Xbox Gameshare lets you share games and any benefits of your Game Pass subscription with any user on your primary Xbox. While generally, this means you can designate the Xbox in your lounge as your primary console and let other people in your house play on their own account, it’s possible to set your primary Xbox as a different one to the one you do most of your gaming on, and let friends elsewhere access and play your digital games.
We’re a long way from the Xbox 360 days of taking a game you like to a friend’s house for them to play, but this will let you take advantage of that one friend who always has all the new Xbox games, just like the old days. Providing they are willing to be your designated sharer, of course. Read on, and we’ll talk you through setting this up so you can dive into the best of your pal’s digital collection.
Friendship is magic, but so is sharing the best Xbox games with friends or family via the sorcery of Xbox Gameshare.
What you need to gameshare on Xbox
To get started and gameshare on your Xbox console, you’re going to need:
- Two Xbox consoles
- Your login
- Your sharer’s login
To go into a little more detail, both you and your sharer will need an Xbox console, whether that’s an Xbox One, Xbox One X, Xbox One S, or Xbox Series X|S.
Any of these devices are viable, and any different combination is okay too – it doesn’t really matter which devices you use.
You’ll also need to have both your own login information and the info of the person you’re sharing with. Make sure you’re comfortable with sharing this information with each other though – if you and a friend share a login, remember it can be hijacked. Only share this information with people you trust.
How to set up gameshare on Xbox
If you’re looking for a step-by-step guide on how to gameshare on your Xbox console, look no further. This handy guide will get you set up in no time.
Here’s what you need to do to enable gameshare on Xbox:
- Turn on your Xbox console and sign in to your Xbox Live account.
- Press the Xbox button and navigate to the Profile & System tab.
- Select the Add or Switch button and click Add New, before putting in your sharers account information. You’ll need the email address and password.
- Once you’ve added your friend’s info, go to the Profile and System tab again, hit Add or Switch, and switch to your friend’s account.
- You should be logged into your friend’s account now, go back to Profile and System again, but this time hit Settings.
- From here, hit General > Personalisation > My Home Xbox.
- Select ‘Make this my home Xbox’.
- Repeat the steps above with your account on your friend’s Xbox.
Voila. It’s that simple. Now you should both have access to each other’s libraries and even Xbox Game Pass. That’s right, you can even share Game Pass subscriptions, saving you even more money.
Do I need to share my Xbox account information?
To make use of gameshare, you’re going to have to share your account details with a friend. Obviously, if you and your intended sharer live in the same place, you can log in on each other’s consoles without sharing passwords, keeping your details safe. However, if you live in two different places, you’re going to have to share your details.
Remember, regardless of how you set up gameshare, your friend can still use your account, make purchases, or message your friends, so make sure you trust this person before you set this feature up.
How many accounts can I gameshare with?
You can only mark one console as your primary account — the clue is in the name — meaning this is only really available for two people to get the full perks. Unfortunately yes, that means you can only gameshare with one person at a time.