Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. Guides

How to gameshare on Xbox One

Jesse Lennox
Gabe Gurwin
By and

Gamesharing is one of the best features the gaming world has seen over the past decade. The Xbox One was one of the first consoles to fully embrace this feature, and the simple process allows you to give a person you trust access to your library of downloadable games. This feature would carry forward to the next-generation Series X and S consoles as well.

Additionally, you can gain access to the games on your trusted friend’s Xbox account. The Xbox One, Xbox One S, and Xbox One X make gamesharing easy, but this process does come with a few restrictions that you should know beforehand.

Difficulty

Easy

Duration

15 minutes

What You Need

  • Any model Xbox One console

  • Xbox Live Gold subscription

In order to gameshare on Xbox, you and your friend will both need your own Xbox One systems and accounts. But once that's all put together, gamesharing is incredibly easy. Here are a few steps to follow to get the feature working properly.

How to gameshare

Before you start, both you and your gameshare partner will need access to each other’s systems and be willing to exchange account info — including the email associated with your Xbox accounts and the matching passwords.

From here, the following steps will explain what you and your partner should do on your Xbox One. To exchange libraries, you will need to repeat the process twice — once to connect your Xbox One to their account and a second time to connect their Xbox One to your account.

Step 1: Once you’re ready, select the icon at the top left on the home screen, then navigate to the user account menu (again on the left). Select Add new, and then add both accounts to your Xbox One.

how to gameshare on xbox one add guest
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 2: From there, you must make your gameshare partner’s Xbox One your “home Xbox.” Go to Settings > Personalize > My home Xbox > Make this my home Xbox.

Related

Step 3: In that menu, register the system as your default device. As the description reads: “When this your home Xbox, people can play games without you signing in.” Convenient and, of course, exactly what we’re looking to do.

how to gameshare on xbox one my home
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 4: Lastly, all you have to do is go into your game library by selecting My Games & Apps > See all > Full library > All owned games.. Here, you should see a list of all the games that are accessible to your account. This will now include both your own games and your gameshare partner’s games. Sharing also allows you to split an Xbox Live Gold account.

how to gameshare on an xbox series x my home menu
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 5: To exchange libraries, repeat the steps above on your partner’s device, making their console your “home Xbox.”

Things you should know before gamesharing

The process comes with a few risks. Your friend will be able to make purchases through your account on the Xbox Store, so be careful about what information you save on your account. We highly recommend you only set up gamesharing with a trusted friend or family member. That way, you won’t have to worry about them making purchases without your permission.

If you lose your internet connection, you won’t be able to access your digital game library unless you’ve identified your Xbox One as your home Xbox. Other users on your console also won’t have access to your games or Xbox Live Gold subscription if it isn’t your home Xbox.

Any time you switch to a new Xbox One or upgrade to an Xbox Series X, you will have to repeat the whole process over again. Also, keep in mind that you can only change your home Xbox five times annually before Microsoft cuts you off from any more changes. This prevents you from frequently switching accounts with your friends to share their games. To ensure you won’t get locked out of your account due to changing your home Xbox, pick one friend to switch with periodically before changing your settings.

How to gameshare on Xbox Series X

If you’re looking to gameshare on one of Microsoft’s new systems — Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S — the process is very similar to how it works on Xbox One. We’ve written up a detailed gamesharing on the Xbox Series X guide, walking you through each step of the process, as there are a few key differences. We love the gamesharing feature available on newer consoles since it allows users to share games without spending a lot of extra money.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Jesse Lennox
Jesse Lennox
Jesse Lennox loves writing, games, and complaining about not having time to write and play games. He knows the names of more…
How to unlock the Invoker in Remnant 2
Invoker

Remnant 2's second DLC, The Forgotten King, is jam-packed with fun new stuff to find for those willing to thoroughly explore. Among its many additions is the Invoker archetype, which allows you to harness the power of nature using the nature spirits of Yaesha. Below, we'll detail how you can unlock this exciting new class for yourself.

Read more
How to start The Forgotten Kingdom DLC in Remnant 2
Invoker

Remnant 2 is a massive game that already boasts nearly endless replayability, but that isn't stopping developer Gunfire Games from adding even more to do in the popular looter shooter. The game's new DLC, The Forgotten Kingdom, provides players with a substantial amount of extra stuff to check out, such as new biomes to explore, an additional archetype known as The Invoker, and plenty of fresh enemies to take down. If you're ready to see all of what The Forgotten Kingdom DLC has to offer, read on to learn how to access it from within the game.
How to start The Forgotten Kingdom DLC
The first step in accessing The Forgotten Kingdom DLC is to ensure you've purchased and downloaded it. You can buy the standalone version from your respective storefront for $10, or you can opt to snag the $25 bundle, which includes The Awakened King, The Forgotten Kingdom, and another future DLC that has yet to be announced. If you intend to play the full trilogy of DLCs, the former is your best option, as you'll save five bucks off the total cost of all three.

Once you've purchased and downloaded the DLC, you'll be ready to access The Forgotten Kingdom by visiting a World Stone and opening Adventure Mode. You'll need to have completed the Yaesha biome at least one time. At that point, you can select "Reroll Adventure Mode" and choose The Forgotten Kingdom: One Shot on the right, which will notably give you exclusive DLC content your first time through. Keep in mind that while this initial run won't feature any older content, your subsequent playthroughs of Yaesha will weave DLC areas in with main campaign content.

Read more
The most common Xbox Series S problems and how to fix them
Xbox Series S placed on a white table with the controller just in front of it

There haven't been many complaints about Xbox Series S since it launched in 2020. Serving as the more affordable sibling of the premium Xbox Series X, it plays all the same games yet works at a lower resolution – allowing it to carry a nice price tag of $250. Users have reported a few common issues with Xbox Series S over the years, however, which run the gamut from Quick Resume crashing to HDMI-CEC not registering a connection.

Running into problems with your Xbox Series S? Here's a look at the eight most common Xbox Series S problems, along with how to fix them. If you can't fix the problem on your own, things might be more serious than expected. In that case, be sure to contact Microsoft for advanced troubleshooting or to get your console replaced.
Get in touch with Microsoft
Microsoft offers several support routes, so if you don't find a solution in this guide, make sure to reach out. If you encounter an Xbox Series S problem that needs our attention, make sure to tag us on X @DigitalTrends (loop in @XboxSupport, too). Otherwise, you can contact Microsoft using the options below.

Read more