The Xbox 360 Marketplace is shutting down on Monday, July 29th -- almost 19 years after the digital storefront was first launched.
This shouldn't come as a surprise, but more of a reminder, as Microsoft announced its plans to close the Xbox 360 Marketplace back in August 2023. So here's what will happen on Monday, July 29th, according to Xbox Wire:
- On July 29, 2024, Xbox will stop supporting the ability to purchase new games, DLC, and other entertainment content from the Xbox 360 Store on the console and the Xbox 360 Marketplace (marketplace.xbox.com)
- Related to this change, the Microsoft Movies & TV app will no longer function on Xbox 360, which means TV and movie content will no longer be viewable on your Xbox 360 after July 29th, 2024.
"A lot has changed since the Xbox 360 launched in 2005. Technology has evolved, expectations from players have shifted, and we are focused on making Xbox Series X|S the best place to play now and in the future," said Dave McCarthy, CVP Xbox Player Services, at the time of the announcement.
The Xbox 360 Marketplace shutting down won't affect anyone's ability to play games they already purchased on Xbox 360. Whether it's digital or a physical disc, you'll still be able to play. If you've deleted a game that you've purchased, you'll even still be able to re-download it.
You'll even still be able to play multiplayer games via the Xbox network, assuming the publisher still supports the online servers. Cloud saving will also still function as intended, giving you the ability to continue any of these games on Xbox One or Xbox Series X|S.
While the Xbox 360 Marketplace is shutting down as a digital storefront, Microsoft is still fully committed to game preservation. You'll still be able to purchase and play backward-compatible XBox 360 and Original Xbox games and DLC on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox.com. What's more, many of the Xbox 360 games have been enhanced so that they look and play better on the Xbox Series X|S, with things like FPS Boost, Auto HDR, and faster loading times.
If anything, this feels more like a sentimental closure than anything. Many gamers consider the Xbox 360 to be Microsoft's best console and one of the greatest video game consoles of all time. The Xbox 360 Marketplace was revolutionary, so to see it close is sad, despite the fact that you'll still be able to buy and play Xbox 360 games.