I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve been out running errands, scrolling through my Genshin inventory on my phone, and gotten a text from my friend asking if I want to run a few artifact domains while they’re home on their PC. If you’ve been in the same spot, you’ve definitely asked can mobile Genshin Impact play with PC at least once. HoYoverse’s open world RPG is designed to be accessible across all kinds of devices, but there are a few small rules and quirks to crossplay that a lot of travelers don’t know about before they try to join a friend’s world. This guide breaks down everything you need to know to play with your friends no matter if you’re on a phone or a desktop.
Can Mobile Genshin Impact Play With PC? Breaking Down Crossplay Eligibility
For anyone asking can mobile Genshin Impact play with PC, the short answer is a resounding yes, as long as you meet a few basic requirements. Crossplay is fully supported across all non-PlayStation platforms by default, and you don’t have to pay for any extra features or subscriptions to use it. You don’t even have to adjust any game settings first to make it work, outside of the standard co-op access rules that apply to all players.
The first non-negotiable requirement is that both you and your friend are on the same game server. Genshin Impact splits players into regional servers: America, Europe, Asia, and TW/HK/MO. Same server membership is the only hard rule for crossplay between mobile and PC that you can’t work around. If you made your account on the Europe server on your phone, you can never join a friend who made their account on the America server on PC, no matter what you do. You can check what server you’re on by looking at the small text next to your UID on your profile page.
The second requirement is that both players have reached Adventure Rank 16 and completed the prologue quest “Lupical of the North” to unlock co-op mode. You must reach AR 16 first before you can access any co-op features, regardless of what platform you’re playing on. That means if you’re a new player who just downloaded the game on your phone yesterday, you’ll have to grind a few hours of story quests and exploration first before you can join your PC friend’s world.
How to Set Up Crossplay Between Mobile and PC Genshin Impact
Once you meet the eligibility requirements, setting up a crossplay session only takes a minute or two. The process is almost identical for both mobile and PC players, so you don’t have to walk your friend through a completely different set of steps if they’re on a different device. Follow this simple process to connect:
- Confirm both you and your friend are on the same server, have reached AR 16, and are running the latest version of Genshin Impact
- Open the co-op menu by tapping the two-person icon on the top left of your screen (mobile) or clicking the same icon on the top menu bar (PC)
- If you’re hosting the session, set your world permissions to “Allow Friends Only” or “Allow Anyone” depending on who you want to be able to join
- If you’re joining a friend, either search for their 9-digit UID in the co-op search bar, or find their name on your friends list and select “Request to Join”
- Wait for the host to accept your request, and you’ll spawn directly into their world within 10 to 15 seconds
Double check that you’re entering the correct UID, especially if you’re playing with someone you don’t have added as a friend. UIDs are tied to specific servers, so if you enter one digit wrong you’ll either pull up a completely different player or get an error saying the UID doesn’t exist. It’s also normal for mobile players to have slightly longer load times when joining a PC host’s world, since PC worlds often render more details at once. Don’t close the game if it takes a few extra seconds to load, it will connect eventually.
Once you’re in the world, all co-op rules apply the same as if you were playing on the same platform. You can collect resources, fight bosses, run domains, and explore the map together with no restrictions. The host has full control over who can stay in the world, and can kick players at any time if there’s an issue.
Cross Save Rules for Mobile and PC Genshin Impact Accounts
A lot of people who ask about crossplay also want to know if they can switch between mobile and PC themselves, and carry all their progress between devices. Good news: cross save is fully supported between mobile and PC, with no extra steps required if you already use a HoYoverse account to log in. All you have to do is download Genshin Impact on your PC, log in with the same HoYoverse account you use on your phone, and all your characters, items, primogems, and quest progress will be exactly where you left them.
The only exception is if you use Sign in with Apple to log into your iOS Genshin account. In that case, you’ll need to link your Apple login to a HoYoverse account first through your mobile account settings before you can log in on PC. The linking process only takes a few minutes, and once it’s done you’ll be able to switch between your iPhone and PC whenever you want with no issues.
Primogems and paid currency sync perfectly between mobile and PC, so you don’t have to worry about losing purchases if you switch devices. The only thing to note is that platform-specific gift cards, like Google Play or App Store gift cards, have to be redeemed on their respective platforms first. Once you add the primogems to your account, though, you can spend them on any device you want. I switch between my Android phone for commutes and my gaming PC at home every week, and I’ve never had an issue with missing purchases or lost progress.
Just a quick side note: PlayStation accounts are still separate from HoYoverse accounts, so you can’t cross save a PSN Genshin account to mobile or PC. You can still crossplay with PlayStation players if you’re on mobile or PC, though, as long as everyone is on the same server.
Common Crossplay Issues Between Mobile and PC (And How to Fix Them)
Crossplay between mobile and PC works seamlessly 90% of the time, but there are a few common issues that pop up for players, especially if you’re new to cross-platform co-op. Most of these issues have simple fixes that take less than a minute to implement, so you don’t have to cancel your domain run if something goes wrong.
The most common issue is lag or frame drops for mobile players when joining a PC host’s world. PC players often run the game on higher graphics settings with longer draw distances, so mobile devices have to work harder to render all the extra details when they join. The fix is simple: lower your mobile graphics settings before joining a co-op session. Turn off shadow quality, lower render resolution to 0.8, and turn off anti-aliasing to boost your frame rate significantly. You can turn the settings back up once you’re back to playing solo.
Another common issue is not being able to find your friend’s UID in the co-op search bar. 9 times out of 10 this is because one of you is on the wrong server, but it can also happen if the host has their world permissions set to “Allow No One”. Ask your friend to double check their server and their co-op permissions, and you should be able to find their world right away.
Cellular data connections are often too unstable for smooth crossplay, so always use Wi-Fi if you’re playing on mobile with PC friends. Co-op uses a lot of consistent bandwidth to sync player positions, enemy movements, and item drops, so a spotty cellular connection will lead to constant disconnects or rubber banding. If you can’t use Wi-Fi, try moving to an area with strong 5G service to minimize lag.
If you get a “version mismatch” error when trying to join a world, that just means one of you hasn’t downloaded the latest game patch. Genshin Impact releases updates every 6 weeks, and all players have to be on the same version to play together. Just update both devices to the newest patch, and you’ll be able to connect with no issues.
So next time you’re stuck waiting for an appointment and want to run some domains with your friend who’s at home on their PC, you don’t have to wonder can mobile Genshin Impact play with PC anymore. As long as you’re on the same server, at least AR 16, and have the latest game version, you can jump into co-op seamlessly, no extra work required. Crossplay is one of the best parts of Genshin Impact, because it lets you play with your friends no matter what device they prefer to use. If you’re new to crossplay, start with short sessions like domain runs first to get used to any small performance differences, and you’ll be exploring Sumeru or Fontaine together without a second thought in no time.