Buying digital games on Xbox One FAQ

All Xbox One games have a digital version, unless there's a required physical peripheral (for example, the "portal" device in Skylanders SWAP Force).

It depends on the game. But some games, such as Call of Duty: Ghosts, actually include extra bonuses with digital content that don't come with the disc-based edition of the game. Other titles, such as Dead Rising 3, will have pre-order incentives that come with the digital version for the first two weeks. We'll see more of these kinds of incentives, but we can't guarantee incentives in every case.

Yes, after you license and download the digital version, you can redownload the game. See Xbox Live Usage Rules for more information.

That depends on the game file sizes. You can always remove game content from your hard drive to make space for new titles. Anything that you had purchased and have since deleted from your hard drive can be redownloaded at any time.

As long as you still have your game save file (either on your hard drive or in the cloud), your progress will be saved and available if you redownload the digital game.

Yes, digital and physical versions will be identical in these aspects.

Yes, you can play your entire digital game library wherever you're signed in (in addition to on your home console).

Yes. Here's how it works on the Xbox One console:

• Physical (disc-based)
  • You must install the game and play it from the hard drive.
  • The disc must always be in the disc drive to play it.
• Digital
  • You must install the game and play it from the hard drive.
  • There's no disc, so you can easily switch between games.

If you see this error, you may need to add or update your billing information. Here's how:

1. Press the Xbox button to open the guide.
2. Select Settings.
3. Select All Settings.
4. Under Account, select Payment & billing.
5. Select the payment type you want to add, or select Change billing address.
6. Enter or update your billing information. 

If you’re having trouble downloading your game, see Troubleshoot slow game or app downloads on Xbox One.

If you’re having problems playing a game, go to the Xbox One Games Troubleshoot page and find your game. You’ll find troubleshooting information on the game’s page.

Each Xbox One console must have either a digital or physical copy of a game. If you have other Xbox One consoles in your home and other people want to play the same game with you using those additional consoles, each console must have its own copy of the game.

Additionally, each person must have an Xbox account (either their own account or by using a guest account) that allows them to play online in a multiplayer environment in order to play the same game at the same time on different consoles.

You can request a refund by going to the Xbox Refund Request Solution. We will review your request and let you know if you’re eligible for a refund.