By: Nick Gambino
When it’s time to go, it’s time to go and for Xbox 360 its time is finally here after nearly two decades. Microsoft has announced they are closing the Xbox 360 Store and the entire Marketplace. That means it’s going to become infinitely more difficult for those who are still using their Xbox 360 console.
The Xbox Store and Xbox 360 Marketplace will officially shutter on July 29, 2024. That’s nearly a year from this writing. When they finally wrap up the 360 chapter, users will lose the ability to download new games, DLCs and other content.
“This November will mark 18 years since Xbox 360 launched,” Corporate VP Xbox Player Services, Dave McCarthy, said in a blog post announcing the closure of the Xbox 360 Store. “It was a generation-defining console that invited many to jump into gaming for the first time and connect with friends around the world.”
Of course, they are not bricking the entire gaming console or even dropping support. You’ll still be able to play anything you’ve already purchased, even those with online play. So if there are titles or content you’ve been meaning to get around to, you have the next year to purchase and stock up.
Backward compatibility, which is a popular option to play your 360 games on Xbox One or Xbox Series X/S, will still be available to you as well.
The Xbox 360 is an old system at this point. I got mine as a giveaway when I was in the live audience at Jimmy Fallon, Christmas 2012 and it was already 7 years old at that point. That might as well have been a hundred years ago in console terms.
It’s more than just losing support for games, Microsoft will also remove the popular Movies & TV app, preventing 360 users from watching any movies or shows. Now, if you’ve purchased anything through that app, you’ll still be able to watch them from your library on other devices.
I’m not sure if this affects the ability to stream through other video content apps like Netflix or Prime Video. I honestly haven’t broken out my 360 in a while, so those apps may not even be supported on the legacy console anymore.
Farewell, Xbox 360 Store. You gave us indelible memories.
