You can share your Game Pass Ultimate with up to four other people using Xbox's built-in family sharing feature

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate costs one monthly fee but lets you add family members at no extra cost through a feature called Xbox Game Pass Family Plan. Each person gets their own account, their own save files, and access to the full library of games — they just can't play online multiplayer at the same time as you on the same game. The setup takes about ten minutes and happens entirely on your console or through the Xbox app.

The people you add must be in the same household. Microsoft checks this by looking at your home console — the one where you set up family sharing. Anyone who signs in on that console can play your Game Pass games, and anyone you formally add to your family group can play them on their own console too.

Key Takeaways

  • Game Pass Ultimate family sharing lets up to four other people use your subscription at no extra cost, each with their own account and save files.
  • You must designate one Xbox console as your home console; anyone who signs in there automatically gets access to your games.
  • To add someone to your family group, you need their email address or phone number and must confirm they live with you.
  • Family members can play your games on their own consoles, but you cannot both play the same game online at the same time.
  • The person who pays for Game Pass Ultimate keeps the subscription; family members cannot cancel it or change the payment method.

Set your home console first

Before you add anyone, you need to tell Xbox which console is your home console. This is the console where family members will automatically have access to your games without needing to be formally added to a family group. Sign in to the console you want to use as your home console, press the Xbox button on your controller, go to Settings, then General, then Personalization, then My home Xbox. Select Make this my home Xbox.

Only one console can be your home console at a time. If you change which console is your home console later, the old one stops giving automatic access to your games — but people you formally added to your family group will still have access on their own consoles.

Add family members through your Microsoft account settings

To formally add someone to your family group, sign in to your Microsoft account at account.microsoft.com on any computer or phone. Go to Family in the left menu, then select Add a family member. Enter their email address or phone number. If they do not have a Microsoft account yet, you can create one for them during this step.

Microsoft will send them an invitation. They need to accept it to join your family group. Once they do, they can play your Game Pass games on their own console — they do not need to sign in on your home console. They will see the games in their own Game Pass library and can read and play them normally.

What happens when family members play your games

Each family member gets their own save files and achievements. If you both own the same game through Game Pass, you can play it at the same time, but you cannot play the same game online together — Xbox will block one of you from connecting to multiplayer. This is Microsoft's way of preventing one subscription from powering multiple online players in the same game.

If a family member buys a game separately with their own money, they can play it online with you without this restriction. The block only applies to games covered by your Game Pass subscription.

Remove someone from your family group

Go back to account.microsoft.com, select Family, find the person you want to remove, and select the three dots next to their name. Choose Remove from family. They lose access to your Game Pass games when ready, though any games they bought themselves stay on their account.

If you remove someone who was playing a game at that moment, they will be kicked out of the game. Their save files remain on their console, but they cannot play Game Pass games anymore.

Troubleshoot if someone cannot see your games

If a family member is in your family group but cannot see your Game Pass games on their console, first check that you have an active Game Pass Ultimate subscription — the subscription must be current for sharing to work. Then have them sign out completely and sign back in. Sometimes the console needs a few minutes to sync the change.

If they still cannot see the games, go to your home console and make sure you are signed in there. Your account must be active on the home console for the sharing to work. If you have changed which console is your home console recently, wait a few hours for the change to take effect across Xbox's servers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I add someone who does not live with me?

Technically you can send an invitation to anyone with an email address, but Microsoft's terms say family sharing is only for people in your household. If you add someone far away and Microsoft detects the pattern, they may disable sharing on your account. The safest approach is to only add people you actually live with.

What if someone in my family group cancels the subscription?

Only the person who pays for Game Pass Ultimate can cancel it or change the payment method. Family members cannot cancel the subscription, change the billing address, or upgrade to a different tier. If you want to stop sharing, you remove them from your family group instead.

Can two family members play the same game online at the same time?

No. Xbox blocks multiplayer access if two people in the same family group try to play the same Game Pass game online simultaneously. One of you will get an error message. You can both play offline modes, or one person can play online while the other plays a different game.

Do family members need their own Xbox Live Gold subscription?

No. Game Pass Ultimate includes Xbox Live Gold, so family members get online multiplayer access through your subscription. They do not need to buy Gold separately. However, the multiplayer block still applies — only one of you can play the same Game Pass game online at once.

What happens to my family group if I cancel Game Pass Ultimate?

Everyone in your family group loses access to Game Pass games when ready. Their save files stay on their consoles, but they cannot play any Game Pass titles. If they want to keep playing, they would each need their own Game Pass subscription.