Xbox is bringing 360 games to PC and launching Disc to Digital this August

Microsoft is preparing two major expansions to its Xbox ecosystem, and the details come from a leaked internal document sent to publishers and developers, obtained by The Verge. First, a Disc to Digital program launches in August 2026 for Xbox One and Series X/S owners. Second, Xbox 360 games are set to arrive on PC through emulation, with a full rollout planned between 2027 and 2028.

Disc to Digital

The Disc to Digital program lets you convert a physical Xbox game disc into a digital license tied to your account. The mechanic has a deliberate catch: if you sell or lend the disc, your digital copy is revoked and the new owner gains access instead. That prevents permanent duplication — you can't keep both the disc and a free digital license — but it also means this is closer to a format-conversion tool than a true ownership upgrade.

Not every game will be supported at launch. Third-party publishers can choose whether to join the program and will retain control over pricing for conversions, according to Notebookcheck's coverage of the leaked roadmap. The Series S is excluded entirely — it has no disc drive. Microsoft has not officially confirmed any of these details.

Xbox 360 on PC

The PC backward compatibility rollout is already underway in a limited form. Four original Xbox titles — BLiNX: The Time Sweeper, Conker: Live Reloaded, Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge, and Fuzion Frenzy — are available now, but only to Xbox Game Pass subscribers. A broader expansion is expected in October 2026, with Xbox 360 support following in 2027–2028.

The technical approach is notable: original Xbox games on PC run through a nested emulation layer — an Xbox 360 emulator running its own original Xbox emulator on top. Xbox 360 support matters precisely because hundreds of those games were never officially ported to PC and have no modern alternative.

What to watch

The Disc to Digital licensing model will ring alarm bells for anyone who remembers the Xbox One DRM backlash of 2013. The disc-revocation mechanic addresses duplication concerns, but it also undermines the resale economy on platforms like CEX and eBay — once converted, the original disc becomes the only transferable asset. Publisher opt-in means the catalog could be thin at launch, and no pricing tiers have been confirmed. Microsoft's full announcement is expected this week.