Xbox network

The Xbox network, formerly known and commonly referred to as Xbox Live, is an <a href="/facts/Internet/Xw1rVvJU">online</a> <a href="/facts/Multiplayer_video_game/8CC60Nwj">multiplayer gaming</a> and <a href="/facts/Digital_media/QLXzDrhL">digital media</a> delivery service created and operated by <a href="/facts/Microsoft_Gaming/zp3BGyF9">Microsoft Gaming</a> for the <a href="/facts/Xbox/c4vCQ0kC">Xbox</a> brand. It was first made available to the original <a href="/facts/Xbox_(console)/2FuQrJeX">Xbox</a> console on November 15, 2002. An updated version of the service, adding the <a href="/facts/Xbox_Live_Marketplace/aA64Nsp3">Xbox Live Marketplace</a>, became available with the <a href="/facts/Xbox_360/dYlE3mL5">Xbox 360</a> console launch in November 2005, and a further enhanced version was released in 2013 with the <a href="/facts/Xbox_One/Nom1XYbe">Xbox One</a>. The service is used on the latest <a href="/facts/Xbox_Series_X_and_Series_S/gkN9VjV2">Xbox Series X and Series S</a> and, in addition to a <a href="/facts/Microsoft_account/unm2BvRt">Microsoft account</a>, is the account for Xbox ecosystem; accounts can store games and other content.
The service was extended in 2007 across the <a href="/facts/Microsoft_Windows/bwhAhuSL">Windows</a> platform, named <a href="/facts/Games_for_Windows_%25E2%2580%2593_Live/tvcvdMSt">Games for Windows – Live</a>, now defunct, which made most aspects of the system available on Windows computers. The <a href="/facts/Microsoft_Store/tnnWFhAF">Microsoft Store</a> and <a href="/facts/Xbox_(app)/yEe9hS58">Xbox app</a> are now used to cross over the Xbox ecosystem into PC gaming, in addition to <a href="/facts/Mobile_device/cNS1Rhvg">handhelds</a> and <a href="/facts/Mobile_phone/H3EcqD9h">mobile phones</a> as part of the <a href="/facts/Play_Anywhere/7366tJzm">Play Anywhere</a> initiative. Microsoft's former <a href="/facts/Mobile_operating_system/wysBVca1">mobile operating system</a>, <a href="/facts/Windows_Phone/khEg0rGT">Windows Phone</a>, included full Xbox Live functionality until it was discontinued. The service shut down for the original Xbox on April 15, 2010, and original Xbox Games are now only playable online through <a href="/facts/Insignia_(Xbox)/QuAtftwR">Insignia</a>, an unofficial Xbox Live replacement service, or through <a href="/facts/Local_area_network/edUDxJ6J">local area network</a> (LAN) <a href="/facts/Tunneling_protocol/jKaT1Czc">tunneling</a> applications.
Xbox network service is available as both a free service and a subscription-based service known as Xbox Game Pass Core. In 2021, Microsoft renamed Xbox Live as simply the "Xbox network" to cover all of its services related to Xbox, and began slowly phasing out all "Live" branding until it was fully removed in 2023.

Xbox network open-in-new

Xbox network