Game preservation has been a hot button topic in the gaming industry for a while now and rightfully so. There are a lot of incredible pieces of art that have been devleoped over the years and we need to make sure they aren’t lost to time. If you are one of these gaming companies you also want to ideally treat your customer’s libraries with care. These libraries that have taken some decades to build should not disappear, regardless of whether you are a physical collector or prefer to go all digital.

Earlier today Microsoft announced a new disc to digital program. If you own a physical copy of Forza Horizon 6, for example, you will soon be able to enjoy the digital benefits while holding on to your physical copy. Microsoft has stated that “most” Xbox One and Xbox Series X disc-based games will support this new feature.

What Does This Mean for Me and How Does it Work?

Once this feature launches, players can insert their game disc into an Xbox Series X or Xbox One console. Once the disc is in your system, simply launch the game. By doing this your digital “entitlement” will be claimed, allowing you to experience all of the benefits of a digital copy. This will support Xbox Play Anywhere and Xbox Cloud Gaming (on titles that support that) while your physical disc will continue to work exactly like it does today.

Microsoft has stated that the initial launch will have “thousands” of games that participate in this program. Obviously not every game will be participating at launch but more games will be added over time. This program obviously does not apply to the Xbox Series S since that is an all digital console.

This program will initially only be available to those participating in the Xbox Insiders program so that it can be tested and bugs ironed out before it is released to the general public.

Can I join the Xbox Insiders Program?

If you are not a member of the Xbox Insider Program, you can sign up to be a part of it. Simply join the program by downloading the Xbox Insider Hub for Xbox Series X|S & Xbox One or Windows PC. By doing this you might get the opportunity to participate not only in this program, but help shape the future of Xbox by participating in everything the program has to offer and then offering your opinion to Microsoft.

If I Can’t Join the Xbox Insiders Program, Can I Still Provide Feedback?

If you can’t (or don’t want to) participate in this program, you can still make your voice heard. Microsoft has Player’s Voice which you can participate in by clicking on that link. This service allows players to submit feedback as well as vote on existing ideas that have already been presented. If there is an item that gains a lot of traction and it seems to be something the community wants, Microsoft has been known to take it into consideration and potentially turn it into a feature.

The other route is joining the Xbox Insiders subreddit. This is another area where you can talk with other people who are offering their ideas and share your own.

When Can I Start to Use This New Program?

Xbox Insiders will be able to begin testing this program next week on August 31, 2026. No release date has been announced at this time for the general public.

While Xbox 360 and the original Xbox were not mentioned in this announced, I have to assume that Microsoft is looking on adding them in the future. Again though, that is merely an assumption on my part and there has been no official announcement made about those platforms.

Microsoft is however going to add achievements to some original Xbox games later this year.

What do you think about this announcement? Does this make you want to buy the next Xbox when it arrives in the next few years now that you know your library is safe? Tell us what you think on Bluesky and Twitter.