PSN vs Xbox Security Settings, Compared Side by Side

Which comparison is yours?

Choose where you play. If it's both, you have two separate accounts to protect, and each one has its own catch.

The two accounts, row by row

Rows are protections, columns are the two accounts. Gaps stay visible on purpose. “With limits” means the setting exists but depends on the console, the sign-in method or a waiting period.

Sony and Microsoft rename and move settings, and options vary by region and account type. Treat this as a map; your own account settings are the final word.

Look-alike terms that mean different things

• Sign-in ID and Microsoft account. On PlayStation, the sign-in ID is the email address you sign in with. On Xbox you sign in with a full Microsoft account, the same one used for Windows and Outlook.com.
• Online ID. PlayStation's unique display name, used to identify you on PlayStation. You sign in with your sign-in ID, not this name.
• Backup codes and recovery code. PSN: a set of 10 codes, each usable once, for when 2-step fails. Microsoft: one 25-digit code for when you can't sign in.
• Primary console and home Xbox. PS5 calls it Console Sharing and Offline Play, PS4 uses Activate as Your Primary PS4, and Xbox calls it My home Xbox. On Xbox, signing in on a new console without choosing Lock it down makes it your home Xbox automatically.
• Security info. Microsoft's name for the extra emails and phone numbers that prove the account is yours.

Where each difference lives

To set everything up from scratch, follow the full security checklist. To see a difference for yourself, open these places side by side.

1. Remote console removal. PSN removes every console at once, once every six months. On Xbox, removing a device from your Microsoft account list isn't described as signing it out, so sign out on the console.PSN: Device Management → PlayStation Consoles → Deactivate All DevicesXbox: Profile & system → Sign out
2. Codes for when 2-step fails. PSN gives 10 single-use backup codes; a new set means turning 2-step off and on. Microsoft gives one 25-digit recovery code, and a new code cancels earlier ones.PSN: Account Management → Security → Backup Codes
3. The purchase lock. PSN's Require Password at Checkout covers every device you use for PlayStation Store, but not child accounts and not an account with a passkey. Xbox sets a PIN or password on each console.PS5: Settings → Users and Accounts → Account → Payment and Subscriptions → Purchase SettingsXbox: Profile & system → Settings → Account → Sign-in, security & PIN
4. The home console. Friends and family who sign in to your home Xbox can play your games even when you're not signed in, and you can switch it up to five times a year. PS5 calls its version Console Sharing and Offline Play.

The timers that differ

Four differences that catch people out

• A PSN passkey and the checkout password don't mix. PlayStation says Password at Checkout is not compatible with an account that has passkeys set up. The checkout password, set on PS5 in Purchase Settings, applies on every device you use for PlayStation Store, but not on child accounts.
• A new code kills the old one. A fresh Microsoft recovery code cancels the earlier one. A new set of PSN backup codes means turning 2-step off and on.
• Xbox stays signed in. Microsoft's sign-out everywhere skips Xbox consoles, so sign out on the console as well.
• Microsoft's 30-day restriction. Microsoft advises against changing all security info at once, so replace it one item at a time. Removing all of it restricts the account for 30 days, during which you can't change your password or card details.