Microsoft is reportedly testing a new Xbox feature allowing users to transform their physical game discs into digital copies. Users will still be able to sell their physical discs, but the associated digital copy will be removed from their accounts as soon as the new owner links the game to their console.
According to The Verge, to get a digital copy of your physical game, you’ll simply need to install the game and play it on your Xbox while being connected to your Microsoft account. This digital entitlement will be tied to that specific game disc, meaning that whoever used it last will have the active digital copy. In other words, if you sell the disc to someone, the buyer will have both the physical and digital versions, and your account will lose access to the digitised version.
This digital version will seemingly act like any normal purchase made from Microsoft’s / Xbox’s online stores, giving you access to all features and any bundled DLCs. Likewise, if the game is an Xbox Play Anywhere title, you’ll apparently be able to play it on other devices, such as the Xbox handheld or via cloud streaming. That said, the system will seemingly be supported only on Xbox One and Series X/S games, as Xbox 360 and older discs don’t include the required data for this program.
Compatibility aside, since the disc remains your main proof of ownership, I wonder how long you can go without being required to revalidate your game. Ideally, this should be a one-time operation unless the disc is detected on another console, but you never know.
While Microsoft has not confirmed yet if the next-gen Xbox will include a disc reader, this report hints that we may be witnessing the last days of disc consoles. This theory is further supported by Sony’s recent announcement, which confirmed the end of physical games on PlayStation machines by January 2028.
Beyond questions regarding ownership and user freedom, there is the question of longevity and availability. By locking users into a digital-only world, Microsoft and Sony can pull the rug out from under their customers anytime they want, leaving you with just the memories of games you bought.
And if you think this is just a doomsday scenario, think twice, because Sony has just announced the closure of its PS3 and PS Vita stores, meaning that, at some point, this could also happen to next-gen Xbox and PlayStation consoles. Meanwhile, 551 movies and TV episodes have been removed from the digital libraries of PlayStation users in the UK, so you can no longer access them, even if you paid for them.
While the idea of offering digital copies of physical games is a welcome move, it indicates that there’s a digital-only strategy hiding behind it. The end of physical copies of games may very well be on the horizon soon.
