Is Xbox Live down right now?

The Xbox Network, previously known as Xbox Live, is currently working as intended, and Microsoft is not reporting any outstanding issues with its Xbox online services. If you’re experiencing any issues related to the Xbox Network, be sure to refer to the information and troubleshooting tips below to see whether the issue can be resolved on your end. You can also see when the last major Xbox Network outage was reported.

Microsoft continually reports the Xbox Network status on the official Xbox Support website. Here, you can monitor the current status of all services and features related to the Xbox Network, and you can report any issues or outages directly to Microsoft and Xbox Support. The Xbox Support Twitter account is also a good resource for updates on the Xbox Network status.

For in-depth information on how to manage your Xbox console’s online connectivity, run troubleshooters and resolve numerous issues, and in general improve your online experience with Xbox, refer to our detailed guide on Xbox networking.

Last reported outage — May 6 at 4:03 p.m. ET to May 8, 2022, at 1:30 a.m. ET

There is an ongoing Xbox Network outage on May 6, 2022, affecting the majority of users across the entire Xbox ecosystem. While the entirety of the Xbox Network, previously known as Xbox Live, isn’t down, the issues are affecting several crucial features and actively preventing players from accessing their games.

The Xbox team is aware of the Xbox Network outage and is actively investigating potential fixes and solutions. Other Xbox Network features are working as intended, including Xbox Accounts, online multiplayer gaming, social features, and other game-related features like cloud saves, Achievements, update downloads, and more.

Timeline & updates

May 6, 2022, at 4:03 p.m. ET — The outage was initially reported by Xbox with listed issues including:

• The inability to make purchases from the Microsoft Store, including any games, DLC and add-ons, in-game purchases, and hardware and accessories, regardless of the payment method used
• The inability to purchase or manage subscriptions, including for Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Live Gold, and more
• The inability to launch and play Xbox Cloud Gaming, regardless of your device or platform
• The inability to launch and play many digital games, especially those included as part of a subscription, like Xbox Game Pass

May 6, 2022, at 6:28 p.m. ET — An update was provided by Xbox with the following information:

• Issues related to the Microsoft Store, purchases, and subscriptions should be resolved, and related services should be functioning as intended
• Issues related to Xbox Cloud Gaming, and launching and playing digital games, are still ongoing and are being investigated

May 6, 2022, at 11:30 p.m. ET — We updated our report with the following information:

• Over seven hours after the outage was initially reported, large numbers of players and users are still encountering issues with launching and maintaining Xbox Cloud Gaming sessions, launching and playing many digital games, and more
• Xbox Support has not provided a new update in over five hours
• The Xbox Status page shows that Xbox is “close to resolving the issue” in regard to launching digital games, but this label has been present for several hours
• Some players are able to launch and play games like normal, but many more are still affected by the outage

May 7, 2022, at 3:11 a.m. ET — An update was provided by Xbox with the following information:

• Over 11 hours after the outage was initially reported, he Xbox Network outage affecting launching and maintaining Xbox Cloud Gaming sessions, and launching and playing digital games should be resolved

While the Xbox Network does appear to be back online, and the majority of users are able to access the service’s features without any difficulty, a small subset of users are still encountering the same issues with launching and playing digital games. Fortunately, the Xbox community has discovered potential manual fixes that appear to clear up any lingering problems. If you’re still experiencing difficulty attempting to playing your games, follow the below steps.

1. Fully restart your home internet by unplugging your router, counting 10 seconds, and plugging it back in.
2. On your Xbox, navigate to the Settings app.
3. In the Settings app, navigate to the “System” tab.
4. On the “System” tab of Settings, navigate to and open the “Storage devices” page.
5. On the “Storage devices” page, select the “Clear local saved games” option in the upper left-hand corner.

6. After you select the “Clear local saved games” option, you’ll need to confirm your choice by selecting the “Yes” button.

   Note: This will delete all save data for games on your console, but will not delete data stored in the cloud. The next time you open your games, they will automatically sync all the save data from the cloud.

7. After you confirm your choice, your Xbox will restart.

If you’re still experiencing issues even after attempting this fix, you may consider factory resetting your console. This is a last resort option, but you’re able to do so without removing any of your games and apps. Just ensure that you know all of your Microsoft Account login information, and be prepared to wait for the process to finish. As a last resort to fixing lingering Xbox Network faults, follow the below steps.

1. On your Xbox, navigate to the Settings app.
2. In the Settings app, navigate to the “General” tab.
3. On the “General” tab of the Settings app, navigate to and open the “Network settings” page.

4. On the “Network settings” page of Settings, select the “Go offline” button near the top of the right-hand column.

   Note: This will take your console completely offline without disconnecting your home network. Your console will automatically go back online after the factory reset.

5. After your console is offline, navigate back to the Settings app.
6. In the Settings app, navigate to the “System” tab.
7. On the “System” tab of Settings, navigate to and open the “Console info” page.
8. On the “Console info” page, select the “Reset console” option on the left-hand side of the screen.

9. In the “Rest your console?” menu, select the “Rest and keep my games & apps” option in the middle of the choices.

   Note: This option will completely reset and restore your entire Xbox console, with the exception of your games and apps. You’ll need to set up your console again, including setting up your network, logging into your Microsoft Account, and more.

May 7, 2022, at 3:58 p.m. ET — An update was provided by Xbox with the following information:

• Less than 12 hours after the initial major Xbox Network outage was reported as resolved, users began reporting renewed issues in the same area
• Xbox Support has labeled the issues as “Limited,” indicating the issues are on a smaller scale and are affecting fewer players than the earlier outage
• Still, many players are left with the same limitations, with the renewed Xbox Network outage affecting making and managing Microsoft Store purchases, launching and maintaining Xbox Cloud Gaming sessions, and launching and playing digital games
• The Xbox team is actively investigating the new reports and working on further improvements to the system

May 7, 2022, at 5:34 p.m. ET — An update was provided by Xbox with the following information:

• The Xbox Network outage has yet to improve in a meaningful capacity, with many players continuing to experience issues
• The Xbox team is continuing to investigate causes and potential solutions

Xbox Support has noted that users experiencing issues may notice an improvement after restarting their Xbox console. To restart your Xbox console, follow the below steps:

1. Press and hold the Xbox power button for 10 seconds.
2. Release the Xbox power button and wait for 30 seconds.
3. Press the Xbox power button once to turn your Xbox back on
4. Wait for your Xbox to boot up, and then test to see whether your Xbox Network experience has improved

May 7, 2022, at 11:19 p.m. ET — An update was provided by Xbox with the following information:

• The Xbox Network outage may be improving for some players, but many are still affected with issues purchasing, launching, and playing games, and with launching and maintaining Xbox Cloud Gaming sessions
• Xbox Support once again suggests that rebooting your Xbox console (steps are listed above) may improve the situation
• The Xbox team is continuing to work on a full resolution to the outage

May 8, 2022, at 1:30 a.m. ET — An update was provided by Xbox with the following information:

• The Xbox Network outage should be resolved, with all players able to make and manage purchases, launch and maintain Xbox Cloud Gaming sessions, and launch and play digital games

Despite this report, some players are still reporting encountering the same issues as before. In these cases, we suggest following all of the workarounds detailed in the article above, starting with rebooting your console, then clearing your local game saves, and then, finally, factory resetting your console (if all else fails). Most players should be able to play games like normal. We’ll update this space should the Xbox Network go down again, or if Xbox Support provides any further updates.

What is the Xbox Network (Xbox Live)?

Xbox Network, previously branded as Xbox Live, refers to the backend infrastructure that powers all online services and features for the entire Xbox ecosystem across consoles, PC, mobile devices, and beyond. It is the spine of Xbox, powered by Microsoft technologies; any issues with the Xbox Network can be far-reaching for users and players.

The Xbox Network is an umbrella term that refers to a ton of Xbox-related online services and features, including:

• Game and gaming features, including cloud saves, Achievements, backward-compatible games, digital games, game updates and downloads, and more
• Xbox Account features, including profile creation and management, signing in, account settings and customization, Xbox Avatars, Microsoft Rewards integration, and more
• Xbox online safety features, including Xbox Family settings and management
• Online multiplayer and multiplayer features, including Xbox Live Gold, cross-platform features, and more
• Xbox social features, including Parties, Party Chat, game invites, friends, Clubs, messages, Activity Feeds, stats and leaderboards, and more
• Microsoft Store features on Xbox, including purchasing, downloading, and managing games, DLC and add-ons, in-game purchases, apps, movies and TV shows, hardware and accessories, and more
• Subscription features, including purchasing and managing Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Perks, Xbox Live Gold Xbox Games with Gold, EA Play, and more
• Sharing features, including uploading, and sharing game clips and screenshots, streaming gameplay, and more
• Console functions and features, including console updates and downloads, networking features, remote features, voice commands, and more
• Online Xbox services, including the official Xbox website, forums, and more
• Xbox mobile and PC apps, including the Xbox app, Xbox Game Pass app, Xbox Console Companion app, and more
• Xbox Cloud Gaming, remote play, and other cloud-enabled features

Any of these services, and more, can be potentially affected by Xbox Network outages and issues. The vast majority of the time, everything listed above works as intended without abnormal issues or flaws, but occasionally outages can wipe out Xbox Network services and leave users without access to those features. Common outages often affect online multiplayer, Xbox Account features, and the Microsoft Store on Xbox.

Why do outages occur with the Xbox Network?

The Xbox Network is Microsoft’s cohesive online platform supporting the weight of millions of users across Xbox, PC, and mobile platforms, and is an integral facet of everything you do online in the Xbox ecosystem. Despite a reputation for reliability, the Xbox Network does occasionally experience outages, preventing countless users from access numerous services and features, and even their favorite Xbox games.

Microsoft seldom reveals technical details when the Xbox Network goes down, instead preferring to provide regular updates, and attempting to resolve the outage in a timely fashion before swiftly moving forward. There are endless potential reasons for an Xbox Network outage, such as abnormally high surges in traffic or malicious distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, just to name two. While the ultimate cause often remains unclear, the gargantuan online infrastructure can still experience a plethora of issues from time to time.

The Xbox Network is generally known for its day-to-day stability, and outages typically don’t last too long. Any downtime can be extremely frustrating for users, so Microsoft attempts to get everything up and running like normal as quickly as possible. Outages should be seldom, and shouldn’t have any lasting effect on your Xbox, your online security, or your overall experience.

How can I fix problems with the Xbox Network?

The majority of the time, a true Xbox Network outage won’t be able to be satisfactorily resolved by anything you can do, but you may be able to improve the situation or get back online quicker than you’d otherwise would. The internet and online connectivity are complicated, with countless possible causes affecting your experience, meaning the fault may not lie entirely on Xbox’s end.

If your home network or Xbox settings are negatively impacting your online experience, there may be ways to improve it. If an Xbox Network outage is completely locking you out, you may still be able to get by with an offline Xbox, if you know what to do or how to prepare. We’ve detailed all of this and much more in our full guide to online connectivity and networking on Xbox.

Your first step is troubleshooting and testing your connection. Using Xbox’s built-in tools, you can test your network and multiplayer connections, and find your network speed and statistics. This information can help you discover whether the issues lie solely with the Xbox Network and Microsoft, or whether there are improvements that can be made to your home network (the tools will identify any issues and can even provide troubleshooting tips).

If you’ve exhausted all the solutions listed in our Xbox networking guide, or have ascertained that the issues are, in fact, entirely due to an Xbox Network outage, you may have to resign yourself to using your Xbox console offline. Xbox consoles obviously function far better when connected to the internet, but they may not be completely useless when taken offline. You can even manually take your Xbox offline if you want, which is often done to preserve data.

When the Xbox Network is down and your Xbox is offline, you may lose many or all of the features listed above, and can even lose access to streaming apps and services like Netflix, Hulu, Spotify, YouTube, and more. However, you should be able to capture game clips and screenshots, games should continue to track progress toward Achievements (even if the Achievements can’t be earned), and play physical games.

If you want to keep access to your digital games, ensure that your primary Xbox is set as your “Home” console in Settings, which will tie all of your digital game licenses to your local hardware. Even when the Xbox Network is down, you should still be able to play those games. This may not apply to games downloaded through gaming subscriptions like Xbox Game Pass, and it won’t bring back online multiplayer features, but it may leave you with something to pass the time.

Update, May 8, 2022: Updated with the resolution of the continued Xbox Network outage, and tips for players still affected by issues.

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