Xbox to let players turn physical games into digital licences

MUMBAI: The disc is getting a digital makeover. Xbox is preparing to roll out a new feature that will let players convert supported physical game discs into digital licences, potentially making their existing libraries more flexible across consoles and other devices.

The feature will begin rolling out to Xbox Insiders on August 31, with a wider release planned for a later date that Microsoft has not yet announced. The initiative will allow owners of Xbox One and Xbox Series X discs to add eligible games to their digital libraries.

Importantly, the disc itself will remain playable. However, there is a catch: if a player gives the physical game to someone else and that disc is subsequently inserted into another console, the original owner’s digital entitlement will be revoked.

The biggest draw could be what happens once a game has a digital entitlement. Supported titles can potentially be played without keeping the game installed, including through cloud streaming or on other devices using Xbox Play Anywhere, where supported.

That could allow players to access eligible games on PC, ROG Ally and mobile devices, giving physical collections a route into Microsoft’s increasingly digital gaming ecosystem.

There are limitations, however. Microsoft has not said that the feature will support original Xbox or Xbox 360 games, while not every Xbox One or Xbox Series X title will be eligible initially.

Xbox CEO Asha Sharma said the company plans to support thousands of games when the feature launches, with more titles to be added over time. “Your physical game library is more than a collection of discs,” Sharma said, adding that it holds “years of memories and stories worth preserving”.

The move could also prove significant as the console industry weighs its future relationship with physical media. Some observers have linked the feature to speculation that Microsoft’s next-generation Xbox could move towards a disc-free design, although Microsoft has not confirmed that plan.

The timing is also notable alongside Sony’s reported plans to stop supporting discs from 2028, potentially pointing to a broader shift towards digital gaming.

For now, Xbox’s approach is less about throwing physical games away and more about giving them a digital second life provided the title is supported and the disc stays tied to its owner’s licence.