Xbox Series X player discovers a brilliant way to rapidly switch between games

An official image of the Xbox Series X controller
(Image credit: Microsoft)

The Xbox Series X/S controller can be remapped to let you switch between games at the press of a single button.

As was first tested back in February, the Share button on the Xbox Series X/S controller can now be assigned to a range of different functions. You can remap the button to open your achievements list, access media, mute your TV, turn on Night Mode, send messages, as well as take a screenshot or record a short video clip, as it's set to by default.

It’s also possible to remap the button to open a specific game or app. As Reddit user A-damn1988 discovered, you can use that functionality to quickly switch between games on the fly.

Assign a single tap of the Share button to open one game, remap a double-tap of the button to open another, and finally set holding the Share button to open a third, and you’ve effectively just mapped yourself the ability to rapidly cycle between three games at the press of a single button.

That’s particularly useful if you regularly change games, like when hopping from a single-player game into a multiplayer title once your friends come online. It also saves you the hassle of having to browse through your Xbox’s home menu or library to find the game you’re looking for.

You don’t need to quickly switch to a game, mind. You could assign the Share button to open an app instead, letting you jump from shooting rival Spartans in Halo Infinite to watching Netflix.

The remap is similar to the console’s Quick Resume feature, insofar as it rapidly reduces the downtime spent waiting between games. But while Quick Resume reduces load times by enabling the Xbox Series X/S to run multiple games at once, letting you return to them at the exact place where you left off, this remap feature is a nifty way of jumping between them.

Combined, the two features should make finding and loading games a breeze.

psa_quick_switch from r/XboxSeriesX

How to remap the Share button on the Xbox Series X/S controller

To quickly switch between games in the way A-damn1988 demonstrates, you’ll need to remap the controller of your Xbox Series X/S. Load up the Xbox Accessories App within the My games & apps section, and you’ll see options to reassign the button’s tap, double-tap, and hold functions.

Choose whatever options you fancy, and voila, you’ve got yourself a handy way of cycling between games. The ease with which you can remap the Share button makes it particularly useful if you regularly change the games you’re playing.

Be careful not to accidentally switch between games, though. It would be a shame if you were to try to take a screenshot, only to find you’ve booted up Elden Ring by mistake.

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Callum Bains
Gaming News Writer

Callum is TechRadar Gaming’s News Writer. You’ll find him whipping up stories about all the latest happenings in the gaming world, as well as penning the odd feature and review. Before coming to TechRadar, he wrote freelance for various sites, including Clash, The Telegraph, and Gamesindustry.biz, and worked as a Staff Writer at Wargamer. Strategy games and RPGs are his bread and butter, but he’ll eat anything that spins a captivating narrative. He also loves tabletop games, and will happily chew your ear off about TTRPGs and board games.