How to gameshare on Xbox

Gameshare on Xbox is a simple process that allows you to play digital games from your friend or family member’s account. You can even play the games together online and share a single Xbox Live Gold subscription. The process is easy, but has slightly confusing terminology. Once you have it set up, though, you can basically forget it and enjoy all the benefits.

• 5 min

• Xbox

Step 1: Step 1: Access the Xbox console

The first step to this requires you to access the Xbox console that's going to enjoy the benefits of your shared account. For some people, this might require giving a friend access to your account information so they can sign you in on their Xbox console.

Step 2: Step 2: Head into the Xbox Settings menu

Then, on that same second console, you need to head into the Xbox Settings menu, General, Personalization, and finally My home Xbox. Only one account can claim a particular console's "home Xbox" status at a time, so when you enable it for this secondary account, it will automatically disable the home Xbox status for any other account the console is tied to.

Step 3: Step 3: Xbox Game Pass games

Once it’s enabled, all of your games, including Xbox Game Pass games, will be available to download and play for any profile on the home Xbox. They’ll also get the benefits of Xbox Live Gold multiplayer if you have an active subscription.

Step 4: Step 4: Stay signed into secondary Xbox

When you designate another console as your home Xbox, you will be required to stay signed into what is likely your own, personal Xbox to download and play games. This is because Microsoft needs to do a handshake to make sure you’re still you despite being on another Xbox. But once you’re signed in, any profile on that secondary console gets access to everything too.

Setting up a home Xbox

To understand how Xbox gameshare works, you have to understand what a “home Xbox” is. Your home Xbox is the Xbox console you choose that doesn’t require your Xbox Live profile to be signed in on an active internet connection. So for the purposes of gamesharing, your home Xbox becomes the one that houses the shared version of your account. So make sure it's someone you trust.

The first step to this requires you to access the Xbox console that's going to enjoy the benefits of your shared account. For some people, this might require giving a friend access to your account information so they can sign you in on their Xbox console.

Then, on that same second console, you need to head into the Xbox Settings menu, General, Personalization, and finally My home Xbox. Only one account can claim a particular console's "home Xbox" status at a time, so when you enable it for this secondary account, it will automatically disable the home Xbox status for any other account the console is tied to. Once it’s enabled, all of your games, including Xbox Game Pass games, will be available to download and play for any profile on the home Xbox. They’ll also get the benefits of Xbox Live Gold multiplayer if you have an active subscription.

In simpler terms: The goal here is essentially to give a friend or family member your "home Xbox" status, which means they can sign into their account on that console and access any games or features that belong to you. But that creates an inescapable catch....

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Stay signed into secondary Xbox

When you designate another console as your home Xbox, you will be required to stay signed into what is likely your own, personal Xbox to download and play games. This is because Microsoft needs to do a handshake to make sure you’re still you despite being on another Xbox. But once you’re signed in, any profile on that secondary console gets access to everything too.

If you sign out or in some other way lose your active internet connection and try to access a game, the Xbox will give you a message that tells you that the person who bought it needs to be signed in. Otherwise, everything should work smoothly, including all of your saves and Quick Resume states.

To get your games from your friend or family member’s accounts, have them repeat all of these steps (assigning their desired home Xbox). When you’re finished, you’ll have access to both your own library of games and theirs.

Things to remember with Xbox gameshare

Xbox gameshare is a fantastic feature for families and friends, but you do have to keep in mind a few caveats. You can only swap your home Xbox five times a year. This restriction likely exists so that people don’t abuse the system and trade out their Xbox to people they don’t know very well. You also can’t share account-specific items like in-game currency, purchased in-game items, and pre-order bonuses.

It’s also worth reiterating that if you share your account and a friend’s account, only one of you needs Xbox Live Gold and Game Pass. This could be a deal you work out with them, but just don’t double up on subscriptions if you don’t need to!

Lastly, if you own both an Xbox One and a Xbox Series X or S, the home Xbox option applies cross generation. Unfortunately, you can’t assign more than one console to an account.

Xbox gameshare is a welcome feature now that Microsoft has a huge library of games that work on both the Xbox One and the Xbox Series X and S consoles. In total, the entire setup only takes a few minutes and you’ll be able to start playing with the added bonus of sharing any future games you purchase with your friends or family.