As the Xbox 360 approaches its eighteenth birthday, its parent company, Microsoft, has made an announcement that may disappoint many nostalgic gamers. Xbox Wire recently revealed that the Xbox 360 store will be permanently shutting down on July 29, 2024. Starting from that date, purchasing games or downloadable content (DLC) on the console will no longer be possible. Furthermore, the Microsoft Movies & TV app will cease to function altogether.
Despite this news, there is a silver lining. Microsoft has clarified that any content purchased prior to the cutoff date will remain playable. So, digital games on the Xbox 360 will continue to function normally, and you will always have the option to re-download them. Games with online multiplayer features will still be accessible, although this depends on an individual game’s server status. For instance, the servers for many Halo games have already been deactivated. While the Microsoft Movies & TV app won’t be available on the Xbox 360, your content will be transferrable to other devices where the app is supported.
Furthermore, players who own an Xbox One or the next-gen Series X/S consoles can still purchase and play select Xbox 360 games. While not every game from the Xbox 360 store is compatible, a majority of the platform’s most popular titles can be enjoyed on the newer consoles. To see the complete list of backward compatible games, Microsoft has provided a link in the announcement post. Below are the most recent additions from November 2021:
To indulge in more Xbox 360 nostalgia, you can check out our curated list of the top 25 Xbox 360 games of all time.
We’d love to hear from you! Are there any Xbox 360 games you’re eager to grab before the store closes? Let us know in the comments!