Horror is consistently a popular genre, but horror games themselves don’t stay popular indefinitely. To keep players engaged for longer, especially in multiplayer games, developers should consider adding crossplay. This allows people playing on different consoles or computers to play together, which can significantly extend a game’s lifespan and keep it from becoming outdated.
While it seems like a natural feature to include, cross-platform play isn’t very common in games, particularly in the horror genre. More developers are starting to offer it, but it’s still not standard. Here are some of the most popular horror games that currently support playing with people on different devices.
March 2026 Update Notes
- Added Toxic Commando
- Added Quick Picks
- Added Compatibility Matrix
2026 Quick Picks: The Best Horror Crossplay at a Glance
It’s still surprisingly difficult to find a horror game you can play with a friend on different gaming consoles. Here are our top picks for 2026.
| Category | Top Pick | 2026 Status |
|---|---|---|
| Best for 4-player Groups | John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando | Released in March 2026 to a positive reception. Very active and supports online matchmaking. |
| Best Competitive Horror | Dead by Daylight | The definitive asymmetrical 1v4 horror game. Eternally popular and constantly updated. The most recent chapter was “All-Kill: Comeback,” released on March 17, 2026. |
| Best Psychological Horror | Phasmophobia | Alive, active, and has a well-defined 2026 roadmap. |
| Best “Hardcore” Challenge | The Outlast Trials | Experiments are a mix of creepy, difficult, and absurd. |
| Play While You Still Can | The Texas Chain Saw Massacre | Still active enough to find matches, but the game is losing players pretty quickly by this point. |
Crossplay Compatibility Matrix (Updated March 2026)
Wondering if you can play with friends on different consoles? Here’s a list of popular games that offer crossplay, so you can connect with players on various platforms.
| Game Title | PC | PS5 | Xbox Series | Switch 1/2 | Cross-Progression? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toxic Commando | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | Not on System | ❌ |
| Phasmophobia | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | A Switch 2 port is coming | ❌ |
| Dead by Daylight | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| The Outlast Trials | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | Not on System | ❌ |
| 7 Days to Die | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | Not on System | ❌ |
| World War Z: Aftermath | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | Not on System | ✅ |
| Hunt: Showdown 1896 | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | Not on System | ❌ |
| The Texas Chain Saw Massacre | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | Not on System | ❌ |
| Remnant 2 | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | Not on System | ❌ |
John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando
2026’s New Cross-Platform Zombie Shooter
The new zombie shooter, Toxic Commando, is a lot like the established games in the genre – and that’s a mixed bag. It’s a fast-paced, 4-player game filled with action, gore, and one-liners. Thankfully, it launches with full cross-platform play, letting players on different systems team up. Developed by Saber Interactive and releasing in 2026, it feels like a natural step forward from World War Z, offering the same exciting moments and familiar drawbacks.
Like many games today, Toxic Commando lets you choose from four character classes – like a Medic or Striker – and assign them to any character. The game also features weapon customization and a leveling system for each class, giving players a reason to keep playing after finishing the main story. Those story missions are fairly self-contained, focusing on a group of mercenaries simply trying to earn a living and defeat enemies.
While Toxic Commando doesn’t really offer anything new compared to popular zombie shooters like Left 4 Dead 2, Back 4 Blood, or Killing Floor 3, it’s still an enjoyable game. The shooting mechanics are solid, and the fast-paced action makes killing zombies feel rewarding.
The Outlast Trials
The Most Intense Group Therapy Sessions Ever
Red Barrels, known for creating intensely frightening single-player games like Outlast, took a big risk with The Outlast Trials by turning it into a multiplayer game with ongoing updates. Though quite different from the original Outlast games, The Outlast Trials still manages to be terrifying, featuring disturbing scenes, clever writing, and difficult puzzles. Players can team up with up to three friends, but they’ll need to work together to survive the challenges.
Similar to other Outlast games, Trials focuses on classic survival horror. This means you’ll need to avoid enemies and hide from them, as you can’t fight back. The gameplay is straightforward but works well, and the game encourages multiple playthroughs with different challenges and character progression. You can also find temporary power-ups during each run, which keeps things interesting.
If you want a genuinely scary crossplay co-op horror game, The Outlast Trials is your best option.
7 Days to Die
Survive With Friends In A Zombie Hellscape
When it first came out about ten years ago, 7 Days to Die received mostly negative reviews. However, it didn’t just survive – it became a hugely popular multiplayer horror game. Unlike many online horror games that offer short experiences, 7 Days to Die puts players in a large open world and challenges them to last as long as possible by building defenses, battling zombies, and gathering supplies.
I’ve been playing 7 Days to Die for a while now, and while the developers, The Fun Pimps, have made things a little more streamlined recently – almost guiding you towards a specific playstyle – it’s still a blast! It’s seriously addictive, and even more fun when you’re playing with friends. If you’re on consoles, servers usually max out at four players, but if someone hosts on PC and you use crossplay, you can get up to eight people on a server!
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Dead By Daylight
The Definitive Multiplayer Crossplay Horror Game
Most people interested in online horror games are already familiar with Dead by Daylight. It’s incredibly popular, and many players own it on multiple devices, often with a collection of downloadable content featuring classic horror characters. The addition of crossplay in 2020 has made finding a match even faster and helps secure the game’s continued success.
I’m a huge fan of 4v1 horror games, and honestly, Dead by Daylight (DBD) is just in a league of its own. Nothing else has really managed to capture what makes it so great. The basic idea is simple: four survivors try to fix generators and escape, while a killer tries to stop them. But what really makes it special is all the different characters. They each play so differently, with tons of ways to build them up. You can definitely focus on what’s considered the ‘best’ way to play, but I usually just pick whoever looks cool and have a blast!
Phasmophobia
Investigate With All Your Friends
There are many ghost hunting games on Steam, but few make it to consoles. That’s what makes Phasmophobia special – it’s available on consoles and is widely considered one of the best horror investigation games out there. Players take on contracts to investigate haunted locations and identify the type of ghost present. They use various tools – some provided automatically, others they must purchase and risk losing during their investigations.
Phasmophobia offers a lot of replay value with over 10 maps and 20 different ghosts to investigate. The game’s ‘hunts’ are particularly well-crafted, creating moments of both intense fear and hilarious fun when playing with friends. A great feature is that players on all platforms, including PlayStation VR2, can play together.
World War Z: Aftermath
A Worldwide Trip With Friends And Zombies
Several 4-player zombie shooter games let you play with friends on different platforms, though it’s not a universal feature. Back 4 Blood offers crossplay and is a solid choice, while Killing Floor 3 is newer but has mixed reviews. Call of Duty games, starting with Black Ops Cold War, usually include crossplay for their zombie modes, which are often the most popular part of the game. Zombie Army 4: Dead War also offers some crossplay functionality.
World War Z is a great example of a zombie shooter, especially if you enjoy playing from a third-person perspective. The Aftermath edition is also a really fun cooperative game – you’ll definitely want to play with friends! It features a lengthy campaign that takes you around the globe, facing massive hordes of zombies. The game is well-made and successfully combines intense action with genuinely frightening moments, making it stand out from other games in the genre.
I’ve been playing Toxic Commando, Saber’s newest zombie shooter, and honestly, I think it’s got a much better future ahead of it than WWZ did. But even so, WWZ wasn’t a bad game – Toxic Commando is just shaping up to be really good.
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2026-03-22 23:49