Xbox users have discovered that the new disc-to-digital feature allows players to access games that have been delisted from digital stores, but not all of them.
Microsoft announced its rumored disc-to-digital initiative last week, which will allow you to turn your physical game collections into digital licenses, which Xbox describes as part of its "commitment to game preservation." This has naturally been seen as a good win for Xbox off the back of PS5's total focus on abandoning preservation by killing physical games, leaving fans with a license that can be revoked at any time. But there were some caveats with Microsoft's initiative, notably that "most" games will be supported at launch, which led to fears it will not be all-encompassing and could be tied to licensing restrictions.
Deadpool is the first delisted game to grant me a digital license from the physical disc. Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark did not. pic.twitter.com/bMMc5SkXWeAugust 31, 2026
However, users who have access to the feature through the Xbox Insider Program have found that it isn't as cut-and-dried as fears have made it seem. As Twitter user Flaass points out, Activision's 2014 Deadpool game, which has long been delisted from digital stores, still grants a digital license for physical owners. And in the same thread, they note that Platinum Games' Transformers: Devastation and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants in Manhattan, Ghostbusters, Lego Dimensions, Rock Band 4, and many more still grant licenses.
Unfortunately, it's not the case for every game; they note that Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 currently do not work. However, there's still a chance these could be added down the line, given the claim that "most" games will be supported at launch, hopefully meaning we eventually get every Xbox One and Xbox Series X physical game. And as someone who has a box full of Xbox 360 games taking up space in my office, I would very much appreciate support for older consoles.
