Why is cross-platform support important?
Multiplatform games are on the rise, increasing demand for cross-platform capabilities. Players want to be able to choose their preferred gaming platform and expect smooth transitions between mobile, desktop, and console. In this guide, we’ll explore UGS’s cross-platform solutions and how they can support your use cases.
Cross-platform solutions from UGS
UGS offers robust cross-platform account and authentication solutions that support cross-play and progression across all major devices and platforms. You can integrate UGS with any custom authentication system through OpenID Connect and Custom Token Exchange, making it easy for games with custom identity solutions to unlock the full power of UGS.
Code-Link provides uncomplicated and fast cross-platform ID support across mobile, desktop, and consoles by generating simple codes on one logged-in device that can be used to sign in on another.
With Code-Link, you can provide your players with the flexibility to move across platforms without entering their login credentials multiple times while completely avoiding third-party sign-ins. Code-Link supports both anonymous and platform-specific sign-in methods.
For example, a player can start a game anonymously on their Android device. After reaching level 2, they decide to continue progress on their console. Opening the game on their console generates a code they can enter on their Android device. Once confirmed, they can continue playing on console.
Code-Link is available for SDK versions 3.0.0 and newer. Follow the steps below to configure Code-Link within your Unity Dashboard account.
In the Authentication section of the Unity Dashboard, select Code-Linking as the Identity Provider.
Click on Add provider to enable Code Linking for your project.
Code-Linking will appear in your dashboard, where you can enable, disable, or delete it as needed.
Player Accounts is a sign-in and ID solution built for games. Integrated with Unity and UGS, it allows you to provide cross-platform/device/game player IDs without building a custom solution.
Previously in beta, Unity Player Accounts is now available as a general availability (GA) solution. It’s supported across a range of platforms and devices, including iOS, Android, Windows, and MacOS.
Your players can create a single account that can be used for any game that supports Unity Player Accounts as a sign-in provider. You can also provide a persistent player profile across all your games that leverage Unity Player Accounts through our organization-level player identifiers.
Get started with Player Accounts by following the instructions below.
In the Authentication section of the Unity Dashboard, select Unity Player Accounts as the Identity Provider.
Set up Unity Player Accounts by adding your game’s title and supported platforms. The Terms of Service and Privacy Policy can be added once you’re ready to go live with your game.
Unity Player Accounts will appear in your dashboard, where you can enable, disable, or delete it as needed.
Username/Password lets players log in with game-specific sign-in credentials. This allows you to build an authenticated user base without relying on third-party sign-in solutions. It can be customized to match your game’s aesthetics, and works cross-platform, so players can carry progress across devices.
If you already have your own custom identity solution and want to continue to use it with UGS, you can do so with our BYOID solutions: OpenID Connect (OIDC) or Custom ID.
OpenID Connect allows you to use an existing OIDC-compliant identity solution such as PlayFab, Firebase, Epic Online Services, among others, in your game.
If your custom identity solution is not OIDC-compliant, you can use the Custom ID feature to integrate with UGS. This allows you to exchange Unity service account tokens and your custom user ID for Unity Authentication Player ID and tokens.
Both OpenID Connect and Custom ID solutions are supported across all major platforms. As long as a platform is supported by your custom identity solution, you can use the BYOID solution to offer game progress on those devices.
Once your players have created cross-platform accounts through one of the various UGS-supported methods, you’ll need tools to manage their accounts. Player Management features from UGS can help you run many different aspects of your game, including:
- Finding players by player ID, username, and external ID
- Deleting or banning players
- Viewing basic information about a player’s account, such as linked identity provider, external ID, account creation and last login dates
- Resetting forgotten passwords through the Admin API
Conveniently accessing features using the Admin API and CLI. Learn more in our API and CLI documentation.