(Image credit: Rebecca Spear / Windows Central)
Can I play Diablo 4 Early Access with game share?
Unfortunately, it’s currently not possible to play Diablo 4 in Early Access with console game sharing. However, some users have reported that they were able to game share Diablo 4’s betas, suggesting that it may be possible to game share the game when it fully launches on June 6.
Early Access game sharing doesn’t work, but…
One of the best features available on consoles such as Microsoft’s Xbox is game sharing. Once you have it set up (see our guide on how to set up game share on Xbox), you can use it to share your digital games between two consoles, allowing a friend or family member to play your games without having to purchase them. Notably, since they’ll be logged in with a different profile, you can even play your games together simultaneously through game sharing.
Now that Diablo 4 Early Access is here, many players who purchased the Digital Deluxe or Ultimate Edition to get access to it have wondered if it’s possible to use game sharing to enjoy the chaotic ARPG with a battle buddy. Sadly, though, this currently isn’t possible. Currently, attempting to game share Diablo 4 while it’s in Early Access ahead of its full June 6 launch consistently results in an “Unable to find a valid license” error for the person you’re game sharing with.
It’s unclear why Diablo 4 Early Access isn’t compatible with game share, but if we had to guess, we’d say it probably has something to do with Blizzard Entertainment’s Battle.net servers and the way they hook into your account on Xbox or PlayStation. Battle.net may not be recognizing that the player you’re game sharing with is playing a version of Diablo 4 that comes with Early Access, which could result in the license errors people are seeing. The “key” that unlocks Early Access may also be coded as a Diablo 4 add-on of sorts, and unfortunately, add-on content often doesn’t play nicely with game share.
The (potentially) good news is that we’ve seen several reports from fans confirming that they were able to game share Diablo 4 during its Closed Beta (which required a preorder), Open Beta, and Server Slam tests. This suggests that when the game releases for everyone on June 6, there’s a chance game sharing it will be possible since Early Access restrictions won’t be in place anymore.
Is there another way?
While it’s unfortunate that you can’t game share Diablo 4 Early Access with your friends and family, there’s an alternative option you may be able to take advantage of: couch co-op.
Like Diablo 3 before it, Diablo 4 local couch co-op gives you the ability to play the game with one other person locally, and all you’ll need to make it work is a second controller and another Battle.net account player two can sign into. Once signed in, your co-op partner can create a character and jump into the action without ever having to purchase Diablo 4 themselves.
This won’t help folks that typically game share between households, but if you’re trying to play with someone you live with, it’s the perfect solution. Thanks to Diablo 4’s cross-progression systems, player two’s characters and progress will even be saved on their Battle.net account they signed in with for co-op, even if they don’t own the game. This progress will transfer if they eventually decide to buy the game themselves, which is awesome.
Diablo 4 is slated to fully launch on June 6, 2023 on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One consoles, Windows PC, PS5, and PS4, with Early Access available to fans that purchase the Digital Deluxe or Ultimate Edition. It’s one of the best Xbox games for fans of dungeon crawlers and hack-and-slash combat, and we’ve been having an absolute blast with it.