In a first for dying consoles, Microsoft is giving Xbox 360 games deep discounts before digital purchases end for good
Earlier this week, players began to notice that a selection of Xbox 360 games had suddenly gotten deep discounts on the console Marketplace, and now Microsoft has confirmed that these are last-chance price drops intended to give players one final shot at these games before the store shuts down.
"To celebrate the legacy of Xbox 360, we’re working with our amazing publishing partners to bring you as many price reductions from our online store or from the Xbox 360 Store on the console," the company says in an Xbox Wire post. "We’ll be updating this list with more games on June 18, 2024, and on July 16, 2024, bringing you as many repriced games as possible before the end of July. These price reductions will remain in place for each game through the 360 store closing on July 29, 2024."
The list currently includes 66 games, which have all been discounted by somewhere between 67% and 90%. It's admittedly a pretty strange list, and one that only includes just three games of the list of 47 that'll be totally lost when the Xbox 360 store shuts down - Mini Ninja Adventures, Panzer General: Allied Assault, and Puzzle Arcade. If, however, you desperately need to own the digital 360 version of Far Cry 4 or any Just Dance title released between 2014 and 2019, you're in luck.
This list is focused on non-backwards compatible titles, which makes sense, since many of the 360's best games remain available for purchase on modern Xbox consoles. But if you keep a 360 hooked up and want that genuine 2005ish experience, these discounts are a godsend - especially with the promise of more on the way.
The Xbox 360 Marketplace is not the first digital console store to shut down, as it follows the Wii Shop Channel shutdown in 2019 and the Wii U and 3DS store shutdowns in 2023. But Nintendo let those stores go with minimal fanfare, and Microsoft seems to be the first console maker willing to offer a discount on its dying games. Here's hoping that when the PS3 and Vita stores inevitably go, Sony follows this lead.
Our list of the best Xbox 360 games is filled with heavy hitters.
