Game Sharing on PS5 and Xbox Explained: Console Sharing, Home Xbox and Game Pass
November 1, 2026
On a PS5, turning on Console Sharing and Offline Play for your account lets anyone who uses that console play the games you've bought, even when the console is offline, and use some PlayStation Plus benefits. You can turn it on for one PS5 at a time. On Xbox, making a console your home Xbox does the same: anyone who signs in to it can play your digital games and your Game Pass library, even when you're not signed in. You can change your home Xbox up to five times a year. Neither system lets two people on two different consoles play from one purchase at the same time, and neither shares Game Pass on a Windows PC, where each person needs their own subscription.
Game sharing is one of the most useful things in modern consoles, and one of the most misunderstood. This guide explains how each system works in plain terms, what can and can't be shared, the limits Sony and Microsoft set, and how to fix the usual "this game is locked" problems. It also covers the account-sharing shortcuts that get people banned.
Key facts
- PS5 Console Sharing and Offline Play is on automatically for the first PS5 you sign in to. You can enable it on one PS5 at a time.
- Sony lets you remotely deactivate all your devices from Account Management, but only once every six months.
- An Xbox console becomes your home Xbox automatically when you add your account and don't choose "Lock it down".
- You can switch your home Xbox up to five times in a year, and Microsoft says customer support can't give extra switches.
- Game Pass Ultimate, Premium and Essential can all be shared through the home Xbox. On Windows PCs, Game Pass is tied to each person's own account.
- In-game currency and some one-time bonuses can't be shared on Xbox.
How PS5 game sharing works
Sony's name for it is Console Sharing and Offline Play. When it's on for your account on a PS5, Sony says anyone who uses that console can:
- play your games and media, even when the console is offline,
- play games and media you've bought and downloaded,
- and enjoy some benefits of your PlayStation Plus membership.
It's tied to the console, not the person. Your brother signs in to the family PS5 with his own account and plays your games, because your account has Console Sharing turned on for that console.
Turning it on
Sony says it's switched on automatically on the first PS5 you sign in to. To turn it on for a different PS5:
- On the PS5 you want to share, go to Settings > Users and Accounts.
- Select Other > Console Sharing and Offline Play.
- Select Enable.
If it's already on for another PS5, Sony says to turn it off there first. You can only have it on one PS5 at a time. Sony also says Console Sharing doesn't affect your other console activation limits.
If the old console is gone
If you sold, lost or broke the PS5 that has your Console Sharing, you can't reach its settings. Sony's fix is to sign in to Account Management and deactivate all devices. There's a catch: you can only do this once every six months. Use it when you really need it, such as when selling or giving away a console.
The PS4 version
On a PS4 the equivalent setting is Activate as your primary PS4. It works on the same idea: other users of that console can play your content. Sony has a separate guide for it.
How Xbox game sharing works
Microsoft calls it your home Xbox. Microsoft says making a console your home Xbox gives friends and family access to your games and content when you're not signed in, and lets you play your digital games offline.
When you first install a digital game on your home Xbox, the console gets a licence for it from the Xbox network. Microsoft says that licence is tied to your home Xbox and never expires unless you change your home Xbox. Anyone who signs in to that console with their own profile can play it.
Setting your home Xbox
Microsoft says a console becomes your home Xbox automatically when you add your account to it and don't choose Lock it down during setup. To set it yourself:
- On the console you want as home, open the guide with the Xbox button on your controller.
- Choose Profile & system, then Settings, General and Personalization.
- Open My home Xbox and choose Make this my home Xbox.
To remove a console as your home Xbox, go to the same screen and select Remove this as my home Xbox.
Microsoft also points out that if you've upgraded from an Xbox One to an Xbox Series X|S, you should make the new console your home Xbox. And after a full reset, assign it again, because the setting is lost with everything else.
The five-a-year rule
You can switch your home Xbox up to five times in any one-year period. If you hit the limit, the My home Xbox screen shows the next date you can change it. Microsoft says plainly that customer support can't offer extra switches, so don't switch back and forth for fun.
What happens on your other consoles
The home Xbox isn't the only place your games work. Microsoft says you can download, play and share your digital games on any Xbox without switching your home Xbox. The difference is that elsewhere, you need to be signed in and online. At a friend's house, sign in, and everyone there can play your games while you're signed in.
When you switch your home Xbox, Microsoft says the shared licences stop working for other people on your old home console. You'd need to be signed in online there to let them play.
Game Pass sharing
On Xbox consoles
Microsoft says you can share Game Pass with your household by making the console your home Xbox. Anyone who uses that console can then download and play Game Pass games, even if you're not signed in. This works for Game Pass Ultimate, Premium and Essential.
On the go, Microsoft says you can sign in on any other Xbox, such as at a friend's, and share your Game Pass with everyone there while you're signed in.
On Windows PCs
This is where many families get caught out. Microsoft says that on Windows PCs, Game Pass benefits are tied to the individual Microsoft account. There's no home-PC equivalent. Each person who wants Game Pass on their own PC needs their own subscription.
"Why did my child lose access to Game Pass?"
Microsoft has an answer for this exact question. It's almost always because the home Xbox changed. Game Pass can only be shared on the console set as the home Xbox for the account that owns the subscription. If that setting changed, or your child is on a different console, they lose access. The fix: sign in with the subscription owner's account on your child's console and select Make this my home Xbox. If your child plays on a PC, they need their own subscription.
What can't be shared
On Xbox
Microsoft lists the things you share through your home Xbox: games and downloadable content from the Microsoft Store, and games from Game Pass. It also lists account-specific things that can't always be shared:
- game-specific content bought with in-game currency, such as Minecraft Skin Mashups or Halo REQ Packs,
- in-game currency itself, such as Minecraft Coins,
- certain pre-order bonuses and special edition content that can only be redeemed once.
So your sibling can play your copy of a game, but the V-Bucks or coins you bought stay with your account.
On PS5
Sony's wording is that Console Sharing shares games and media you've bought and downloaded, plus some PlayStation Plus benefits. Sony keeps a separate guide on exactly which Plus benefits are shared. As a rule of thumb, treat currency and items bought inside a game as belonging to the account that bought them.
Fixing shared games that won't start
PS5: a padlock on the game
Sony's troubleshooting for content you can't access:
- Check who bought it. It has to be the user who enabled Console Sharing on this PS5. Check transaction history to be sure.
- If it's a PlayStation Plus game, the Plus subscription must be active, and the game must still be in the Plus catalogue.
- If someone else owns it, they need Console Sharing turned on for this PS5.
- A padlock icon can mean a licence or network problem. Sony has a separate padlock guide.
If you can't enable Console Sharing at all, Sony suggests turning it off on the other PS5 first, checking the PlayStation status page, updating the system software, restarting your router (off for at least five minutes) and restarting the console.
Xbox: "this game isn't yours" or won't launch
- Check the home Xbox setting on the console, under My home Xbox. It must be home for the account that bought the game or owns Game Pass.
- If you just switched home consoles, relaunch or redownload the game on the new console. Microsoft says this registers the licence there, which also enables offline play.
- On a console that isn't your home, sign in with the account that owns the game and stay online.
- For Game Pass, check the subscription is active and the game is still in the library for your plan.
Sharing rules: what's allowed and what gets accounts banned
Console sharing exists because Sony and Microsoft want households to share. What they don't want is people swapping logins:
- Swapping account passwords with a friend so you both "game share" across two houses is not what either platform's sharing features are for, and it puts the whole account in someone else's hands.
- Microsoft says you're responsible for how your profile is used, even if someone else was playing when a rule was broken. Enforcement lands on the profile owner.
- Account recovery gets messy. A friend who knows your password can change it, and support may see it as access you allowed.
- Payment risk. Anyone signed in as you can spend your wallet or saved card.
The safe version of game sharing is the one the platforms built: Console Sharing on PS5, home Xbox on Xbox, and Steam Families on PC. Our Steam Families guide covers the PC side, including its own limits.
Playing offline
Both systems double as offline licences, which matters if your internet is unreliable or the network is down.
- PS5: Sony's name says it all. With Console Sharing and Offline Play on, you and everyone on that PS5 can play your games even when the console is offline.
- Xbox: Microsoft says your home Xbox lets you play your digital games offline, because the licence is tied to that console. During a network or service outage, or somewhere without internet, downloaded games still play on your home Xbox.
The flip side: on a console that isn't your home Xbox, or a PS5 without your Console Sharing, your games need you signed in and online. If you travel with a console, make the travel console your sharing console, or make sure games are launched online before you leave.
Myths about game sharing
"Game sharing lets my friend and me buy half the games each." Only on the same console. The systems share with whoever uses one console. Splitting a library across two houses by swapping logins isn't what the feature is for, and it hands your account to someone else.
"Turning off sharing deletes the games for everyone." It removes their access to your licences on that console. The games are still yours, and the other person keeps anything they bought on their own account.
"I can change my home Xbox whenever I like." Five times in a year, and support can't add more.
"Remote deactivation on PlayStation is unlimited." It's once every six months, so save it for real need, like a lost or sold console.
"Game Pass sharing covers the family PC." It doesn't. On Windows, Game Pass is per account.
"My in-game currency is shared too." Not on Xbox, where Microsoft lists in-game currency and items bought with it as account-specific. Treat it the same on PlayStation.
How it compares with Steam on PC
If your household also plays on PC, Steam Families is the equivalent. It shares eligible games between members of a family group, with parental controls for children, but it has its own rules on who can join and how often members can change. Unlike the console systems, it's built around people rather than one machine. Our Steam Families guide explains it in full.
Practical setups for real households
Two consoles in one house
Say there's a PS5 in the living room and another in a bedroom. Turn on Console Sharing for your account on the bedroom PS5 (the one you don't usually use). Everyone there can play your games without your account. On the living room PS5, where you play, you sign in as yourself and play your own games normally. The same idea works on Xbox: make the console you don't play on your home Xbox, and sign in as yourself on the other.
Sharing with a partner or roommate
Each person keeps their own account. One buys the game, and the console set up for sharing lets the other play. On Xbox, Game Pass sharing works the same way, but only on the home console, so don't expect it on a second console.
Kids with their own accounts
Give each child their own child account (managed by you as family manager or organiser). Share your games through Console Sharing or home Xbox. That way the children never need your password, your payment details stay locked away, and parental controls apply to them. Our guides to the PlayStation family spending limit and Xbox Ask a parent cover spending controls.
Moving to a new console
Turn sharing off on the old console before selling it (PS5) or remove it as your home Xbox (Xbox). Then set it up on the new one. If you've already sold it, use Sony's remote deactivation, remembering it's only available every six months, or simply make the new Xbox your home Xbox. On Xbox, the old console loses your shared licences automatically when you switch.
Selling or giving away a console safely
Before the console leaves your house:
- PS5: disable Console Sharing and Offline Play for your account, remove your payment methods, then delete your user.
- Xbox: select Remove this as my home Xbox, then remove your profile.
If you skip this on Xbox, the next owner can keep playing your games and Game Pass until you change your home Xbox. Our guide to removing a saved card covers the payment side.
Gift cards and shared consoles
Shared consoles create one classic money mistake: a gift card redeemed on whichever account happened to be signed in. Both platforms are firm that redeemed money can't be moved between accounts, so check who's signed in before you redeem. Our guides to a PSN code that says already used and an Xbox code that says already redeemed cover the details.
With game sharing set up properly, it often makes sense for one person to own the games and everyone else to play them on the shared console. Top up that one account with gift cards, including PSN or Xbox cards earned through XPReward, and buy each game once for the whole household.
Frequently asked questions
How do I game share on PS5?
Turn on Console Sharing and Offline Play for your account on the PS5 you want to share: Settings > Users and Accounts > Other > Console Sharing and Offline Play > Enable. Anyone who uses that console can then play your games.
How many consoles can I game share on?
On PS5, Console Sharing and Offline Play can be on for one PS5 at a time. On Xbox, you have one home Xbox at a time, but you can play your own games on any Xbox while signed in online.
How often can I change my home Xbox?
Up to five times in any one-year period. Microsoft says customer support can't give extra changes.
Can I share Xbox Game Pass on PC?
Not the way you can on a console. Microsoft says Game Pass on Windows PCs is tied to each person's Microsoft account, so each person needs their own subscription.
Can two people play the same shared game at the same time?
Yes, in the usual setup: the owner signs in and plays on their own console, while others play the same game on the console where sharing is turned on. Neither platform lets you share one purchase across two houses through account swapping.
Why is my shared PS5 game locked?
Check that the person who bought it has Console Sharing turned on for this PS5, that any PlayStation Plus subscription is active, and that the game is still in the catalogue. A padlock can also mean a licence or network problem.
Do I lose my games if I turn off Console Sharing or change my home Xbox?
No. The games stay on your account. Other people just stop being able to play your copies on that console, unless you're signed in there and online.
Can a child account share games with the family?
Yes, through the same console settings. A child plays the games shared on the console with their own child account, so they never need a parent's password.
Sources
PS5 and Xbox game sharing rules checked on 2 November 2026 against: