Microsoft has officially rolled out its new Xbox disc-to-digital feature to everyone after spending around a month testing it with members of the Xbox Insider program. The feature started becoming widely available on September 29, giving players a way to use supported physical games digitally without permanently giving up their discs.

The idea is fairly simple. If you own a supported Xbox One or Xbox Series X/S game on disc, you can insert it into a console with a disc drive and claim a digital license for that game. Once the license has been claimed, you no longer need to keep the disc inside the console every time you want to play. As a digital-only console, the Xbox Series S itself is not supported.

Xbox disc-to-digital now available for Xbox Series X and Xbox One

The feature works with Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S games, with thousands of titles reportedly supported. However, original Xbox and Xbox 360 discs aren’t included. Microsoft also notes that availability can vary depending on factors such as licensing, publishing, manufacturing, and technical limitations, so players shouldn’t expect every physical game they own to work.

There is one important difference between this system and simply buying a game digitally. Claiming a license doesn’t permanently convert the physical game into a digital copy tied to your account. Instead, the digital license remains connected to ownership of the physical disc. If you sell the game or lend the disc to someone and they insert it into another console, your digital access can be revoked. You can regain access by getting the disc back and using it again.

Xbox also provides a way to check which licenses have been revoked through the console settings. This makes it easier to keep track of games that are no longer available digitally through discs you previously used.

The process itself has also been simplified following feedback from Xbox Insiders. In most cases, inserting an eligible disc will automatically claim its digital license. If that doesn’t happen, players can manually select the option to claim it. Some publishers’ games, such as Ubisoft, weren’t originally compatible with the initiative, but have since started working.

One of the biggest benefits is that the license isn’t necessarily limited to the console where the disc was inserted. Depending on the game, players can take advantage of features such as Xbox Play Anywhere, potentially giving them access on other compatible devices. Some supported games can also be accessed through Xbox Cloud Gaming.

About the Author

Abdul Haddi

Abdul is a tech writer and Editor for PC Guide, specializing in all things tech, gaming, and hardware.