Microsoft has opened its disc-to-digital licensing program to all Xbox users, after first testing the feature with Xbox Insiders. The company announced the broader rollout in an Xbox Support post. The feature lets owners of physical games claim digital copies of those titles.
The program covers games for the Xbox Series X and the Xbox One. Microsoft has not said how many titles from the combined libraries of those two console generations work with the feature at launch. The company said not all games are eligible, citing a number of possible reasons. No Xbox 360 or original Xbox games support the program at this time.
Claiming a license requires inserting a disc while signed into an Xbox account. A pop-up message confirms when the license has been created, after which the game can be played without the disc in the drive. If no confirmation appears, the digital token may already have been generated for that title, or the game may not be supported.
Digitized games display a badge next to them in the game library, so users can see which titles still need to be added. Microsoft advises turning off the "play disc automatically" setting for anyone adding several games in sequence, allowing discs to be swapped without launching a game each time. Games in the Xbox Play Anywhere program can also be installed and played on a PC once digitized.
Discs continue to work as normal after a digital license is created. The license is tied to the disc rather than the account, so selling or lending the disc transfers the license to whoever inserts it into a console. Microsoft said this means the second-hand market will continue to function as it always has.
Microsoft has published a detailed FAQ covering cases such as Ultimate Edition games and multi-disc titles. The Xbox Series S cannot use the feature because it has no disc drive. The timing of the rollout suggests Microsoft is future-proofing existing game libraries ahead of its next console, still codenamed Project Helix, which may not include a disc drive.
PlayStation has not announced a comparable feature. The company said earlier in the summer that it will cease physical game production for new PS5 games in 2028, a decision that drew controversy.
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