Forza Horizon 6 Convoys & Playing With Friends (Crossplay + Can't-Join Fixes)

How to start and join a convoy in Forza Horizon 6, set up crossplay correctly, and fix the common 'can't see friends' and 'can't join friends' connection problems.

Convoys are how you actually play Forza Horizon 6 with friends: a private group that roams the open world together, where one person starts events and pulls everyone in. The mechanic itself is simple. The friction almost never comes from the convoy — it comes from accounts and crossplay settings that quietly wall you off from your friends. Get those right once and the social side of the game just works.

Starting and joining a convoy

Open the pause menu, head to the social/convoy section, and create a convoy. From there you invite friends off your list, or accept an invite to drop straight into theirs. The convoy leader controls fast travel and starts events — races, the Playlist activities, free-roam objectives — and the rest of the group gets warped in automatically, so you don’t all have to queue separately.

One thing to set expectations on: there is no in-game text chat at launch, and the community has been vocal about wanting it. For now, coordinate over your platform’s party/voice chat. Also note that convoy-based races can boot you with a “not enough players” message if the group drops below the minimum mid-event — that’s normal, not a bug on your end.

Turn crossplay on first

Before you troubleshoot anything, enable crossplay in the HUD & Gameplay settings. FH6 requires a Microsoft/Xbox account on every platform — the PC version included — and as long as everyone uses their own linked account, progress syncs across platforms with no manual transfer.

With crossplay off, you’re limited to your own platform’s player pool, which is smaller and leads to empty lobbies and “no matches found.” Players consistently report that simply switching crossplay on is the single most effective fix for dead lobbies and failed matchmaking. Turn it on for everyone in the convoy.

”Can’t see / can’t join friends” — the real fix

If crossplay is on and you still can’t connect, the usual culprit is an account-level privacy block that the in-game menus never mention. The fix players keep landing on:

1. Sign in at xbox.com with the same account you use in-game.
2. Open Privacy & online safety (the Xbox/Windows online safety tab).
3. Find “You can join cross-network play” and switch it from Block to Allow.
4. Save, then fully relaunch the game.

This is what’s behind the “Crossplay setting conflicts” error and the empty lobbies. Both friends need the setting allowed and crossplay enabled. If your in-game crossplay toggle is greyed out and locked, that’s usually tied to account privacy, a child/family account restriction, or regional availability — check your account settings first; there isn’t always a clean fix, so don’t expect a miracle.

When it’s not you (server-side)

Around new seasons and busy periods, expect version-mismatch errors, “cannot allocate server,” failed-to-join, and long queues. That’s server strain, not your setup — waiting a day or two is the honest answer. Separately, online services aren’t fully available in every region; if the Auction House and liveries work but no players ever appear, the multiplayer services may not be fully connected for you. See the online racing pain-points guide for more on that.

A note on VPNs: some players try one to dodge regional service gaps. Treat that cautiously — it can add latency, may conflict with the game’s terms, and isn’t a reliable fix. It’s a last resort, not a first step.

Once you’re connected

With the convoy rolling, the natural next stops are The Trial co-op championship, the weekly Festival Playlist, and surviving public lobbies via the online racing guide. New to all of this? Start with the beginner guide and grab something competitive from the tier lists.

Frequently asked questions