Ark crossplay Xbox X and PC "Join Fail"

I just wanted to add that this has been an ongoing issue for years. I used to play ark about 4 years back on a private server with a few buds, but the difference was that we all had Xbox consuls at the time (standard Xbox 1 then). Then sometime into our play-through, my consul gave me the "failed to join." so I switched to a new PC; since the game was cross-play at that time, it fixed the issue.

Moving ahead to last year, I was getting back into the game but had a PC-breaking bug with Ark. The game (for some reason I cannot figure out to this day) broke my PC WI-FI. To put it simply, I could not browse the internet (with Chrome and Microsoft edge,) with ark installed. However, ark and games were still connected to their respective servers to allow me to play games, but my network broke (yes, I was also using an antivirus at the time, so my laptop was clean of malware!!). Also, I should add that I have a VPN installed but don't have it on when gaming.

Moving ahead to 3 months ago to today, I still cannot play ark even though I have it installed through an Xbox game pass. My bud is on (again) Series X, and I'm on PC to this date, and the game still gives me the "failed to join" error.

So basically, TL: DR, I'm pretty sure it's Ark's issue and not Microsoft/Xbox that has been tormenting the game for years.

Thanks for your message. We both have the Microsoft version from the store. I bought my version on my Xbox store and my friend bought his PC version from the Microsoft store. The problem is still there .. no chance of connection!

We also tried to add each other on a dedicated server from his PC. But even that was not working. Still "Join fail" . Where is the problem?

Hello, first it's a pleasure to be able to help you today.

My name is welcome to the community and Happy New Year.

Hello Patrick, I did a quick research about the cross platform on the Ark.

In order for you and your friend to be able to play together, the PC version they are using must have been purchased through the Microsoft Store.

"While you can't play Ark cross-platform with any Playstation or Nintendo systems, you can with the PC. Even then, you'll need to make sure both you and your friends buy Ark through the Microsoft store. While inconvenient, this is because Microsoft and the usual PC storefronts use their own servers."

https://gamegearplus.com/ark-cross-platform/

Note: This is a non-Microsoft website. The page appears to be providing accurate, safe information. Watch out for ads on the site that may advertise products frequently classified as a PUP (Potentially Unwanted Products). Thoroughly research any product advertised on the site before you decide to download and install it.

Hi there

You are correct crossplay dose let pc and xbox players play together.

Not to sure about how to do it on Ark. every game has different ways of doing crossplay

you need the ark game on gamepass pc as microsofts wisdom have ported over the console version with extra menus.

ark will only crossplay with xbox console to windows store/gamepass version