Microsoft has added a new feature to the Xbox Game Bar called “Microsoft Teams Play Together” that lets players stream their gameplay to friends through Microsoft Teams. The capability is now available on Xbox and supports streaming the entire desktop alongside Teams video calls.
How the Teams integration works
According to Microsoft, the Game Bar integration with Teams is intended to be “a place to hang out while watching and playing,” offering a similar experience to services such as Discord. Players can share their gameplay while participating in a Teams video call that supports up to 20 participants.
Performance and current limitations
Tests cited by The Verge found image quality comparable between desktop and mobile views, but reported that the streaming did not exceed 30 frames per second. The Verge also noted that the feature to display other call participants as overlays during gameplay is not yet available but is expected to arrive in the coming days.
While the integration expands options for in-game social interaction, Microsoft’s Teams streaming is not positioned as a direct replacement for established platforms such as Discord and Twitch at this time.
Related Teams update: spatial audio
Separately, Microsoft is rolling out a spatial audio feature for the Teams desktop app on Windows and Mac. The update aims to make voices in calls sound distinct by positioning each participant’s audio as if they were located in different places in a meeting room, enhancing the realism of group calls.
The new Game Bar streaming addition and the spatial audio enhancement reflect ongoing investments by Microsoft in Teams, including recent AI-powered design tools.
