A major page turns for Xbox
Microsoft has announced that starting from July 29, 2024, the Xbox 360 store will no longer be available. From now on, you will only be able to buy and play games from this console that have backward compatibility on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S. Other games will require you to own a physical copy in order to enjoy them. However, if you have already downloaded the games, you can continue to play them offline on Xbox 360. The availability of multiplayer will depend on the willingness of the game developer to keep its servers online. Microsoft has stated the following in an official statement:
A third of Xbox 360 games are backwards compatible
As a reminder, currently only 29% of Xbox 360 games are backward compatible, which means that 71% of them can no longer be purchased digitally. This translates to 633 titles out of 2154. Furthermore, Microsoft has recently clarified that it will not be adding any more games to this list due to legal, technical, and licensing constraints. If you are interested in any of these games in digital format, you have 11 months left to acquire them before they become unavailable for download.
It is advisable to act quickly as the prices of physical copies of these games are likely to rise significantly in the coming months and years, following a pattern observed when Nintendo closed the DS and Wii U stores. Acquiring these boxed games may become more complicated, especially considering the use of prepaid cards. One thing is certain, this marks an important transition for Microsoft as the Xbox 360 console has played a significant role in the company’s history.
