Microsoft has started rolling out its disc-to-digital licensing feature to all Xbox users, expanding a program that had previously been limited to Xbox Insiders.
The feature lets players create a digital license for supported Xbox Series X and Xbox One physical games by inserting a disc while signed in to an Xbox account.
Microsoft said not all games are eligible and has not specified how many titles are supported at launch. Xbox 360 and original Xbox games are not supported.
Once a supported disc is inserted, a pop-up confirms that the digital license has been created. After that, the game can be played without keeping the disc in the console drive.
If no confirmation appears, the user may already have created a digital token for that game, or the title may not be supported. Digitized games receive a badge in the user’s game library to show which physical titles have already been added.
Microsoft said users adding multiple games in sequence should disable the “play disc automatically” setting. That allows discs to be swapped without launching each game as it is inserted.
Games in the Xbox Play Anywhere program can also be installed and played on PC after a digital license is created. The Xbox Series S cannot use the feature because it does not have a disc drive.
The license is tied to the physical disc rather than permanently to the original owner’s account. If the disc is sold or lent to another person, inserting it into that person’s console transfers the license to that account.
Microsoft has also published a detailed FAQ covering cases such as Ultimate Edition games and multi-disc titles.
Tags: xbox
