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How to add friends in Sea of Thieves

How to add friends on PS5, Xbox, and PC.

A female pirate holding a round, amber object on a ship with other pirates behind in for the Season 12 promotional image for Sea of Thieves.
Image credit: Xbox Game Studios
Jessica Orr avatar
Guide by Jessica Orr Senior Guides Writer
Published on

Now that Sea of Thieves is out for the PS5, aspiring PlayStation pirates might need to know how to add friends across platforms.

Whether you're playing on Xbox, PC, or PS5, we've detailed exactly how to add friends in Sea of Thieves below, as there's been some small changes with the PS5 Sea of Thieves release that effects all players.

For more help with your high seas adventures, check out our pages on 18 nifty things Sea of Thieves doesn't tell you, and gold and doubloon sources.

On this page:

Let's Play Sea Of Thieves PS5 Gameplay - IS PS5 SEA OF THIEVES SEASON 12 SHIPSHAPE OR A SHIP WRECK?!

How to add friends in Sea of Thieves

How you add friends in Sea of Thieves depends on what platform you're currently playing it on, but they're all just a few button presses away. However, keep in mind that all players - no matter what platform you're on - need to sign in with a Microsoft account to play Sea of Thieves. The prompt to do this will appear on your home screen after launching Sea of Thieves. This in turn makes an Xbox gamertag, which is used to search and play with friends.

Beware though that account linking is a permanent decision on PS5, as you're only able to associate a single Microsoft account with a single account on the PlayStation Network.

A Sea of Thieves screenshot showing three pirates running up a harpoon line, all silhouetted against a setting sun.
Image credit: Rare/Eurogamer

As far as we can tell, all methods require you to add a friend through an Xbox app on your phone, or your PC, unless you're playing on Xbox, which just uses the friend system on the console itself. You can also invite random people you meet while playing to your Guild by using the corresponding Emote, no matter what platform each of you are on.

Regardless of what platform they're playing on, here's how to add friends in Sea of Thieves:

How to add friends on PS5 in Sea of Thieves

To add friends in Sea of Thieves on PS5 you have to:

  1. Launch Sea of Thieves, then click the prompt to link your Microsoft account to your PSN account.
  2. Sign-in to your Microsoft account on the Xbox app, website, or Windows profile linked to your Microsoft account on a PC or laptop.
  3. Search for your friend's gamertag on the Xbox app, website, or by pressing the windows button + 'G' on your keyboard.
  4. Add them as a friend on Xbox.
  5. Launch Sea of Thieves and invite your friend through the Guild menu, or send them an invite through the 'My Crew' menu.

You can also use the PS5 Game Base menu to invite existing PlayStation friends using the 'Invite to Game' option.

Remember, you and your friend must link your Microsoft account to Sea of Thieves, no matter what platform you're on, to see them on your friend list in-game and invite them to your Crew or Guild.

The Crew menu in Sea of Thieves showing the users present and inite buttons to add more friends.
An arrow pointing to the 'invite friends' option in Sea of Thieves while on the My Crew menu.
No matter what platform you're on, you can use these in-game methods to invite friends to join your swashbuckling adventures. | Image credit: Eurogamer/Xbox Game Studios

How to add friends on PC in Sea of Thieves

To add friends in Sea of Thieves on PC you have to:

  1. Make or sign-in to your Microsoft account on Sea of Thieves.
  2. Sign-in to the same Microsoft account on the Xbox app, website, or Windows profile linked to your Microsoft account on PC or laptop.
  3. Search for your friend's gamertag on the Xbox app, website, or by pressing the windows button + 'G' on your keyboard.
  4. Add them as a friend on Xbox.
  5. Launch Sea of Thieves and invite your friend through the Guild menu, or send them an invite through the 'My Crew' menu.

So, as long as your friend has also linked their Microsoft account to Sea of Thieves, you will see their gamertag in the in-game friends menu, and can invite them this way. Or, you can use the Social tab if playing through the Xbox app or similar Microsoft launchers on PC (AKA, if you're not playing on Steam).

An arrow pointing to the friends search bar on the Xbox app.
You can add friends through the Xbox app on PC or laptop. | Image credit: Eurogamer

How to add friends on Xbox in Sea of Thieves

To add friends in Sea of Thieves on Xbox consoles you have to:

  1. Press the Xbox button in the middle of your controller.
  2. Tab over to the 'People' menu and click on 'Find someone' at the bottom.
  3. Search for your friend's gamertag and add them as a friend.
  4. Launch Sea of Thieves and invite your friend through the Guild menu or send them an invite through the 'My Crew' menu.

Alternatively, you can find your friend through the 'People' menu and invite them to your Sea of Thieves session this way. If there's any issues with this due to differing platforms though, we recommend launching the game and inviting them through the 'My Crew' or Guild menu instead.

You can of course also add friends though the Xbox app, website, or by using the windows button + 'G' option on PC or laptop.

A screenshot of Sea of Theives showing several pirates stood on a dock holding a picture frame aloft and posing inside it.
Image credit: Rare/Microsoft

As long as your friend has linked their Microsoft account to Sea of Thieves and made a gamertag, you should be able to invite them like this no matter what platform they're playing on.

Have fun adventuring with your friends in Sea of Thieves!

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