Microsoft is working on a new feature that would let players keep both physical and digital copies of its games.

The company’s employees are testing a feature that would allow Xbox owners to digitize their disc-based game collections.

The feature should work on Xbox One and Xbox Series X discs, but not on Xbox 360 and original Xbox consoles.

For the feature to work, users will need to put in the disc, install it, and play the game. Users should also have their Microsoft account on an Xbox console, where the “digital entitlement” for their game will be granted, employees who have been testing this feature told The Verge.

Each disc has its own digital entitlement and can be moved from one account to another, turning physical games into ones that can be bought from Microsoft’s digital store.

The feature will also work with games that come with a console and multi-disc titles. However, it may not support some Xbox One discs, as it depends on when and how the disc was manufactured.

After digitizing the disc, it could still be used to play the game, but users could lose the digital entitlement if the disc is given or sold to someone else.

It’s unclear when the feature will be released.

Did Microsoft get it right?

“This is the best-case scenario in a future where games aren't on discs. This is not me saying I'm happy about no new game discs, but having a way to play our disc collection on future hardware, while maintaining each disc's tradeability and value is a win for sure,” wrote one netizen.

The discussion hinted that users were positive about this change, expressing curiosity about how the feature will work in practice.

“If this gets me physical media with full offline playable games for life – I am for it,” wrote another Redditor.

Xbox testing disc-to-digital feature that digitizes a physical game collection
by u/Luka77GOATic in technology

“Hopefully Sony will offer something like this as well if they are getting rid of physical,” shared another user.

Gaming consoles going disc-less?

Microsoft isn’t the only company considering moving away from physically-stored games.

Recently, Sony announced that PlayStation games released from the beginning of 2028 will be available only in digital format.

The company has recently faced backlash after users said they received notifications from Sony that their libraries will be stripped of content they previously bought.

The company said that, due to a licensing disagreement, it will remove 551 movies and TV shows that some users bought via the PlayStation Store. This move once again proved that nothing bought digitally is actually owned, but rather just loaned.