This article refers to the Xbox system link. Not system link on any other Video Game Consoles. Information about system link on other Video Game Consoles can be found elsewhere! {{short description, Form of offline multiplayer gaming System Link is a form of offline

multiplayer A multiplayer video game is a video game in which more than one person can play in the same game environment at the same time, either locally on the same computing system (couch co-op), on different computing systems via a local area network, or ...

gaming on the

Xbox Xbox is a video gaming brand created and owned by Microsoft. The brand consists of five video game consoles, as well as applications (games), streaming services, an online service by the name of Xbox network, and the development arm by the na ...

and

Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation ...

gaming console over a LAN (local area network). A

network switch A network switch (also called switching hub, bridging hub, and, by the IEEE, MAC bridge) is networking hardware that connects devices on a computer network by using packet switching to receive and forward data to the destination device. A netw ...

and standard straight-through Ethernet cables may be used to link multiple consoles together, or two consoles can be connected directly. Connecting two

consoles to each other without a switch requires a

crossover cable A crossover cable connects two devices of the same type, for example DTE-DTE or DCE-DCE, usually connected asymmetrically (DTE-DCE), by a modified cable called a crosslink. Such a distinction between devices was introduced by IBM. The cross ...

, while

consoles can use standard cables. On the

Xbox One The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third base console in the Xbox series of video game consoles. It was first released in North America, parts of ...

, if one's console will not connect to their home Wi-Fi system, the best thing they can do is to factory reset the console and change their

DNS resolver The Domain Name System (DNS) is a hierarchical and distributed naming system for computers, services, and other resources in the Internet or other Internet Protocol (IP) networks. It associates various information with domain names assigned to ...

when the console is restarted and refreshed. One copy of each game for each Xbox console is required to use System Link. Each game must be an identical release, with or without identical bonus and/or

downloadable content Downloadable content (DLC) is additional content created for an already released video game, distributed through the Internet by the game's publisher. It can either be added for no extra cost or it can be a form of video game monetization, enablin ...

. Some

Platinum Hits Platinum Hits is a term used to refer to a line of select Xbox games that were considered by Microsoft to have sold considerable units on the platform in the nine months after release, and have dropped in price from their original MSRP to a newer, ...

discs will not link with non-

discs. The purpose of this is to have multiplayer gameplay on multiple consoles, which allows for a non-split screen multiplayer gaming experience and far more players in one game than a single console can support. '' Halo: Combat Evolved'' allows up to 16 players on split screens on four consoles to partake in a simultaneous 16-player game. Later, post-

Xbox Live The Xbox network, formerly and still sometimes branded as Xbox Live, is an Internet, online multiplayer video game, multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft. It was first made available to the Xbox ...

games such as ''

Halo 2 ''Halo 2'' is a 2004 first-person shooter game developed by Bungie and published by Microsoft Game Studios for the Xbox console. ''Halo 2'' is the second installment in the ''Halo'' franchise and the sequel to 2001's critically acclaimed '' ...

'' and ''

Unreal Championship ''Unreal Championship'' is a first-person arena shooter video game developed by Epic Games and Digital Extremes, published by Infogrames, and released for the Xbox. Part of the ''Unreal'' franchise, ''Unreal Championship'' is the console versio ...

'' supported more consoles per game than the maximum of four supported by ''

Halo Halo, halos or haloes usually refer to: * Halo (optical phenomenon) * Halo (religious iconography), a ring of light around the image of a head HALO, halo, halos or haloes may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Video games * ''Halo'' (franch ...

''. While "system link" was popularized by the pre-Xbox Live era Xbox games, the capability has been used for years in computer gaming. The primary advantage of system link is to allow users to host their own games and control the settings. System link can be visualized as an Xbox being used as a small server and "hosting" other Xboxes. System Link also allows for Virtual Private Networks (

VPN A virtual private network (VPN) extends a private network across a public network and enables users to send and receive data across shared or public networks as if their computing devices were directly connected to the private network. The be ...

s) to take place, which allows LAN to take place over the internet. The

can not only use wired Ethernet to connect to a LAN, but also use a wireless adapter (such as the Xbox 360 Wireless Network Adapter in an access point-based or

mesh network A mesh network is a local area network topology in which the infrastructure nodes (i.e. bridges, switches, and other infrastructure devices) connect directly, dynamically and non-hierarchically to as many other nodes as possible and cooperate wit ...

). Additionally, some

titles like ''

Halo 3 ''Halo 3'' is a 2007 first-person shooter video game developed by Bungie for the Xbox 360 console. The third installment in the ''Halo'' franchise, the game concludes the story arc begun in 2001's '' Halo: Combat Evolved'' and continued in 2 ...

'' can play a match with players connected over Xbox Live and on the same LAN.

See also