Cross-platform play is one of the biggest reasons Arma Reforger thrives where other tactical shooters fade: a single server can hold PC, Xbox, and PlayStation 5 players in the same firefight. But “crossplay” on a Reforger server is not a single toggle you flip and forget. It is the interaction of two mutually exclusive config approaches, a mandatory anti-cheat requirement, and a mod-compatibility rule that can silently lock console players out of your server without a single error message. This guide walks through every part of the JSON server config that controls who can join, explains the crossPlatform vs supportedPlatforms decision, and details the exact reason a scripted modpack will quietly exclude your PS5 community.
Everything below is based on the current stable 1.6.x (“Operation Omega”) build line. Because Bohemia Interactive ships hotfix builds weekly, we reference behaviors and field names rather than pinning exact build numbers — the field names and platform rules have been stable across 1.6.x.
The Two Ways to Enable Crossplay (and Why You Pick One)
Arma Reforger uses a JSON server config file (commonly named config.json or ServerConfig.json), not the classic .cfg format from older Arma titles. Every key is case-sensitive, and IPv6 is not supported. Platform access is controlled entirely inside the game block, and there are exactly two ways to express it:
crossPlatform(boolean, defaultfalse) — set it totrueto accept all platforms at once. This is the blunt instrument: PC, Xbox, and PSN are all welcome.supportedPlatforms(array) — explicitly list which platforms you allow using the three platform tokens. This gives you surgical control, for example PC + Xbox but not PlayStation.
The single most common mistake new admins make is trying to use both at once. crossPlatform: true and an explicit supportedPlatforms array are mutually exclusive — pick one approach, not both. If you want everyone in, use crossPlatform: true and leave the array out. If you want to control exactly which platforms connect, leave crossPlatform as false and define supportedPlatforms.
The Three Platform Tokens
| Token | Platform | Notes |
|---|---|---|
PLATFORM_PC | PC (Steam) | Always available; the default if nothing else is set |
PLATFORM_XBL | Xbox (Xbox Live) | Console mods limited by per-mod compatibility |
PLATFORM_PSN | PlayStation 5 (PlayStation Network) | Supported since v1.2.1.169; strict mod rules apply |
A full crossplay supportedPlatforms array looks like this:
"supportedPlatforms": ["PLATFORM_PC", "PLATFORM_XBL", "PLATFORM_PSN"]Any subset is valid. PC-only is the default. PC + Xbox is a very common combination for modded servers. Full PC + Xbox + PSN works best on vanilla servers or servers running only data-only mods — and the reason for that caveat is the heart of this guide.
The Non-Negotiable Rule: BattlEye Must Be On
Before a single console player can connect, your server must have BattlEye anti-cheat enabled. This is controlled by the battlEye boolean inside the gameProperties object, and it defaults to true. Console players cannot and will not join a server that has BattlEye disabled. Sony and Microsoft both require anti-cheat enforcement for online play, so turning it off is functionally identical to setting the server to PC-only — your Xbox and PS5 players will simply never see the server as joinable.
The practical takeaway: leave battlEye at its default of true on any server that wants crossplay. The only time you’d disable it is for a private PC-only testing instance, and even then it is rarely worth the trouble.
A Complete Crossplay-Ready Server Config
Here is a verified config skeleton with crossplay enabled the explicit way (all three platforms listed) and BattlEye on. Note the network defaults: bindPort and publicPort default to 2001 (the UDP game socket), the a2s query port defaults to 17777, and RCON defaults to 19999. The maxPlayers default is 64 with a valid range of 1–128.
{
"bindAddress": "",
"bindPort": 2001,
"publicAddress": "",
"publicPort": 2001,
"a2s": {
"address": "0.0.0.0",
"port": 17777
},
"rcon": {
"address": "127.0.0.1",
"port": 19999,
"password": "ChangeMe123",
"permission": "admin",
"maxClients": 16,
"blacklist": [],
"whitelist": []
},
"game": {
"name": "My Crossplay Reforger Server",
"password": "",
"passwordAdmin": "SuperSecretAdminPass",
"admins": [],
"scenarioId": "{ECC61978EDCC2B5A}Missions/23_Campaign.conf",
"maxPlayers": 64,
"visible": true,
"crossPlatform": false,
"supportedPlatforms": ["PLATFORM_PC", "PLATFORM_XBL", "PLATFORM_PSN"],
"gameProperties": {
"serverMaxViewDistance": 1600,
"serverMinGrassDistance": 0,
"networkViewDistance": 1500,
"fastValidation": true,
"battlEye": true,
"disableThirdPerson": false,
"VONDisableUI": false,
"VONCanTransmitCrossFaction": false
},
"mods": []
},
"operating": {
"lobbyPlayerSynchronise": true,
"playerSaveTime": 120,
"aiLimit": -1,
"slotReservationTimeout": 60,
"joinQueue": { "maxSize": 0 }
}
}If you’d rather accept every platform without listing them, delete the supportedPlatforms line entirely and set "crossPlatform": true. Both approaches produce a fully crossplay server; they just differ in how much control you keep. Note also fastValidation should stay true for public servers — it speeds up the integrity check clients run when joining. For a deeper field-by-field walkthrough of every block in this file, see our full server configuration guide.
Installing the Dedicated Server
The dedicated server is a free anonymous download — you do not need to own Arma Reforger on the host machine. Use SteamCMD and log in as anonymous. The Steam app IDs are:
- Stable dedicated server:
1874900 - Experimental dedicated server:
1890870(currently the 1.7.x line) - Game client (not needed to host):
1874880
There is a genuine native Linux server binary (./ArmaReforgerServer) as well as the Windows executable (ArmaReforgerServer.exe) — no Proton or Wine is needed on Linux. On Linux you’ll typically need libcurl4 and an libssl package (often libssl1.1), plus optionally net-tools.
# Windows install
steamcmd.exe +force_install_dir "C:\ArmaReforger\Server" +login anonymous +app_update 1874900 validate +quit
# Windows launch
ArmaReforgerServer.exe -config ".\Configs\ServerConfig.json" -maxFPS 60 -profile ".\profile"
# Linux launch
./ArmaReforgerServer -config /path/to/config.json -maxFPS 60 -profile /path/to/profileThe -maxFPS flag is strongly recommended — cap it around 60–120 to stop the server pinning a CPU core at thousands of frames per second. The -profile flag sets where logs and crash data are written. And -listScenarios prints every loadable scenario ID on startup, which is invaluable for finding modded scenario GUIDs. If you’d rather skip SteamCMD entirely, a managed Arma Reforger hosting plan ships with crossplay-ready defaults and a one-click config editor, and our Arma Reforger docs cover the panel workflow step by step. For a from-scratch manual install, follow our Arma Reforger server setup guide.
Ports to Open
- UDP 2001 — the game socket (
bindPort/publicPort) - UDP 17777 — Steam / A2S query (so the server appears in the browser)
- 19999 — RCON, only if you use it (match your config’s protocol)
If the query port (17777) isn’t reachable, your server won’t show up in the in-game browser for any platform — a frequent cause of “my friends can’t find my crossplay server” reports.
The Mod Trap: How a Scripted Modpack Silently Excludes Console Players
This is the rule that catches almost every admin who builds a serious modded server and then wonders why their PlayStation regulars vanished. Arma Reforger mods come from the in-game Reforger Workshop (browsable at reforger.armaplatform.com/workshop), not the Steam Workshop, and they are referenced in the config mods array by a 16-character hexadecimal modId. The platform implications are the most important crossplay detail in the whole game.
PlayStation: Data-Only Mods Allowed, Scripts Blocked
Since Update 1.4 (22 May 2025), PS5 players can join modded servers — but only servers whose mods ship data and assets only. Any mod containing script code is blocked on PSN by Sony policy. Mod authors flag each mod’s platform compatibility — PC-only, PC + Xbox, or all-platforms — based on whether the mod contains scripts. A pure reskin, vehicle pack, or terrain that adds no scripted logic can be all-platforms; a gameplay framework that runs code cannot include PlayStation.
The net effect for admins is the trap: a heavy scripted modpack — many realism and gameplay frameworks fall into this category — will silently exclude PS5 players from the server, even when you have PLATFORM_PSN listed in supportedPlatforms and BattlEye on. There’s no error telling you this happened. The server simply becomes invisible or unjoinable for PlayStation users because one of its required mods isn’t PSN-compatible.
Xbox: Per-Mod Certification
Xbox supports Workshop mods, but historically only those certified or allowed for Xbox by Bohemia, with data-versus-script restrictions similar in spirit to PlayStation’s. The exact current Xbox certification gating isn’t fully documented publicly, so the safe framing is qualitative: console mod support depends on each mod’s declared platform compatibility. Always check a mod’s listed platforms in the Workshop before adding it to a crossplay server, and verify that the dependencies it pulls in are also console-compatible.
How to Keep Console Players In
If full PC + Xbox + PSN crossplay is your goal, the strategy is restraint. A mods entry looks like this:
"mods": [
{ "modId": "591AF5BDA9F7CE8B", "name": "Capture & Hold", "version": "1.0.3", "required": true }
]To find a modId, open the mod’s page in the Reforger Workshop and copy the 16-character hex GUID from the URL (it also lives in the mod’s ServerData.json). Many host panels resolve the GUID and its dependencies automatically. Remember that load order matters — frameworks and dependencies load first, content and add-ons after — and that all dependencies (and dependencies-of-dependencies) must be present.
For a vanilla or data-only crossplay server, list all three platforms freely. For a scripted milsim stack (for example, the popular combination of a realism framework like ACE Anvil plus a content pack like RHS – Status Quo), accept that PS5 will likely be excluded and either set supportedPlatforms to ["PLATFORM_PC", "PLATFORM_XBL"] honestly, or run a separate vanilla crossplay instance for your console community. If you want to build a focused mod stack that maximizes console reach, our roundup of the best Arma Reforger mods notes which categories tend to be data-only versus scripted.
Choosing the Right Scenario for a Crossplay Server
The scenarioId field uses the format {16-HEX-GUID}Missions/FileName.conf — the GUID in braces identifies the owning resource (the vanilla game or a specific mod), followed by the path to the scenario’s .conf file. The default Everon Conflict is the most popular crossplay choice because it scales well to mixed-input lobbies. Here are the canonical built-in scenario IDs for the 1.6.x map roster (Everon, Arland, and Kolguyev — the latter added in 1.6):
| Scenario | scenarioId |
|---|---|
| Conflict – Everon | {ECC61978EDCC2B5A}Missions/23_Campaign.conf |
| Conflict – Arland | {C41618FD18E9D714}Missions/23_Campaign_Arland.conf |
| Conflict – Northern Everon | {C700DB41F0C546E1}Missions/23_Campaign_NorthCentral.conf |
| Game Master – Everon | {59AD59368755F41A}Missions/21_GM_Eden.conf |
| Game Master – Kolguyev | {F45C6C15D31252E6}Missions/27_GM_Cain.conf |
| Combat Ops – Everon | {DFAC5FABD11F2390}Missions/26_CombatOpsEveron.conf |
| Capture & Hold – Briars | {3F2E005F43DBD2F8}Missions/CAH_Briars_Coast.conf |
For a custom or modded scenario, add the scenario’s mod to the mods array, then set scenarioId to that mod’s {GUID}Missions/....conf string — and remember the data-vs-script rule applies here too, since the scenario mod itself counts toward console compatibility. If you want to build your own missions, our custom scenario guide covers the Workbench World Editor workflow end to end.
Testing Your Crossplay Setup
Once your config is live, verify crossplay methodically rather than assuming it works:
- Confirm the server appears in the in-game browser on a PC client first — if it doesn’t, the query port (17777) or
visiblesetting is the issue, not crossplay. - Check that
battlEyeistrueand that you are using eithercrossPlatform: trueorsupportedPlatforms, never both. - Have a console tester search for the server. If PC sees it but console doesn’t, suspect BattlEye, a non-console-compatible mod, or a missing platform token.
- If only PlayStation can’t join while Xbox can, your modpack almost certainly contains a scripted mod — review each mod’s declared platform compatibility in the Workshop.
New to the game yourself and standing up your first mixed-platform server? Our beginner’s guide to Arma Reforger covers the fundamentals of Conflict, supplies, and base building so you understand what your players are actually doing on your server.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need both crossPlatform and supportedPlatforms to enable crossplay?
No — they are mutually exclusive and you should use exactly one. Set "crossPlatform": true to accept every platform with a single toggle, or leave crossPlatform at its default of false and list the platforms you want in the supportedPlatforms array (for example ["PLATFORM_PC", "PLATFORM_XBL", "PLATFORM_PSN"]). Using both at once is a configuration error.
Why can’t my Xbox or PS5 friends see or join my Arma Reforger server?
The three most common causes are: BattlEye is disabled (it must be true for any console player to connect), the platform isn’t included in your config (missing PLATFORM_XBL or PLATFORM_PSN, or crossPlatform left as false with no array), or a mod on the server isn’t console-compatible. A scripted mod in particular will block PlayStation entirely. Also verify your query port (UDP 17777) is open, or the server won’t appear in any platform’s browser.
Can PS5 players join a modded Arma Reforger server?
Yes, since Update 1.4 (22 May 2025), but only servers whose mods are data-only. Any mod containing script code is blocked on PSN due to Sony policy, so a server running a scripted framework will silently exclude PS5 players even with PLATFORM_PSN listed. If full PlayStation crossplay matters, keep your mod stack limited to data-and-asset mods, or run a separate vanilla instance for console players.
Does enabling BattlEye affect PC players on a crossplay server?
BattlEye is on by default and is fine to leave enabled for PC; its real role on a crossplay server is that consoles will not connect without it. There is no benefit to disabling it for a crossplay setup — doing so simply turns the server into a PC-only instance because Xbox and PS5 clients require anti-cheat enforcement for online play.
What Steam app ID do I use to install a crossplay-capable dedicated server?
Use app ID 1874900 for the stable dedicated server via SteamCMD, logging in as anonymous (you don’t need to own the game). Crossplay is a config setting, not a separate build, so the same dedicated server supports all platforms once you set crossPlatform or supportedPlatforms and keep battlEye on. The experimental branch (currently the 1.7.x line) is app ID 1890870, but stick to stable for production crossplay servers.
Can I allow PC and Xbox but block PlayStation specifically?
Yes — that’s exactly what the explicit supportedPlatforms array is for. Set "crossPlatform": false and "supportedPlatforms": ["PLATFORM_PC", "PLATFORM_XBL"]. This is the honest way to run a heavily scripted modded server: rather than letting PS5 players fail to join silently, you simply don’t advertise the platform. Any subset of the three tokens is a valid combination.
Bringing It All Together
Crossplay on Arma Reforger comes down to three decisions made consistently: choose one of crossPlatform or supportedPlatforms, keep battlEye: true so consoles can connect, and audit every mod’s platform compatibility — because a single scripted mod is enough to lock out your entire PlayStation player base without warning. Get those three right and a single server will hold PC, Xbox, and PS5 players in the same coordinated, mixed-input firefight, which is exactly what makes Reforger’s community so resilient. Build your config carefully, test from each platform, and lean toward a focused, console-aware mod stack if reaching every player matters to you.
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