Recently, Xbox owners have reported that some backwards-compatible Xbox 360 games are not launching properly on Xbox Series X|S, and now Microsoft has responded.
Xbox executive Jason Ronald said the team is investigating what he called a “rare issue affecting a small number of players” pertaining to launching Xbox 360 backwards-compatible titles on Xbox Series X|S. Specifically, players are saying they’re getting a “Can’t Connect to Xbox Live” error.
Ronald said people who have received this message should DM him directly to help address the issue.
People on Reddit reported these issues earlier in April. It’s been theorized that the problem is more prevalent with people who bought a new Xbox Series X|S, with the issue coming down to newer consoles not validating properly with the Xbox 360 legacy servers.
One user on Reddit said they were considering sending their complaints to the UK Trading Standards unit. This person specifically cited the how this could constitute a breach of the Consumer Rights Act of 2015–under which goods offered in the UK must be sold as advertised.
The Xbox 360 backwards compatibility program launched in 2015 and was much-loved by fans, as it allowed users to play some of their beloved older games on newer platforms like Xbox One and later Xbox Series X|S. Microsoft added 70 more titles to the program in November 2021, including original Xbox and Xbox 360 games, but this was the final update to the catalog.
2026 is the 25th anniversary of Xbox, and Microsoft has a lot in store. This includes a number of high-profile game releases, including Forza Horizon 6, Halo: Campaign Evolved, Gears of War: E-Day, and the Fable reboot. Microsoft is also hosting an Xbox Games Showcase in June.