Microsoft is set to close the beloved Xbox 360 store 18 years this November in July 2024.
This comes from Wario64 on Twitter who links the announcement from Microsoft saying in his tweet, “The Xbox 360 Store Will Close July 2024, But You Can Keep Playing Your Favorite Games.” Microsoft’s SVP, Dave McCarthy, made the announcement on Thrusday that the Xbox 360 Marketplace will be closing July 29th 2024.
According to the announcement made by Microsoft, “On July 29, 2024, Xbox will stop supporting the ability to purchase new games, DLC, and other entertainment content from the Xbox 360 Store on the console and the Xbox 360 Marketplace.” Along with the closure of the Xbox 360 Marketplace, the ‘Microsoft Movies & TV’ app will no longer function on the Xbox 360, so if you purchased content from the Microsoft Movies & TV app, its available on computers running Windows 10 (or later), on the Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox One.
However, this won’t affect any games or DLC that you bought, meaning that you can still play any Xbox 360 title that you purchased, digitally or physically. You just can’t buy any more games starting July 29th, 2024.
Xbox 360 game content previously purchased will still be available to play , not only the Xbox 360 console but also Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S devices via backward compatibility.
Currently, Microsoft-Xbox is focused on making the Xbox Series S/X the ‘best place to play’ but, they haven’t changed their commitment on giving players the ability to play older and classic Xbox 360 titles through backward compatibility.
Below the intial post, Microsoft includes an FAQ, hoping to answer the big three questions that players will have. These questions pertain to playing already owned Xbox 360 games, online multiplayer services, and buying and playing backward compatible titles.
For question one: Yes you can still play already-owned Xbox 360 titles, either bought digitally or bought physically after July 29th, 2024. For question two: Yes, you can play multiplayer with friends, as long as the publisher of said game supports the servers. The shutdown of the Xbox 360 storefront won’t affect the multiplayer services. Lastly, for question three: There is no impact on purchasing backward compatible titles or DLC. Those who already own an Xbox Series console can enjoy the upgrades that Microsoft made to the titles such as faster loading times, auto HDR, and FPS enhancements.
If you want to know more, you can visit the full FAQ page.