• Set Up Your System

Link Your Console to Another Console

You can connect two or more Xbox 360 consoles to play a multiplayer match. Xbox 360 supports up to 16 consoles for system-link play.

To establish a system-link match you must satisfy the following conditions:

• Your Xbox 360 game must support system-link play, as indicated by a system-link icon on the back of the game box. The game's box or user manual will indicate how many linked players the game will accommodate.

  Note

  Many games support split-screen multiplayer gameplay. In split-screen multiplayer play, multiple controllers connect to a single Xbox 360 console and to one TV. This does not require a system-link connection.

• If you're linking an Xbox 360 console to an original Xbox console, the game in question must also be compatible with both Xbox 360 and the original Xbox system.
• You must have one TV for each connected Xbox 360 console.

See the procedures below for networking and cabling requirements.

Console-to-Console Connection: Wireless

Some Xbox games offer console-to-console, or system-link, play, in which two or more players (depending on the game) can wirelessly network their consoles for multiplayer use.

If you connect consoles wirelessly, you have a choice of connecting them with an infrastructure network (using an access point, router, or gateway) or you can connect them with an ad-hoc network. In an ad-hoc network, the consoles connect directly to each other with no other device between them. An Internet connection isn't shared with this type of network, and the console-to-console connection is typically temporary.

Whether you establish a wired or a wireless connection, you need to make sure both consoles have their IP addresses on the same network. If you are setting up an ad-hoc wireless network, you may have to manually assign IP addresses to your consoles.

For more information, see Understanding TCP/IP Addressing.

For console-to-console play, you need:

• Two Xbox 360 consoles.
• Two Xbox 360 Wireless Networking Adapters.
• An Xbox 360 game that supports system-link play.

To wirelessly connect your console to another console:

1. Attach an Xbox 360 Wireless Networking Adapter to the back of each console as described in Use Your Xbox 360 Wireless Networking Adapter.
2. On each console, go to the System area to enter your network settings. (They will be the same for each console.)
3. If all settings are correct, exit the System area. The consoles should now be wirelessly connected to each other. Up to four Xbox 360 consoles can be connected in this fashion.

Console-to-Console Connection: Wired

You can also connect your Xbox 360 console to another console using a standard Ethernet (RJ-45) cable.

To connect your console to another console:

1. Make sure both Xbox 360 consoles are off.
2. Connect the ends of a single Ethernet cable to the Ethernet port on the back of each Xbox 360 console.

   Note

   To connect more than two consoles, you must use one Ethernet cable per console and one of the following: an Ethernet hub, a switch, or a router with one available port for each console.

3. Make sure each Xbox 360 console is connected to a separate TV or monitor.
4. To start playing, follow the game instructions for multiplayer gameplay.

For More Info

If you encounter problems with your wireless adapter, see Troubleshoot Your Wireless Networking Adapter.

To learn more about backward-compatible games, see our Backward Compatibility FAQ.