Xbox Series X or Series S: do you still need the disc drive?
Xbox disc to digital turns your discs into digital licences, but only while you keep the disc. What that means for the Series X and Series S, with prices.
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Microsoft's disc to digital scheme is now open to every Xbox player, and it changes an old question: if your games can live on your account, do you still need a console with a disc drive? We read Microsoft's own terms and the prices at Currys, Argos and John Lewis on 02/10/2026. The short answer: the scheme makes the drive more useful, not less, because you need one to claim a licence and the licence lasts only while you keep the disc.
What is Xbox disc to digital?
Play a supported Xbox One or Xbox Series X game disc while signed in, and Microsoft gives your account a digital licence for that game. From then on you can start the game without the disc in the drive, and where the game supports it, play it on a PC or through Xbox Cloud Gaming too. Microsoft opened it to Xbox Insiders on 31/08/2026, and news reports on 29 and 30/09/2026 said it was open to everyone.
Microsoft's support page, read on 02/10/2026, sets the terms:
- The disc keeps working. You can still play from the disc after you claim the licence.
- The licence follows the disc. If you lose, sell or give away the disc, Microsoft says access to the licence may be limited or revoked, and you get it back only by playing the disc again or buying the game.
- Xbox One and Series X discs only. Original Xbox and Xbox 360 discs are not supported, and not every Xbox One or Series X disc is eligible.
- You need a drive to claim. Any Xbox with a disc drive can claim a licence, so the Series S and the Series X Digital Edition, which have none, cannot.
- Only what is on the disc. Codes packed in the box and downloadable extras are not included, and on a multi-disc game only disc one claims.
Microsoft's pages mention no charge for a claim.
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Does disc to digital make the Series S the better buy?
No, it works the other way. The scheme is a reason to own discs, and you can only claim one on a console with a drive. Once you sell a disc, the licence may go with it, so it does not turn a pile of discs into a digital library you keep after a clear-out.
What it does is make discs more convenient. Buy a game on disc, often cheaper and resellable, claim it once, and play it without swapping discs. That only works on a Series X with a drive, or on an older Xbox One with a drive.
The Series S still makes sense if you never buy discs: everything you play comes from the Microsoft Store or Game Pass, and you save £150 on the 1 TB model or more on the 512 GB one.
Xbox Series X vs Series S: price today
Microsoft raised its console prices worldwide on 01/08/2026, citing the cost of memory and storage, so its own price for every console is higher than in July. On 02/10/2026 the shops we compare sat at Microsoft's prices or just under, except on the Series X Digital Edition, where Argos and John Lewis were £35 under.
| Console | Price on 02/10/2026 |
|---|---|
| Xbox Series X, 1 TB, disc drive | £669.90 at John Lewis, £669.99 at Argos; Currys £669, out of stock. Microsoft £669.99 |
| Xbox Series X Digital Edition, 1 TB, no drive | £584.99 at Argos and John Lewis, £619 at Currys. Microsoft £619.99 |
| Xbox Series S, 1 TB, no drive | £519 at Currys, £519.99 at Argos and John Lewis. Microsoft £519.99 |
So the drive itself costs about £85 at Argos and John Lewis, the gap between the Series X and its Digital Edition, and £50 at Microsoft. Against the Series S 1 TB, a Series X with a drive costs about £150 more.
eBay sat below the shops. On 02/10/2026 the cheapest new Series X on our page was £593.99 plus £14.54 postage from a private seller taking no returns, and the cheapest new Series S 1 TB was £499.99 with free postage and 30 days' returns from a business seller. If you want the drive for less, a refurbished Series X graded Good was £504.75 from Currys' clearance shop on eBay, with 30 days' returns: £14.25 under a new Series S 1 TB at Currys.
Which Xbox should you buy?
- Series X with a disc drive, from £669.90. If you buy games on disc, borrow them, or own a shelf of Xbox One discs. It is the only current Xbox that can claim disc to digital licences, and it plays 4K Blu-ray films.
- Series X Digital Edition, from £584.99. The Series X's power without the drive, if every game you buy is digital. Disc to digital does nothing for you here.
- Series S 1 TB, from £519. The cheapest way to play this year's games if you never buy discs and play on a 1080p or 1440p TV.
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What to do
- If you own or buy Xbox One or Series X discs, get a console with a drive, then play each disc once while signed in to claim its licence.
- Keep the discs you claim: on Microsoft's terms, selling one can cost you the licence.
- If you are all digital, compare the Series X Digital Edition at £584.99 with the Series S 1 TB at £519 rather than paying about £85 for a drive you will not use.
- Check the shop before Microsoft: on 02/10/2026 Argos and John Lewis had the Series X Digital Edition £35 under Microsoft's price.
- Set a price alert on the Series X page or the Series S page to hear when either drops.