Xbox Insiders have gotten early access to the disc-to-digital program, allowing them to test it out and provide feedback to Microsoft so it can continue to tweak it before its full launch. While trying out the highly anticipated feature, Insiders discovered that it’s possible to digitize games that are no longer available on the Xbox Store, allowing physical disc owners to play them on Series S and PC.

Xbox launches disc-to-digital for Insider program

Xbox’s disc-to-digital program has progressed much faster than many fans would’ve thought. In early August, it was nothing but a rumor based on a leaked roadmap. As it turns out, the roadmap was mainly correct. A week ago, the disc-to-digital was officially announced. And, as of Aug. 31, it has gone live for players who are part of the Xbox Insider program. The feature lets players receive a digital license for Xbox One and Xbox Series X compatible discs, making them available to play on Xbox Series S and also PC the Play Anywhere program.

As soon as disc-to-digital became available, Xbox Insiders started claiming the digital license of their digital discs and quickly discovered that they could actually digitize delisted games. This means that even if a game could no longer be obtained digitally, due to being removed from the Xbox Store, they could now add it to their digital library via disc-to-digital. This is particularly revolutionary, as it makes it possible for disc owners to play these previously inaccessible games on modern platforms like the Series S and PC.

To digitize physical games, players have to insert their disc into an Xbox One or Series X, select the Options button, and then “Claim digital license.” If a delisted game is available, it’ll be added to their library. It will then be playable on PC (if the game includes Play Anywhere support) or Series S. If not, they will see a screen saying “Digital license unavailable. This game is not participating in digital licensing.”

Whether delisted games will work with the disc-to-digital program depends on decisions made by its publishers and developers. It is possible that more games will receive digital licensing support in the future. For now, players can check out this fan-made disc-to-digital compatibility list to see if their favorite games have received support.