I spent well over a thousand hours in Halo 3 alone, so seeing a group of dedicated fans restore over 1.9 billion Halo 3 match stats, 801 million Halo 2 matches, and more than 30 million Gamertags is kind of surreal.

This is a huge moment for me, and honestly, it’s incredibly impressive work from the Halo Archive. It hits especially close to home for me. If you’ve followed my work, you’ll know I’m a huge Halo fan, especially from the Bungie era.

The site is currently invite-only, but once you’re in, you can browse and search your old Halo stats just like you could on Bungie.net before that feature was removed. I’d definitely urge you to go show them some love over on X (formerly Twitter), and join their Discord.

Before you ask, as far as I can tell, there’s no inclusion of Halo: Reach. That said, what HaloArchive has pulled off here is nothing short of impressive, and it helps to understand the backstory behind it.

HaloArchive actually began back in 2014, when a user named Tactics created a script to download an entire player’s Halo 2 data. In 2018, the project took things further, kicking off an eight-month effort to pull Halo 2 carnage reports and store them as raw text files.

It wasn’t until 2021, though, when Bungie announced that stats were going offline, giving players only a few weeks’ notice to save their data. That moment pushed HaloArchive to adapt the original Halo 2 script for Halo 3, ultimately pulling all 1.9 billion matches.

Since then, HaloArchive, along with other contributors, has worked to restore both Halo 2 and Halo 3 datasets, sorting through more than 30 terabytes of raw text files. Now, the site is live and in testing, with access available if you sign up and get accepted.

As HaloArchive says, this project wouldn’t be possible without Tactics, Cyrix, Bigstack, members of the community, and more. A huge shoutout to everyone involved.

Do you like the idea of digging through your old match data for that hit of nostalgia, or are you not too bothered?

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

It appears the time has finally come. The UK is now fully restricting users on Xbox, locking thousands out of features, all in the name of mass surveillance… I mean protecting children, as the government puts it.

The requirement stems from the UK’s Online Safety Act, which mandates age verification for platforms that facilitate online communication. Xbox’s implementation appears to disconnect players from games, prevent access to party chat, and block certain services until verification is complete.

I have been asked to verify my account as well, and I have not done so yet. I find it hard to justify, especially considering my Xbox account alone is over 18 years old.

How Xbox’s age verification system is disrupting players

Reporting from ReclaimTheNet, which has collected multiple accounts from Reddit, suggests users are being forcibly removed from games mid-match when prompted to verify their age. In my own research, I have found players reporting the same issues, with one claiming they were required to complete a full face scan before being allowed to load certain titles.

Perhaps even more frustrating is that many users are attempting to verify, but the system itself appears unreliable. Reports describe checks taking hours, stalling entirely, or leaving accounts locked out of privacy settings, Discord access, and other core features.

With one user stating:

The UK’s Online Safety Act has been the subject of intense online debate. Many, myself included, view aspects of the policy as a significant invasion of personal privacy.

While protecting children online is important, many argue the approach may simply push younger users toward VPNs or other workarounds. In some cases, that could mean accessing platforms that refuse to comply with UK regulation altogether, potentially exposing them to greater risks.

The UK is also considering age verification requirements for accessing VPN services. Meanwhile, Discord had begun rolling out its own age checks more broadly before rolling back and delaying the initiative following widespread backlash.

How are you feeling about age verification on Xbox?

Have you been asked to verify your age on Xbox in the UK, and if so, has it affected your access to games or chat features? Let us know in the comments and make sure to take part in our poll below:

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

As everyone predicted, the UK's dumb age verification laws are a total farce.

Designed in attempts to "protect children," the UK's now notorious age verification laws are supposedly designed to prevent underaged users from accessing adult content. In practice, they've unleashed a multi-pronged privacy nightmare. Major websites like Imgur are now blocked entirely in the UK, reducing the functionality of sites like reddit and Steam. And furthermore, the laws aren't even able to "protect muh kids" because free VPNs exist.

But, it is the law, for better or worse (worse). It also represents something of a trend across the world, as various U.S. states and other countries have either already adopted age verification systems, or are exploring it. As such, major players like Microsoft are scrambling to accommodate the legislation for Xbox and its other platforms, utilizing a variety of third-party services to make it work. At least, make it work in theory.

Over the past few weeks, it emerged that Discord, one of the earliest tech companies to implement these types of laws, was hacked. It failed to protect the data of users utilizing its age verification services. Indeed, Discord's third-party processor was hacked, and government IDs and selfies of users trying to get support were leaked to the public domain. It's almost as if anyone with a brain said something like this would happen.

I couldn't help but wonder what would stop Xbox running short of a situation like this, given that Xbox too, is planning to use a third-party company to handle its age verification systems. So, I thought I'd reach out and see how Xbox plans to handle things.

Microsoft is using a third-party company called Yoti for its age verification systems on Xbox, a company that is also leveraged by the UK government, sites like OnlyFans, as well as PlayStation.

The way Yoti and other similar platforms work generally revolves either around scanning a government ID, or using your device's camera to estimate the user's age. The "age estimation" via camera was notoriously beaten by Death Stranding's photo mode, but companies are always iterating on workarounds.

I already verified my Xbox account's age using the system, and found it to be quick and painless. You can verify your Xbox account's age via this link. From early in 2026, certain Xbox features and age-restricted games may become inaccessible for UK users if you don't verify soon. But, how does it work? Are your pictures stored? Yoti says no.

"Yoti provides highly effective age assurance options for Xbox, allowing users to prove their age without revealing unnecessary personal information," a Yoti spokesperson told us. "Yoti simply returns a yes/no response to [Microsoft], to confirm whether the user meets the required age threshold."

"Yoti's technology is highly robust and independently tested by the likes of NIST and others. Privacy and security are central to everything they do and solutions are built to minimise data collection and ensure user privacy. Any images taken for facial age estimation are instantly deleted, nothing is stored."

The reason Discord ended up leaking user data was because the support service it was using actually was storing people's data. Yoti says it immediately removes all personal data once it has satisfied the age requirement, and that's the only information that is eventually sent and then stored on your Microsoft account. Yoti also shared this Yoti Age Estimation White Paper for users who want to learn more.

Microsoft also sought to assure us that no actual data is stored, besides the "yes/no" age verifier.

"We are committed to making sure player data stays private and secure," a Microsoft spokesperson explained. "We are partnering with Yoti, a trusted third-party identity verification provider, to give UK players a menu of options to securely verify their age as 18 or over while minimizing the data needed. Yoti simply returns a yes/no response to Xbox, does not share any of the player's underlying information, and immediately deletes the data upon verification."

Given Yoti's government-grade contracts it's most likely a more secure solution than Discord's, but whether or not you feel reassured by the above depends on your mileage. It doesn't alleviate the fact that it's a silly, ineffectual law, but it is the law nonetheless, and Microsoft, PlayStation, and others, have to comply whether they like it or not.

Over the weekend, PlayStation Network was down for roughly 18 hours, knocking out access to PlayStation-owned PC games like Helldivers 2 and Destiny, and the whole slate of online multiplayer titles on PlayStation 4 and 5 consoles.

The downtime was quite prolific, and was a reminder of the dark days of PlayStation 3's 2011 PSN hack, which saw the network down for over a couple of weeks rather than a few hours. Downtime on that scale seems to be a thing of the past generally speaking, but the outage was a pretty stark reminder of some of the downsides of practically all of gaming going up "into the cloud."

All online networks have downtime every now and then, and PSN is generally as robust as they come these days. However, it did serve as a pretty stark example to me for one of the big drawbacks of Microsoft's current gaming strategy. Xbox seems more keen to de-prioritize its own hardware console ecosystem in favor of bigger platforms, namely PlayStation and Steam, and to some degree, iOS and Android as well.

What happens when you put all your eggs into one basket?

In the grand scheme of things, PSN being down for just over half a day isn't a particularly big deal. But what if it was down for weeks again, like it was in 2011?

The PSN hack was probably a huge boon to Microsoft back then, serving to solidify its place as the "best" online gaming ecosystem, which I'd argue is a sentiment it still retains to this day generally speaking. Although PSN is, as noted, far more robust these days, and probably shares an overall similar uptime to Xbox Live itself, in 2025, PSN being down is perhaps ironically as much as an issue for PlayStation as it is for Xbox.

Less so than ever, players are moving between platforms, "digitally locked in" to whatever ecosystem they chose at the start of the PS4 / Xbox One generation. Still, youngsters and parents looking towards their first "grown up" console platform still get to choose between the big three on occasion, and unless they can afford a capable gaming PC, the vast majority right now are choosing PlayStation. Xbox lost the console war, entirely of its own fault, but rather than try to fight back and rebuild, increasingly, Xbox is capitulating and exploring alternative strategies.

One of those strategies notoriously revolves around putting its Xbox exclusive games onto PlayStation to find new users. The other part was in buying up Activision-Blizzard-King, giving it control of the biggest franchises in the world, namely Call of Duty and Candy Crush Saga, among others. As a result, and perhaps ironically, the lion's share of Xbox's sales income now comes via other platforms, rather than via Xbox.

Steam, PlayStation, iOS, and Android doubtless outstrips profitability on Xbox to the tune of hundreds of millions — PSN being down likely removed hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars in lost income for service game companies over the 18 hour period. The inability to actually purchase microtransactions or access online services would be a far bigger dent in Xbox's revenue sheet than it would have been before the Activision-Blizzard purchase, with the majority of Call of Duty sessions remaining on PlayStation to this day. The fact Call of Duty is available on Xbox, Steam, and in other places doubtless offset some of the potential losses here. But what if Xbox had totally decided to shut down its entire first-party ecosystem? You'd likely see a scenario similar to what's playing out right now for Microsoft software on mobile devices.

This is what happens

Microsoft essentially has to get on its knees and beg Google and iOS for scraps from their respective ecosystems in order to expand on mobile devices. Lacking the ability to set default services on any phone platform, Microsoft Edge has a laughable 5.2% market share, while Bing enjoys a sliverous 3.9% (via StatCounter).

It was CEO Satya Nadella himself who admitted that shutting down Windows Phone was a mistake, and they're likely feeling the pinch of that decision more than ever in 2025. As AI services proliferate, services like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Apple Intelligence are at the forefront, while Microsoft Copilot is rarely discussed outside of enthusiast sites like ours. If Microsoft had a hardware endpoint oriented around consumers that could really showcase the power of generative AI, you know, like a phone with a camera and mic attached to it, I'm certain Microsoft Copilot would be in a far stronger position to capture that lucrative "default" status that Chrome, Safari, Google, and even Windows itself enjoys. Although being able to control the defaults on Windows 11 hasn't exactly helped it in recent years.

RELATED: Xbox Play Anywhere needs to grow for Microsoft's gaming strategy to success

In any case, all of the above is why I don't think Microsoft will be the one to mainstream consumer AI features. What does this have to do with Xbox, though? It's not hard to imagine and extrapolate from the above scenario what would happen if Xbox let its own home-grown ecosystems die, too. Not being able to put your own titles front and center without paying up for the privilege, being at the mercy of Sony and Steam's closed store algorithms, becoming a competitor, rather than collaborator with third-party publishers — all of these are arguments for Microsoft to try harder to keep Xbox in the game long term.

Microsoft says it is still committed to Xbox hardware, and is in fact working on new-gen hardware with a 2027 timeframe according to some rumors I'm presently investigating. But whether or not Microsoft's corporate layer from the top down truly thinks long term, or just quarter-over-quarter, remains to be seen. The death of Windows Phone and even Microsoft's Android phones like the Surface Duo certainly seems to suggest otherwise.

What you need to know

• Microsoft's Xbox console platform (Xbox network, formerly known as Xbox Live) has a messaging system baked in to allow players to communicate. 
• Recently, players have been noticing a large upswing in spam messages, trying to encourage users to click on nefarious links or visit Temu pages. 
• You can block non-contacts from being able to message you using Xbox's privacy settings, but it makes connecting with new players a little fiddly. 

One of Microsoft's biggest contributions and innovations in the gaming space is Xbox Live. The platform was a vision of a centralized social community specifically for gaming, allowing players of all types of games to build friendships and connections over the internet. These days, we take a lot of these types of features for granted, since literally every platform and service in the world seems to have some form of messaging system baked into it. Many forget that it was Microsoft who pioneered and popularized a lot of these types of systems, dating all the way back to MSN Game Zone in the 90s. 

Xbox continues to innovate, with things like Xbox Game Pass, and the Xbox Series X|S, but its messaging systems haven't evolved too much for quite some time. As Xbox has matured, one thing that Microsoft has been struggling with, across the board honestly, is spam messages. Whether it's the junk email in Outlook, or unwanted messages on Skype, the spampocalypse is already here. It's not unique to Microsoft either. You need only look at Twitter for five seconds for an example of how much of a problem bot-created spam content is becoming, and thanks to AI, it'll probably only get worse. Even Xbox isn't safe. 

Recently, Xbox users have noticed a sharp upswing in the amount of spam message requests coming through on the Xbox network. Generally, these will slip into a subsection called "Message Requests" in your messaging, if they're from unknown users. The sheer volume that some users have experienced has led to legit messages simply getting buried in an avalanche of hundreds of spam messages, most with some kind of scam attached. 

One such example from @OllieNorris on Twitter (X) and others reads like: "Hey, sorry to bother you. I have an extra $15 Xbox code that I don't need if you want it. I can send it to you if you download the app temu create an account, and then in the search bar in the app type in [scam code]." Another friend of mine remarked that messages only seem to come through when they're online, although it's unclear what can "trigger" the messages, or expose your account to them. 

Gamers are generally a tech savvy lot, and Microsoft doesn't exactly make it easy for scammers to produce results from dropping messages via the Xbox network. It goes without saying that if you receive a message on Xbox from an unknown place, offering money or asking you to click on a link, that you should absolutely not click on it. 

Microsoft's link-screening tech will automatically block most scam links. There are probably millions of scam messages being blocked on a daily basis that users will simply (and thankfully) never see. The fact Xbox's messaging system is also attached to Windows 11 via the Xbox PC app also makes it a more susceptible target potentially, given Windows' open nature. I haven't seen many of these types of messages on my end. It is irritating when they get through, though. 

Turn up privacy settings to block them 

You can block external messages on the Xbox network by adjusting your privacy settings. You can do this by signing into your Microsoft account over here on Xbox's account website. If you set your incoming messages to friends-only as shown above, it should mitigate the amount of incoming spam messages you see. 

You'd think thank if AI systems are able to generate content for bots, that Microsoft and other platform holders would be able to use AI to create more intelligent junk filters. Perhaps they already did, and we're just seeing slivers of the spam bots that manage to cut through. 

RELATED: Get Amazon Fire Stick 4K up to 50% off for Xbox Cloud Gaming. 

The internet in general has a spam problem. You can see it on any social media platform you use. It starts with annoying messages, but potentially leads to phishing links, viruses, and later, misinformation. How do you prove someone is a human on the internet? Xbox network messages is a microcosm, but it's a small slice of a much bigger global problem. In the age of AI, the problem will only get worse, most likely. 

What you need to know

• Xbox is rolling out a new voice reporting feature that allows players to capture and report inappropriate voice activity.   
• The "capture now, report" later feature allows players to record problematic multiplayer conversations without completely interrupting gameplay.  
• The Xbox voice reporting feature is now available to Xbox Insiders in hopes of gathering feedback from users. 

We've all endured online multiplayer lobbies filled with vile, hateful, and shockingly graphic language from total strangers. Pre-party chat Call of Duty lobbies were notorious for this brand of unpleasant interactions. However, times have changed quite a bit as more and more people engage with online gaming. In an effort to make Xbox Live a more welcoming and enjoyable place for everyone, Xbox is launching a new voice reporting feature that enables players to capture and report toxic in-game voice chats. 

Beginning this week, Alpha and Alpha-skip Xbox Insiders can test the voice reporting feature. Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One players can capture 60-second video clips that highlight unseemly in-game voice exchanges they believe violate Xbox's community standards. Once recorded, the player can submit the clip as evidence to the Xbox Safety Team, who will review the recording and take appropriate actions, including restricting access to online multiplayer for the offending community member.   

Xbox's voice reporting feature works similarly to capturing standard gameplay clips, but notable precautions are implemented with these potentially sensitive recordings. Unlike conventional game clips, the 60-second voice reporting segments are only used for content moderation purposes. They won't appear in recent captures, and you can't download or share the recordings. The clips only stay on your Xbox console for 24 hours, providing a relatively brief window to decide whether to submit a formal report.   

Windows Central's take

There's been increased friction when it comes to the handling of user information and data as audiences are expected to relinquish tremendous amounts of personal details in order to use apps and services. It's absolutely within a company's rights to moderate and penalize users who've agreed to and subsequently breached the terms and services of their products. While critics and skeptics, especially in the United States, will cynically lambast Microsoft's initiative as another means of aggregating personal information, there are apparent benefits to players who want to feel safe and welcomed when playing games online.  

Ultimately, it appears that Microsoft understands the theoretical risks of allowing any user to quickly and easily record other players' voices. The messaging from Xbox suggests that they are taking ample precautions to carefully introduce an effective moderation tool that protects its users' privacy. As someone who's repeatedly had friends and loved ones share horrifying stories of verbal harassment in online gaming lobbies, I'm perfectly fine with Xbox's new voice reporting feature.   

November saw Microsoft's annual Hackathon event, where groups of developers, designers, and innovators come together from across Microsoft to compete and invent new potential products and services within and adjacent to the Microsoft ecosystem. The winner of this year's Hackathon was an app that helps you provide tech support to a loved one remotely, in view of the all-too-familiar frustration one might experience while trying to help a less tech-savvy friend over the phone. 

Microsoft's Hackathon 2022 event saw more than 10,000 inventions compete for the grand prize, with more than 68,000 employees across the world taking part in what Microsoft describes as the "world's largest private hackathon." 

I recently had the opportunity to check out some of the hackathon projects for myself thanks to trusted sources, and a couple of the Xbox-oriented projects certainly caught my eye. One project included a "Windows Handheld Mode" shell for Windows 11, that converts the interface into something more suitable for gaming on a Steam Deck-sized handheld PC. There were also prototype streaming services pitched, which would reward viewers with Microsoft Points for watching live streams on Xbox while integrating Twitch or Patreon. Another idea included an "Xbox Inventory" system, which would allow you to collect and carry cosmetic in-game items between titles. My favorite project — and one that I think is sorely needed — is an extension of the existing Xbox achievements system, something the designers dubbed Xbox Achievements 3.0. 

Although it's unclear who was behind the project, a team of designers and developers at Microsoft joined forces during this year's Hackathon event to create a proof of concept for a so-called "Xbox Achievements 3.0." This system would sit alongside the existing Gamerscore system, awarding players with PlayStation-like bronze, silver, and gold trophies for various per-title and even system-level accomplishments. For example, in the video shared with us anonymously above, you can see a concept medal pop for playing 300 titles on Xbox Game Pass. 

The presentation also showcased how each medal count would be displayed beneath your profile on Xbox.com and on consoles, giving players another way to showcase their accomplishments across various activities on Xbox Live (which has since been renamed Xbox network, although nobody is going to call it that). 

In any case, this concept is tantalizing, despite the fact it most likely will never materialize into an actual product. It's reminiscent of some of the proposals for the canceled Xbox Careers system from yesteryear, as Microsoft acknowledged the fact that gamer's habits have changed. More and more players are sticking to a single service-oriented title for longer periods of time, rather than grazing across multiple titles. Xbox Game Pass' all-you-can-eat library keeps Xbox achievements afloat, though. Vampire Survivors offers mountains of 5G gamerscore achievements that pop at the end of every run, which represents a truly exemplary utilization of the aging system. However, many unscrupulous indie publishers have taken to releasing shovelware games that are designed entirely to grant 1000 gamerscore for doing practically nothing — a practice Sony PlayStation reportedly plans to ban, no less. 

In any case, the very fact developers are looking at this internally at Microsoft even in a hobbyist capacity suggests to me there's a growing spotlight on how little Xbox achievements have evolved, while competitors like PlayStation and Steam have developed and improved upon the systems Microsoft pioneered back in the day. Improving Xbox achievements was one of the top concerns Xbox fans shared with me during last year's big feedback survey I conducted, after all. 

I for one, hope we see something like these Xbox "Medals" materialize into a real product, someday.

This weekend I settled down for some games of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, only to be slapped with an ominous connection error. 

"HUENEME - CONCORD" is an error designator Activision support can use to help you diagnose connection issues, but the game's support team is absolutely swamped with requests right now as the Call of Duty: MW2 launch gets underway. So, what can you do in the interim?

After wrestling with my router and connection settings for an hour, I seem to have solved the issue, at least for me. Here's what I did, and here's what you can do to help alleviate connection problems with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 on Xbox, Windows PC, or PlayStation. 

1. Hard reset your console

The first option is the most obvious, but perhaps the least intrusive. A hard reset can help your console flush any problematic network settings that might be causing hiccups, allowing it to get a fresh connection from your router with new settings. 

1. On Xbox, long-press the power button on your console until it turns off. For PC, just hit the Start Menu then go to shut down. 
2. Wait about 10 seconds, then turn it back on. 
3. If that still doesn't help, you can go nuclear and attempt a power cycle. Unplug your Xbox fully and give it 15 minutes or so, then plug it back in and turn it on. This step shouldn't really be necessary for PC. 
4. Sometimes this will solve basic connection issues, but if you're still struggling, read on. 

2. Enable UPnP and disable Teredo Filtering on your router

Xbox Live and Activision's services use Teredo and UPnP (Universal Plug n' Play) to configure your devices for multiplayer games. Some routers (like mine) have Teredo filtering on by default, which blocks Teredo services from functioning. Other routers have UPnP turned off by default, too. 

Configuring these settings should help your router to set up the correct ports automatically, but it doesn't always work. Still, it's worth trying before moving to the next step. 

1. There are hundreds of different router models, so the specific terminology will differ by brand. 
2. In your router's security settings, you're looking for features that enable UPnP, or disable Teredo filtering. UPnP seems to be called "independent port sharing" under some brands too. 
3. Typically, to access your router, you can do so via a web browser connected to your network either via WiFi or ethernet. 
4. Enter the router's IP address in your web browser, for example, http://192.168.1.1. You can find this by typing CMD on a Windows PC, writing ipconfig /all. In the list of settings, it should give you an IP address under "Default Gateway." Use this IP in the browser to find your router settings. If you need a password, they're often listed on a sticker attached to your router. 
5. Often, these settings are found under security sections, but they can also be found in per-device settings. For example, if you find a menu that lists all of the devices connected to your WiFi, you may be able to click in to it to enable UPnP or disable Teredo filtering. 
6. A quick Google or Bing search for your router model and "enable UPnP" or "disable Teredo" can help. For example, this guide from AVM explains how to disable Teredo filtering on German Fritz.box routers. 

3. Set up a static IP and port forwarding 

Potentially the more complicated method, this is all about opening ports used by services on Call of Duty and Xbox Live for multiplayer. Some routers have aggressive security measures that block certain ports to prevent attacks. It's unlikely that you'd find your network compromised by opening these ports, but here's how to go about it. 

Call of Duty (and Xbox in general) needs the following ports to be open to function correctly on Xbox:

TCP ports: 53, 80, 307.
UDP ports: 53, 88, 500, 3074, 3544, 4500.

These are the ports Call of Duty needs to be open for functionality on PC: 

TCP ports: 3074, 27015-27030, 27036-27037.
UDP ports: 3074, 4380, 27000-27036.

The methodology for forwarding and opening up those ports will vary wildly by the device. On some routers, you'll need to assign open ports per device, on others, you'll need to do it globally. 

You can find guides for your specific router model at this PortForward.com website, but here are some generalized steps. 

1. First, you'll want to give your PC or your console a static IP address. Some routers make this incredibly easy. You should be able to go into a device and select "always assign the same IP address" to ensure that the settings remain the same each time your device connects up to your router. 
2. In your router settings, there should be a security section described as "port forwarding" or "port sharing." 
3. You may also need to find the specific device you want to port forward in the list of connected devices. It'll either be under DHCP, devices or something along those lines. 
4. Next, you'll be able to set up port forwarding rules for Call of Duty, Xbox Live, and so on. You should be able to select TCP or UDP, then input the port ranges above to apply the settings. Either globally on your router, or on a per-device basis. On my router, I was able to open the ports specifically for my Xbox console. 

Troubleshooting

There are a few troubleshooting steps you can take to figure out exactly what might be going on, before attempting to send a ticket over to Activision support. 

• Try connecting your Xbox or PC to a smartphone hotspot for Call of Duty first, to see if it actually connects via your phone. If it works on your phone, you pretty much know the issue is related to your router and home network setup. 
• Try other online games on your console or PC, if they tend to work you've at least isolated the issue to Call of Duty's ports. 
• Consider disabling firewall features for specific devices. I wouldn't necessarily recommend this for a PC, but Xbox consoles have security built-in that prevents unwanted access. My router has a setting per device called "exposed host" which disables most of the more aggressive security measures that may block Call of Duty and other games. 
• If all else fails, your best bet is to contact Activision Support for more help. 

Xbox has a uniquely controversial history with digital rights management, otherwise known as DRM. DRM refers to the general practice of verifying the authenticity of a digital piece of content, whether it is music, movies, or of course, games. DRM controversies crop up from time to time. I recall the disaster that was 2013's SimCity from EA. Its legendarily awful DRM failed on launch day, leading to thousands being unable to access offline play, or even do basic things like save games. It came hot on the heels of Xbox One's own DRM disaster, with the revelation that the console would be an always-online affair. Microsoft would, of course, later backtrack, but the internet has a long memory.

This past weekend, Xbox's authentication servers were down for millions of gamers across the world, raising some bad memories for Xbox users. In a statement to us, Microsoft said that Xbox Live's systems that prevented purchases and game launches have stabilized and that they're working on releasing an update for the servers this week to prevent this problem from happening again. However, the specter of the Xbox One's tumultuous launch era reared its head in the ensuing discourse.

So, what exactly went wrong?

Across the weekend, many users were slapped with "The owner of this content needs to sign in" messages, as Xbox's servers failed to verify the authenticity of Xbox users' ownership of specific content. On Xbox consoles, you essentially have two login states for your account. One is a "Home" Xbox login, and another is your cloud login. The cloud login is intended to be used on external Xbox consoles, in situations where you might be visiting a friend, for example, so you can team up and play together. Many users also use this feature to share games with a friend, or with a second console within their household.

As someone who library shares with a family member, it's often a consequence that during periods when Xbox Live goes down, I lose access to my games. This is because to verify your license rights to your cloud login, naturally, you need to be able to connect to the cloud.

Theoretically, users who are playing on their account's "home" console shouldn't have had any issues, given that the DRM check-in for licenses on the home console is far more generous. However, many users were sharing reports that they were unable to access ownership of their games even on home consoles. Although, it seems as though at least some of these scenarios were the result of confusion over how different games interact with DRM.

A scenario where you can't access an offline game even on your home console may arise when you're attempting to play a game that hasn't received its initial offline license, for any particular reason. In a conversation with Ashley McKissick, Xbox CVP for Gaming Experiences and Platforms, I discovered a little bit more about how game licenses work on the console. In order to receive an offline license for a digital game (which lasts forever on Xbox consoles once downloaded), you have to have launched the game at least once.

Update May 11, 2022: I have received some clarification that some games receive the license at the point of installation, while other games, owing to backward compatibility and other developmental nuances, may need at least one launch to initialize the license provision.

In the case of disc-based games, McKissick confirmed that these pull the license from the disc itself. However, some users may have found that running backward-compatible Xbox One games on an Xbox Series X|S may have still failed to launch from the disc during this outage, since they need to pull down some compatibility settings on the first load.

It certainly wasn't the case that Microsoft intentionally attempted to pull access to offline games on your home consoles. And for conspiracy theorists, I also confirmed that it wasn't Fortnite hitting Xbox Cloud Gaming that brought the servers down either.

Regardless, confusion over these systems and inconsistencies that may arise became a major talking point in the Xbox community over the weekend. It all put a spotlight on scenarios where access to authentication servers, for whatever reason, might not be possible.

This put a spotlight on Xbox's DRM, once again

Without DRM, an Xbox owner would theoretically be able to download the hundreds of games on Xbox Game Pass and EA Play using a $1 trial, disconnect their console, and have them forever without paying for it, for example. DRM obviously has some merits for verifying digital ownership and file integrity, but there's obviously a point where DRM negatively impacts a paying user's experience, as we saw this past weekend.

DRM remains a contentious topic in general. As pertains to Xbox, you have the fact the consoles need an initial online connection to set up. Then there's the fact many discs only contain a license for a game in the post-Steam age, lacking the files to fully run the game without the internet.

Opponents of DRM lament the fact that license servers shut down in some theoretical distant future, all of that content will become inaccessible. I'm personally of the opinion that Microsoft's global Azure server array will not only outlast any domestic collection of discs but also probably the lifespan of every human alive today. That said, I am also an advocate for anyone who wants to physically own those discs and content, without internet access. Indeed, any scenario where offline games on your home console, digital or disc-based, could ever become inaccessible owing to DRM, isn't acceptable in my view. And indeed, it was confirmed to me that the inability to play offline games on your home console was not intentional, and merely the result of the server problems that Microsoft is working to patch.

Microsoft's own support pages describe how to play games offline, after all. There was undoubtedly confusion and inconsistency about how some games offer licenses, and can potentially get stuck in an unverified state. Cutting through the conflicting reports and licensing models that could create these situations has been complex, to say the least. Quite clearly, I think there's room to streamline here, and it's becoming important to do so in a world where digital-only consoles like the Xbox Series S are becoming more common.

Microsoft is one of the few big platform holders that seem to actively care about software preservation. Just this past week, they open-sourced the 3D Movie Maker from Windows 95, and have done more to bring forward and enhance past-gen games than any other company. Windows itself is the ultimate backward-compatibility engine, with the capability to run decades-old games from the '80s or even earlier, without issue. However, it's rational to be skeptical of any mega-corp, when so many of them have shown that they're more than willing to degrade the user experience in the name of profit.

There's no guarantee that the Microsoft of the future will care about game preservation or even gaming. The abundance of uncertainty in the tech industry precludes trust. Competing mega-corp Apple has been criticized for removing iOS games for the crime of "not receiving an update for two years." While I trust Microsoft to not behave this way, the idea of a tech entity deciding on a whim to remove access to content is certainly not without precedent.

Whether you trust platform holders or not, DRM on consoles is ripe for a bit of modernization. Steam already allows up to 10 users across 10 authorized PCs to library share at a system level, which is by far more user-friendly than what console platforms are offering today, although it comes at the cost of being able to resell any of those games. Ironically, Microsoft was planning to offer this functionality with the launch version of the Xbox One in 2013, alongside the ability to resell games at "participating retailers." Consumers at large rejected it because the simplicity of physical ownership is an embedded part of the console tradition. Almost a decade later, console platforms are skirting this strange concoction of license provisions and dual-entitlement that grows increasingly confusing in a subscription-oriented, digital-first world. Couldn't we make it better somehow?

More clarity couldn't hurt

DRM is a dirty word, but I don't think it's unreasonable for game developers to want to verify that users actually paid for the content they receive. Either way, the systems we have in place today are evidently opaque. When things are all working as they should be, Xbox's DRM pings are something that happens in the background without any knowledge to the user, containing only a few bytes of data. When things aren't working as they should be, it seems like we end up in a world where we don't know what games we'll actually have access to, as rare as disruption can be on Microsoft's end. At the very least, it would be nice if Xbox consoles could present some of that information to users at an OS level in the future. It would also be nice if the license could come down with the initial download, without the launch requirement.

Funnily enough, an Xbox engineer on ResetEra said a year ago that Microsoft could do a bit more on their end to clear up confusion when these situations arise.

Some error phrasing has changed, but perhaps it hasn't quite gone far enough as of yet.

I'd like to know what policies Microsoft might enact in a far-flung, distant future scenario where Xbox is shut down by (an incredibly mean) future cyborg quintillionaire tech CEO. Or, what if some kind of asteroid shower wipes out the surface of the Earth (and Azure), forcing us to all live underground with offline-only consoles? Although, in that situation, I fear we'd all have more pressing matters to consider. Thankfully, there are many great Xbox survival games you can play offline — or at least, I think you can. Are these games fully playable on Xbox Series X|S from the disc? Do they require DRM checks or configuration patches at launch? Does this game have licenses that expire? Will it launch without a day one patch?

Any way Microsoft can reduce the need for games to ping servers should be preferable. The fact it feels like we can never be sure about how modern Xbox games may function in offline situations can be — at the very least — confusing. Couldn't we make it better somehow?

Update, June 18, 2025— Updated to show that Xbox is currently working after a short outage earlier causing network issues for players.

The Xbox Network, previously known as Xbox Live, was down, with users in many regions reporting that their consoles could not connect to the internet and they were unable to launch digital games. At the time, there had been no update from Xbox's social media accounts, and the Xbox Status page was showing no issues despite widespread reports. The outage was fixed pretty quickly without much issue.

If you're experiencing any issues related to the Xbox Network, be sure to refer to the information and troubleshooting tips below to see whether the issue can be resolved on your end, though it's likely we are all going to have to hold tight before we can play our games.

Microsoft continually reports the Xbox Network status on the official Xbox Support website. Here, you can monitor the current status of all services and features related to the Xbox Network, and you can report any issues or outages directly to Microsoft and Xbox Support. The Xbox Support Twitter account is also a good resource for updates on the Xbox Network status.

For in-depth information on how to manage your Xbox console's online connectivity, run troubleshooters and resolve numerous issues, and in general, improve your online experience with Xbox, refer to Windows Central's detailed guide on Xbox networking.

Last reported outage — June 18, 2025 from 12:15 p.m ET ongoing

The Xbox Network, previously known as Xbox Live, experienced an outage that affected a number of players. This outage prevented players from playing their digital games and going online using their consoles. Specifically, some users were unable to sign into their Xbox accounts across the entire Xbox ecosystem or were disconnected while logged in. Users may have seen an error message stating "temporary network problem" when checking their network settings, despite their internet working normally. The issue was on Xbox's end, not your broadband.

Those affected were unable to access features requiring their Xbox accounts, including playing games and using apps, accessing social features, and viewing profile activity.

The Xbox Network outage was first reported on June 18, 2025, starting at 12:15 p.m. ET. At the time, Xbox Support had yet to comment or provide updates to the community, and the official Xbox Support site showed no issues, despite widespread reports on social media indicating otherwise. It was a shortlived outage and fixed around an hour later.

What is the Xbox Network (Xbox Live)?

Xbox Network, previously branded as Xbox Live, refers to the backend infrastructure that powers all online services and features for the entire Xbox ecosystem across consoles, PC, mobile devices, and beyond. It is the spine of Xbox, powered by Microsoft technologies; any issues with the Xbox Network can be far-reaching for users and players.

The Xbox Network is an umbrella term that refers to a ton of Xbox-related online services and features, including:

• Game and gaming features, including cloud saves, Achievements, backward-compatible games, digital games, game updates and downloads, and more
• Xbox Account features, including profile creation and management, signing in, account settings and customization, Xbox Avatars, Microsoft Rewards integration, and more
• Xbox online safety features, including Xbox Family settings and management
• Online multiplayer and multiplayer features, including Xbox Live Gold, cross-platform features, and more
• Xbox social features, including Parties, Party Chat, game invites, friends, Clubs, messages, Activity Feeds, stats and leaderboards, and more
• Microsoft Store features on Xbox, including purchasing, downloading, and managing games, DLC and add-ons, in-game purchases, apps, movies and TV shows, hardware and accessories, and more
• Subscription features, including purchasing and managing Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Perks, Xbox Live Gold Xbox Games with Gold, EA Play, and more
• Sharing features, including uploading, and sharing game clips and screenshots, streaming gameplay, and more
• Console functions and features, including console updates and downloads, networking features, remote features, voice commands, and more
• Online Xbox services, including the official Xbox website, forums, and more
• Xbox mobile and PC apps, including the Xbox app, Xbox Game Pass app, Xbox Console Companion app, and more
• Xbox Cloud Gaming, remote play, and other cloud-enabled features

Any of these services, and more, can be potentially affected by Xbox Network outages and issues. The vast majority of the time, everything listed above works as intended without abnormal issues or flaws, but occasionally outages can wipe out Xbox Network services and leave users without access to those features. Common outages often affect online multiplayer, Xbox Account features, and the Microsoft Store on Xbox.

Why do Xbox Network outages happen?

The Xbox Network is Microsoft's cohesive online platform supporting the weight of millions of users across Xbox, PC, and mobile platforms, and is an integral facet of everything you do online in the Xbox ecosystem. Despite a reputation for reliability, the Xbox Network does occasionally experience outages, preventing countless users from accessing numerous services and features, and even their favorite Xbox games.

Microsoft seldom reveals technical details when the Xbox Network goes down, instead preferring to provide regular updates, and attempting to resolve the outage in a timely fashion before swiftly moving forward. There are endless potential reasons for an Xbox Network outage, such as abnormally high surges in traffic or malicious distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, just to name two. While the ultimate cause often remains unclear, the gargantuan online infrastructure can still experience a plethora of issues from time to time.

The Xbox Network is generally known for its day-to-day stability, and outages typically don't last too long. Any downtime can be extremely frustrating for users, so Microsoft attempts to get everything up and running like normal as quickly as possible. Outages should be seldom, and shouldn't have any lasting effect on your Xbox, your online security, or your overall experience.

How can I fix problems with the Xbox Network?

The majority of the time, a true Xbox Network outage won't be able to be satisfactorily resolved by anything you can do, but you may be able to improve the situation or get back online quicker than you'd otherwise would. The internet and online connectivity are complicated, with countless possible causes affecting your experience, meaning the fault may not lie entirely on Xbox's end.

If your home network or Xbox settings are negatively impacting your online experience, there may be ways to improve it. If an Xbox Network outage is completely locking you out, you may still be able to get by with an offline Xbox, if you know what to do or how to prepare. We've detailed all of this and much more in our full guide to online connectivity and networking on Xbox.

Your first step is troubleshooting and testing your connection. Using Xbox's built-in tools, you can test your network and multiplayer connections, and find your network speed and statistics. This information can help you discover whether the issues lie solely with the Xbox Network and Microsoft, or whether there are improvements that can be made to your home network (the tools will identify any issues and can even provide troubleshooting tips).

If you've exhausted all the solutions listed in our Xbox networking guide, or have ascertained that the issues are, in fact, entirely due to an Xbox Network outage, you may have to resign yourself to using your Xbox console offline. Xbox consoles obviously function far better when connected to the internet, but they may not be completely useless when taken offline. You can even manually take your Xbox offline if you want, which is often done to preserve data.

When the Xbox Network is down and your Xbox is offline, you may lose many or all of the features listed above, and can even lose access to streaming apps and services like Netflix, Hulu, Spotify, YouTube, and more. However, you should be able to capture game clips and screenshots, games should continue to track progress toward Achievements (even if the Achievements can't be earned), and you should be able to play physical games.

If you want to keep access to your digital games, ensure that your primary Xbox is set as your "Home" console in Settings, which will tie all of your digital game licenses to your local hardware. Even when the Xbox Network is down, you should still be able to play those games. This may not apply to games downloaded through gaming subscriptions like Xbox Game Pass, and it won't bring back online multiplayer features, but it may leave you with something to pass the time.

Update, May 8, 2022, at 10:20 a.m. ET: Xbox Support has reported the outage as being resolved, but some users continue to experience issues.

Update, May 8, 2022, at 12:10 a.m. ET: Xbox Support suggests improvements have been made, but a full resolution is yet to come.

Update, May 7, 2022, at 8:45 p.m. ET: The Xbox Network is facing new issues with purchases, cloud gaming, and digital gaming, although on a smaller scale.

Update, May 7, 2022, at 9:50 a.m. ET: The Xbox Network should be working again, and a workaround for affected users has been found.

Update, May 6, 2022, at 11:25 p.m. ET: Over seven hours after the outage was first reported, Xbox Network is still experiencing issues.

Update, May 6, 2022, at 6:35 p.m. ET: The Xbox team has reported that issues related to purchases and the Microsoft Store should be resolved.

What you need to know

• The Xbox Network, previously known as Xbox Live, is currently experiencing a major outage affecting many players.
• The outage includes players being unable to make any purchases, use Xbox Cloud Gaming, or even launch their digital games.
• Xbox is currently investigating the issue, but there's no word on potential solutions, yet.

The Xbox Network is the infrastructure that powers most of the Xbox gaming experience, and outages affecting that network can drastically reduce the capabilities of the entire Xbox ecosystem. It's not often the service experiences major outages that affect huge swathes of players, but months of solid service are being interrupted today by a new breakdown in the Xbox Network.

The Xbox Network is down, with many players across the Xbox family of consoles and services reporting a variety of issues affecting the Microsoft Store, Xbox Cloud Gaming, and even launching and playing digital games. The Xbox Network team is currently investigating the outage and potential solutions, but the situation hasn't improved, yet.

The issues currently affecting the Xbox Network include:

• The inability to make purchases from the Microsoft Store, including any games, DLC, in-game purchases, and accessories, regardless of the payment method used
• The inability to manage or make subscription purchases, including for Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Live Gold, and others
• The inability to launch Xbox Cloud Gaming sessions, regardless of your device
• The inability to launch and play many digital games, especially those included as part of a subscription like Xbox Game Pass

There appears to be little players can do to avoid these issues, aside from resorting to playing games from physical discs (if that's an option for you) or, potentially, disconnecting from the internet and playing offline. At least for now, the Xbox Network outage isn't affecting anything related to Xbox Accounts, multiplayer gaming, social features, or other connected services and features. If you're able to launch a game, it should function like normal, including cloud saves, Achievements, and more.

Hopefully, the Xbox Network outage won't last long, and players will quickly be able to return to their favorite Xbox games without any issues. We'll continue to monitor the situation, and update this space as we hear more.

Update, May 6, 2022, at 6:35 p.m. ET — Issues with the Microsoft Store should be resolved, but other problems remain

The Xbox team has reported that Xbox Network issues preventing players from making purchases in the Microsoft Store should be resolved. Unfortunately, other issues preventing Xbox Cloud Gaming sessions or digital games from launching are still plaguing players, and the Xbox team is continuing to investigate them. We'll continue to monitor the situation and update this space.

Update, May 6, 2022, at 11:25 p.m. ET — Xbox Network still down over seven hours later

Over seven hours after Xbox Network was first reported as experiencing issues, players are still encountering problems starting or maintaining Xbox Cloud Gaming sessions, launching or playing digital games, and more. Xbox Support has listed the latter issue with "We're close to resolving the issue" for several hours, now, with no significant improvement. Some players are able to play games like normal at this point, but many more are still affected by this long-running Xbox Network outage.

Update, May 7, 2022, at 9:50 a.m. ET — The Xbox Network is back, and a fix has been found

On May 7, 2022, at 2:11 a.m. CT, over eleven hours after the outage was initially reported, the Xbox team finally declared that the Xbox Network is running like normal. For many, this was the end of the issue, but some users are continuing to report issues with launching and playing their digital games. Fortunately, there appears to be a manual fix that resolves any lingering problems. If you're still having problems with the Xbox Network, even after the outage was mitigated, following the below steps:

1. Fully restart your home internet by unplugging your router, counting 10 seconds, and plugging it back in.
2. On your Xbox, navigate to the Settings app.
3. In the Settings app, navigate to the "System" tab.
4. In the "System" tab of Settings, navigate to and open the "Storage devices" page.
5. On the "Storage devices" page, select the "Clear local saved games" option in the upper left-hand corner.
6. After you select the "Clear local saved games" option, you'll need to confirm your choice by selecting the "Yes" button.Note: This will delete all save data for games on your console, but will not delete data stored in the cloud. The next time you open your games, they will automatically sync all the save data from the cloud.
7. After you confirm your choice, your Xbox will restart.

Once everything is online again, attempt to play your digital games. Your titles will have to sync their data from the cloud before you'll be able to play. If you're still experiencing issues even after this fix, you may consider factory resetting your Xbox console. We recommend taking your console offline (you can find the option in "Network settings"), then resetting your Xbox while keeping your games and apps (you can find the option in "Console info" by selecting "Reset console" then "Reset and keep my games & apps"). Make sure you remember your Microsoft Account login info before attempting this.

For the majority of players, neither of these fixes should be necessary, and most players still affected by lingering Xbox Network issues should be able to get back online simply by using the first fix. Only resort to factory resetting your console if other avenues have been exhausted.

Update, May 7, 2022, at 8:45 p.m. ET — Players are experiencing issues with the Xbox Network once again

Approximately 12 hours after Xbox Support announced the outage as being resolved, new issues in the same areas began to be reported by players. Although operating on a smaller scale than the earlier major outage, many players are still struggling to make purchases, launch and maintain Xbox Cloud Gaming sessions, and launching and playing digital games. Nearly four hours later, and the situation hasn't improved.

Xbox Support has suggested that some players may see an improvement with playing their digital games after rebooting their Xbox (which can be accomplished by pressing the Xbox power button for 10 seconds, waiting 30 seconds, and then pressing the power button again). The Xbox Network team is aware of the issue and is actively investigating it, although this marks the second day the Xbox Network has experienced significant problems.

Update, May 8, 2022, at 12:10 a.m. ET — The Xbox Network stability may have improved, full resolution to come

The most recent update from Xbox Support indicates that the Xbox Network outage affecting players purchasing and launching games, and launching and maintaining Xbox Cloud Gaming sessions, may be improved. However, many players are still be affected by the issues, and the Xbox team is continuing to investigate a full resolution to the long-running outage. Once again, Xbox Support suggests that affected users attempt to reboot their Xbox consoles and monitor for improvements.

Update, May 8, 2022, at 11:20 p.m. ET — The Xbox Network outage is resolved, but users are still experiencing issues

The Xbox team has officially labelled the Xbox Network outage as being resolved, but some users are still reporting issues with launching and playing their digital games. The first major outage was reported as resolved before everything was actually stable, and users are wondering if it's the same case this time. If you're still facing problems, we suggest using the various workarounds detailed above (rebooting your console, clearing your local game saves, and even factory resetting your console) to see if any of these solutions fix the issues you're experiencing.

In February, recently acquired Microsoft subsidiary Bethesda announced it was shutting down its dedicated Bethesda launcher, moving the entirety of its PC gaming library to Steam and, much of it to the PC Game Pass "Xbox" app on Windows 10 and Windows 11. It makes a lot of sense for Microsoft's teams to consolidate their Windows platform offerings under the more popular store fronts, but if Microsoft acquires Activision Blizzard, they may have yet another consideration to make.

As of writing, the vast majority of Activision Blizzard's PC games are available exclusively via the Battle.net PC app. Battle.net was a pioneer in the space, established all the way back in 1996 to facilitate online matches in games like Warcraft and StarCraft. Since then, the app has grown into a platform for mega-hits like Call of Duty and World of Warcraft, serving as an in-game chat system across multiple titles under a unified Blizzard ID.

If Microsoft manages to acquire Activision Blizzard, they will effectively have two, separate, and competing gaming social networks across Xbox Live and Battle.net, which as of writing, don't communicate on the same platform. Battle.net has much of the same features as Xbox Live, with instant messaging, community groups, and voice chat, integrated throughout WoW, Overwatch, and many more. The truth is that Battle.net often does this better than Xbox Live too, which uses the aging Skype protocol for a back end, which could present some awkward questions for Microsoft in the future.

Should Microsoft ditch Xbox on PC for Battle.net?

A few years ago, Activision Blizzard almost killed the Battle.net brand, simply rebranding the launcher to the "Blizzard" app, or some such. The attempt was met with a furious backlash, which very quickly prompted them to cancel the branding change. Battle.net has decades of history behind it, much like Xbox Live, a brand that Microsoft also quietly wound down in favor of a more neutral "Xbox network" reference that literally nobody uses. The backlash against the Xbox Live branding going away was nowhere near as raucous as the attempt to ditch Battle.net, though, and I suspect if Microsoft attempted to close down Battle.net in the same way Bethesda shut down its launcher, the backlash would be similarly palpable.

The Microsoft of 2022 isn't tone-deaf enough to attempt to shut down Battle.net, I would like to think. Nobody shed a tear for the half-baked Bethesda launcher, which pales in comparison to Steam. Battle.net is a little bit more than a simple launcher though, it's tied to the Blizzard identity, which enjoys a Nintendo-like reverence in PC gaming canon. Or at least it did in the past. Many Blizzard fans current and former are hoping for Microsoft to eject Activision's money-obsessed executive layer and bring back a focus on quality at the legendary studio, although that remains firmly to be seen.

It's with this in mind that I ultimately pose the question: Should Microsoft ditch its Xbox branding on PC for Battle.net? Microsoft has struggled long and hard to reignite interest with PC gamers after its maligned Games for Windows Live DRM that I still see cited in discussions about Microsoft's PC commitment. Microsoft has built bridges, throwing full support towards Steam, alongside some truly great value with PC Game Pass, but it still has a very steep hill to climb.

Microsoft Gaming vs. Microsoft Windows

One of the biggest hurdles Microsoft's gaming division has right now for its PC operation is identity. The Windows team ultimately has a vastly divergent vision of what Windows should be from a regular PC gamer — who values control, optimization, and customization above all else. Windows 11 is one of the most rigid versions of Windows in the operating system's history, and the PC Game Pass "Xbox" app is, by extension, has also suffered from this rigidity. I can't help but feel like the Xbox app is the biggest barrier to PC Game Pass' growth on Windows right now.

Only recently has the Xbox app gained the ability to open up PC games' files for modding tools, and it's still lacking many of those PC-oriented features that Steam enjoys. Irritatingly, the game versions on the Xbox app are often behind their Steam counterparts in features, thanks to Microsoft's UWP push that is now fading out, although this situation has gradually improved over time as well. The trade-off, generally, has been the value afforded by PC Game Pass. Microsoft seems content to sell retail versions of their PC games on Steam too. But games like World of Warcraft, Overwatch, and Heroes of the Storm are conspicuously missing from Steam, and enjoy millions of users without having to give Valve that very expensive commission.

Microsoft may well simply seek to include those games on Steam too, given their support for the platform, and the potential for new users that Steam charts and algorithms may bring. However, I feel like they would be missing an opportunity to build up their image as a PC-first gaming publisher if they ditched Battle.net entirely.

Battle.net is not quite up to par with Steam by any means, but as an app, Battle.net is better in practically every way than the Xbox PC gaming app on Windows 10 and Windows 11. It's faster for one thing, but also is more intuitive, with consistent menus and design, pervasive access to social features, easy access to game files, game news, and sales. Most of these features are up front and center on a single page, too, unlike the Xbox app, which is split into various sections and segments with contrasting designs, owing to the fact different parts are owned by different divisions within Microsoft. The messaging features are more rapid, require fewer clicks and menu hops, and crucially, don't take a thousand years to load. Xbox Live's messaging system feels like it's stuck in the '90s, which in an age of Telegrams, Discords, and Whatsapps, simply doesn't cut it. Battle.net's chat system also hooks directly into games too, which Xbox Live chat is simply woefully too slow to even be considered for.

Bringing Xbox to PC

I could write a separate article on how Windows 11's design is pushing gamers away in general, but that's for another time. If Microsoft's gaming division can't cut through the bureaucracy that is the Windows Store and all of its horribleness, the gaming division should just ditch them entirely, and build a better system that is more forward-facing and consumer-oriented.

Ditch the sluggish back end for messaging and use whatever it is that Blizzard uses. Ditch the Windows Store systems and use Battle.net to build a new PC store. I wouldn't reject the idea of ditching the Xbox branding entirely on PC to fully embrace Battle.net instead. Build Battle.net up as the centralized bridge between the Xbox console and Microsoft PC gaming ecosystem on Windows, with a brand that actually has some form of clout in the space.

The Xbox app has very, very gradually improved in recent months, with a fresh new version as part of the Xbox Insider Program. I just wonder if the entanglement to Windows is holding back the program in its entirety. The Windows Store is truly unfit for purpose when it comes to delivering video games, and all of its haughty rigidity is antithetical to what PC gaming is, and always has been.

The current iteration of Battle.net for sure has its flaws too, but it's light-years ahead of what Microsoft has on PC for its gaming tools right now, and if you are dropping almost $70 billion dollars, you might as well use all of the tools available to you. In the future, Battle.net could be a better vehicle for PC Game Pass, Halo, Gears of War, Forza, and Windows PC gaming in general, in a world that still hasn't forgotten Games for Windows Live, and still hates the Windows Store.

Xbox Live Gold has always been the paid subscription for Xbox gaming, providing full access to Microsoft's gaming network with a range of exclusive benefits. That includes access to online multiplayer, various social features, free games, and discounts on the regular. But Xbox Live Gold isn't for everyone and coupled with some big changes to Xbox Live's free tier, you might consider canceling your membership.

How to disable auto-renew for Xbox Live Gold

By canceling your Xbox Live Gold subscription, understand that you'll be losing access to all your previous benefits of the service. In the future, multiplayer for most games and other Xbox Live Gold services will be inaccessible, including access to free titles previously obtained via Games with Gold.

1. Navigate to account.microsoft.com/services.
2. Sign into your Microsoft account.
3. Navigate to the Xbox Live Gold subsection of the page.

4. Click Manage.
5. Choose Turn off auto-renew.
6. Select Confirm cancellation.

Upon completing the steps, your Xbox Live Gold subscription will no longer renew going forward. Your existing Xbox Live Gold membership will continue until the current paid period passes, meaning all benefits are still usable in the meantime.

Is Xbox Live Gold worth it versus Game Pass Ultimate?

Since network-wide Xbox Live Gold changes, introduced in April 2021, free-to-play multiplayer games no longer require a subscription to Xbox Live Gold. Great news for gamers who prefer sticking to titles like Apex Legends, Call of Duty: Warzone, and Fortnite. For anyone else dropping $60 on a hit multiplayer blockbuster, they'll need to then fork out some extra cash for Xbox Live Gold or Xbox Game Pass Ultimate if they want to play with friends.

Even for offline-centric gamers who prefer story-driven games, it's worth exploring the benefits of Game Pass Ultimate. As well as access to the Game Pass library, you get all the benefits of Xbox Live Gold too. Though it comes in at a higher price than Live Gold, Game Pass Ultimate includes the Games with Gold program, which awards two free games a month, including Xbox 360 backward-compatible titles. These games never leave your library as long as your subscription is active, unlike the rotating games library of Game Pass.

The top package for everything Xbox, a subscription to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate includes access to PC Game Pass. Should you split your gaming time between consoles and keyboards, you'll have access to the PC side of the Game Pass library. These upgrades make Game Pass Ultimate much better value for money than Xbox Live Gold, which has lost its spark.

How to save on Xbox Live Gold

If you consider checking out Game Pass Ultimate instead of canceling Live Gold, you can upgrade your Gold membership to Game Pass Ultimate for as little as $1 via Microsoft.

Though Microsoft has discontinued its 12-month digital subscription to Xbox Live Gold, it is still possible to buy the year-long codes from third-party retailers. The 25-character codes will either be hidden on physical cards with a scratch-off panel or e-mailed to you directly from online retailers. Redeem your code on the subsection of Microsoft's website here, and your membership extends instantly.

Similar discounts often appear for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate 3-month codes, so check local retailers regularly for price cuts and capitalize on Xbox multiplayer savings.

One of the things people often complain about with regards to Xbox is its Game DVR recording tools and sharing features. Improvements have gradually been making their way to Xbox consoles, but we've gotten a glimpse at some fairly major improvements to the way Xbox clips are shared across Xbox Live.

Recently posted by Microsoft on Twitter, the Xbox app is getting the ability to share direct links to Xbox gameplay clips. As it stands right now, gameplay clips are typically shared directly on Xbox Live, or need to be downloaded and then re-uploaded to social media sites like Instagram and so on. Now, this new link-sharing feature will give each clip a bespoke page for that video, without requiring users to sign in or sign up to Xbox Live.

In addition, Microsoft is also working on what looks like a Tiktok-style feature for sharing trending gameplay clips on the Xbox app. They already have a feature similar to this inside the Xbox app, but it's restricted to game publisher updates and marketing content right now.

I'm not sure how vertical video is going to work out for 16:9 game footage, or if Microsoft is going to add any Instagram or TikTok-like video editing tools to accommodate the format, I suppose time will tell. Either way, I've always felt Microsoft was missing a trick by not doing more with all of the cool gaming clips that people capture on Xbox Live from a social media perspective. Sharing gameplay clips direct to Twitter is a useful feature, but there are many dozens of other potential places where people might want to share a clip without having to ask the received to sign up or log in. This is a great step to improving that flow, with much more likely to come in 2022.

Ah, the early 2000s. The scent of the 90s still lingering, 4:3 aspect ratio TV shows, mad hairstyles, and a primordial internet. Although it somehow doesn't feel like so long ago, it really rather was, given that we now seem to be sprinting to the mid-20s at an alarming rate.

This past month, Microsoft celebrated Xbox's 20th anniversary. Originally revealed by Bill Gates and The Rock (yes, that The Rock), Xbox changed the video game industry forever, presenting what an internet-first video game console would look like. You can argue that the Windows-powered Dreamcast was there first with its built-in modem, but it was ultimately Xbox that would bring it to the masses.

An entirely new concept for console gaming, Xbox Live was revealed as a fully online service, complete with integrated voice communications and connected multiplayer gameplay. No platform had really attempted this at scale before, and Microsoft, being the tech behemoth it is, was well placed to take the initiative.

At the time, Microsoft had a press outreach program similar to what we see today. Influencers and media often would receive "press kits" full of branded merchandise alongside information that detailed upcoming products. Xbox Live was no different.

"An interconnected global community of game warriors"

Xbox Live as we know it continued to evolve over the years, later adding in an innovative achievements system, and now plowing ahead with Xbox Game Pass and cloud gaming, extending the platform's reach far beyond the console that gave it life. Before Xbox Game Pass was even conceptualized, though, Microsoft's press teams were hard at work figuring out how best to explain the idea of Xbox Live to a post-90s press cohort.

Before I was part of the press, I remember seeing an Xbox Live neon sign appear in some YouTube videos, or, somewhere on the net, and immediately thinking "I want one." I took myself straight to Ebay, where I found one mysterious Xbox Live neon sign, up for sale from Italy. I dropped 200 of her royal majesty's pounds sterling on that bad boy, and many weeks later, discovered myself in the possession of an Ark of the Covenant-like wooden box, fully functional neon signage ensconced within.

To my wonderment, there was also a mysterious disc in the box, as well as press release documentation. Little did I know, I seemed to be in possession of some sort of press kit. It was then that I realized that I didn't actually own a single device with CD-reading capabilities, and the disc remained unviewed for many years. That is, until now. Or at least, until recently.

Thanks to the innovation of USB-based DVD drives, I have been able to navigate around the disc's Flash-based auto-installer to discover this amazing piece of Xbox history, which serves as a sort of time portal into a strange and nostalgic past where things like global pandemics and, well gestures to everything felt like some scary dystopic nightmare. You can catch the video at the top of the article or over here on YouTube.

We're greeted by two cool dudes, "DarkMaster" and his sidekick, the less-climactically-named Chuck, who introduce Xbox Live as "an interconnected global community of game warriors." I'm not sure I've ever heard a better way to describe the screeching teens on Call of Duty. Perhaps this video is somewhat prophetic.

For just $4.95 per month, access to that global community of game warriors could all be yours, complete with your very own Gamertag. The self-deprecating video is actually quite hilarious and describes concepts we now wholly take for granted. Things like skill-based matchmaking, pre-match lobbies, voice comms, and custom matches — many of which simply weren't prevalent in the console world at the time.

Microsoft, of course, had platforms on PC already serving some of these features, including Age of Empires' MSN Game Zone, and even online casual games embedded directly into MSN Messenger. Sony was experimenting with it as well, with PS2's SOCOM, which came with its very own dedicated voice comms headset. Generally, though, it was all largely unheard of on consoles. Microsoft was trying to change that, though, with dedicated multiplayer APIs that would extend across all games, showcasing cutting-edge "Xbox Live-only" capabilities like player-muting.

Some of the ideas in this video never caught on, sure, like the built-in Xbox Live voice comms modulator. Others have simply died over time, like Xbox's Avatars. However, many of Xbox Live's primary innovations have become staple features of online platforms the world over, and I suspect more recent innovations like Xbox Game Pass will eventually become far more commonplace too.

Xbox Live lives on

As Microsoft's strategy continues to evolve and change with the times, much of it can be traced all the way back to its innovations with Xbox Live. Achievement systems, persistent identities across games, and content and connections that move with you across devices, all came about from Microsoft's work across its entire tech platform.

Microsoft will showcase the emergence of Xbox in a new documentary next year, unveiled as part of the Xbox 20th anniversary celebrations this week.

I'd be lying if I didn't say Xbox has been a huge part of my life, from the games I've played and the experiences I've shared, to the career I've built up for myself, alongside my friends here on Windows Central. I remember reading on WPCentral back in 2013 about this new-fangled gizmo Microsoft was working on called cloud gaming, and now it's here. The next generation will likely take all of this for granted in much the same way this Xbox Live video seems quaint to us now. Long live Xbox, and long may it continue.

What you need to know

• Microsoft revealed the November 2021 Games with Gold titles.
• As usual, there's four games, with this month offering Moving Out, Kingdom Two Crowns, Rocket Knight and Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes.
• Xbox Live Gold is included in Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

Microsoft shared the November 2021 Games with Gold on Friday. As usual, there's two Xbox One games and backward compatible Xbox 360 games. Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers can look forward to grabbing Moving Out, Kingdom Two Crowns, Rocket Knight and Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes at no extra cost.

Moving Out is a high-stakes furniture moving game that can be played in co-op, with similar chaos and shenanigans to games like Overcooked. Kingdom Two Crowns is a 2D sidescrolling "micro strategy" game that has players explore, conquer and build up a kingdom that'll last. Rocket Knight will see players overcome a vicious army of wolves, while Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes introduces some of Batman's allies from the Justice League.

While Xbox Games with Gold continues to offer monthly games for subscribers, the games are often much older than the titles added into Xbox Game Pass.

What you need to know

• Microsoft has acquired Two Hat, an AI-powered content filtration system.
• Microsoft and Two Hat have already worked together for the past few years.
• Two Hat's technology will continue to be used across Xbox, MSN and other parts of Microsoft.

Microsoft acquires Two Hat, a content moderation platform for filter messages, the company shared on Friday. Two Hat is a company that uses AI for content moderation on a vast scale, filtering online messages and providing increased user protection. Microsoft and Two Hat have already worked together for years prior to this acquisition, integrating Two Hat's protection across Xbox Live.

"I've witnessed the impact they've had within Xbox, and we are thrilled that this acquisition will further accelerate our first-party content moderation solutions across gaming, within a broad range of Microsoft consumer services, and to build greater opportunity for our third-party partners and Two Hat's existing clients' use of these solutions," says Dave McCarthy, corporate vice president of Xbox Product Services.

The price of this acquisition was not immediately disclosed. Microsoft is continuing to grow the reach of Xbox, aiming to reach more potential players than ever before through Xbox Cloud Gaming, meaning that more online scrutiny than ever before will be needed. Any potential Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S buyers can also know that Microsoft is working to make their online experience even safer.

What you need to know

• Xbox players are currently experiencing issues with trying to sign into the Xbox network.
• This issue is preventing players from accessing their account, which in turn disrupts their ability to play their games.
• Microsoft has confirmed that it's investigating the issues, so hopefully the problem will be fixed sooner rather than later.

Update Sept. 15 (3:28 p.m. ET): Microsoft has confirmed that Xbox Live sign-in and connection issues have been resolved.

Many Xbox players trying to connect to their Xbox network (formerly known as Xbox Live) profiles are currently experiencing issues signing in, indicating that Microsoft's systems are going through a rough patch. The issue is primarily affecting users trying to sign into their Xbox network accounts, but it also appears that some users that are already signed in are experiencing some connection issues and service disruptions as well.

Specifically, the Xbox status page notes the following: "You may not be able to sign-in to your Xbox profile, may be disconnected while signed in, or have other related problems. Features that require sign-in like most games, apps and social activity won't be available."

Microsoft has announced that it's currently investigating reports of the sign-in issues, so hopefully the problem will be resolved sooner rather than later. We're keeping a close eye on the situation and will update this article when we learn more. With any luck, Microsoft will be able to get everything back in working order shortly so that Xbox players can get back to enjoying their games.

Update Sept. 15 (3:28 p.m. ET) — Microsoft resolves the issue

Microsoft has announced that it has resolved the issues preventing Xbox players from signing into the Xbox network and playing their games. Users should now be able to log in and play without issue.

What you need to know

• Minecraft is the most popular game in the world, and caters to a wide variety of gamers across all ages and groups.
• In South Korea, however, Minecraft has suddenly become an adult-only to many users, thanks to a long-standing local law and Microsoft Account migration.
• Microsoft's Xbox Live accounts have restricted online play to adults 19 and older since the controversial "Cinderella law" was passed.
• Now, the migration from Mojang Accounts to Microsoft Accounts is preventing many children from accessing their favorite game.

Minecraft is one of the most popular games in the world by a wide margin, and is played by hundreds of millions of people every month. In South Korea, Minecraft continues to be a beloved game by plenty of people, but things are getting a little difficult for South Korean children that want to play Minecraft. Microsoft is moving forward with their plan to migrate all Mojang Accounts to Microsoft Accounts, so that all Minecraft versions, even the older Minecraft: Java Edition, are powered by one account.

However, this migration has seemingly clashed with a local South Korean law, according to The Korea Herald (via GamesIndustry.biz).

In 2011, South Korea passed the "Cinderella law," a still-controversial regulation that restricts online gaming for children 16 and younger from midnight to 6 a.m. This combination of required screenings led Microsoft to require all Xbox Live users in South Korea to be 19 and older, rather than setting up dedicated servers for the region. Since the law passed, children in South Korea have continued to play one of the best PC games for kids by using Minecraft: Java Edition and a Mojang Account.

Now children are unable to access even that last bastion of child-friendly gaming, as the migration to Microsoft Accounts has come into effect in South Korea.

The "Cinderella law" in South Korea is quite controversial, especially as studies have shown negligible improvements to how much sleep children are getting per night (the original focus of the law). Still, the law remains, and playing some of the best kids games has become near-impossible thanks to the combination between this law and Microsoft's decision to restrict Xbox Live access. For now, South Korea is the only place where Minecraft is practically labeled as an adult game.

While the law does make things difficult for gaming companies that wish to bring their online games to South Korean children, especially with the added costs of likely needing dedicated servers for the region, this still brings Microsoft's lackluster attempts at localization into light. Xbox users everywhere have banded together to request better localization, an area where Microsoft has historically struggled to deliver. Hopefully, this will be one instance where Microsoft will shirk expectations.

A Microsoft representative told GamesIndustry.biz, "We are proceeding with the global migration of Mojang accounts to Microsoft accounts for Minecraft: Java Edition including for our players in South Korea. We're working on a longer term solution for existing and new players under the age of 19 in South Korea and will have more to share on this later this year."

Two decades on, and Xbox Live remains a staple of Microsoft's gaming efforts, fundamental to its Xbox home consoles, and touching PCs and mobile too. That's coupled with its long-running Xbox Live Gold subscription, a monthly membership unlocking its full suite of online features, including multiplayer, party chats, and exclusive bonuses. But the gaming network, and Xbox Live Gold, have undergone a significant revamp, laying out wide-reaching changes for all.

Here's what's just changed with Xbox Live and Xbox Live Gold in 2021.

What's changing with Xbox Live Gold?

Microsoft has shaken up its Xbox online services this year, with some of the most extensive changes to date for Xbox Live. It skews the value proposition of its Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S consoles, making online multiplayer more accessible and better positioning its services against the competition. That all stems from an ongoing effort to reshape its subscription portfolio, changing up the value of Xbox Live Gold as Xbox Game Pass takes the spotlight.

The new changes for Xbox Live Gold impact its online multiplayer, the subscription's primary draw since its inception. Microsoft has lifted the requirement for Xbox Live Gold to play free-to-play titles online, making these true no-cost experiences on the platform. That mimics a similar policy seen on PlayStation consoles, with no PlayStation Plus requirement for free-to-play games.

This massive policy shift impacts a considerable slice of Xbox owners, with free-to-play titles among the top games played today. Experiences include Fortnite, Call of Duty: Warzone, and Apex Legends, all drawing millions with no upfront cost. Microsoft has now rolled out these Xbox Live Gold changes, and multiplayer automatically works across these titles, subscription-free.

While Microsoft didn't hugely publicize how this impacts Xbox Party Chat, the feature has also gone free this year. The voice chat feature previously required an Xbox Live Gold membership but is now complimentary on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S consoles. Xbox users can talk over a private voice chat, ideal for communicating while playing various games. The Looking for Group (LFG) feature used to find like-minded players online also went free this April.

Microsoft has also dropped the Xbox Live branding, steadily adopting the Xbox network branding moving forward. However, the Xbox Live Gold name will remain as is — a move designed to help better distinguish the underlying service from the paid subscription.

When will these Xbox Live Gold changes arrive?

The new changes to Xbox Live Gold are now rolling out on Xbox consoles. Following the change, free-to-play multiplayer games are now playable on any account with or without an Xbox Live Gold subscription. Some titles, like Call of Duty: Warzone and Destiny 2, issued mandatory updates related to the change, which must be installed before accessing free-to-play multiplayer. The release follows what looked to be a somewhat reactionary announcement in January, with several weeks of testing through the Xbox Insider Program.

Which multiplayer games will be free-to-play online?

Microsoft made a sweeping change across the Xbox platform, unlocking multiplayer across all free-to-play content on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S consoles. That includes many of today's best Xbox games, including Fortnite, Call of Duty: Warzone, and Apex Legends. Other highlights include Destiny 2, Hyper Scape, ROBLOX, SMITE, Warframe, and World of Tanks, to name a few. Future titles that launch for free on Xbox consoles will come with the same exemption from Xbox Live Gold restrictions. Here's the full list of free-to-play titles that don't require Xbox Live Gold on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S:

• 3on3 FreeStyle
• Aegis Wing
• APB Reloaded
• Apex Legends
• Armored Warfare
• Battle Ages
• Battle Islands
• Battle Islands: Commanders
• Bless Unleashed
• Brawlhalla
• Call of Duty: Warzone
• Crackdown
• Crackdown 2
• Crimson Alliance
• Crossout
• CRSED: F.O.A.D.
• Darwin Project
• Dauntless
• DC Universe Online
• Dead or Alive 5 Last Round: Core Fighters
• Dead or Alive 6: Core Fighters
• Defiance 2050
• Destiny 2
• Doritos Crash Course
• Dungeon Defenders II
• Enlisted
• Eternal Card Game
• Family Game Night
• Fishing Planet
• Fortnite
• Galaxy Control: Arena
• Gems of War
• Happy Wars
• Harm's Way
• Hawken
• Hyper Scape
• Killer Instinct
• Korgan
• Minion Masters
• Neverwinter
• Outriders (Demo)
• Paladins
• Path of Exile
• Phantasy Star Online 2
• Phantom Dust
• Pinball FX2
• Prominence Poker
• Realm Royale
• Rec Room
• Resident Evil Revelations 2
• ROBLOX
• Rocket League
• Rogue Company
• Skyforge
• SMITE
• Spacelords
• Spellbreak
• Star Trek Online
• Techwars Global Conflict
• TERA
• The Four Kings Casino and Slots
• Too Human
• Trove
• Vigor
• War Thunder
• Warface
• Warframe
• World of Tanks
• World of Warships: Legends
• Yaris

Is the cost of Xbox Live Gold increasing?

No — while Microsoft previously outlined plans to increase the cost of its Xbox Live Gold membership, the company changed course following widespread backlash among users. The price of Xbox Live Gold would double for many under the proposed changes, changing to $60 for six months versus the previous $60 12-month subscription. Xbox Live Gold members on a per-month payment would also see their plans increase $1 per month, at $11 per month. This adjustment is no longer planned.

Microsoft first detailed plans to change Xbox Live Gold pricing back in January, citing "changes in regional marketplaces," and increased investments in the Xbox network. The negative response saw it backtrack less than 24 hours later, with no planned changes to the value of Gold. It also used the opportunity to announce changes around free-to-play titles, which set work in motion over the following months.

While Xbox Live Gold pricing could increase later, Microsoft remains committed to current prices, at least right now. That further distances the subscription from the all-inclusive Xbox Game Pass Ultimate tier, currently costing $15 monthly or $180 a year, including Xbox Live Gold alongside other benefits across the platform.

Is Xbox Live Gold worth it in 2021?

These latest changes to Xbox Live Gold represent its biggest evolution since its launch on the original Xbox, leaving some to question whether they need the subscription in 2021. It's fair to say there's less reason to purchase the membership after these changes, with previous member-only benefits now freely available on the consoles. But Xbox Live Gold still plays a crucial role, underpinning the online multiplayer for all other titles on the platform.

For those who exclusively play Fortnite, Call of Duty: Warzone, or other free-to-play games on Xbox, these changes could net some savings on that monthly cost. These top titles can all be played subscription-free, coupled with free Party Chat access to communicate with friends. But straying beyond the small pool of free games, Xbox Live Gold is essential for online multiplayer. That's a decision unique to you but worth consideration following the switch-up.

What you need to know

• Microsoft Teams, Azure, Office 365, Bing, and several other Microsoft services went down last week.
• Microsoft already confirmed that the outage was related to a DNS issue.
• A more recent report breaks down the root cause of the issue, which was a surge in DNS requests alongside a code defect.

Microsoft services went down last week for many people in the U.S., including Teams, Office 365, Xbox Live, OneDrive and Azure. Briefly after the outage, Microsoft explained that a DNS-related issue was the cause of the issues with Microsoft services. Over the weekend, Microsoft released a root cause analysis report of the issue, which sheds light on what went wrong (via ZDNet).

The report states:

Microsoft explains that its DNS services automatically recovered themselves 39 minutes after the outage started. According to the company, the "recovery time exceeded [its] design goal."

Going forward, Microsoft plans to repair the code defect that caused the issue and improve the automatic detection and mitigation of issues.

The outage that occurred on April 2, 2021 was much shorter and less severe than the outage that happened on March 15, 2021. That earlier outage was caused by an error involving the rotation of keys for Azure.

What you need to know

• Several Microsoft services, including Teams, Azure, Office 365, and even Bing, are down right now.
• Reports of outages began spiking around 5 p.m. ET.
• The outage seems to be the U.S. only for now and could be related to a Cloudflare DNS outage

Update April 2, 2021 at 9:15 am ET: Microsoft confirmed that the issues are resolved and all services have "returned to a healthy state."

Update April 1, 2021 at 6:35 pm ET: Microsoft is "seeing improvement in service availability." as it has "rerouted traffic to our resilient DNS capabilities." The next status update is due in 60 minutes or so. We can confirm Bing, OneDrive, and Skype are now working again.

It appears several Microsoft services are down for the count this afternoon. Microsoft Teams, Office 365, Xbox Live, OneDrive, Azure, Skype, and even Bing are down right now. The cause for the outage isn't clear, though Microsoft noted that there is an issue affecting the Azure Portal and Azure services.

According to outage-tracking site DownDetector, reports of outages across Microsoft services began flooding in around 5 p.m. ET. Thousands of reports have been noted for Xbox Live, Teams, and Office. We noticed the outage, oddly enough, when attempting to access Bing and being met with an error page.

Some reports suggest that it is only affecting users in the U.S. It could also be related to a similar outage with Cloudflare, which handles DNS.

This is the second major outage across Microsoft services in recent weeks. On March 15, Azure suffered some downtime, taking out Xbox services, Teams, and Office 365 late in the day.

We'll continue to update this post as more information becomes available from Microsoft. For now, it looks like you may run into a snag or two if you planned on taking any Teams calls, jumping into one of the best Xbox games on your Xbox Series X, or simply wanted to Bing something (if that's your thing).

Microsoft has a long and storied history with messaging apps. Whether it's nostalgic memories of MSN Messenger, or more recent efforts with Microsoft Teams, communication is practically foundational to every Microsoft vertical. Microsoft has also had a long and storied history of, well, failure in this area. Despite buying up Skype, the relevancy of Skype as a platform has deteriorated in recent years in favor of speedier competitors, like WhatsApp and Telegram, or more-connected social networks like Facebook Messenger.

Skype has still found its footing as a back-end service for products like Microsoft Teams and Xbox Live, both of which boast tens of millions of monthly active users. Still, there are big, gaping holes in Microsoft's ability to engage consumers within its own communication platforms, especially when it comes to building communities, or even running small businesses.

A new report from VentureBeat suggests that gaming-oriented messaging platform Discord is looking to sell for upwards of $10 billion. One has to assume that Microsoft is in the running to be among those to acquire the messaging platform, given that it aligns almost perfectly with its plans for the future of gaming. It could also boost Microsoft's business aspirations, given that it is arguably more intuitive for smaller businesses than Microsoft Teams who don't need the scale or enterprise-grade integrations the service offers.

Here's why I think Microsoft should certainly look to place itself in the bidding war for Discord, if it's not already at the fore.

Microsoft's messaging services are bad

I hate to say it, but Skype, Microsoft Teams, and Xbox Live messaging are all pretty awful at doing their job in general. Skype remains among the more reliable services for voice and video comms, and Xbox Live party chats generally do the job for group voice in gaming, but they've all fallen so far behind competing services due to lack of innovation.

To be fair to Microsoft Teams, it does things at scale for enterprises that competing solutions simply cannot offer. But as a user in a mid-sized business who simply needs these services for fundamental communication and filesharing, Microsoft's competitors generally seem to have an edge for the basics.

Microsoft is a lumbering corporate giant, and often fails to meet the pace of innovation smaller, more nimble teams can accomplish. Few others represent this as succinctly as Discord, which not only destroys Skype and Xbox Live at texting, mobile quality, and usability, but arguably is even better than Microsoft Teams as an environment for professional use. Discord has a wealth of mature services, tools, and bots that can turn basic Discord servers into productivity powerhouses with only a few simple tweaks.

I remember long before even working in the industry, I was scratching my head over Microsoft's decision to shutter MSN Messenger in favor of Skype. MSN was faster than Skype and had a more intuitive interface. Frankly, it still does.

I'm not quite sure why, but it's absurd to me that, in 2021, Skype and Xbox Live messaging services lag behind the competition in speed. It just doesn't feel good to send texts over Skype-based services, watching the app struggle to open even on the world's most powerful PCs and phones, while Telegram and WhatsApp, and crucially, Discord, all open at a mere instant. If after years of failed attempts to rebrand and rebuild Skype, Microsoft is unable to improve even the most basic aspects of the service, there must be something fundamentally wrong with it. What else could it be? It's time to cut loose and move on.

Discord would solve all of Microsoft's social shortcomings

Microsoft has already been working pretty closely with Discord in recent years, and we've seen evidence that Microsoft is looking at even deeper integration between Xbox messaging and Discord in the near future. This could be a hint that Microsoft is indeed in the bidding to acquire the service, which is synonymous across the board with gaming communities everywhere.

Microsoft has attempted to emulate Discord's features in some ways. Microsoft's own "Xbox Clubs" feature started fairly promisingly, and we even saw designs that would've seen Xbox Clubs become even more "Discord-like," in previous years. Those updates never materialized, however, as Discord's popularity continues to gain pace.

I wrote an article in the past about why Microsoft can't ignore the rise of Discord. It was always apparent to me that Discord would eventually join a larger tech company. It was merely a question of "who," and "when."

In that article, I wrote that Microsoft essentially had a choice to build up its own competing services or buy Discord outright. Arguably, the former hasn't happened. Xbox Live and Xbox Clubs haven't had meaningful upgrades in what feels like forever, and lag behind Discord and other instant-messaging services across PCs, and crucially, mobile phones, where Microsoft aims to deliver the majority of its growth for Xbox Game Pass in the near future.

Microsoft wholly missed the boat with streaming, failing to catch up to Amazon's Twitch with Mixer. Allowing Discord to go over to Amazon or another competitor could potentially end badly for Microsoft, particularly if, for example, Amazon sought to integrate Discord with Twitch and its home-grown PC game streaming service Amazon Luna.

"Social" is Microsoft's big blind spot

Microsoft's attempt to buy TikTok last summer should serve as an indicator that Microsoft knows the importance of social media. In some ways, social media is the glue that many of its services simply lack. Discord isn't necessarily full-blown social media in the same vein as YouTube or Twitter, but it is crucially social in a way that it builds communities, and re-engages users passionate about a whole range of topics and subjects. It's also faster, and more intuitive than Microsoft Teams, arguably making it more productive for smaller teams who don't need the more powerful enterprise-level integrations.

Microsoft's home-grown consumer-oriented social platforms have fallen too far behind their competitors to ever catch up at this point. Redmond has found success with LinkedIn and Microsoft Teams, but Discord's tech could become the glue that makes these services and features more social for regular users, thanks to superior fundamental services and an improved user experience. Whoever lands Discord will gain a big advantage over Microsoft's entire portfolio of services, if Microsoft is forced to continue using the dinosaurian Skype as its primary mode of comms delivery. This is one deal Microsoft can't afford to let slip away.

What you need to know

• Xbox Live refers to the underlying network technologies that have powered Xbox for nearly two decades.
• Recently, Xbox Insiders noticed that mentions of "Xbox Live" were disappearing from the Xbox console.
• Microsoft has now confirmed in a statement that Xbox Live is officially rebranded to Xbox network.
• Xbox Live Gold isn't changing right now, but the Xbox Live branding is being retired.

Xbox Live is a well-known brand that has been synonymous with Xbox online since the console's debut 18 years ago. However, Xbox Insiders recently began noticing that mentions of the Xbox Live brand disappeared from the Xbox Dashboard, most noticeably when trying to upload and share game captures like screenshots on Xbox or view already-uploaded captures. Eagle-eyed people also noticed that the Microsoft Services Agreement was updated to remove any mentions of Xbox Live.

In a statement to the Verge, Microsoft has officially confirmed speculations: Xbox Live is being rebranded to Xbox network, and the long-running brand is being retired.

From a Microsoft spokesperson: "'Xbox network' refers to the underlying Xbox online service, which was updated in the Microsoft Services Agreement. The update from 'Xbox Live' to 'Xbox network' is intended to distinguish the underlying service from Xbox Live Gold memberships."

In recent years, the importance of the Xbox Live brand has diminished significantly in the wake of Xbox Game Pass and its exponential growth (the list of games coming and going from Xbox Game Pass is huge). With this change, the Xbox Live Gold subscription, which lets gamers play online multiplayer games on Xbox, isn't going away or being altered at all. Still, even Xbox Live Gold has lessened in importance with its inclusion in Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is one of the best values in gaming, and combines a ton of different benefits in one. Get the most out of your subscription by checking out our list of Best Games for Xbox Game Pass.

What you need to know

• Microsoft published a preliminary root cause analysis of the major Azure outage earlier this week.
• The outage affected several Microsoft services, including Teams, Office 365, and Xbox Live.
• An issue related to the rotation of digital keys caused the outage.

Earlier this week, an Azure Active Directory outage caused several major Microsoft services to go down, including Teams, Xbox Live, and Office 365. The outage impacted hundreds of millions of people who rely on the services for work, education, and entertainment. Microsoft recently published a preliminary root cause anaylsis for the outage (via ZDNet.

Here is Microsoft's summary of the cause of the outage:

The crux of the issue was an error surrounding keys. A key was marked as "retain" for longer than normal, which exposed a bug that caused the "retain" state to be ignored. The key was removed when it shouldn't have been, which caused the issues.

Microsoft is working on a multi-phase effort to prevent these types of issues. Right now, Microsoft is in the second phase of that process. Microsoft explains the effort in the same post:

Microsoft outlines its upcoming steps, which should prevent these types of outages once finished. Microsoft has put additional safeguards in place to help prevent outages until the second phase of its effort is complete.

Microsoft will publish a full root cause analysis of the outage once its investigation is complete.

Update March 15, 2021 at 6:10 PM ET: Microsoft has successfully rolled out an update that fixed the issues and as a result, outages and other issues have largely been resolved. Any issues that resist will likely be resolved shortly.

What you need to know

• A recent Microsoft Azure outage took down multiple Microsoft services, including Microsoft Teams, Xbox Live, and Office 365.
• Microsoft noted that a recent change to an authentication system was the culprit of the issues.
• Microsoft rolled out an update that fixed the problem, and as a result the vast majority of errors have been resolved.

A recent Microsoft Azure outage took down several Microsoft services, including Microsoft Teams, Xbox Live, and Office 365. The issue affected users worldwide and prevented users from accessing most of the functions of these services.

After fully investigating the issue, Microsoft was able to roll out an update that fixed the issues and has successfully reduced Microsoft service error rates. Any issues that persist should be resolved shortly. It's awesome to see the problem taken care of relatively quickly considering how important these services are to many workflows and recreational activities.

If you don't use it already, we highly recommend subscribing to the Office 365 (also known as Microsoft 365) service, as it gives you access to a full suite of powerful productivity apps such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and more. It also includes awesome enhancements to services like the Microsoft Edge web browser and Microsoft Teams.

Few things in gaming are more satisfying than the sweet sensation of the cheevo pop. Those little hits of dopamine, praised for your hard work unexpectedly, often with a humorous phrase or positive affirmation. Xbox achievements are one of Microsoft's crowning gaming innovations, adapted and remixed by PlayStation, Steam, Battle.net, and various other games and storefronts. Alas, cheevos (as they're often lovingly called) have fallen by the wayside a bit.

The achievement hunting community is strong, with sites like TrueAchievements dedicated to their cataloging and pursuit. YouTubers like Maka91Productions create thousands of hours of Xbox achievement guides to help people pump up and celebrate their gamerscore. That same cheevo hunting community has frequently reached out to me on Twitter in recent years, to decry some of the prevailing issues with the system.

With the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S out the door, perhaps it's time Microsoft took another look at the Xbox achievement system. It's time to unlock an upgrade or two.

The current state of Xbox achievements

Xbox achievements launched with the Xbox 360 back in the day, and would later spread to Games for Windows Live on PC, Windows Phone 7, and later Windows 10. Microsoft typically allows games to offer up to 1000 gamerscore initially. Indie and mobile games were previously only afforded 200 gamerscore, restrictions that would be later removed.

Xbox achievements are triggered at a game developer's discretion, often rewarded for collecting items, accomplishing difficult tasks, or progressing through the game. Some games have notoriously difficult or high-investment achievements, such as Gears of War's infamous "Seriously" achievements, which require you to kill hundreds of thousands of enemies or complete the game on their hardest difficulty modes.

For the most part, the Xbox achievement system remained largely unchanged. In 2016, Microsoft added a unique achievement pop for "Rare" achievements, that game with a shiny diamond animation and a more prestigious sound effect.

We also discovered in a previous scoop that Microsoft was exploring an overhaul of the Xbox achievement system, nicknamed the Xbox "career system,". The career system would have rewarded gamers in new ways, including possible cosmetic items for Xbox Avatars. At some point during that system's development, however, it was shelved.

Since then, Xbox achievements have barely seen any love whatsoever, and in some ways, have even gotten worse.

Are some game publishers selling gamerscore?

One point of contention in the Xbox achievement hunting community pertains to the accrual of points in recent times. Sure, achievements are just a fun little thing and perhaps shouldn't be taken too seriously. For those of a certain age at least (and I can only speak for myself) it does seem that achievements do add a dimension of fun and reward for investing in your platform of choice. When I play on my Nintendo Switch, I really do find myself missing Xbox achievements.

In any case, back in the day, achieving hundreds of thousands, or even millions of achievement points was a truly epic feat. It required tons of investment in terms of time, and in some cases money, since smaller indie games weren't given the full 1000 gamerscore like they are today. Some publishers actually seem to be abusing that fact too. Xitilon, for example, has been cited to me by numerous achievement fans as a company that sells simple easy games for $5, giving achievement hunters an incredibly easy ride to 1000 gamerscore with 10-20 minutes of light work. And what's worse, some of the games even gain extra gamerscore over time, abusing Microsoft's policies which let game developers add gamerscore after so many months.

In essence, this devalues the effort to some degree of more recent achievement hunters, since there are so many games out there that let you get gamerscore with relatively low investment both in terms of time, effort, and skill. What if there were other ways to show off your gaming achievements, though?

Other achievement systems are passing Xbox by

PlayStation was late to the game when it comes to in-game achievements, but their trophy system has become the standard-bearer in some ways for these types of mechanics.

Sony's trophy system is a bit more granular, awarding different levels of achievements based on the difficulty, rather than a flat score. In addition, PlayStation's "platinum trophies" signify 100% completions of games — something Xbox doesn't have, and something that is often highly-requested. Steam's achievements are a little less glamorous, but they sometimes reward digital trading cards which are a fun little addition. Battle.net's achievements for World of Warcraft even go as far as offering titles and cosmetics, which is awesome. World of Warcraft's "Insane in the Membrane" achievement rewards players with the title "The Insane" for undertaking some truly mind-numbing grind that can take dozens of hours. But hey, if you build it, they will come. Apparently?

I don't think Microsoft necessarily needs to go all-in with granularity like the trophy system. Nor do I think they need to offer cosmetics and titles like Battle.net's achievements do. But, recognizing the number of rare achievements, or 100% completions should be a baseline feature perhaps at this point. It feels like there's a lot they could do with this system, and a few years ago, Microsoft seemed to agree.

Achievement unlocked: Written an article

Source: Windows CentralThe Xbox "Career System" showcased more detailed stats of your gaming achievements, and included new ranks and levels.

In previous interviews, former Xbox CVP Mike Ybarra expressed to us a desire to change up the Xbox achievement system, noting that gamers diverse playstyles aren't necessarily being rewarded in the current system. "As more people come into gaming around the globe, we need to have a service that recognizes and makes heroes of people for their style and their diverse ways of gaming," Ybarra said. "That's absolutely something we're looking at." Mike Ybarra is now at Blizzard Entertainment, but many of those who worked on the patented "career mode" are likely still part of Microsoft's Xbox platform team.

The "career mode" really made use of all the telemetry and stats Xbox receives on our gaming habits, allowing us to showcase our accomplishments in our profiles, or even earn titles. These sorts of features were well-received when we leaked them, but sadly never materialized into a finished product.

With the next-gen (well, current-gen) consoles now available across the world, you have to wonder if perhaps Microsoft will revist some of these older plans. However Microsoft decides to proceed with Xbox achievements, I think it's long overdue for some love and development.

What do you think about Xbox achievements? Hit the comments, let us know.

Xbox Series X/S

Main

• Xbox Series X: Everything we know
• Best games coming to Xbox Series X/S
• List of Xbox Series X specs
• What is the Xbox Series X release date?
• How much does Xbox Series X cost?
• Why you can't preorder Xbox Series X yet
• Best Xbox Series X Headsets

Update, February 25, 2021 (9:00 pm CT): A short time ago, Microsoft reported that the ongoing Xbox Live outage should be resolved, and users should be able to sign in again.

Update, February 25, 2021 (8:10 pm CT): Nearly six hours later, Microsoft still hasn't fully resolved the sign-in issues with Xbox Live. Some users are reporting the problem fixed.

Update, February 25, 2021 (3:55 pm CT): The initial account sign in issues have spread to affect most online portions of Xbox Live, including online multiplayer, cloud gaming, and game purchases.

What you need to know

• Xbox Live is currently experiencing some intermittent outages.
• The issue is affecting users trying to sign in to their Xbox Account or profile.
• The Xbox Live team is currently investigating the issue and looking for a resolution.

Xbox Live is reportedly facing outages for a number of players, according to Xbox Support. The issue is labelled as a "Major outage," and is affecting sign-in for users on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Windows, and pretty much anywhere users can sign in to their Xbox Account or profile.

This could potentially affect more than just your Xbox, as an Xbox Account can be connected to Android, iOS, cloud and web services, and more.

If you're afflicted by the outage, you may be unable to sign in, be disconnected, or be unable to access any online services connected to your Xbox Account or profile. Xbox was made aware of the issue a while ago, and is actively working on resolving the problem. While there's no resolution right now, hopefully this outage won't last too long.

If you want to keep track of when Xbox Live is down or may be coming back up, we keep track of when Xbox Live is down for our readers. We also have a full Xbox Series X|S networking guide that goes over everything you could possibly need to know about using your Xbox online.

Xbox Live outages are typically pretty uncommon, but they're not unheard of. The last major outage we experienced was around the launch of the Xbox Series X|S, when a wave of new players flooded Microsoft's services and caused a myriad of intermittent issues for a while. Outages usually don't drag on too long.

Update, February 25, 2021 (3:55 pm CT) - Xbox Live's account sign-in issues affect most online services

Microsoft has updated their official Xbox Support page to indicate that the ongoing outages, which initially started with issues signing in to Xbox Accounts and profiles, is now affecting most Xbox Live online services. Players may experience problems purchasing games, playing online, and utilizing Xbox's cloud gaming services. Microsoft is still investigating the issues.

Update, February 25, 2021 (8:10 pm CT) - Xbox Live is back for some users, still not entirely fixed

After nearly six hours, Xbox Live is still being reported as down for many users, and there's been no further update from Microsoft. However, some users are reporting that Xbox Live is up and working for them again, especially after a restart of their console. Hopefully the Xbox Live outage is at the tail end, and will be resolved shortly.

Update, February 25, 2021 (9:00 pm CT) - The Xbox Live outage should be resolved, and users can sign in

Microsoft has now reported that the ongoing Xbox Live outage should be resolved and everything is up and running like normal. Users should be able to sign in, access online content, purchase games, and utilize cloud services. If you're still experiencing issues, restarting your Xbox console may fix the problem.

Imagine my surprise when I receive an email from Xbox Live notifying me of an enforcement against my account. At first I thought it might be a phishing attempt, but no, logging in to the enforcement.xbox.com portal does indeed show action taken.

Considering I never indulge in in-game chat or ever send messages to anyone who isn't an actual friend, I'm sitting there puzzled. Until I scroll down and see what it's for.

"Inappropriate screenshot". The game? Cyberpunk 2077.

I've no idea what screenshot this is specifically, but it's also not hard to imagine it was something related to either the copious amount of dildos to be found in Night City, or something related to genitalia. I make no lie, among friends we've all been sharing screengrabs of the penis tool in the character creator because we're incredibly juvenile. Or maybe it was Sir John Phallustiff, a suggestive, yet highly capable melee weapon.

In any case it does open a big old box. The game is rated for adults, as rightly it should be, but equally Microsoft is happy to sell it, and indeed platforms like Twitch and YouTube are happy to allow streaming of it. But taking a (possibly) hilarious screengrab could land you in hot water with the Xbox Live police.

I'm not banned, yet, and have no limitations placed on my account, but my reputation score has now decreased. And I expect that if I were to continue screen grabbing suggestive moments in Night City that further, more serious action may well follow. This has happened before, with Xbox Live bans handed out over adult content in screenshots for titles like Metropolis: Lux Obscura.

So, be careful. Heed these words as advice. You might think your in-game genitals are hilarious or impressive, but Xbox, it seems, does not. If you don't have a capture card, then maybe take more photos of the scenery and less of the, er, other scenery.

What you need to know

• Some users are having issues playing games on Xbox right now.
• These users are getting an error message stating that "The person who bought this needs to sign in."
• Other players are having problems buying things in the Xbox Store right now.

Update, Oct. 23 (4:48 p.m. ET): These issues appear to have been fixed.

We're seeing reports of players unable to access their games or purchase new content, getting an error message whenever they try to access their games that states "The person who bought this needs to sign in." Meanwhile, there's also been a small spike of reports on DownDetector, though it doesn't appear that this issue is affecting everyone.

Our Xbox editor Jez Corden is one of the people being affected by this problem and is getting the error message below.

Xbox Support confirmed these reports with an update on Twitter that the engineering team is looking into the problems. As of the time this article is being written, the Xbox Support website confirms the detected outage for purchasing content and accessing games.

If you aren't having issues accessing your games, or you're currently getting the error message above, leave a comment below. We'll be sure to provide an update if the issues here get worse or are resolved.

Update, Oct. 23 (4:48 p.m. ET) — These problems are reportedly resolved

According to Xbox Support, these issues have been fixed.

Xbox Series X/S

Main

• Xbox Series X: Everything we know
• Best games coming to Xbox Series X/S
• List of Xbox Series X specs
• What is the Xbox Series X release date?
• How much does Xbox Series X cost?
• Why you can't preorder Xbox Series X yet
• Best Xbox Series X Headsets

What you need to know

• Xbox Live appears to be down in the UK and parts of the United States.
• People in these areas have reported problems with playing games to Down Detector.
• Microsoft has yet to acknowledge the issue.

It looks like Xbox Live is down right now. Down Detector has received an influx of people reporting problems, mainly from the United Kingdom and parts of the United States on the coasts. Microsoft has yet to acknowledge the issue or offer a timetable for a fix. Its own website currently says that Xbox Live is working fine.

Players have reported getting kicked out of matches in Call of Duty, Sea of Thieves, Rainbow Six Siege, and more. It's unclear what other areas of Xbox Live are affected at this time other than multiplayer services.

If you'd like to try and troubleshoot the problem yourself, there are a few steps you can take. It also might sort itself out on its own shortly if this was a brief hiccup.

1. Press the Xbox button to open the guide menu.
2. Select Settings.
3. Select All Settings.
4. Select Network.
5. Select the Network settings tile. Further Xbox Live status information can be found on-screen.
6. Select Test network connection, located on the right-hand side of the screen.
7. Once this is done, your Xbox One will provide further details on your current connection setup. For even further assistance, head over to Microsoft's official Xbox Support portal.

Xbox Series X/S

Main

• Xbox Series X: Everything we know
• Best games coming to Xbox Series X/S
• List of Xbox Series X specs
• What is the Xbox Series X release date?
• How much does Xbox Series X cost?
• Why you can't preorder Xbox Series X yet
• Best Xbox Series X Headsets

One of the biggest downsides of Project xCloud right now is that it utilizes your single Xbox Live point of presence, meaning that when you sign in on your phone, you can be signed out on other devices. For some family household setups, this negates one of the best use cases for xCloud: letting your family watch Netflix or Disney+ on your console while you get your game on with your phone or tablet. Thankfully, that's about to change.

Recently, we saw evidence that Microsoft is gearing up to lift this restriction on Xbox Live, allowing you to have multiple points of presence across different devices and platforms.

You'll still only be able to launch games on one device at a time using your account, but this new system means that you'll be able to play the best Xbox One games via cloud streaming on your phone, without being signed out of your consoles. This means you'll be able to continue using streaming apps and services like Netflix, YouTube, Disney+, or Microsoft's own Movies & TV on the same account, while using Project xCloud on your phone.

It's a relatively minor tweak to the system, but lifting the restriction adds a whole lot of additional usability to Project xCloud, especially in households where battles over the TV are commonplace. This feature is currently undergoing some internal testing, and will likely be rolled out ahead of Project xCloud's September 13 launch date, which comes bundled with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and should feature "over 100" games.

It shouldn't be long until we get more details on the future of Microsoft's Project xCloud. The streaming wars between Microsoft, Google, and others are also only just getting started.

Xbox Game Streaming

Main

• Xbox Project xCloud: Everything We Know
• How to play Xbox Project xCloud Preview
• Best Project xCloud Accessories
• Best Phones for Project xCloud
• Best Controller Mounts for Project xCloud
• Xbox Project xCloud Games List

What you need to know

• Many have been speculating that Xbox Live Gold would soon be removed.
• This would allow players on Xbox One to use multiplayer without paying a subscription fee.
• Microsoft has told us nothing is changing for now.

Over the past few weeks, speculation has intensified that Xbox Live Gold, the paid subscription required for playing games online on Xbox One, would be going away in some capacity. This speculation further ramped up when people noticed some changes to the legal terminology in Microsoft's Services Agreement. Mentions of "Xbox Live" were changed to "Xbox Online Service."

Further excarberating matters, the multiplayer in Halo Infinite has been revealed as completely free-to-play, as we previously reported. Unfortunately, it appears that nothing is going to be changing on that front, at least in the immediate future. We reached out to Microsoft for comment on some of the rumors and speculation around Xbox Live Gold, and a Microsoft spokesperson offered us this statement.

Xbox Live Gold is bundled in with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, a tier that also includes Xbox Game Pass for PC (Beta) and will soon include Xbox cloud gaming starting on September 15.

Right now, anyone playing Xbox titles like Sea of Thieves or Grounded on PC don't have to pay a subscription fee to access online multiplayer. We'll have to wait and see when or if this inequality is addressed moving forward.

Additionally, just because Xbox Live Gold isn't going away right now doesn't mean it won't face the chop at some point in the future, especially if Xbox Game Pass subscriptions reach a critical mass. We'll just have to hang tight.

Xbox Series X/S

Main

• Xbox Series X: Everything we know
• Best games coming to Xbox Series X/S
• List of Xbox Series X specs
• What is the Xbox Series X release date?
• How much does Xbox Series X cost?
• Why you can't preorder Xbox Series X yet
• Best Xbox Series X Headsets

Xbox Live Gold is a recurring subscription service required to access multiplayer services on Xbox consoles. It costs around $60 per year if you purchase annual time cards, although Microsoft itself is no longer offering the option to buy 12 months of Xbox Live Gold digitally, although it remains available via some other retailers.

Microsoft's official line on why they've decided to do away with the 12-month digital subscription is fairly vague and non-committal, but it hasn't stopped rife speculation that Microsoft has removed it because it's gearing up to do away with Xbox Live Gold entirely.

Is this a realistic thing to expect in the future? Yes, it is. But I would be surprised if it happens any time soon.

Why does Xbox Live Gold exist?

Well, obviously, the answer is money. But it's a bit more complicated than that.

The cash flow from Xbox Live Gold has enabled Microsoft to realize some of its long-term ambitions with regards to server infrastructure and cloud. For the longest time, Xbox Live Gold was seen, and arguably still is seen, as the defacto most stable gaming network in the world, with features we now take for granted, such as party voice comms, dedicated servers, and beyond. Many of today's younger gamers probably won't be able to imagine a time when voice comms weren't a ubiquitous thing, but the social aspects of Xbox Live Gold, as well as its cloud infrastructure, simply wouldn't have been realized without the cash flow from Xbox Live Gold. It goes further than that, though.

When Microsoft launched the Xbox 360 up against the PlayStation 3, the price delta was rather enormous. You need only look at the price of a decent gaming PC vs. the price of a comparably-powerful console as well, for an example of how cheap subsidized hardware can be by comparison.

The far cheaper Xbox 360 allowed Microsoft to propel Xbox into the spotlight as a global brand, usurping several years of dominance from Sony's PlayStation. Xbox Live Gold, and now PSN+, also help to drive down costs of the hardware. If you can attach a subscription to every single console, or at least a portion of them, you can guarantee that you'll end up with better margins than you would've done if you'd just sold hardware at cost.

This is why executive vice-president of Gaming at Microsoft and Xbox chief, Phil Spencer, has previously discussed (via The Verge) the fact that the console business is less about selling consoles, and more about monetizing the users you do have. A console sold that doesn't attach a subscription (or games) is worth far, far less to a company.

It's with this in mind that, as of writing, I very strongly doubt we'll see Xbox Live Gold removed any time soon. Especially not as soon as the July 23rd Xbox showcase as some people are expecting.

Yes, it would be a massive announcement that would give Microsoft very, very strong differentiation against Sony's PlayStation 5, but from a pure business perspective, right now, it would be an incredibly risky move. I've spoken to Xbox Live staff in the past that have discussed the paywall at length, noting that those "Xbox Live Free to Play" weekends didn't do a great deal to drive engagement: anyone who wants to play online already pays for Xbox Live Gold, and is largely happy to do so. Not being able to guarantee Xbox Live Gold subscriptions moving across to the Xbox Series X would also potentially drive up the cost of the console, to meet target margins.

That being said, I still see Xbox Live Gold going away, eventually.

Why might Xbox Live Gold be removed?

The industry is rapidly shifting focus, with PC by far and away the dominant force in "core" gaming. Mobile gaming didn't wash over the industry and shift all of us over to Candy Crush-lovers as some analysts predicted in previous years, but more and more of us globally are playing on Windows PC, either instead of, or alongside Xbox consoles. The gradual decline of the "walled garden"-style closed-off networks is also opening up all sorts of cross-play scenarios, with Xbox at the forefront. Minecraft is still one of the only games, if not the only game that lets you play with friends across VR, mobile phones, all consoles, and PC simultaneously. This is a vision of gaming Microsoft wants to eventually spread across its entire portfolio, within reason.

Increasingly, the paywall for multiplayer seems old fashioned, and maybe even antithetical to Microsoft's vision of a big connected network that spans storefronts and form factors. Xbox Live's "Games with Gold" program, which offers free titles as part of the multiplayer access package, has arguably decreased in quality over time as well, as Microsoft shifts its focus to its other big subscription service: Xbox Game Pass, which features some of the best games from the Xbox portfolio for a relatively low monthly fee.

In addition, Microsoft announced that Project xCloud is joining Xbox Game Pass Ultimate in September at no extra cost, includes over 100 games, increasing the pressure on competitor Google Stadia with a single announcement.

Since Game Pass Ultimate already includes Xbox Live Gold, factored into its overall cost, it's safe to assume that Microsoft's longer-term goal is to shift users over to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and Xbox Game Pass in general. Removing the barrier to multiplayer seems like a logical conclusion in this brave new world of user acquisition over hardware sales.

It would be such a huge salvo against Sony, with a narrative that is easy to understand for consumers at large. It would be a big feather in Microsoft's cap, and a strong piece of differentiation. Sony has been relatively slow to really throw its IP weight behind PlayStation Now, offering a few older titles here and there. The fact Halo Infinite will be available day-and-date as part of Xbox Game Pass makes it the premier gaming subscription service, and it will undoubtedly be where Microsoft prioritizes its subscription focus in the future, whether it simply rolls Xbox Live Gold into the base tier, or just removes it altogether.

As of writing, I feel like Microsoft would see it as a risk and gamble to simply get rid of it in the short term, the same year a new console is launching. But at the same time, Microsoft has a history of being pretty unpredictable at times, and they can certainly afford to do it. As more and more of us pick up Xbox Game Pass, though, I feel like it's inevitable.

Changing landscape of console gaming

I expect Microsoft will continue pushing and heaping more value onto Xbox Game Pass. Perhaps they could even shift the free monthly Games with Gold straight into Xbox Game Pass instead to further encourage users to migrate to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

Xbox Live Gold is certainly cheaper than Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, but it's hard to deny the value contained therein. All of Microsoft's exclusive games, Project xCloud streaming to mobile phones and later, PCs, and exclusive discounts on games you can buy-to-own before they leave the program. It's a great service, and undoubtedly where the future of Xbox lies.

I truly believe Xbox Live Gold's days are numbered, but I also believe it ultimately depends on how fast gamers uptake on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, when it comes to timelines. We'll just have to wait and see.

Related: Best mounts for Project xCloud gaming

What you need to know

• Xbox Live is the multiplayer-focused online environment for the Xbox consoles.
• Today, Dan McCulloch, the Head of Xbox Live, announced he was leaving Microsoft.
• McCulloch has been with the company for 15 years.
• He's now handling Skate for EA.

Today, Dan McCulloch, the Head of Xbox Live, announced that he was leaving Microsoft. He said on Twitter, "After 15 years at Xbox, I announced today that I would be leaving. I made so many friends, learned so much and truly had a blast! I'm extremely excited about the next opportunity in my career and I will be announcing that very soon, you all will be pumped!"

McCulloch has made a number of contributions to Xbox Live over the years and he'll be missed. His departure follows years of record growth for Microsoft's gaming services, during a time where its network became truly fundamental to its Xbox console family.

He's now going to be the General Manager of Skate at EA. A few days ago, EA surprised everyone by announcing that Skate was making a comeback. Hopefully, McCullochs' expertise — especially when it comes to online environments — will help the upcoming game stand out. We'll keep you posted as soon as we know more.

Xbox

Main

• What is Xbox Game Pass?
• Best 4K TVs for Xbox Series X and S
• Must-buy Xbox One Headsets
• Our Favorite Xbox One Wireless Headsets
• Best Upcoming Xbox Games for 2021
• Xbox One X vs. Xbox Series S

What you need to know

• Microsoft has re-enabled the ability to upload custom Xbox Live gamerpics on Xbox One, Windows 10 PCs, the Xbox app for mobile, and other supported devices.
• The reversal follows temporary restrictions first introduced in March, which aimed to "streamline moderation" amid record Xbox Live user counts.

Microsoft has reinstated the ability to upload custom gamerpics via Xbox Live, following the removal of the feature earlier this year. The Xbox Live platform holder first introduced the temporary change in March, responding to "all-time record engagement" across its gaming services, in light of current world events. The reversal enables users to upload their image files as profile pictures, spanning Xbox One consoles, Windows 10 PCs, the Xbox mobile apps, and other Xbox Live devices.

Limitations to Xbox Live gamerpics came in response to increased users, clocking over 90 million active Xbox Live users last quarter, amid stay-at-home orders. Microsoft attributed the change to streamlining moderation, with every custom gamerpic subject to manual review to ensure contents align with community guidelines. Users attempting to upload images would receive the error message "Sorry, we can't upload your picture right now. Try again in a little while."

The move suggests reduced load on Xbox services, with government restrictions steadily easing in many regions, and Microsoft adapting to current challenges. Users now looking to change their profile pictures can do so through supported devices (our step-by-step guide may help), followed by manual review from Xbox Live's moderation team.

Microsoft's temporary changes to Xbox Live gamerpics were one of few restrictions imposed as a result of the 42 percent increase in active Xbox Live population, year-over-year. Xbox Game Pass subscribers also surpassed 10 million, now offering over 300 games across the Netflix-style service for Xbox One and PC. Microsoft has reportedly also seen 270 million new friend relationships created on Xbox Live during the lockdown, as users digitally connect through games.

Microsoft has provided new data on its Xbox services and subscriptions, witnessing "all-time record engagement," amid the ongoing global pandemic. That comes with the steady growth of Xbox Live active users and paying Xbox Game Pass subscribers, reported via its latest Q3 financials.

While Microsoft's overall quarterly gaming revenue stayed flat, declining one percent year-over-year, the company sees the continued success of its Xbox Live gaming network and Xbox Game Pass subscription service.

Speaking on Microsoft's FY20 Q3 earnings call on April 29, CEO Satya Nadella confirmed Xbox Live active users now near 90 million users, serving as a gateway to its digital gaming portfolio, and communication hub during an era of social distancing. Redmond has skirted Xbox Live active users counts in recent reports, with firm numbers last shared back in FY19 Q4, totaling 65 million. The latest figures demonstrate an estimated 42 percent increase in Xbox Live population year-over-year.

Xbox Game Pass, its Netflix-style service for games on Xbox One and Windows 10, has also surpassed 10 million subscribers. It's the first time Microsoft has provided hard Xbox Game Pass figures, demonstrating a shifting internal attitude toward the value of the service.

Microsoft has positioned the subscription as a high-value package for Xbox veterans and newcomers, featuring a rotating library over 300 titles across the two platforms. That includes the arrival of in-house and third-party heavyweights like Red Dead Redemption 2, coupled with alluring entry-level plans from just $1.

And while Project xCloud, Microsoft's ongoing Xbox game streaming technical trials, remain locked to closed testers, Nadella states hundreds of thousands of users are now onboard the service. That includes coverage in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and Korea, currently expanding further into Europe.

Microsoft recently reported $35 billion in company-wide revenue for FY20 Q3, up 15 percent over the same period last year, despite struggles tied to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Xbox

Main

• What is Xbox Game Pass?
• Best 4K TVs for Xbox Series X and S
• Must-buy Xbox One Headsets
• Our Favorite Xbox One Wireless Headsets
• Best Upcoming Xbox Games for 2021
• Xbox One X vs. Xbox Series S

What you need to know

• Microsoft has disabled the ability to upload new custom gamerpics on Xbox Live.
• The temporary move comes following "record numbers," as Microsoft hopes to improve moderation across the platform.

With much of the nation now stranded at home, Xbox Live reports record numbers, as Microsoft wrangles its gaming network to stay online. While we've seen a handful of issues impacting Xbox Live stability, the platform largely remains stable and adapting to increased demand. But it appears Microsoft has disabled the ability to upload new custom Xbox Live gamerpics, amid an effort to "streamline moderation" across the platform.

Introduced in 2017, Xbox Live allows users to represent themselves using external images, uploaded via Xbox apps. Usual moderation includes a manual review of all newly uploaded custom gamerpics, ensuring each adheres to community guidelines. But Microsoft suggests a sizeable uptick in Xbox Live usage, impacting its ability to effectively review content, and keep the platform safe for its multi-million userbase.

With increased traffic, Microsoft has temporarily shuttered the ability to upload new pictures across all platforms, including PC and mobile. The restrictions also extend to clubs, restricting changes to icons and backgrounds.

"As people look to gaming for social connection, we're seeing record numbers across Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Live, and Mixer," states Xbox Support. "To streamline moderation and ensure the best experience for our community, we're making small adjustments. We've temporarily turned off the ability to upload custom gamerpics, club pics, and club backgrounds."

Expect Xbox Live to restore full functionality over the weeks ahead, as load decreases on the platform.

Xbox

Main

• What is Xbox Game Pass?
• Best 4K TVs for Xbox Series X and S
• Must-buy Xbox One Headsets
• Our Favorite Xbox One Wireless Headsets
• Best Upcoming Xbox Games for 2021
• Xbox One X vs. Xbox Series S

Update 7:55 p.m.: Xbox Support says that the problem has been fixed a couple hours after being reported by the team. The team posted on Twitter that engineers identified the issue.

Original story: The weekend is here, and with a global pandemic keeping the nation at home, it's prime time for Xbox Live outages. Microsoft's gaming network appears to be experiencing issues as of March 20, with reports of users unable to sign-in, play multiplayer titles, and access its suite of social features. It comes as Xbox Live sees increased usage amid the COVID-19 coronavirus, keeping users grounded at home.

Xbox Live remains a crucial backbone of Microsoft's modern gaming lineup, deep-rooted into Xbox One, Xbox 360, Windows 10 PCs, and other devices. The ongoing outage appears to be impacting all platforms, limiting access to all online services. Microsoft has since acknowledged the issue, with work on a fix underway.

The outage limits the ability to access multiplayer matchmaking and select social features like Party Chat and Looking For Group search. We're also seeing further-reaching issues, affecting the ability to access content via the integrated Microsoft Store. It follows an outage just five days prior, also knocking down essential Xbox Live services.

We'll provide further updates as the situation develops.

Updated March 15, 2020: While Xbox Live was down on March 15, 2020, the service now appears to be coming back online. If you're still experiencing issues, check our troubleshooting steps below.

This is probably the last thing you want to hear on a relaxing Sunday off, but Xbox Live is indeed down right now, as is Xbox's support status website.

As of writing, we are unable to log in to our Xbox consoles reliably, and we're also unable to sign in to Xbox.com on the web. Microsoft's general log in servers seem to be working, since Outlook.com and OneDrive.com still allow for sign-ins, but everything tied to Xbox Live seems to be having problems. For example, the Xbox Store page isn't loading, even after we were able to sign in.

Typically, Microsoft's Xbox support Twitter usually recognizes when problems are occurring, but they are thus far silent on the issue. Although many are reporting the problems on Twitter using the #XboxLive hashtag. It may also be a case of overloaded servers, as many work from home due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

Update: Microsoft has responded to the problems on Twitter, noting that they are investigating.

Update 2: It seems Mixer is also having issues.

https://twitter.com/WatchMixer/status/1239302112418263040?s=20

We'll update this post as soon as we have more information, but rest assured, if you're having issues with Xbox Live right now, you're not alone.

Xbox

Main

• What is Xbox Game Pass?
• Best 4K TVs for Xbox Series X and S
• Must-buy Xbox One Headsets
• Our Favorite Xbox One Wireless Headsets
• Best Upcoming Xbox Games for 2021
• Xbox One X vs. Xbox Series S

Update: Microsoft says it has deployed a fix, although some users are still reporting issues. Try to hard reset your Xbox (hold power button for 5 seconds, then turn it back on), as some reports suggest this may be a temporary workaround.

Update 2: Microsoft says it has fixed the sign-in problems, but there are issues with Movies & TV content, which the firm is investigating.

Update 3 (February 23, 2020): Microsoft reckons it has fixed the issues with Movie & TV content, although the website says there are still issues with PES 2020 and Need for Speed: Heat.

Nope, it's not just you. Xbox Live appears to be down for some users, preventing online sign-ins to Xbox One consoles and other services that require Xbox Live. The outage was reported earlier today, but recently the status has been updated to say "resolution pending," suggesting the problems will soon go away.

In addition, it seems Need for Speed Heat and PES 2020 are also having some issues with online play, although that might be related to the login problems. Microsoft has acknowledged the outage on the official Xbox Twitter support page and states that the firm is working on a fix.

Xbox Live experiences outages from time to time, but they never last particularly long. Hopefully, Microsoft can get it back up and running sooner, rather than later. We'll update this post to let you know when it's back up.

Xbox

Main

• What is Xbox Game Pass?
• Best 4K TVs for Xbox Series X and S
• Must-buy Xbox One Headsets
• Our Favorite Xbox One Wireless Headsets
• Best Upcoming Xbox Games for 2021
• Xbox One X vs. Xbox Series S

Microsoft recently relayed its FY20 Q2 earnings, detailing increased revenue to $36.9 billion, with impressive growth across the past quarter. That also brings a 21 percent decline in overall gaming revenue, as efforts shift toward the upcoming Xbox Series X, and fewer third-party titles leave their impact on the market. However, Microsoft's ongoing investment in Xbox subscriptions partially offset those losses, with Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Live smashing records.

Speaking on Microsoft's second-quarter 2020 earnings conference call, CEO Satya Nadella confirmed Xbox Game Pass subscribers "more than doubled this quarter," as the Netflix-style subscription steadily emerges a centerpiece of Xbox and PC offerings. Nadella also confirmed it set "a new record for Xbox Live monthly active users," primarily attributed to the strength on its Xbox consoles. Firm user counts for either service weren't provided.

Growth of Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Live Gold comes as little surprise, both framed as core components of the modern Xbox vision. Following expansion to PC and the introduction of the all-inclusive Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, the rotating library of over 100 titles proposes an unmatched value proposition for both newcomers and Xbox veterans.

What you need to know

• According to PureSight, one in five American teenagers has received unwanted sexual solicitation online.
• Predators may use multiplayer video games to trap children.
• Microsoft has developed a technique to detect online predators and report them to law enforcement.
• The "Project Artemis" program will be distributed for free to those who want it.

It's no secret that sexual predators use online messaging services. According to PureSight, a website that focuses on online child safety, one in five American teenagers who regularly log on to the internet says they have received unwanted sexual solicitation. Microsoft is aware of this problem and wants to help.

According to a report by AP News, Microsoft has developed a technique to detect predators in multiplayer video games. Artificial intelligence is used to scan conversations and those that seem suspicious are reviewed by a human and possibly sent to law enforcement officials. You can read the report below.

It's great to see that the technology will be distributed for free. Hopefully, other companies like Nintendo and Sony will also adopt this in the future. However, only time will tell. It's definitely a great first step though.

Xbox

Main

• What is Xbox Game Pass?
• Best 4K TVs for Xbox Series X and S
• Must-buy Xbox One Headsets
• Our Favorite Xbox One Wireless Headsets
• Best Upcoming Xbox Games for 2021
• Xbox One X vs. Xbox Series S

What you need to know

• Microsoft has introduced Reddit account linking for Xbox Live on PC.
• Xbox Live and Reddit account linking allows users to display account credentials on their profile via the Xbox Game Bar and Xbox beta app for Windows 10.

Microsoft has rolled out new Reddit account pairing capabilities on Xbox Live, merging its gaming platform with the news aggregator and social site. It joins a steadily growing range of third-party social networks and services already mergeable with Xbox profiles, including Facebook, Steam, and Discord. The integration allows users to showcase their Reddit credentials direct from Windows 10's revamped Xbox Game Bar and Xbox beta application.

Reddit account linking is currently bound to Windows 10 PCs, pairing with the Xbox Game Bar and new Xbox app. Amid the continued expansion of PC gaming efforts, including Xbox Game Pass, the overlay and app have become experimental platforms for future Xbox Live features. As a result, Xbox Live is rapidly evolving as a social hub for Xbox gaming, likely to be reflected on consoles as Xbox Series X approaches.

The integration provides the opportunity to display your Reddit account on Xbox Live, indicated by a small icon for your profile card. Reddit profiles will similarly gain a new badge once linked, while automatically subscribing to the official Xbox Insider subreddit. However, account linking currently features no sharing capabilities, as seen with some social networks on Xbox Live.

The new Reddit account linking feature is now live for those Windows 10's May 2019 Update, via the new Xbox Game Bar and Xbox beta app.

What you need to know

• Xbox Live appears to be experiencing issues at the moment.
• Numerous Xbox One owners report that they can't launch games.
• Users keep on encountering sign-in errors.
• Take your console offline if you want to avoid this.

Updated October 23, 2019: Xbox Live is back up and running. We were able to verify this on our Xbox One X and games like Destiny 2 are working again.

It's another day and another Xbox Live outage. This time around, gamers are reporting that they can sign in, but they can't open any games. If they're connected to the internet, they get a message saying you need to "sign in with the account that purchased the game." We were able to verify these problems and also received the message.

If you aren't gaming sharing with anyone, the solution appears to be to take your console offline. However, that means that you can only play single-player titles that don't require the internet. Unfortunately, titles like Destiny 2 and Ghost Recon Breakpoint are always-online titles, so if you're trying to play them, you're out of luck.

Xbox Support is aware of the problem and is working towards a solution. The Twitter account said that it would provide an update as soon as one was available. We'll also keep monitoring the problem and will keep you posted as soon as it's resolved. Until then, try going offline to play your games.

Xbox

Main

• What is Xbox Game Pass?
• Best 4K TVs for Xbox Series X and S
• Must-buy Xbox One Headsets
• Our Favorite Xbox One Wireless Headsets
• Best Upcoming Xbox Games for 2021
• Xbox One X vs. Xbox Series S

What you need to know

• Xbox Live is down on October 14.
• Those who are trying to sign in are seeing "update failed" errors.
• Xbox Support is working on a solution but it's unclear when services will be restored.
• This problem appears to be limited to the United States at this time.

Updated October 14, 2019: Xbox Live is back up and users aren't reporting the update error anymore.

It looks like Xbox Live is down again on October 14. Those who are already signed in are able to play, but those who are attempting to sign in get an error that says an update failed. The only update we know that deployed today was for Xbox Insiders to test out the toxic chat filters. It seems like this didn't go according to plan.

Many of our consoles that are not part of the Xbox Insider program are also receiving this error. Initial reports indicated that the problem was limited to Xbox Insiders, but that's clearly not the case. We were able to verify this ourselves on an Xbox One X that isn't part of the Xbox One Preview program.

In order to fix this, we would recommend taking your console offline. However, it may be a little tricky because it seems like the update error is triggered if you're connected to the internet. You'll probably have to turn off your router if your console is connected to WiFi, or unplug the ethernet cable if you're console's connected through ethernet.

At the time of writing, it's unclear if Microsoft is aware of this outage. We'll keep you posted as soon as we have an update.

Xbox

Main

• What is Xbox Game Pass?
• Best 4K TVs for Xbox Series X and S
• Must-buy Xbox One Headsets
• Our Favorite Xbox One Wireless Headsets
• Best Upcoming Xbox Games for 2021
• Xbox One X vs. Xbox Series S

What you need to know

• Microsoft wants Xbox Live to be free of toxicity.
• It's introducing chat filters to Xbox Insiders today.
• You can make your setting friendly or unfiltered.

Ever since Xbox Live launched all those years ago, Microsoft has worked on making it a place where toxic behavior is punished. However, there are still some instances, for example, certain phrases, that can be quite offensive to people. In order to make sure you or your children aren't exposed to this, you can now add filters for chat.

According to a post in Xbox Wire, text filters will first debut to Xbox Insiders today.

The company plans to roll them out to everyone later this fall. In today's update, settings pages have been added showcasing how you can customize your filtration level for different types of communications across Xbox Live. Filter levels include Friendly, Medium, Mature and Unfiltered.

The video gives you a quick overview of the feature. It seems like this is going to make a huge difference because offensive messages will be blocked. Hopefully, Microsoft will give gamers the ability to customize it further by having a list of words that they want to block.

Xbox

Main

• What is Xbox Game Pass?
• Best 4K TVs for Xbox Series X and S
• Must-buy Xbox One Headsets
• Our Favorite Xbox One Wireless Headsets
• Best Upcoming Xbox Games for 2021
• Xbox One X vs. Xbox Series S

What you need to know

• Microsoft is changing the way it reports its gaming figures.
• Xbox Live Monthly Active Users is no longer a useful metric says the company.
• Instead, Microsoft will disclose overall revenue growth which includes Xbox Game Pass.
• Total gaming revenue will still be filed with the American Securities and Exchange Commission.

Ever since the Xbox One failed to take off in comparison to the PlayStation 4, Microsoft has stopped reporting sales figures for its hardware. Now, it seems like the company will only disclose growth going forward. However, this may be due to the fact that it's focusing on Xbox Game Pass.

The fact that Xbox Game Pass exists, and it allows many gamers to play new releases with their $10-a-month subscription, means that software sales may take a hit. However, they could be offset by the revenue earned from the subscription service.

Going forward, the following major changes will take place according to a Microsoft presentation. This was first spotted by Twitter user DomsPlaying.

• Year-over-year percentage revenue growth for Xbox services will be revealed.
• This figure will include Xbox Game Pass and other sources of gaming revenue.
• Xbox Live Monthly Active Users won't be reported going forward.
• Gaming revenue will continue to be disclosed in the Securities and Exchange Commission filings.

It's a shame that Microsoft isn't going to reveal more information. Hopefully, this is going to change as the next generation of consoles starts in 2020. I personally think Xbox Live Monthly Active Users was a good metric because we knew how many more people were playing games on Microsoft's services every month.

Ideally, Microsoft should reveal the number of Xbox Game Pass subscribers. This could be the real test going forward because a consistently-growing count means that the service is succeeding. Now, it'll be even harder to judge how the division is doing on an individual basis.

Xbox

Main

• What is Xbox Game Pass?
• Best 4K TVs for Xbox Series X and S
• Must-buy Xbox One Headsets
• Our Favorite Xbox One Wireless Headsets
• Best Upcoming Xbox Games for 2021
• Xbox One X vs. Xbox Series S

What you need to know

• Xbox Live is down for countless gamers.
• There are hundreds of thousands of reports that gamers can't sign in.
• Xbox Support is working on a solution.
• It's unclear how long this outage will last.

Updated September 6, 2019: After a four-hour outage, Xbox Live is back up and running. We were able to verify this as of 11:15 PM EDT on September 6. If you're still having trouble signing in, try restarting your console.

Xbox Live is having a lot of issues lately, and guess what, it's down again on Friday, September 6. There are multiple reports that players can't sign in to their consoles. This means that all gamers hoping to play Gears 5 among other online titles are out of luck. Microsoft is aware of this problem and is working towards a solution. It's unclear when the servers will be back up, but we'll keep you posted.

In the meantime, the solution to sign in is to take your console offline. While this means that you won't be able to play multiplayer, at least you'll be able to access single-player content. To do so, just go to Settings on your Xbox One. The option to take it offline should be in the Network menu. Keep in mind that this won't work if the Xbox One you're using isn't your Home Console.

Aside from the Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks that took place on Xbox Live a few years ago, this is one of the largest outages in recent memory. Hopefully, Microsoft will learn from this going forward — just like it did with the DDoS attacks — and make its service even better. Given the fact that Gears 5 launched today for select owners, the outage couldn't have hit at a worse time.

Xbox

Main

• What is Xbox Game Pass?
• Best 4K TVs for Xbox Series X and S
• Must-buy Xbox One Headsets
• Our Favorite Xbox One Wireless Headsets
• Best Upcoming Xbox Games for 2021
• Xbox One X vs. Xbox Series S

What you need to know

• Xbox Live is down for many gamers around the world right now.
• Some people can't sign in, while others can't play purchased content.
• Xbox Support is aware of the problem and working towards a solution.

Updated August 28, 2019: Xbox Live is back up after an hour-long outage.

You aren't alone. A few moments ago, thousands of Xbox Live users flooded Twitter and other forms of social media saying that they couldn't sign into Xbox Live. If they were able to sign in, they couldn't play any games. We were able to verify these games and can say that they're definitely taking place right now on a global scale. Luckily, Xbox Support is aware of the problem and have promised to provide an update as soon as one is available.

In the meantime, if you aren't game sharing, we would recommend going offline to play your games. That way you'll be able to sign in and access all the single-player titles you own. However, you won't be able to play any multiplayer games until Xbox Live services are restored. We'll keep you posted as soon as we know more.

Excellent and affordable Xbox accessories

Up your Xbox experience with one (or all) of these budget accessories, all of which are approved by the gamers of Windows Central.

PowerA Play & Charge Kit for Xbox One ($15 at Amazon)

This charging kit keeps your Xbox One wireless controllers juiced up, and it offers batteries for two controllers. At just $15, this is hands-down our favorite budget charging companion.

ElecGear 4 Port USB Xbox One S Hub ($19 at Amazon)

This brilliant little USB splitter hub attaches perfectly to the side of your Xbox One S console. It's ideal for use with chargers, controllers, headsets, and more.

Controller Gear stand ($13 at Amazon)

Proudly display your Xbox gamepads with this stylish and functional stand. The licensed design is minimalist and black, and it has a hidden storage compartment, making the price of $13 a real steal.