Xbox’s Disc-to-Digital Program Lets Physical Games Go Digital

According to Ars Technica, players can claim a digital entitlement by inserting a disc into their console and launching the game. Once claimed, the game can be played entirely digitally without the disc, as long as the player or a member of their family account is logged in. For supported titles, the entitlement also unlocks features such as Xbox Play Anywhere and Xbox Cloud Gaming.

Microsoft said the physical disc will continue to work as it always has after the entitlement is claimed. However, the announcement’s fine print states that there is only “one revokable license per game disc,” meaning that reselling or lending the disc could transfer the digital entitlement to a new account when the next person inserts it into their console.

Not every Xbox One or Series X title will be supported. A leaked memo obtained by The Verge earlier this month, as noted in a Slashdot report, suggested that publishers must actively opt in to allow their game discs to activate digital entitlements. Windows Central separately reported, based on unnamed sources, that some discs may be incompatible because of how they were manufactured, which could explain why original Xbox and Xbox 360 discs are not part of the program.

“While not every title will be available at launch, this is an important step toward a future where players can have greater confidence that the games they buy remain with them for years to come,” Xbox Vice President Jason Ronald said, as quoted by Slashdot.