Does Icarus Dedicated Server Crossplay Work on Console and PC?

Who can actually play Icarus together

Start with the platforms in your group, not with a server plan. Icarus on PC and Icarus: Console Edition are separate releases. The PC game, from RocketWerkz, supports online co-op for up to eight players and dedicated servers. Console Edition, from GRIP Studios, launched on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S on 26 March 2026. Its store pages describe co-op for up to four players and state plainly that it does not support cross-play.

“Does not support cross-play” is broader than “PC cannot join console”. It means sessions stay inside one platform. A PS5 player joins other PS5 players. An Xbox player joins other Xbox players. A PC player joins other PC players. There is no shared pool sitting behind a host-panel tick box.

Read the matrix first. Each cell is a yes or no for sharing one session, including a PC dedicated server.

That split is why mixed groups get stuck after they have already picked hosting. A dedicated server does not translate platforms. It only gives a PC crew an always-on prospect that nobody has to host from their own game client.

Why a dedicated Icarus server cannot include console friends

A dedicated server is software that runs the prospect on its own, instead of inside one player’s game client. RocketWerkz publishes that software for PC and documents how PC clients join it. The Steam page also says dedicated servers are free to run and recommends them for Open World sessions, which is the mode where a crew wants the same world waiting between drops.

Console Edition is a different product. Its store listings describe solo play or co-op with up to four players on a drop. They do not describe joining a PC dedicated server, and they state that cross-play is not supported. Xbox lists the multiplayer capability as online co-op for two to four players. There is no official path from a PS5 or Xbox client into the PC dedicated-server browser.

The player caps underline the same split. On PC, the official dedicated-server setting MaxPlayers accepts a minimum of 1 and a maximum of 8, which matches the Steam co-op limit of eight. On console, a drop is shared by up to four players. You cannot raise a console session to eight by renting a bigger PC plan, and you cannot fill those eight PC slots with console clients.

That is also why “Icarus server hosting” pages you see from PC hosts are talking to Steam players. The official join path lives in the PC game: pick your character, open Join Session from the HAB menu, switch the browser to dedicated servers with the toggle in the top-right corner, then select the server. If no prospect is running, you land in the server lobby instead of on the planet, where a prospect or outpost can be started or resumed.

None of those screens are a workaround for Console Edition. If someone in the group is on PS5 or Xbox, they will not appear in that dedicated-server browser, and they cannot Direct Connect their way around the platform split.

How PC players join a dedicated Icarus server

If your group is all on PC, the dedicated server is the setup that matches Open World play. The world then lives on the server rather than on whoever happened to click host. RocketWerkz’s join steps are short:

1. Launch Icarus and select your character.
2. Choose Join Session from the HAB menu.
3. Use the toggle in the top-right corner of the session browser to switch it to dedicated servers.
4. Select your server and join it.

If the server is not running a prospect, you arrive in the server lobby. From there you can start a new prospect, load a saved one or resume the last session. That lobby also exposes the server’s admin commands, so treat the admin password as something only the owner should know.

Two settings in ServerSettings.ini matter before you send the name around:

• JoinPassword locks the server. Leave it empty if anyone should be able to join, or set one and share it with the crew. This is the password players need to enter the session, not the admin password.
• MaxPlayers caps who can be in at once. The official range is 1 to 8. Setting it above 8 does nothing useful, because eight is the dedicated-server maximum.

The on-screen session name is set with the -SteamServerName launch argument, not with the SessionName line. RocketWerkz notes that SessionName currently does nothing, and the command-line name is limited to 64 characters. If friends cannot find the server by name, check that launch argument before you assume the server is down.

-SteamServerName="Our Icarus crew"
JoinPassword=yourjoinpassword
MaxPlayers=8

For RAM and CPU sizing once the whole PC crew is on one Open World, see our guide to Icarus dedicated server requirements and RAM by player count.

How to plan the right setup for your group

Work through the questions below before anyone pays for hosting or buys a second copy of the game. The expensive mistake is renting a PC dedicated server for a group that also includes console players, then discovering those friends have no way in.

If everyone is on PC

You have two legitimate options. One person can host from their own game and invite up to eight Steam friends into that session. That is simple for a short drop, but the session is tied to the host’s game client. The other option is a dedicated server, which RocketWerkz recommends for Open World. The prospect stays on the server, the lobby can resume it after a restart, and the host’s PC is free to play instead of also simulating the world.

Dedicated servers are free to run yourself if you want to handle the install and ports, or you can rent one from a game host and skip that work. Either way, every player still needs their own PC copy of Icarus. Hosting does not replace a game licence.

If everyone is on the same console

Stay on that console. A PS5 group plays a PS5 session; an Xbox group plays an Xbox session. Console Edition supports up to four players on a drop, so a five-person console group cannot fit into one session by buying a larger hosting plan. Online play also needs the platform’s multiplayer subscription: PlayStation Plus on PS5, or Xbox Game Pass Essential, Premium or Ultimate on Xbox.

There is no official console dedicated-server product to rent in the same way as the PC tool. Plan around host-based co-op: the session exists while that console group is playing it together.

If the group is split across platforms

No server product merges those players today. The honest choices are:

• Everyone moves to PC, then you can use a dedicated server and the full eight-player cap.
• Everyone buys the same console edition and accepts the four-player cap and host-based sessions.
• The PC players run their own dedicated server or hosted session, and the console players run a separate same-platform drop.

Matching the game’s name is not enough. Console Edition includes the New Frontiers expansion from the start and is sold as its own release. Buying that edition does not let a console player join the PC dedicated-server browser.

What to check when a friend cannot join

Most “I can’t join my friend’s Icarus server” reports are either a platform mismatch or a PC-side join detail. Check the platform question first, because nothing after it will help a console client reach a PC dedicated server.

When a dedicated server is worth paying for

A dedicated server only pays off for an all-PC group that wants the prospect available without one person hosting from their game. That is exactly the Open World case RocketWerkz calls out. Missions and outposts can run on a dedicated server as well, but the always-on benefit is largest when the same world should still be there tomorrow.

If the group is all on PC and you want that always-on Open World, compare plans on our Icarus server hosting comparison. If you are still deciding whether to self-host the official tool or rent the machine, our self-hosting guide covers the home-network side, and how game server hardware requirements work explains what you are paying for.

Icarus server FAQ

Does Icarus have crossplay between PC and console?

No. Icarus: Console Edition’s PlayStation and Xbox store pages state that it does not support cross-play. A PC player cannot join a PS5 or Xbox session, and a console player cannot join a PC session or a PC dedicated server.

Can PlayStation and Xbox players play Icarus together?

No. The same “does not support cross-play” note applies between consoles. PS5 players play with other PS5 players, and Xbox players play with other Xbox players. There is no shared console pool and no dedicated-server setting that creates one.

Can console players join an Icarus dedicated server?

No. The official dedicated server is the PC tool documented by RocketWerkz, and PC players join it from Join Session in the HAB menu after switching the browser to dedicated servers. Console Edition describes host-based co-op for up to four players and does not support cross-play into that PC server.

How many players can an Icarus dedicated server hold?

Up to eight. The official MaxPlayers setting accepts a minimum of 1 and a maximum of 8, which matches the Steam co-op limit. Console Edition is separate and caps a shared drop at four players, so a larger PC plan does not increase a console session.

How do I join an Icarus dedicated server on PC?

Launch Icarus, select your character, open Join Session from the HAB menu, switch the session browser to dedicated servers with the toggle in the top-right corner, then select the server. If no prospect is running you will land in the server lobby. Use the join password if one is set, not the admin password.

More Icarus server help

Compare hosts if your whole group is on PC, or check how much RAM an Open World needs.