Technologies

Marvel Rivals Cross-Play: How PlayStation, Xbox and PC Players Can Queue Together

Your friends can join you in a heroic battle, no matter which platform you’re playing on.

Marvel Rivals pulls some of the most popular comic book heroes through time and space, creating situations where unlikely allies band together in epic battles. Just like these characters, gamers are able to nurture bonds across platforms as they jump into the fight.

The hit hero shooter is available on the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and on PC through Steam and the Epic Games Store, letting most of today’s gamers enjoy the Marvel power fantasy. Some content is exclusive to specific platforms — the Spider-Man PlayStation costumes come to mind — but the game doesn’t have any major differences from platform to platform otherwise.

Cross-play is enabled by default in Marvel Rivals, which means you can queue with your friends even if they’re on a different platform. The catch is that limits are imposed on the matches you can queue for in a cross-play enabled lobby.

Here’s everything you need to know about Marvel Rivals cross-play, including when you can and can’t play with your friends on other platforms and whether you can carry over your Marvel Rivals account progress from one platform to another.

When is cross-play enabled in Marvel Rivals?

Though cross-play is enabled by default for noncompetitive modes, the feature is turned off for certain platforms in competitive modes to provide the fairest experience for all players. Xbox and PlayStation players can be matched together in competitive lobbies, but PC players have their own competitive queues.

These are all of the Marvel Rivals modes you can play with friends on different platforms:

Quick Match
Doom Match
Practice vs. AI
Practice Range
Limited-time events (like Clone Rumble)

Though Marvel Rivals won’t allow cross-playing gamers to access competitive modes, quick play matches still have a behind-the-scenes skill calculation to try and make the fairest possible matches for all players, at least according to NetEase.

Is there cross-progression in Marvel Rivals?

Whether you’re interested in climbing the ranked ladder across different platforms or you just want to make sure your costume closet remains intact, cross-progression is a big deal for Marvel Rivals players.

Despite creating an in-game username unique to your Marvel Rivals account, it’s not currently possible to enable cross-progression from one platform to another. This means you’ll have to advance any PC and console accounts separately — neither your rank nor your cosmetics will carry over. Be careful which account you spend your real money on, especially as the game adds more costume-altering options.

While console and PC ranked lobbies look completely different, it’s not completely out of the question that some form of cross-progression is added to Marvel Rivals in the future, allowing players to consolidate their skin collection, character and battle pass progression under one account.

NetEase Games is aware that cross-progression is an oft-requested feature from Marvel Rivals fans. Thaddeus Sasser, then a game director for Marvel Rivals, shared that the feature could be on the docket for development post-launch in an interview with WCCF Tech last year.

«As you can imagine, [cross-progression is] extremely complicated to pull off, so we’re still looking into it,» Sasser said. «We’ve heard that the audience has already suggested this several times, so we’re looking into it.»

It’s unclear if this feature is still being considered for Marvel Rivals in 2025.

Technologies

Google’s New Nudity Warnings in Messages Will Warn You of Incoming Explicit Images

Google said the process happens entirely on device, and that it does not have access to any image contents.

Google is beginning to roll out sensitive content warnings designed to give Google Messages users more control over viewing and sharing images that may contain nudity. The safety feature, which was announced last year, will automatically blur images suspected of containing nudity before they’re viewed.

You’ll see a «speed bump» notification, where you have to stop and choose an option before opening a message, including learning why explicit images can be harmful, getting the chance to block the number immediately, getting the option to click Back or choosing the ability to view the image. It will also remind you of the potential risks of sharing explicit content and help prevent accidental sends.

Google said this process happens entirely on your phone to maintain privacy and ensure end-to-end encrypted messages remain accessible only to the sender and recipient. The company also clarified that it does not have access to image contents, will not know whether nudity actually has been detected and does not send identifiable data to its servers.

In a post on its website, the company acknowledged that the feature «isn’t perfect,» noting: «It may occasionally detect images that don’t contain nudity or not detect images that contain nudity.»

The feature is opt-in for adults via Android settings and enabled by default (opt-out) for users under 18. It will roll out to Android 9 and above, including Android Go devices, with Google Messages.

Technologies

Find Out an Airbnb’s Price Before You Book, Even the Sneaky Fees

Say goodbye to surprise cleaning charges as Airbnb complies with an FTC rule requiring full price disclosure.

You’ll now be able to see the full cost of your Airbnb as you browse, including any sneaky cleaning and service fees. The short-term rental company announced it now automatically shows the total cost of a rental before taxes.

The change comes ahead of a US Federal Trade Commission rule banning hidden fees, which is set to go into effect on May 12. Hotels and booking sites like Expedia will also be subject to the new rule, which called out «bait-and-switch pricing» for mandatory charges like resort fees.

Airbnb users in the US could turn on the «total price display» option manually for the past two years, but now you’ll see the full price by default.

«With the global rollout of total price display, we’re making it easier for guests to better understand the price they’ll pay, and for hosts to succeed in a more transparent marketplace,» Airbnb said in the press release. The company declined the opportunity to comment further.

Airbnb has faced criticism over the years for advertising one price, then tacking on extra fees for cleaning and more during the checkout process. Transparent pricing allows you to compare prices more easily, so you don’t get the unpleasant surprise that your $150 deal suddenly increased to $225 because of «host fees.»

The company also announced it’s adding tools to uncover more discounts, like adding extra nights to reduce the total cost of a stay.

If you’re planning now for summer travel, we have tips to help you save on the rest of your trip, too, including the best time to book flights and how to use AI to save for a vacation.

«One of our main tips is travel on Tuesdays/Wednesdays. Those days tend to be cheaper for flights and hotels versus weekends,» Aixa Diaz, a media relations spokesperson for AAA, said in an email.

Technologies

Yes, GameStop Really Is Offering $420.69 for Xbox Series X Trade-Ins

You get 85% of the Xbox Series X’s regular retail price when you trade it in at GameStop — which almost covers the price of the new Nintendo Switch 2.

With the Nintendo Switch 2 now official, many gamers are likely eyeing up the new handheld console. But if you’re moving over to the newest Switch, it might be worth trading in your old console first. If you trade in an Xbox Series X to GameStop, this deal will see you get $420.69 of store credit. Nice. That’s almost enough to completely cover the price of a new Switch 2, which you can preorder one from GameStop. Of course, you can spend the trade-in credit on anything else that GameStop sells as well.

To get this extra trade-in credit, you’ll need to go to a physical store to trade-in your console. You also need to be a GameStop Pro member in order to get the higher trade-in rate. If you purchase a membership online before you head to the store, you can save $5 on the $25 annual membership — so you’ll pay $20. While GameStop launched this trade-in deal as a half-joke for 4/20, it is valid until April 26.

Hey, did you know? CNET Deals texts are free, easy and save you money.

The Xbox Series X is one of the best gaming consoles that you can buy. CNET expert Dan Ackerman praised the console in his review for its high resolution, easy set-up, and wider gaming ecosystem. Thanks to the Game Pass offering, it has some of the best games around and there are more arriving all the time. If you’d like to pick up a couple more accessories, like a controller or extra storage, check out our roundup of great Xbox deals.

Why this deal matters

With the launch of the new Nintendo Switch 2, many gamers might be looking to get rid of their old console. This extra trade-in credit is a great opportunity to get the latest Nintendo handheld almost for free. It’s also worth noting that with game console prices potentially increasing in the near future thanks to tariffs, trading in now could be a better value-for-money choice.