The rise of digital downloads of games raises some interesting new questions. With older consoles, all you had to do was bring the disc, pop it in, and you were ready to play. But for digital downloads, the game can only be accessed after logging in with the correct account on your console. This isn’t a problem if you’re the only gamer in your family, or if you and your family all play on the same account, but it’s less convenient if you want the console to track your individual gaming progress or achievements.
There’s a simple workaround for this issue on Xbox One, though – if you’re using multiple gamertags on one console, you’ll need to set up that computer as a “home console.” When you log into Xbox One for the first time and save your password, the console becomes your home Xbox. But you can change this setting if needed. The purpose of this is to allow you to share games and downloadable content (DLC) purchased from the Xbox Game Store with everyone who is logged into your console. You can also share your Xbox Gold subscription with anyone signed into the same Xbox, which includes sharing games downloaded as part of your subscription. Basically, anyone who plays games on your home console can play any game you download for them. Here’s how to do this:
- If you have a Kinect, say “Xbox, go to settings.” Otherwise, select set up from My games and apps.
- choose My Xbox from the left side of the screen.
- choose My Xbox.
- choose Make this my homeXbox Designate the console as your home Xbox.
That’s all. This allows everyone to play games downloaded to that Xbox One, even if they log in with different accounts. This means you don’t have to manage individual saved games or worry about overwriting other people’s progress while playing.
There’s one important thing you need to remember, though – you can only designate one console as your home Xbox at a time. You can change your home Xbox console up to three times in a year. When you switch home consoles, all device licenses for digital content will be transferred to your new home Xbox. These device licenses will no longer be available on your old “home” Xbox.
Have a horror story about a family member who “accidentally” deleted your saved game? Tell us in the comments.
