Best answer: Possibly, as of February 21, the Xbox service status page is suggesting some core services are down.

Xbox Live is down for some users on February 21, 2020

Microsoft has acknowledged ongoing issues affecting Xbox Live sign-ins. The outage has prevents Xbox One and Xbox 360 users from accessing installed games and apps.

"We understand that some users are experiencing issues signing in to Xbox Live. We are aware and our team is actively investigating" Microsoft stated via the Xbox Support Twitter account. "We'll update here & on our status page: xbox.com/status when we have additional info."

How to fix Xbox One connection problems

When Xbox Live sign in comes back online, here's how you can test your internet and reconnect. The black magic of networking leaves hundreds of possible causes, though some common troubleshooting steps could find your remedy.

While Xbox Live appears fully functional, the service may experience brief hiccups, even with regional snags affecting small groups of users. These outages often slip past unnoticed but could be the root of temporary problems. We advise restarting your Xbox One, which will reattempt a connection to Xbox Live.

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If your Xbox One remains offline, your home networking setup could be facing issues. The Xbox One's integrated connection testing tool helps diagnose any problems and provides guidance to a solution.

  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.

Upon completion, your Xbox One will provide further details on your current connection setup. If connected to Xbox Live, your console is ready to go. However, if issues arise, the on-screen message will provide the next steps to a potential fix. For personal assistance, head over to Microsoft's official Xbox Support portal.

Why does Xbox Live go down?

Xbox Live is Microsoft's cohesive online platform positioned at the heart of its gaming ambitions. The service handles tens of millions of users across Xbox One, Xbox 360, and Windows PCs, alongside a pool of handheld devices. And despite everyday reliability, Xbox Live falls offline on occasion.

Microsoft seldom talks technicalities when Xbox Live goes down, often providing timely solutions and moving forward. While the cause is often unclear, Xbox Live can experience technical hiccups, high traffic during busy periods, or malicious distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks hammering Microsoft servers. Redmond has teams working around the clock to ensure Xbox Live stability, and outages are natural with time.

That doesn't make outages less frustrating, with recorded downtime seemingly on the rise in recent months. However, outages are often addressed with fast turnarounds and pose no security threat.

Waiting to go back online?

We get you — as Xbox consoles increasingly rely on Xbox Live services, going offline is far from ideal. While you're waiting around for the fix, why not check out these affordable Xbox One accessories?

Budget control: PowerA Enhanced Wired Controller for Xbox One

Staff favorite

PowerA's take on the Xbox One controller is an attractive pickup for budget-conscious gamers. It's packing essential features and excellent build quality that nails the basics, with bonus buttons on the rear grips.

$20 at Amazon

Ready for action: PowerA Play & Charge Kit for Xbox One

The PowerA Play & Charge kit keeps your Xbox One wireless controllers topped up around the clock. It offers batteries for two controllers, and it's rightly crowned our best budget charging companion.

$15 at Amazon

Save on cans: Snakebyte Head:Set X

Snakebyte hits an insanely low price point with this stereo headset, but it still packs a punch. It's surprisingly comfortable and petite, further compacted via a foldable design.

$18 at Amazon

TV companion: PDP Talon Media Remote for Xbox

The Talon Media Remote is a game-changing accessory for Xbox media enthusiasts. It rocks an extensive range of entertainment controls, paired with a powerful IR blaster for guaranteed reliability. It puts Microsoft's aging media remote to shame in every way.

$20 at Amazon

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