Sometimes you want to play a multiplayer game and sometimes you just want to hang out with your friends. You can use parties to do both. Let's say that one friend is playing a solo game, two others are in the middle of a multiplayer game, and a fourth is watching a DVD; with parties you can all talk to each other on the same channel.

Parties are awesome for hanging out and deciding what to do next. If you decide to all play a multiplayer game, you can invite the entire group to the game at once rather than one by one.

All of the people you want to chat with need to be signed in to Xbox LIVE with a Gold membership. To talk, you'll also need to use a headset, though if you just want to listen you can hear through your speakers.

Start a party that is open to all of your friends

1. Press the Xbox Guide button.
2. Select Party, Start a Party.

Invite players to a party

Send invites to let your friends know that you are online and want to chat with them.

1. Press the Xbox Guide button.
2. Select Party, Start a Party.
3. Select Invite Players to Party.
4. Select or enter a Gamertag.
5. Select Send Invite.

Make a party "by invitation only"

By default, parties are open to everyone on your friends list. But as the party leader, you can create an invite-only party and invite the participants individually.

1. Press the Xbox Guide button.
2. Select Party, Start a Party.
3. Select Party Options.
4. Select Party Status.
5. Select Invite Only.
6. Follow the instructions above to invite players to your party.

Manage parties when more than one person is playing through your console

If you have some friends over and everyone is using your console, you can all join the same party.

Start a party with a group

1. Have everyone plug in their controllers and sign in to Xbox LIVE using their Gold memberships. Everyone who wants to talk will also need a headset, though if they just want to listen, they can hear through the speakers of your TV.
2. Press the Xbox Guide button, and select Party, Start a Party. Everyone on your console will be automatically added to the party.
3. If a person wants to join the party after the others, they'll need to plug in their controller, sign in to Xbox LIVE using their Gold membership, press the Xbox Guide button, and select Party, Join Party

Invite multiple people to a party

You can choose your friends from a list to invite a bunch of people to a party at once. A party can include at most eight people.

• Press the Xbox Guide button, and select Party, Start a Party.
• Select Invite Players to Party.
• Select a Gamertag.
• Select Edit Recipients. You'll see a list of your friends.
• Go down the list and press A to select the friends you want to invite. When you are done, press B.
• Select Send Invite.

Invite a party to a game

You can use parties to invite an entire group of people to play a game, instead of inviting them one by one.

1. Start a party.
2. Start a multiplayer game. To do this quickly, press the Xbox Guide button and select Quick Launch.
3. Once you get to the screen where the players wait for the game to start (usually called the Game Lobby), press the Xbox Guide button again.
4. Select Party, Invite Party to Game and follow the directions on the screen.

Change the chat channel

If you are playing a multiplayer game, but other people in the party are not, you can still talk to them all.

• To talk to only the players in your game, press the Xbox Guide button, select Party, Party Options, Chat Channel, Game Chat.
• To talk to people who are playing a different game or no game at all, press the Xbox Guide button, select Party, Party Options, Chat Channel, Party Chat.
• To mute the voice of an individual player, press the Xbox Guide button, select Party, select the player's Gamertag, and then select Mute.

Kick someone out of a party

Just because they are your friends doesn't mean that they are never annoying. As the party leader, you can kick someone out of a party if they are being a jerk.

1. Press the Xbox Guide button.
2. Select Party.
3. Select the player's Gamertag.
4. Select Kick from Party.

Leave a party

You can leave a party whenever you want.

1. Press the Xbox Guide button.
2. Select Party.
3. Press the X button.

Troubleshoot connection issues with parties

Depending on the router you use, you may lose your connection to a party, have trouble joining a party, or accidently end a party. For more information, see NAT section of Networking Concepts.