Xbox is letting you future-proof your physical game collection.
Microsoft has officially announced a new disc-to-digital feature at Gamescom 2026. This feature will allow Xbox Series X and Xbox One console owners to digitise their current physical game collections, simply by inserting a disc into the console and claiming their digital copy.
The feature will then allow users to play their games without a disc.
How does Xbox’s disc-to-digital feature work?
Microsoft has officially announced an all-new disc-to-digital feature, allowing users to digitise their collections of physical game discs. The feature was announced during an Xbox stream held at Gamescom 2026, and later confirmed by CEO Asha Sharma in a Twitter/X post.
Here’s how it works: if you own a physical game disc, all you have to do is insert the disc into an Xbox One or Xbox Series X console to claim a digital entitlement to the game. This is essentially a digital copy of the game you own on disc, and it will move from account to account if you swap the physical game with a friend, or log into a different Xbox profile.
Users will also be able to access these digital copies on PC through Xbox Play Anywhere, or stream the games on multiple devices using Xbox Cloud Gaming. This new feature isn’t quite ready to launch yet, however. Microsoft plans to begin testing the disc-to-digital feature on 31 August, with a broader rollout on Xbox One and Xbox Series X consoles in the following months.
The feature is set to support “thousands” of titles at launch, with more games to be supported in the future.
Want to find out what Gamescom Opening Night Live 2026 had in store? Read our article rounding up the biggest announcements and trailers from Gamescom Opening Night Live 2026.
