Xbox One Is Not Letting Me Play Games Step By Step Guide

If you’re an Xbox user, you’ll definitely understand the frustration felt when Xbox One is not letting you play games.

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You probably also tried to figure out in your mind what could be the problem, or try to retrace your steps back to where it started, or what you could have done to set it off.

Most times, when you try to start the game and/or app, the splash screen displays for a few seconds before sending you back to the Home screen.

The good news is, you don’t need to scratch the hairs off your head trying to figure out how to fix it because we’ve got solutions that can help you when your Xbox One won’t let you play games.

If this describes what you’re going through, try these solutions to resolve the issue depending on whether it is the games or apps that won’t open.

Why won’t my Xbox let me play games?

If your Xbox is not letting you play any games, the causes could be that your console didn’t correctly download the games or an update is pending for them.

Why won’t my Xbox let me play games?
How can I do when Xbox One is not letting me play games:
Solution 1: Restart the app
Solution 2: Restart your console
Solution 3: Uninstall and reinstall app
Solution 4: Check Xbox Live service status/Restart app/Restart Xbox One console
Solution 5: If games won’t open, exit the Home screen
Solution 6: Reboot the console
Solution 7: Test network connection
Solution 8: Delete your profile then add it back again
Solution 9: Clear local save and re-sync with cloud
Solution 10: Verify the game was bought under your account
Solution 11: Check the license for the game
Solution 12: Reposition your Xbox One console to fix Xbox One My games and apps won’t open
Solution 13: Clean game disc and check for damages
Solution 14: Try a different game disc

Check if this happens for all your games, then simply see if there is any update pending and update all games on your console.

If these fast fixes didn’t help, check out the complete solutions we provided below.

How can I do when Xbox One is not letting me play games:

Solution 1: Restart the app

Quit the app
Check if the app is available on your Home screen in most recently used tiles, then highlight it with your controller without selecting it
Press Menu on your controller
If you get the Quit option, select it. When this option is not there, it means the app isn’t running
Once the app is closed, go to recently used tiles, and select it from My games and apps
Relaunch the app

If your app/apps don’t start, try the next solution.

Relaunch the app

Solution 2: Restart your console

Press the Xbox button to launch the guide
Select Settings
Click Restart Console
Select Yes to confirm
Launch the app

If you cannot access the Xbox One guide or the console is frozen, press and hold the Xbox button for 10 seconds till it turns off, then touch the Xbox button again to restart the console, and launch the app.

Solution 3: Uninstall and reinstall app

If Xbox One is not letting you play games, you can try to uninstall and reinstall the app again using the steps below:

Turn on Xbox One using the Xbox button
Go to the Home screen
Move right and select My games and apps
Highlight what you want to uninstall
Press Menu
Select
Reinstall the app then open it

Solution 4: Check Xbox Live service status/Restart app/Restart Xbox One console

If you see an error 8027025A, it may mean there’s a problem with Xbox Live service, the app didn’t load in good time, or there’s a login issue with your profile.

In this case, check the Xbox Live service status, restart the app, and/or restart your console.

Go to the Xbox Live core services and check if it shows ‘up and running‘ in green color
Restart the app by pressing the Xbox button to open the guide, select Home, select Menu while highlighting the app (don’t select it), then select Quit. Wait 10 seconds or so before restarting the app again.
If your console is frozen (hangs), perform a hard reset then restart your console by pressing the Xbox button to open the guide, select Settings>Restart Console>Select Yes to confirm. This process resets the cache on your console.

If a certain game doesn’t allow sharing to Xbox Live, you can fix it by following the simple steps from this guide.

Solution 5: If games won’t open, exit the Home screen

Press the Xbox button to open the guide
Press Menu
Quit the game
Restart the game

Does the game open after exiting the Home screen? If not, try the next solution.

Solution 6: Reboot the console

A full power cycle could fix the problem when Xbox One is not letting you play games. Here’s what to do:

Hold down the Xbox button for about 10 seconds
The console will go off, then turn it on again by pressing Xbox button. The green boot-up animation should display on the screen. If it doesn’t, try the same steps again.
Try playing the game again

Does this help? If not, you can try the next solution.

Solution 7: Test network connection

Sometimes network connections affect your ability to play games on Xbox One console. Follow the steps below to test your Xbox Live connection:

Press Xbox button to open the guide
Select System
Open Settings
Click on Network
Then select Network Settings
Go to the right panel under Network Settings and select Test Network Connection

If successful, your Xbox One console will connect to Xbox Live. If you are asked to update your console software, select Yes to confirm.

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Expert tip:

Solution 8: Delete your profile then add it back again

If your Xbox One My games and apps won’t open, the problem may be your profile or a profile on the console whose data may be corrupted.

To fix this, you can delete the profile, then add it back again using the steps below:

Press Xbox button to open guide
Select System
Open Settings
Click on Account
Select Remove Accounts
Then choose the account you want to remove, then select Remove

Once you remove the account, download the profile again to create a new, fresh version using the steps below:

Press Xbox button to open guide
Choose your gamerpic on the top left corner of the screen
Go down and select Add new
Type the email address and password for your Microsoft account (the one you removed)

Note: Do NOT select Get a new account, unless you want a completely new account.

Once you follow the steps above, the console will lead you through the account set up process. Follow the prompts until you get back to the Home screen, then try playing the game again.

If this doesn’t help, try the next solution.

Solution 9: Clear local save and re-sync with cloud

If Xbox One My games and apps won’t open, and the local save for your games is corrupted, delete it then re-sync with the cloud to fix the problem, using the steps below:

Press Xbox button
Select My games and apps
Highlight (not select) the game title
Press Menu
Select Manage game
Go to the right side of the screen and highlight saved data for your gamertag under Saved Data
Press A on your controller
Select Delete from console to remove local save for the game
Once you delete local save, restart the console
Press Xbox button
Select System
Open Settings
Select System
Then click Console info
Select Restart console
Then select Restart to confirm the action

Once you restart the console, re-sync the games you saved to the cloud, which automatically stores them as you’re connected to Xbox Live.

Try to play the game again.

Solution 10: Verify the game was bought under your account

If you’re playing a digital game, the account that bought the game should be the same one you use to sign in to Xbox Live. You can verify this by checking Xbox Live purchase history.

Solution 11: Check the license for the game

If you don’t have a license for the digital game, then it will not open. Similarly, if the account that was used to purchase the game is not on your console, then the game won’t open.

Solution 12: Reposition your Xbox One console to fix Xbox One My games and apps won’t open

Is your console positioned on a flat, horizontal surface? If not, it is good to note that repositioning it means Xbox One games and apps won’t open. Position it on a level, stable surface without clutter, then try to play your game again.

Solution 13: Clean game disc and check for damages

If you’re not using digital games, but using a disc instead, games may not open because of a dirty disc, or a disc with too many fingerprints on it.

Try to clean the disc using a soft cloth, and see if it fixes the problem. Check game disc for damage at the back side, either scratches or other damages because this prevents the game from playing.

Solution 14: Try a different game disc

If you have a clean disc, the issue may be your console’s disc drive. You can try playing a different disc and check if the problem recurs. If it plays, then the drive isn’t the cause.

Did any of these solutions fix the Xbox One My games and apps won’t open problem? Share with us your experience in the comments section below.

Play the games you love and get rid of this issue#

Why won’t my Xbox let me play games?#

How can I do when Xbox One is not letting me play games:#

Solution 1: Restart the app#

Solution 2: Restart your console#

Solution 3: Uninstall and reinstall app#

Solution 4: Check Xbox Live service status/Restart app/Restart Xbox One console#

Solution 5: If games won’t open, exit the Home screen#

Solution 6: Reboot the console#

Solution 7: Test network connection#

Solution 8: Delete your profile then add it back again#

Solution 9: Clear local save and re-sync with cloud#

Solution 10: Verify the game was bought under your account#

Solution 11: Check the license for the game#

Solution 12: Reposition your Xbox One console to fix Xbox One My games and apps won’t open#

Solution 13: Clean game disc and check for damages#

Solution 14: Try a different game disc#