The Xbox One wasn’t meant to be an offline console. Microsoft wanted your primary Xbox One console to always be online by forcing mandatory check-ins with Microsoft’s servers every 24 hours. Don Mattrick, the former president of Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft, even doubled down, saying that those who couldn’t handle this requirement should stick with the Xbox 360. After Microsoft saw that gamers weren’t getting it, they changed course. Although the late Albert Penello, former Microsoft marketing executive, said in an interview with Game Developer in 2013 that an always-online future is inevitable, the Xbox Series X and S are usable offline with some restrictions, although they require an internet connection to complete their setup.
Keeping an Xbox online has several benefits, including playing games online with family and friends, streaming Netflix, automatically updating games and system, and allowing remote play on computers, smartphones, and tablets. However, sometimes you just take the console offline. This works if you don’t always have a reliable internet connection, like to play single-player games, or travel a lot. Fortunately, you can get the most out of your Xbox offline by playing your physical and digital media offline in a variety of ways, whether they’re games or other types of media, such as movies, TV shows, music, and pictures.
Play physical games
A majority of physical games can be fully installed on your Xbox without the need for an Internet connection. There are a few exceptions, such as “Crimson Desert” and “Spyro Reignited Trilogy”, which require an Internet connection to complete installation. Then you can play it offline indefinitely. The ones you can’t play are physical games that require you to always be online, even if they offer single-player campaigns, such as “Call of Duty: Black Ops 6” and “Diablo IV.” Always check the game’s cover for words such as “Requires content download” for game key games or “Requires Internet” for online-only games before purchasing.
Make sure to update games after installation if you can. Some of them launch crashed, requiring you to download patches for a smooth experience. This can also give you the option to download DLC and expansions, if you need them offline. Additionally, some of the newer games may require the latest system software to play them, so be sure to update your Xbox as well. You can do this by going to Profile & System > Settings > System > Updates and selecting “Console update available”.
Perhaps the best part about owning a modern Xbox on disc is that it’s compatible with some games from the OG Xbox and Xbox 360. As long as it’s listed in the backwards compatible Xbox games library, the physical disc will work. There are hundreds of games on the list, including “Max Payne,” “Final Fantasy XIII” and “Red Dead Redemption.”
Play downloaded digital games (even from Game Pass)
You can play digital Xbox games you purchased offline for one year, after which the license will expire. You will then be asked to connect your console to the Internet for registration to verify the license. While it’s still a limit, it’s much better than the 24-hour registration requirement imposed when the Xbox One was unveiled in 2013, which Microsoft hasn’t met since. You can also play Game Pass games offline, but these require registration every 30 days.
Additionally, this will only work if you have an active subscription. In order for digital games to be played offline, you will need to set your primary console as Xbox Home by changing a simple setting. To do this, go to Profile & system > Settings > General > Personalization, then select “My Personal Xbox”. Next, select “Make this my personal Xbox”.
Just keep in mind that you won’t be able to purchase DLC because it requires the console to connect to Microsoft’s servers. You can still get achievements though. These will be stored locally, but will sync to the cloud once you are online. Make sure you do this when you have the chance, because you could lose them if something happens to your Xbox offline. The same goes for any gameplay clips and screenshots you take.
Read other media
An Xbox is also a very capable entertainment center that gamers can use to play other media besides games. It offers streaming services such as Netflix, Disney+ and YouTube. But unfortunately, you can’t download the content for offline viewing like you would on a phone. However, if you have an Xbox with a disc drive, you also have a Blu-ray player. This makes a compelling argument for you to stop buying digital movies and start a physical Blu-ray disc collection.
This not only means you can access movies and TV shows offline, but also enjoy the higher fidelity that 4K Blu-ray offers compared to 4K streaming because it has a higher bit rate. Additionally, while you still purchase a license to access the media, it cannot be as easily revoked as if it were a digital copy or removed from your library on a streaming service due to license changes.
If you have a digital Xbox, you can still play media offline on a USB drive. Its built-in media player supports a wide range of media types, including music, videos, images and documents. Supported file types include MP3, WAV, WMA, MP4, AVI, MKV, MOV, JPEG and PDF.
