the rest of the file; the crossplay overview covers the player-side platform rules.