How to play with your sons (1 Xbox & 2 PC) ... (and not die trying)

  • JoseIYV

    Greetings,

    So, my son and me liked some cool video about this game and I decided to go for it. You can bet it has been as smooth and easy and cheap as this:

    • I retired our old XBOX 360 and bought the shiny latest XBOX one X
    • Bought a box of sea of thieves
    • Bought a Gold suscription for my existing Live account
    • Created one Microsoft account for each kid.
    • Added both kids accounts to Family and managed their permissions (really nice feature), so we had the 3 accounts set up.
    • Installed the box game in Xbox (But then only one person could play and from the Xbox)
    • Using my adult account, got Game Pass
    • Almost getting there!
    • Using Game Pass offer, downloaded & installed the game in the PC
    • Now two of us can play, one in the PC using my Live account and the other in the Xbox using one of the kids Microsoft account (they don't have Live or Gold, ... yet).

    So, the third of us cannot still play, and I am really unsure of what else to do. Because they both are kids and I am not creating a Live account or Gold suscription for them.

    My question is this:
    What are my alternatives?

    I am really HAPPY because that was a lot easier than buying a Monopoly box and start playing all the family, for instance. Wasn't it? Well not yet.

    Excuse my irony, I really WANT to find a good solution and WONDER if RARE & Microsoft are aware of the difficulties and time consuming tasks parents like me have to get through to finally FAIL.

    Love, Kisses and plenty Chests for all.

  • Login To Reply
    16
    Posts
    59.7k
    Views
  • MhuLhaVhaka
    Castaway
    Insider

    I got one game pass and two account link together in a family for me and my husband... can we play together? in diferent pc?

  • JoseIYV

    @ant-heuser-kush Thank you for the quick feedback!
    I can buy a game as many times as needed, and I have the third PC ready, but as I said, creating a Live account with Gold suscription and Game Pass for a Kid won't happen in my home. I'd ask RARE for a tabletop version first.

    Thank you again.

  • Glannigan
    Sailor

    So I have 2 XBOX Ones and PC's everwhere.

    XBOX A - is (Glannigans) home console so any user gets ton use my digital stuff on that system.
    XBOX B - I log in as my profile (Glannigan) that subscribed to XBOX Game Pass.

    PC is logged in as a an Old XBOX Live account from back when they had the Family plan. But that PC may also be Glannigans primary "PC".

    Long story short not exactly sure how it's working but all 3 of us are are playing together for one 9 dollar subscription.

  • JoseIYV

    @mhulhavhaka In short, No.

    You can share one game copy if you use PC and XBOX, for 2 PCs you need 2 Game Pass, 2 Live accounts and maybe two Gold suscriptions (but I am not sure about this).

    Easiest ever. I am not sure how to name the hairball, but "progress" is not the word.

  • JoseIYV

    @glannigan Awesome!

    Really, what makes me upset, apart from being unable to play together, is that the 70€ boxed copy is useless with my setup (1xbox 2 pcs).

  • Glannigan
    Sailor

    Not sure if it helps but my XBOX Gold ran out like a month ago but I'm still able to play Sea Of Thieves online. Don't think you nred gold if you subscribe to game pass.

  • JoseIYV

    @glannigan Yes, thanks. I made the test and you are right there, no Gold needed in PC.

    So, once you get how it all works, the only real issue is having to link a payment method to a kids account, to get the 2nd game pass. I would prefer to centralize family suscriptions in one account/payment method.

  • WarmedxMints
    Marauder
    Insider

    You can play on as many pc's as you like with a different live account as long as the account which owns the game or game pass is logged into the windows store. I have two xboxs and two pc's. I can run 4 copies of the game from a single game pass subscription.

    Here's how;

    My account signed into windows store on the two pc's and signed in on the xbox one which isn't my home box.

    2 of the other accounts are signed into the xbox app on my pc's and one is signed in on my home xbox.

  • Shovel Guy 556

    I admire the level of involvement and care you take with your sons. Fathers like you are few and far between. Thank you for being a good example!!!!!

    Firstly and most importantly; Turn off the proximity chat on their accounts (thats in the game). The game may be rated teen, but there are some really creepy dudes out there that aint.

    When it comes to having three people play;
    I suggest you let the kid on the xbox use your live gold account. Then let the other kid play on the PC, since you only have two copies/licences of the game.
    -I dont understand how you need live gold on the PC, and not on the xbox, but Im not good with that stuff either.-

    I think you should consider if this game is really worth three copies. I mean its good but its also full of bugs and glitches. Many people also complain that it feels incomplete. (But I can understand that you want to hang with your kids). If you buy another month of game pass (separate account), does it let you play on another PC? I cant understand that you should need another gold account for that.

    If I had kids Id probably take them with me and teach them how to fell a tree with an axe. Weathers nice this time of year.

  • JoseIYV

    @warmedxmints Thank you. That's quite awesome figuring that out by oneself!
    Its 'simplicity' speaks out loud enough about the whole point of this thread.

    I am going to try it of course :)

  • JoseIYV

    @shovel-guy-556 Thank you for your kind words. Of course we do other things not only play videogames. But I admit it's been long waiting for this kind of cooperative games. I think they are a good way to play with your kids in a respectful and joyful environment (as long as you avoid griefers or absolute PVP centric gamers, I agree with that concern).

  • WarmedxMints
    Marauder
    Insider

    @joseiyv said in How to play with your sons (1 Xbox & 2 PC) ... (and not die trying):

    @shovel-guy-556 Thank you for your kind words. Of course we do other things not only play videogames. But I admit it's been long waiting for this kind of cooperative games. I think they are a good way to play with your kids in a respectful and joyful environment (as long as you avoid griefers or absolute PVP centric gamers, I agree with that concern).

    My 6yo son loves playing Burnout Paradise with me. You can play that in a private freeroam as well. Buy that digital and you can run two copies if you have two xb1's.

    He also enjoys Forza Horizon 3. That's a play anywhere title so with one digital copy, you can run it on your xbox and pc. You need to play through the single player a bit to unlock the co-op mode though.

  • Shovel Guy 556

    @JoseIYV You might also want to check out No Man Sky. Heard it gets multiplayer in July.

  • Zhaph
    Commander
    Insider

    You seem to be most of the way there - sadly it was the physical game purchase that has let you down.

    The issue is that "Play Anywhere" is only available via the digital purchase as that way the usage can be properly tracked - the DRM otherwise requires that the physical disk is inserted in the machine to prove ownership of the game.

    1. Create a Windows account for yourself, and set up a Family (you've done this).
    2. Create Windows accounts for your kids, added to your Family (they should probably be Child accounts at this time, as that gives you a bunch of other handy parental features) (again, it looks you've done that).
    3. Purchase the game via the Windows or Xbox Store - doing this will allow you to use the Family Sharing features of the store, along with the "Play anywhere" feature of the game. Family Sharing allows you to share one application with any accounts on up to 5 devices.
      3.1. On each PC, for each account, open the Windows Store app, click on the user icon, and sign out, then sign in as you, and install the game. Log out of the Store app, and back in as the kid.
      3.2. On the Xbox, under your account, install the Game.
    4. On the Xbox, under you account, purchase a Gold membership, and enable Family Sharing if the kids are going to use the Xbox as well at times.

    After all that you should be able to play with just the single copy on all three accounts and devices, at the same time.

    Sadly the rights to install an Store app on multiple accounts on multiple machines isn't all that well known except amongst developers it would seem, even though it's been a feature since 2012.

  • JoseIYV

    @zhaph Thanks a lot for the helpful and detailed instructions. It is working!

    Cheers!

Login To Reply
16
Posts
59.7k
Views
15 out of 16