Xbox’s disc-to-digital plan could start in August, new leaks say
Developing story first seen 6 hours ago
Leaked details suggest Xbox could launch a disc-to-digital conversion programme as early as August, allowing owners of physical Xbox One and Xbox Series X games to link their discs to digital licences. The move comes as the games industry shifts further towards all-digital distribution, with Sony having confirmed it will end disc production entirely by 2028, raising concerns among gamers about losing the ability to lend, resell or physically own games, particularly affecting the secondhand and retro collecting markets.
According to leaker eXtas1s, who claims to have seen an internal roadmap, insiders have reportedly been testing the programme for a month and it is close to release. Some publishers may charge a fee to convert physical copies into digital ones, potentially limited to titles lacking backward compatibility, such as the original Xbox game The Simpsons: Hit & Run. The leaker also suggests Microsoft will keep investing in backward compatibility, meaning some currently unplayable games could become accessible on current-generation consoles; Xbox itself has not confirmed any of these details.
- Leak claims Xbox disc-to-digital programme may launch in August
- Scheme would let owners convert physical games to digital licences
- Some conversions could cost money; backward compatibility may expand
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Xbox is reportedly preparing a system that would let people convert their physical Xbox game discs into digital licences, meaning the game would work from storage on the console without needing the disc inserted. This comes as the wider games industry moves away from physical media, with Sony recently confirming it will stop making discs altogether by 2028. The trend has worried some gamers, who value being able to lend, sell on or physically own their games in a way that digital copies typically do not allow.
The claims about Xbox's plans come from a leaker known as eXtas1s, who says they have seen an internal roadmap and that the feature has been in testing for about a month. Nothing has been confirmed by Microsoft, which makes Xbox consoles, and details such as pricing or which games would be eligible remain unclear.
The idea matters to anyone with a collection of physical Xbox games, since it could offer a way to keep playing older titles that are not otherwise compatible with newer consoles, though possibly at a cost set by individual publishers. It also ties into a broader debate about backward compatibility, the ability to play older games on current hardware, which affects both everyday players and the community of collectors who buy and trade older, retro titles.
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