How to Play Arma Reforger With Friends: Every Option
How to play Arma Reforger with friends on PC, Xbox and PS5: compare public servers, PC hosting, home servers and renting.
You will need
- A current copy of Arma Reforger for each player
- Agreement on whether the group wants a public match or its own session
If you want to know how to play Arma Reforger with friends, you have four practical routes: join the same official or community server, let one PC player host a temporary session, run a dedicated server at home, or rent one. PC, Xbox and PS5 players can share a crossplay server on compatible builds. The right route depends on whether you need a private world, whether the PC host can stay online, and how much setup your organizer wants to own. Here’s how to choose without mistaking a player count for a guarantee.
Choose the route that fits your group#
For a quick match with no setup, start in the Server Browser and choose an official or community server together. For a one-night private session, a PC player can host from the game menu; consoles can join a crossplay-enabled PC-hosted session according to Bohemia’s hosting documentation. A home dedicated server gives the group more control, while a rented server can keep the world available when its owner is away.
| Your group’s situation | Best route to consider | The tradeoff |
|---|---|---|
| You just want to play now and do not need a private world | Official or community server | You join a world run by someone else; agree on the same server and check the player list |
| One friend is on PC and can host for the whole session | PC menu-hosted game | The session depends on that player and ends when they stop hosting |
| Someone wants control and accepts server maintenance | Home dedicated server | The organizer handles the machine, network, updates and recovery copies |
| Friends play at different times or the owner should be able to leave | Rented dedicated server | It costs money, but the game world does not depend on a player keeping a game client open |
If you already know you want a small, password-protected group world, see how to get a private Arma Reforger server and split its recurring bill.
If you lead a PvP group and need a repeatable private match, see this guide to an Arma Reforger clan server for practice and scrims. It covers when public matches are enough and how to organize a private event.
For groups that want a private world without maintaining a home machine, we recommend Game Hosting’s Arma Reforger plans. Its panel documents crossplay enabled by default, password and admin controls, scenario selection, and three backup slots. That gives the organizer a place to manage the server while friends join through the game’s browser. These are documented product controls, not a claim that we tested every group’s connection or restored a backup here.
Our Arma Reforger host comparison helps you compare managed plans if renting is the route you choose. For the platform rules behind a mixed group, read how crossplay works across PC, Xbox and PS5.
Join the same official or community server#
Open Multiplayer, choose the server browser, and have everyone search for the same server name. Official servers are the simplest starting point because you do not need a friend to run the session. Community servers may offer a different scenario or rules; check the server details and agree on the exact entry before joining.
Bohemia’s Host Your Own Game guide describes the browser route for console players and explains that the scenario affects its player limit. If the server is full, has a password, or has a particular mod list, one friend may not be able to join just because the others are already inside. Wait for required downloads to finish and make sure you are searching the same server list and name.
This route is the least work, but your group is a guest in somebody else’s world. You may not control the scenario, restart schedule or access rules. If you want the same private session each time, move to a PC-hosted game or a dedicated server instead.
Host a temporary game from a PC#
Bohemia documents player-hosting through the game’s Multiplayer > Host menu, and says this route is exclusive to PC. Its Server Hosting reference also documents a Crossplay option that allows console players to join the PC host. That means an Xbox or PS5 player can join a PC friend’s hosted session when the host enables crossplay and the clients are compatible; it does not make a console a host.
This works well when one person owns the session, everyone is available at the same time, and the group is comfortable with a session that ends when the host leaves. The host’s PC and network have to remain available during play. A host who also plays on that PC is sharing the machine between the game client and the hosted session, so do not treat a menu-hosted session as a dedicated server with guaranteed capacity.
If the PC owner wants the world to continue after closing the game, a dedicated server is a better fit. The official Server Hosting documentation describes the game-host route and the platform conditions; it is not a promise that a particular friend has joined successfully.
For a unit that has chosen a dedicated server, use this milsim unit server setup runbook to record its mod baseline, admin roles and update window.
Run a dedicated server at home when you want control#
A home dedicated server separates the server process from the player’s game session. It can suit a group with a spare PC, a reliable connection and an organizer who is willing to handle updates and configuration. The server can be configured for PC-only play or crossplay across PC, Xbox and PS5, according to Bohemia’s server configuration reference.
The documented default game port is UDP 2001. A home server usually needs the right network and firewall rules before friends can find it; the exact public-address and port configuration depends on your network. Do not copy a rule for Arma 3 or assume a router has opened the port. Bohemia’s Server Hosting and Server Config references cover the Reforger-specific setup.
The config uses JSON. The game.crossPlatform setting controls which platforms the dedicated server accepts; the documented default in the reference is false, so check your actual file rather than assuming crossplay is on. A managed panel may use a different template. If you edit the file, validate its JSON syntax and preserve unrelated fields. A server that starts is not proof that your friends can connect: check the server browser, version compatibility and required downloads.
Before changing a scenario, updating a server or restoring files, confirm that a usable backup exists and that you know how to recover it. Bohemia warns that game updates can affect saves, so keep the matching configuration and profile data before making a change. The scenario guide explains how to change a Reforger scenario with a recovery copy in more detail.
Rent a server when the group needs it to stay online#
A rented dedicated server is useful when people play at different times, the PC owner should be free to leave, or nobody wants to maintain server software at home. Your friends still join through Arma Reforger’s browser; renting does not fix an incompatible client, make every mod available on every platform, or guarantee a particular performance result.
Game Hosting’s Arma Reforger panel exposes the controls this decision needs: crossplay, password, admins and scenario selection. The published service page lists three backup slots with restore controls. For a private friend group, a password helps keep casual visitors out; an admin list gives the organizer a way to manage access; a backup is a recovery point to check before a risky change. Confirm the backup you intend to use before applying it, because a slot count alone does not prove that a particular restore will recover your world.
Pick a plan using the current published memory guidance for your expected group and scenario. Player recommendations on a host’s plan page are guidance, not a hard slot cap or a benchmark. A four-person co-op night, a larger public community and a mod-heavy scenario are different workloads, so do not infer that a number on a plan card guarantees the same result for every server.
The service’s current Arma Reforger page shows its plan sizes and panel features. If you would rather run the software yourself, our dedicated server guide covers the home-server route; the host comparison is for the separate decision between managed providers.
Keep the group on a compatible version and mod list#
When this guide was checked on October 9, 2026, Bohemia listed stable 1.8.0.13 and Experimental 1.9.0.10. Experimental is a separate channel; the current Experimental update named Steam and Xbox Experimental apps, while PS5 was not listed. Do not ask friends on stable to join an Experimental server. Check Bohemia’s current news and release notes again before a planned group night because versions can change.
Mods come from Bohemia Workshop, not Steam Workshop. PS5 Workshop support was added in version 1.4, and Bohemia documented cross-platform play with supported mods. Compatibility still belongs to each item: check its current listing, dependencies, target platforms and game version. The PS5 storage limit is 25 GB and Xbox has a separate 50 GB limit; a collection that works for the PC organizer may exceed a console player’s available space. See Bohemia’s PS5 Workshop announcement and Xbox storage update.
Start with an official scenario and no optional mods, then add content only after the group can join. If you use a mod, name its author when you share the Workshop item with friends; the author page is also where to check updates and compatibility. This guide does not endorse a particular mod or guarantee every mod works on every platform.
Fix the common reasons a friend cannot join#
Check these in order before changing settings or wiping a server:
- Confirm the server and platform route. A console cannot host its own player session. For a PC menu-hosted session with console friends, the host needs the documented Crossplay option. A dedicated server needs its cross-platform setting enabled for mixed groups.
- Match the game channel and version. Put everyone on the current stable release unless the whole group intentionally chose the same Experimental build. Stable and Experimental do not mix.
- Wait for required Workshop downloads. If one friend is still downloading content or a required item is unsupported on that client, the group may not all enter the same server.
- Check access details. Confirm the server name and password with the host. For a home server, confirm its network configuration and UDP port with the person who administers it.
Avoid deleting downloaded content, wiping a profile, switching scenarios or restoring a save as a first troubleshooting step. Those actions can cost time or affect world data and do not solve a version or crossplay mismatch. If you are unsure which platforms can join the same server, return to our crossplay rules for PC, Xbox and PS5.
Pick the simplest route your friends can all use#
Start with an official server if you want to play immediately. Use a PC-hosted session when one player can stay in charge of a temporary game. Choose a home dedicated server when someone wants control and accepts the maintenance; rent one when the group wants an independent server that remains available without the owner’s PC. For that dedicated-server choice, see our Arma Reforger hosting route guide comparing a home PC, VPS and managed hosting.
Before a mixed-platform night, verify the stable version, crossplay setting and Workshop requirements. If something changes on the server, confirm the backup and recovery path first. Those checks are enough to choose a route without promising that a server’s advertised player count or a mod listing guarantees the exact experience your group will have.
Quick answers
Can PC, Xbox and PS5 players play Arma Reforger together?
Yes. The main game supports cross-platform play across PC, Xbox and PS5 on compatible builds when the server allows crossplay. Keep the group on the same game channel and check Workshop compatibility for every mod.
Why can't my friend join my Arma Reforger server?
Check that crossplay is enabled for a mixed-platform group, everyone is on the same stable build, and required Workshop downloads have finished. Make those checks before changing server files or deleting downloaded content.
Is Arma Reforger a multiplayer game?
Yes. You can join official or community servers, host a temporary session from a PC, or use a dedicated server that stays available independently of a player’s game session.