Xbox disc games receive digital licenses
Microsoft has officially announced a disc-to-digital feature for Xbox. This will allow disc games to be upgraded with a digital license, enabling them to be played on PC and via the cloud.
Microsoft has officially confirmed the long-awaited disc-to-digital feature, which we reported on back in early July. In an Xbox Wire post, the company announced that Xbox Insiders will be able to test the feature starting August 31. Anyone who inserts a supported disc into an Xbox One or Xbox Series X and launches the game will receive a digital license. A wider rollout for all Xbox gamers is expected to follow in the coming months.
The digital license is tied to the disc – it moves with it if the disc is passed on. Once the license is activated, the owner benefits from all the advantages of digital games: Xbox Play Anywhere and Xbox Cloud Gaming, provided the game supports them. The disc itself will continue to work as usual.
According to Microsoft, the feature supports «most» disc games for Xbox One and Xbox Series X. It launches with «thousands of titles», which will be steadily added to over time. Not all games will be available from the start – publishers must actively opt in for their discs to unlock digital licenses. Discs for the original Xbox and Xbox 360 are excluded from the feature.
Sony to phase out discs in 2028
Microsoft's announcement follows an announcement from Sony that it will stop producing physical PlayStation games starting in January 2028. Sony has not yet announced a comparable feature to digitize existing disc collections.
I find my muse in everything. When I don’t, I draw inspiration from daydreaming. After all, if you dream, you don’t sleep through life.
From the latest iPhone to the return of 80s fashion. The editorial team will help you make sense of it all.
Show all