TikTok Live has become the second most popular streaming platform worldwide, primarily because of the diversity of TikTok content available in the app’s Live sessions. The availability of everything from live shopping shows and tutorials to Q&As with big-name influencers draws millions of viewers at all hours of the day and night.
Twitch remains the favorite platform for gamers, but more and more of them are putting their live streams on TikTok Live. That’s partly because of the large available audience, and partly because streaming from an Xbox or another gaming console is so easy to do.
Experienced streamers most often choose to use dedicated streaming software like OBS Studio (Open Broadcasting Software), or utilize a computer and capture card, to originate their live streams. That gives their sessions a more professional look with lots of extra options.
The approaches can be somewhat expensive and difficult to pull off, particularly since TikTok requires what’s known as a stream key to link streaming equipment to the social media platform — and those keys have recently become very hard to obtain.
The better way to live stream to TikTok, especially if you’re a beginner, is to do it directly from your Xbox through your phone. No special equipment is necessary, and it takes just a minute or two to set things up.
How To Stream Xbox on TikTok
Before you worry about settings and connections, you need to make sure you’re allowed to run TikTok Live streams. You must be at least 18 and have at least 1,000 TikTok followers to originate a Live session, and your TikTok account must be in good standing.
You qualify? Let’s get your Xbox stream onto the social media platform.
- Since Xbox no longer allows direct connections to TikTok, you have to use your phone as a “bridge.” You do that by visiting the Google Play Store or App Store (depending on your device) and installing the Xbox app on your phone.
- Find the “Capture & Share” menu on your Xbox, and choose “Live streaming.”
- Open the TikTok app and hit the “+” icon to open the Create screen. Then scroll the bottom menu and click on “LIVE.” Choose “Mobile gaming” underneath the “Go LIVE” button.
- Open the Xbox app, hit the “Console” icon at the top right of the screen, and select “Remote play on this device.” Then choose “Continue with basic touch” on the popup that appears.
- Return to TikTok, click “Go LIVE,” and your Xbox gameplay will appear in your TikTok Live stream.
We told you it was easy! You may want to play around with software like OBS Studio once you’re a streaming pro or if you want to stream to multiple platforms simultaneously, but there’s no easier way to start a gaming stream on TikTok Live than with the Xbox app.
About the Author
Peter Hasselworth is a contributor at iDigic, sharing valuable insights about Instagram growth and social media marketing strategies.