After a period of testing the program with Insiders, Xbox is now rolling out its disc-to-digital program to all Xbox users today, according to a post on X:
Your discs just got a digital upgrade today! 💿
Now, all players can experience the benefits of digital with most XBOX Series X and XBOX One physical discs: https://t.co/TuUdSr7Or8 pic.twitter.com/IVgrV2NY4v
— — (@XBOX) September 29, 2026
To try this out, I dug out a physical copy of Injustice 2, a game we do not own digitally, and put the disc in the Xbox Series X. When we opened the game’s app menu from the home screen, there was a new option that hadn’t been there before: Claim digital license.
Clicking it got us to this screen. We claimed it, and were done. Now we don’t have to use the disc for Injustice 2 anymore. Easy. We apparently could have also done this just by playing the game, and we would have automatically claimed the license by doing that.
We’ve got a few other games we want to add, and it’s a bit annoying when everything starts installing the second you put it in. Xbox’s support page recommends going to Settings > Devices & connections > Disc and unchecking “Play disc automatically,” so we’ll probably be doing that and you may want to as well.
Not all games are supported this way. Xbox 360 and original Xbox games are not included (at the moment, the giant Xbox 360 collection in the basement is hopeful though) and some publishers don’t support it. Sega just got on board earlier today, and Ubisoft was in as of earlier this month. Square Enix is one of the most notable remaining holdouts, but both Sega and Ubisoft’s games were not supported when the program first began rolling out to Insiders, and both have since come on board, so it’s possible that Square Enix and any others currently not participating join later. A fan-made list suggests that at least 1400 games are currently compatible.
The disc-to-digital program has been widely reported and discussed as a way to brace users for what may be an all-digital future. With Sony preparing to end physical disc production in 2028, many expect Xbox to do something similar by the next console generation. Though physical discs are greatly outsold by digital copies on both consoles in recent years, many longtime fans still have large physical disc collections from before the big digital push really hit.
Still, even if you digitize your collection, hang onto those discs. Selling or losing your disc may result in you losing the digital license, especially if someone else redeems it. It’s fine for it to gather dust, but don’t throw it away.
