Having a consistent group of friends online to play games with can elevate your enjoyment of a title and, for some online and multiplayer activities, can be a compulsory requirement. Not having a group for certain multiplayer games, then, can prevent you from enjoying the entirety of a game.

Luckily, the Xbox One and Series X|S come with a Looking for Group feature that can help guarantee that you always have an available group to enjoy your favorite multiplayer games on Xbox.

But what exactly is Xbox's Looking for Group feature, and how can you find groups for multiplayer games on Xbox? Let's find out.

Why You May Need to Use the Looking for Group Feature on Xbox

Because most games include matchmaking features for online play on Xbox, you may be wondering why you may need to use the Looking for Groups feature on Xbox altogether, let alone what the feature includes or how to use it.

However, there are quite a few scenarios in which the Looking for Group feature on Xbox is a godsend for online multiplayer games, specifically games or game modes that require Xbox Parties to play. Some of the most common reasons you may need to use the feature are as follows:

  • For games like Destiny 2 that include complex multiplayer modes like raids that require Xbox Party chat and intense cooperation and planning.
  • For games that don't support matchmaking for their online multiplayer or specific multiplayer modes, like Stardew Valley.
  • For games that need further specifications that joining players need to know, like Seasonal play on Diablo III.
A screenshot of the Looking for Group available social posts for Stardew Valley on Xbox Series X

If some of these reasons for utilizing the Looking for Group feature sound helpful or applicable to the multiplayer games you want to play, then the Looking for Group feature on Xbox could solve your problems.

What Is the Looking for Group Feature on Xbox?

To start finding online groups to play multiplayer titles on Xbox with, you'll need a quick breakdown of what the Looking for Group feature on Xbox One or Series X|S consoles actually is before diving into how to use the feature itself.

The Looking for Group feature on Xbox allows you to join or create social posts for any specific game on Xbox to find or join other players in the desired game. By utilizing the Looking for Groups feature, you can join a pre-existing social post to find online players or create your own and wait for people to join.

While joining a pre-existing social post may be the quickest way to find players for a multiplayer title you want to play, if you create your own social post, you can cater the post to your multiplayer requirements in the following ways:

  • You can set the Day and Party start time you want the post to be active within.
  • You can designate the Players needed for your multiplayer game.
  • You can change the Post to option to decide if the post is put on the Xbox Network or your Friends list.
  • You can set the Language you want the available online players to be able to speak.
A screenshot of the available social post options using the Looking for Group feature on Xbox Series X

It's also important to note that if you link your social accounts to Xbox, you can share your Looking for Group social post via other platforms to increase the likelihood of other online players seeing your post.

How to Find Players Online by Using the Looking for Group Feature

Now you know some of the scenarios in which the Looking for Groups feature may come in handy and what the feature can do, let's break down how you can use the feature to find online players for your favorite multiplayer games.

To start using the Looking for Group feature on your Xbox One or Series X|S to find online players, follow these steps:

  • Load the game you want to find online players for.
  • Press the Xbox button to open the guide menu with the game loaded.
  • Highlight the tab for Game activity and select Looking for group.
A screenshot of the Xbox Series X guide menu options for Game Activity with Looking for Group highlighted
  • If you want to join a pre-existing post for your loaded game, select Search all posts for this game; otherwise, select Create post.
A screenshot of the available options through the guide menu for the Looking for Group feature with Create Post highlighted
  • Proceed to Add a description or Add tags for your post.
A screenshot of the Xbox Series X Looking for Group Tag options with Competitive highlighted
  • Change the preference for Day, Party start time, Players needed, and Language.
  • Select Post to submit the request for online players.

Depending on your set preferences for the post, the post will appear for other players looking to play your selected game, and you should have online players for your multiplayer game in no time.

However, because these posts can be public, and you could interact with many more unknown players on the Xbox Network, it may be helpful to learn how to block and report users on Xbox consoles and the Xbox mobile app in case someone unwanted joins your Xbox Party.

Control Your Multiplayer Experience on Xbox One or Xbox Series X|S

By utilizing the Looking for Group feature on Xbox, you can ensure you have a consistent way to find online players for your favorite multiplayer games. At the same time, you can also control your preferences for the type of online players you socialize or play with.

Alternatively, you can take control of your multiplayer experience on Xbox further by looking into other settings, like turning off crossplay, to help further improve and guarantee your online experience with Xbox.