How to Fix Xbox Series X that is Not Launching Games

You must be logged in to the same account that was used to purchase the game.

A particular game may not load on your Xbox console because it is currently undergoing an update in the background.

If that’s the case, you need to wait until the update is completed or manually cancel it before launching the game.

Here’s how to do that:

  1. Press the Xbox button on the controller.
  2. Select My games and apps and then select the See all option.
  3. Go to Manage Queue Updates -> Queue. If the game that isn’t launching is in the queue, remove it from there and try loading it again.

Another basic check is to ensure that you logged in to the same account used to purchase the game. If this is not the case, you won’t be able to play the game.

To confirm that, log in to your Xbox account. Go to Payment & Billing. Under Order History, you will see the games you purchased.

If you still have trouble, restart the game, clear the console cache, delete locally saved game data, and uninstall & reinstall the game.

Restart the game

To restart the game, press the Options button on the controller when the game is stuck during startup.

Select the Quit option from the menu. Wait for 2-3 minutes, and then relaunch the game.

Clear the console cache

To clear your Xbox Series X cache, follow these steps:

  1. Press and hold the Xbox button on the Xbox for 10 seconds, which will turn it off.
  2. Unplug it from the power source, then press and hold the Xbox button again for about 30 seconds.
  3. Now, plug it back in and turn it on.

Check Internet

You mostly require an active internet connection to play a digital game on your Xbox. So, ensure that your internet is working correctly.

You can test your network from within the Xbox settings. To do that, follow these steps:

  1. Press the Xbox button on the controller.
  2. Under Profile & system, select Settings.
  3. Go to General -> Network settings.
  1. Select Test network connection.

If the internet is not stable, try power cycling your router. Here’s how to do that:

  1. Turn off the router and disconnect the router from the power source.
  2. Then, plug it back in after 1 to 2 minutes.

Switch or Add Another Account

Another workaround is a to temporarily add another account to your Xbox. To do that:

  1. Press the Xbox button on the controller.
  2. Select Profile and System. Select Add or Switch option.
  3. If you have any other account available, switch to that or create a new test account by selecting Add new option.

Once the new account is created, log in and try launching the game. If it works, then the issue was with profile.

Clear local Saved Game Data

Xbox locally saves the game data and then sync it with cloud. However, if the local saved game data is corrupted, it won’t launch the game. To fix it, you should delete the locally saved data. Here’s how to do that:

  1. Press the Xbox button on the controller and select the My games & apps option.
  2. Click on See all. Select the game you want to delete the local data for, and then press the Menu button on the controller.
  3. Select the Manage game and add-ons option.
  4. Next, select Saved data.
  5. Click on the Delete all option.
  6. Once the data is deleted, try loading the game again.

Re-install the Game

If none of the above steps have worked, and you still cannot launch a game on your Xbox Series X, it’s time to uninstall and re-install it. Here’s how to do that:

  1. Press the Xbox button on your Xbox controller.
  2. Select My games & apps, and then click the See all option.
  1. Scroll down, select the game that is having issues, and press the Options button on the controller.
  1. Select Uninstall from the menu.
  1. Once the game is uninstalled, restart your console and then re-install it.

About the Author

Muhammad Qasim

Muhammad Qasim

Muhammad Qasim is an Electrical Engineer, Solopreneur, and Web Developer who loves troubleshooting gadgets and making cool things for the internet.

You can find him on Twitter.

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