Xbox One discs finally playable offline after changes to unpopular Xbox Series X DRM

Update, September 20: This article has been updated to correct information about the launch timing of the Xbox system update.

Microsoft has confirmed that a recent Xbox Series X update has changed a controversial DRM feature, and you're now able to play Xbox One discs on the new-gen console without the need for an internet connection.

Since the launch of the Xbox Series X, the console has required an internet connection for you to play Xbox One games on retail discs. Even if you had installed that disc to the console, you would need to be connected to the internet in order to actually launch the game. (This technically isn't an issue for Series S consoles, since they don't have a disc drive in the first place.)

This change went live in the 2208 update, released on September 6, Xbox engineering lead Eden Marie confirmed on Twitter. "We examined data since Series X|S launch and determined the online compatibility check isn't needed in the vast majority of cases for Xbox One discs. Some games may still need to be updated online after install to ensure the best experience."

While dedicated Xbox Series X discs were already playable on the console without an internet connection, that was not the case for Xbox One titles. This is a particularly notable issue because the vast majority of Xbox Series X games are released on disc as Smart Delivery titles. In most cases, Smart Delivery games ship with Xbox One code on the disc and require a separate download for the Series X upgrade, meaning until this update, there was no way to play them on the new console without a consistent internet connection.

The Series X still requires an online connection for its initial setup, and backwards compatible Xbox and Xbox 360 games are still downloaded online and require an internet connection even when you insert a disc. But these changes make a big swathe of the Xbox library accessible to those without consistent online connections, and should keep them available even in the event of Microsoft server outages.

Earlier this year, an Xbox server outage left people unable to access their games for days, and Microsoft quickly promised updates to mitigate those game-blocking outages.

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Dustin Bailey joined the GamesRadar team as a Staff Writer in May 2022, and is currently based in Missouri. He's been covering games (with occasional dalliances in the worlds of anime and pro wrestling) since 2015, first as a freelancer, then as a news writer at PCGamesN for nearly five years. His love for games was sparked somewhere between Metal Gear Solid 2 and Knights of the Old Republic, and these days you can usually find him splitting his entertainment time between retro gaming, the latest big action-adventure title, or a long haul in American Truck Simulator.