HOW -TO: Are Xbox services down? How to check server status

Bugs and errors in video games and live service platforms can catch you by surprise, especially if there’s seemingly no way to fix the issue. Occasionally, Xbox will encounter server-wide errors that affect thousands, potentially millions of players, with a fix taking some time to appear.

In the meantime, you can check Xbox’s server status to see if it’s a server-side problem or a client-side issue you can fix within minutes.

How to check Xbox server status

The two main ways to check Xbox’s server status are to view the official Xbox Status support page, social media such as the Xbox Support X account, or third-party sites like Downdetector if you suspect the support page isn’t up-to-date. More often than not, at least one of these resources will reveal issues with Xbox’s services, with specific categories such as account and login problems, cloud gaming bugs, or store and subscription errors, if any exist.

In most cases, you’ll have to wait until Microsoft resolves these issues. Occasionally, the solution is as easy as restarting your Xbox, turning your router on and off, or double-checking your Xbox account to see if it’s an account-related problem. However, the most common situation is that it’s a server-side error on Xbox’s end that Microsoft has to step in and fix before you can play your games again.

Xbox’s Status page, in particular, has detailed coverage of various services, with the list below highlighting each:

• Accounts and Profile
• Friends and Social Activity
• Cloud Gaming and Remote Play
• Games and Gaming
• Online Safety and Family
• Store and Subscriptions
• Sharing and Broadcasting
• Devices and Networking
• Multiplayer Gaming
• Support and Services
• Apps and Mobile

Each section has its own current issues section, if any, and Xbox’s status on the situation. If there is an issue they’re aware of, you’ll find a timeline mentioning the outage report, Xbox identifying the problem, and when they resolve it. It’ll also mention areas you may be unable to access, such as account sign-in, multiplayer gaming, or purchases.

If Xbox’s server status pages show that everything is operational, there’s a chance your error or issue is a game-specific bug or an issue with your console. In this case, you may have to run some troubleshooting with your Xbox, such as seeing if it’s a hardware issue or diving into a particular game’s server status to see if the error only impacts one or two games.

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NEWS: Xbox Introduces Enforcement Strike System

From Xbox, "We are constantly improving our safety measures and bringing more systems and tools in place that empower players to respectfully interact with one another – because everyone deserves a place to comfortably be themselves online, free from harassment and bullying. One of the most common questions we get from players through feedback, posts, and appeals is how repeated enforcements impact their gameplay, how they escalate, what they escalate to, and how they know when their account is back in good standing. To help address this, we are introducing a new enforcement strike system. "

• Xbox’s new enforcement strike system educates players about enforcement severity, cumulative effect of multiple enforcements, and the total impact on their standing.
• Players can receive a total of eight strikes; each strike remains on record for six months.
• Each strike results in a suspension from Xbox’s social features for varying lengths of time.
• Every player will begin with a blank slate, or zero strikes; previous enforcements must still be completed.

The new system attaches strikes to every enforcement, ranging in severity based on inappropriate activity. Each player will now have a view of their enforcement history including strikes and the overall impact these have on their player record. This revised system gives players a better understanding of enforcement severity and the cumulative effect of multiple enforcements. Enforcement transparency is about giving players clarity into how their behavior impacts their experience. Our content moderation efforts are not changing as a result of the new enforcement strike system.  

As always, when a player believes they have witnessed a violation of Xbox’s Community Standards, we encourage them to report. All reports are evaluated, there are no automated enforcement actions based solely on the fact that a report was made. No volume of inaccurate reports results in an enforcement. Only reports that have been reviewed by the Xbox Safety Team and determined to be accurate result in an enforcement.  

With the new system, enforcements will also include strikes based on the severity of their actions. The system is similar to demerit strikes used in driver’s license systems in many countries. For example, a player that has received two strikes will be suspended from the platform for one day, whereas a player that receives four strikes will be suspended for seven days. Players have a total of eight strikes and, once reached, will be suspended from Xbox’s social features like messaging, parties and party chat, multiplayer and others for one year from the enforcement date. All strikes received stay on a player’s record for six months. Today, players will all begin with a blank slate, or zero strikes. Any previous enforcements, such as suspensions, must still be completed; new enforcements as of today will result in strikes.  

With these changes, Xbox is evolving enforcement to focus on protecting players. This is why even suspended accounts remain functional for single-player experiences and players do not lose access to purchased content. However, for the most serious violations – including illegal activity – Xbox retains the ability to permanently suspend all functionality of an account including access to purchases. 

In 2022, fewer than 1% of all players received a temporary suspension, and only 1/3 of those received a second. Our data shows us that players typically stop inappropriate behavior after one enforcement, quickly learning what is and is not acceptable based on the Xbox Community Standards and how to better engage on our platform. The strike system is designed to further empower players to engage positively and appropriately on Xbox and with the community. We’ll share data and updates in our bi-annual Transparency Report. 

Below is a visual of what players will see in their enforcement history:  

Like before, players will still have the ability to appeal eligible enforcements. Where applicable, if an enforcement is reversed, the corresponding strike will be removed. For more information, visit the FAQ on Xbox Support.  

Below are some additional safety resources:  

• See your enforcement history 
• Join Xbox Ambassadors and become part of our community working to make gaming fun for everyone  
• Read our Xbox Community Standards 
• Read our latest Xbox Transparency Report  
• Remain informed on How to Report a Player and How to Submit a Case Review 

SOURCE

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FREEBIES: Xbox Live Games With Gold May 2023

For the month of May 2023, Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members will receive Two  FREE games on Xbox Series X, Series S and Xbox One.

Xbox Live Gold members and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members will have exclusive access to these games for a limited time as part of Games with Gold program.

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FREEBIES: Xbox Live Games With Gold for April 2023

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FREEBIES: Xbox Live Games with Gold for February 2022

For the month of February 2022, Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members will receive four FREE games – two on Xbox Series X, Series S and Xbox One, and  two on Xbox 360 – as part of the Games with Gold program. You can play all four of the titles on your Xbox One or Xbox Series X|S with Backward Compatibility.

*Titles are available as free downloads for qualifying Xbox Live Gold and Game Pass Ultimate members in all markets where Xbox Live is available. Some regions may offer different titles depending on market availability.

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FREEBIES: Xbox Live Games With Gold for January 2022

For the month of January 2022, Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members will receive four FREE games – two on Xbox Series X, Series S and Xbox One, and  two on Xbox 360 – as part of the Games with Gold program. You can play all four of the titles on your Xbox One or Xbox Series X|S with Backward Compatibility.

*Titles are available as free downloads for qualifying Xbox Live Gold and Game Pass Ultimate members in all markets where Xbox Live is available. Some regions may offer different titles depending on market availability.

FREEBIES: Xbox Live Games With Gold for December 2021

For the month of December 2021, Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members will receive four FREE games – two on Xbox Series X, Series S and Xbox One, and  two on Xbox 360 – as part of the Games with Gold program. You can play all four of the titles on your Xbox One or Xbox Series X|S with Backward Compatibility.

*Titles are available as free downloads for qualifying Xbox Live Gold and Game Pass Ultimate members in all markets where Xbox Live is available. Some regions may offer different titles depending on market availability.

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FREEBIES: Xbox Live Games with Gold October 2021

For the month of October 2021, Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members will receive four free games – two on Xbox Series X, Series S and Xbox One, and  two on Xbox 360 – as part of the Games with Gold program. You can play all four of the titles on your Xbox One or Xbox Series X|S with Backward Compatibility.

*Titles are available as free downloads for qualifying Xbox Live Gold and Game Pass Ultimate members in all markets where Xbox Live is available. Some regions may offer different titles depending on market availability.

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NEWS: Microsoft Doubles Price Xbox Live Gold (UPDATE)

[UPDATED on 1/22/2021 at 8:52 PM PT]

We messed up today and you were right to let us know. Connecting and playing with friends is a vital part of gaming and we failed to meet the expectations of players who count on it every day. As a result, we have decided not to change Xbox Live Gold pricing.

We’re turning this moment into an opportunity to bring Xbox Live more in line with how we see the player at the center of their experience. For free-to-play games, you will no longer need an Xbox Live Gold membership to play those games on Xbox. We are working hard to deliver this change as soon as possible in the coming months.

If you are an Xbox Live Gold member already, you stay at your current price for renewal. New and existing members can continue to enjoy Xbox Live Gold for the same prices they pay today. In the US, $9.99 for 1-month, $24.99 for 3-months, $39.99 for 6-months and $59.99 for retail 12-months.

Thank you.

FROM MICROSOFT: "Since we launched Xbox Live (18 years ago!), we’ve been working to make it the most advanced multiplayer network available, for the greatest community of gamers — and there are a lot of you. Millions of people come together on Xbox to play with friends and discover great games. We invest in our community by strengthening the digital safety of our players, enabling new ways to share, communicate and play with your friends, and delivering industry leading reliability across our network.

Periodically, we assess the value and pricing of our services to reflect changes in regional marketplaces and to continue to invest in the Xbox community; we’ll be making price adjustments for Xbox Live Gold in select markets. In many markets, the price of Xbox Live Gold has not changed for years and in some markets, it hasn’t changed for over 10 years.

So, what does this mean for you?

• If you’re an existing online 12-month or 6-month Xbox Live Gold member, there’s no price change. If you choose to renew your membership, it will renew at the current price.
• The price of a 1-month Gold membership is increasing $1 USD and the price of a 3-month membership is increasing $5 USD or the equivalent amount in your local market.
• If you’d like to upgrade your Gold membership to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate your remaining Gold time will also convert directly to Ultimate (up to 36 months). For example, if you have 11 months of Xbox Live Gold now, and you upgrade to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, those 11 months convert to 11 months of Ultimate at no additional cost.
• Members have already been notified in some regions. If you’re in a region where prices are being adjusted, you will receive an email and a message center notification over the next month letting you know what the new pricing is for your membership. Going forward, new pricing will be 1-month for $10.99, 3-months for $29.99, and 6-months for $59.99, or your local market equivalent. You can always visit your account to manage your membership, and prices won’t adjust until at least 45 days after you receive the messages. "

SOURCE 

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FREEBIES: Xbox Live Games with Gold March 2020

For the month of March, Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members will receive four new free games – two on Xbox One and two on Xbox 360 – as part of the Games with Gold program. You can play both Xbox 360 titles on your Xbox One with Backward Compatibility.

*Titles are available as free downloads for qualifying Xbox Live Gold members in all markets where Xbox Live is available. Some regions may offer different titles depending on market availability.

FREEBIES: Xbox Live Games With Gold July 2019

For the month of July, Xbox Live Gold members will receive four new free games – two on Xbox One and two on Xbox 360 – as part of the Games with Gold program. You can play both Xbox 360 titles on your Xbox One with Backward Compatibility.

*Titles are available as free downloads for qualifying Xbox Live Gold members in all markets where Xbox Live is available. Some regions may offer different titles depending on market availability.

On Xbox One, Xbox Live Gold members can download INSIDE ($19.99 ERP) for free during the month of July. Big Crown: Showdown ($12.99 ERP) will be available as a free download from July 16th to August 15th.

On Xbox 360, starting July 1st, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night  ($9.99 ERP) will be free for Xbox Live Gold members through July 15th. Then on July 16th, Xbox Live Gold Members can download Meet The Robinsons ($19.99 ERP) for free through July 31st.

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NEWS: Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Coming Later This Year

In June 2017, we launched Xbox Game Pass – with the goal of empowering gamers all over the world to discover their next favorite game. We also wanted to use Xbox Game Pass as a platform for developers to introduce their amazing games to millions of new people. From the beginning, the service was built based on input from gamers and we’re always listening to fan feedback. Xbox Game Pass offers a curated library of over 100 great games, available to download and play at full fidelity, for one low–monthly price. Since launch, we’ve continued to add more diverse titles to the library, including new games from Xbox Game Studios and ID@Xbox partners the same day they release. 

Your feedback directly contributes to the evolution of Xbox Game Pass – thank you for taking the time to help us continually improve the service. A top request you have shared from day one is to provide an option to get Xbox Game Pass and the most advanced multiplayer network, Xbox Live Gold, in a single membership.

We heard you. Today, we’re excited to announce Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate will include all of the benefits of Xbox Live Gold with Xbox Game Pass. That means the full Xbox Game Pass library of over 100 high quality games, and Xbox Live Gold online multiplayer, in one convenient membership for $14.99 a month. With Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, gamers will be able to play together on the most-advanced multiplayer network and discover their next favorite game.

Starting today, we’re inviting a limited number of our Xbox Insider community members to join and test Xbox Game Pass Ultimate before it launches later this year in current Xbox Game Pass markets. 
We look forward to your feedback and to bringing our members even more choice with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate this year and beyond.


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NEWS: Microsoft announces Xbox Live for any iOS or Android game

Microsoft is bringing its Xbox Live network to iOS and Android devices. The software giant is launching a new cross-platform mobile software development kit (SDK) for game developers to bring Xbox Live functionality to games that run on iOS and Android. Xbox Live features like achievements, Gamerscore, hero stats, friend lists, clubs, and even some family settings will all be available on iOS and Android.

“We believe so strongly in community, and Xbox Live really being at the heart of our gaming community,” explains Kareem Choudhry, Microsoft’s gaming cloud chief in a media briefing this week. “If you watch what we’ve done, especially with Minecraft, over the past few years we’ve taken Xbox Live to as many platforms as Minecraft is on as possible. Really uniting all those communities together with a consistent singular experience for those gamers.”

Microsoft wants game developers to take a similar Minecraft approach and bring Xbox Live to more mobile games. Some iOS and Android games already have Xbox Live Achievements, but they’re only enabled in titles from Microsoft Studios at the moment and this new SDK will open up Xbox Live functionality to many more games.

READ MORE AT THE SOURCE



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FREEBIES: Xbox Live Games With Gold For November 2018

For the month of November, Xbox Live Gold members will receive four new free games – two on Xbox One and two on Xbox 360 – as part of the Games with Gold program. You can play both Xbox 360 titles on your Xbox One with Backward Compatibility.

**Titles are available as free downloads for qualifying Xbox Live Gold members in all markets where Xbox Live is available. Some regions may offer different titles depending on market availability.**

On Xbox One, Xbox Live Gold members can download Battlefield 1 ($39.99ERP) for free during the month of November. Race The Sun ($9.99 ERP) will be available as a free download from November 16th to December 15th.

On Xbox 360, starting November 1st, Assassin’s Creed ($19.99 ERP) will be free for Xbox Live Gold members through November 15th. Then on November 16th, Xbox Live Gold Members can download Dante’s Inferno ($14.99 ERP) for free through November 30th.

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NEWS: Microsoft And Discord Team Up To Connect Gamers Across Xbox Live And Discord

PC and console gamers, unite! Today we are excited to announce a new collaboration between Xbox and Discord.

Connecting with friends is such a big part of why people game. Gamers all over the world use Discord to easily chat and connect with friends while they game. In the coming weeks, this collaboration will make it easier for gamers to choose do just that – make it easier to connect and see what friends are playing across console and PC. It’s part of the work we are doing to provide gamers with more choice, allowing them to play how and where they want to.

In response to feedback, you will now have the option to link your Discord account to your Xbox account, making it easier than ever to see what your friends are playing. If you are playing Sea of Thieves on your Xbox, you can now choose to give your Discord friends the ability to see that and decide whether they want to hop on their Xbox and join you.

How will it work?

From Xbox One 
As an Xbox Insider, starting soon in preview, you will also have the added option to link your Xbox Live account to your Discord account directly from your Xbox One, which will become available to the broader Xbox community soon. Open the Account Settings menu on Xbox One, and select “Linked social accounts.” Here, you will see a new option for linking your Discord account. Once you receive your unique code from Xbox, open the Discord app and insert the code within the Connections tab.

From PC

From the Discord app on PC or on a mobile device, in the coming weeks you will see an option to link your Xbox account with your Discord account through the Connections tab under User Settings. Click on the Xbox Live option and sign in to your account. After enabling permission, your accounts will be linked.

After following these few simple steps, your accounts will be linked and your Xbox Live game presence can be shared across Discord, enabling friends and users in your same Discord servers to see what you’re playing on Xbox Live.

NEWS: Three New Security Features On The Xbox

Microsoft  announces 3 new security features on the Xbox. These updates will help keep you safe, and they will also come in handy if you ever forget your account name or become a target for malicious activity.

For more ways to help protect your account, check out our security tips.

Get help remembering your username
Some customers only know their Xbox Gamertag, and they have trouble remembering their Microsoft account. This becomes a problem when signing in to a new console. Previously, you’d have to call Xbox support for help with this issue. Now there’s a self-help flow from the sign in screen. Just select “Forgot your account?” and follow the steps.

Remember to update your recovery options
Security info is an alternate email address or phone number that you add to your account. If you forget your password, or if someone else is trying to access your account, we send a security code to that alternate email or phone number. When you give the code back to us, we know that you’re really you and we can get you back into your Microsoft account. Now on the Xbox, we’ll remind you to double check your recovery options if you haven’t used them for a while.

Recover your account if a malicious user may have gained access

If Microsoft has identified any suspicious activity on your account, we’ll lock the account for your security. If this happens, you’ll see the message “It looks like someone else might be using your account.” Before, you’d have to go to another device (like your phone or computer) to solve the problem. Many people would end up calling Xbox Support. Now, we support the full recovery flow on the Xbox console. So you’ll be able to change your password and review your security settings, then get back to gaming.

FREEBIES: Xbox Live Games With Gold February 2018

For the month of February, Xbox Live Gold members will receive four new free games – two on Xbox One and two on Xbox 360 – as part of the Games with Gold program. You can play both Xbox 360 titles on your Xbox One with Backward Compatibility.

*Titles are available as free downloads for qualifying Xbox Live Gold members in all markets where Xbox Live is available. Some regions may offer different titles depending on market availability.

On Xbox One, Xbox Live Gold members can download Shadow Warrior ($29.99 ERP) for free during the month of February. Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: India ($9.99 ERP) will be available as a free download from February 16th to March 15th.

On Xbox 360, starting February 1st, Split/Second ($19.99 ERP) will be free for Xbox Live Gold members through February 15th. Then on February 16th, Xbox Live Gold Members can download Crazy Taxi ($9.99 ERP) for free through February 28th.

FREEBIES: Xbox Live Games With Gold For November 2017

For the month of November, Xbox Live Gold members will receive four new free games – two on Xbox One and two on Xbox 360 – as part of the Games with Gold program. You can play both Xbox 360 titles on your Xbox One with Backward Compatibility.

*Titles are available as free downloads for qualifying Xbox Live Gold members in all markets where Xbox Live is available. Some regions may offer different titles depending on market availability.

On Xbox One, Xbox Live Gold members can download  Trackmania Turbo ($39.99 ERP) for free during the month of November. Tales from the Borderlands Complete Season (Episodes 1-5) ($14.99 ERP) will be available as a free download from November 16th to December15th.

On Xbox 360, starting November 1st, NiGHTS into dreams ($9.99 ERP) will be free for Xbox Live Gold members through November 15th. Then on November 16th, Xbox Live Gold Members can download Deadfall Adventures ($39.99 ERP) for free through November 30th.