The Xbox Network should be back up, but some users are still reporting issues

Update, May 8, 2022, at 10:20 a.m. ET: Xbox Support has reported the outage as being resolved, but some users continue to experience issues.

Update, May 8, 2022, at 12:10 a.m. ET: Xbox Support suggests improvements have been made, but a full resolution is yet to come.

Update, May 7, 2022, at 8:45 p.m. ET: The Xbox Network is facing new issues with purchases, cloud gaming, and digital gaming, although on a smaller scale.

Update, May 7, 2022, at 9:50 a.m. ET: The Xbox Network should be working again, and a workaround for affected users has been found.

Update, May 6, 2022, at 11:25 p.m. ET: Over seven hours after the outage was first reported, Xbox Network is still experiencing issues.

Update, May 6, 2022, at 6:35 p.m. ET: The Xbox team has reported that issues related to purchases and the Microsoft Store should be resolved.

What you need to know

• The Xbox Network, previously known as Xbox Live, is currently experiencing a major outage affecting many players.
• The outage includes players being unable to make any purchases, use Xbox Cloud Gaming, or even launch their digital games.
• Xbox is currently investigating the issue, but there's no word on potential solutions, yet.

The Xbox Network is the infrastructure that powers most of the Xbox gaming experience, and outages affecting that network can drastically reduce the capabilities of the entire Xbox ecosystem. It's not often the service experiences major outages that affect huge swathes of players, but months of solid service are being interrupted today by a new breakdown in the Xbox Network.

The Xbox Network is down, with many players across the Xbox family of consoles and services reporting a variety of issues affecting the Microsoft Store, Xbox Cloud Gaming, and even launching and playing digital games. The Xbox Network team is currently investigating the outage and potential solutions, but the situation hasn't improved, yet.

The issues currently affecting the Xbox Network include:

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

There appears to be little players can do to avoid these issues, aside from resorting to playing games from physical discs (if that's an option for you) or, potentially, disconnecting from the internet and playing offline. At least for now, the Xbox Network outage isn't affecting anything related to Xbox Accounts, multiplayer gaming, social features, or other connected services and features. If you're able to launch a game, it should function like normal, including cloud saves, Achievements, and more.

Hopefully, the Xbox Network outage won't last long, and players will quickly be able to return to their favorite Xbox games without any issues. We'll continue to monitor the situation, and update this space as we hear more.

Update, May 6, 2022, at 6:35 p.m. ET — Issues with the Microsoft Store should be resolved, but other problems remain

The Xbox team has reported that Xbox Network issues preventing players from making purchases in the Microsoft Store should be resolved. Unfortunately, other issues preventing Xbox Cloud Gaming sessions or digital games from launching are still plaguing players, and the Xbox team is continuing to investigate them. We'll continue to monitor the situation and update this space.

Update, May 6, 2022, at 11:25 p.m. ET — Xbox Network still down over seven hours later

Over seven hours after Xbox Network was first reported as experiencing issues, players are still encountering problems starting or maintaining Xbox Cloud Gaming sessions, launching or playing digital games, and more. Xbox Support has listed the latter issue with "We're close to resolving the issue" for several hours, now, with no significant improvement. Some players are able to play games like normal at this point, but many more are still affected by this long-running Xbox Network outage.

Update, May 7, 2022, at 9:50 a.m. ET — The Xbox Network is back, and a fix has been found

On May 7, 2022, at 2:11 a.m. CT, over eleven hours after the outage was initially reported, the Xbox team finally declared that the Xbox Network is running like normal. For many, this was the end of the issue, but some users are continuing to report issues with launching and playing their digital games. Fortunately, there appears to be a manual fix that resolves any lingering problems. If you're still having problems with the Xbox Network, even after the outage was mitigated, following 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. In 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.

Once everything is online again, attempt to play your digital games. Your titles will have to sync their data from the cloud before you'll be able to play. If you're still experiencing issues even after this fix, you may consider factory resetting your Xbox console. We recommend taking your console offline (you can find the option in "Network settings"), then resetting your Xbox while keeping your games and apps (you can find the option in "Console info" by selecting "Reset console" then "Reset and keep my games & apps"). Make sure you remember your Microsoft Account login info before attempting this.

For the majority of players, neither of these fixes should be necessary, and most players still affected by lingering Xbox Network issues should be able to get back online simply by using the first fix. Only resort to factory resetting your console if other avenues have been exhausted.

Update, May 7, 2022, at 8:45 p.m. ET — Players are experiencing issues with the Xbox Network once again

Approximately 12 hours after Xbox Support announced the outage as being resolved, new issues in the same areas began to be reported by players. Although operating on a smaller scale than the earlier major outage, many players are still struggling to make purchases, launch and maintain Xbox Cloud Gaming sessions, and launching and playing digital games. Nearly four hours later, and the situation hasn't improved.

Xbox Support has suggested that some players may see an improvement with playing their digital games after rebooting their Xbox (which can be accomplished by pressing the Xbox power button for 10 seconds, waiting 30 seconds, and then pressing the power button again). The Xbox Network team is aware of the issue and is actively investigating it, although this marks the second day the Xbox Network has experienced significant problems.

Update, May 8, 2022, at 12:10 a.m. ET — The Xbox Network stability may have improved, full resolution to come

The most recent update from Xbox Support indicates that the Xbox Network outage affecting players purchasing and launching games, and launching and maintaining Xbox Cloud Gaming sessions, may be improved. However, many players are still be affected by the issues, and the Xbox team is continuing to investigate a full resolution to the long-running outage. Once again, Xbox Support suggests that affected users attempt to reboot their Xbox consoles and monitor for improvements.

Update, May 8, 2022, at 11:20 p.m. ET — The Xbox Network outage is resolved, but users are still experiencing issues

The Xbox team has officially labelled the Xbox Network outage as being resolved, but some users are still reporting issues with launching and playing their digital games. The first major outage was reported as resolved before everything was actually stable, and users are wondering if it's the same case this time. If you're still facing problems, we suggest using the various workarounds detailed above (rebooting your console, clearing your local game saves, and even factory resetting your console) to see if any of these solutions fix the issues you're experiencing.