Xbox Series X instant-resume will load suspended games even after a reboot

(Image credit: Microsoft)

Microsoft is teasing new features supported by the Xbox Series X, including the ability to continue unsaved games even after restarting the console and switching games.

The juicy tidbit comes by way of a new podcast (via The Verge) hosted by Microsoft's Larry "Major Nelson" Hyrb, where the Xbox Live boss spoke about the practicality of the next-gen feature. "I had to reboot because I had a system update, and then I went back to the game and went right back to it," said Hyrb. "So it survives a reboot - that's amazing."

It's a frustration familiar to the majority of gamers who've had to replay large sections of a game after mistakenly closing out the application before saving. It isn't clear what technology Microsoft employed to remedy the age-old dilemma, which Hyrb calls quick resume, but it's nonetheless a welcome update to modern games consoles.

"And now with the introduction of hardware-accelerated ray tracing with the Xbox Series X, we're actually able to enable a whole new set of scenarios, whether that's more realistic lighting, better reflections, we can even use it for things like spatial audio and have ray trace audio," revealed Ronald.

Jordan Gerblick

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.