Windows 11 Xbox app not downloading games

The Xbox app for Windows enables users to download and play console games on their computers. However, a lot of Windows users have complained about being unable to download or install games from the Xbox app. Either the download of the game fails right away or the installation process is forever stuck. Now, the reason for this issue may vary for individuals. Here are some of the potential cause why you might not download games on the Xbox app:

The game download is likely to fail if there is an internet connectivity issue.
If your Windows OS or graphics and other device drivers are outdated, this problem will occur.
In case you have logged in to Xbox with a different account than the account you have used for Microsoft Store, you will face this issue.
This problem will occur while purchasing a game if your PC Game Pass subscription is expired.
Another reason for the same issue is the fact that there is not enough free space available on your drive where you are trying to install and store Xbox games.
Other reasons can be outdated Xbox and Gaming Services apps, corruption in the Xbox app, and corrupted Gaming Services.

If you are also unable to download or install games on the Xbox app on your PC, this post will help you resolve the problem at hand.

Fix Windows 11 Xbox app not downloading games

Here are the fixes you can use if the Windows 11/10 Xbox app not downloading games on your Windows 11/10 PC:

Use generic troubleshooting methods.
Check your internet connection.
Ensure that you have logged into Xbox and Microsoft Store with the same account.
Check your PC Game Pass subscription.
Make sure there is enough free space to store games.
Restart Xbox and EA apps (for EA Play games).
Check the current Xbox server status.
Update Xbox and Gaming Services apps.
Repair or Reset the Xbox app.
Reinstall Gaming Services.

1] Use generic troubleshooting methods

When you first encounter this issue, start with some standard troubleshooting practices instead of directly using advanced fixes. It could be a temporary glitch due to which you are unable to download games from the Xbox app. Here are some fixes you can use:

You can restart your PC and then open the Xbox app to check if you are able to download games.
Sign out and then sign in back to the Xbox app to check if the problem is fixed.
You can also run Windows Store Apps troubleshooter to let Windows detect and fix issues with your Xbox app.

If these methods don’t help, there must be some other reason for this issue. So, apply the next fix to resolve the issue.

2] Check your internet connection

You need an active and stable internet connection to download and install games on the Xbox app, of course! As Xbox games are heavy in size, a strong internet connection with high speed is required to download them without any interruptions. Hence, ensure that you have a high-speed internet connection. You can check the speed of your internet, and if it is slow, contact your Internet Service Provider to upgrade your plan.

3] Ensure that you have logged into Xbox and Microsoft Store with the same account

You might be dealing with this issue if you have logged in to Xbox and Microsoft Store with different accounts. For validating permissions to purchase a game, it is essential to sign in to Xbox and Microsoft Store with the same account. It is also required for playing a bought game. Hence, if the scenario is applicable, ensure that you have signed into Xbox and Store with the same account.

4] Check your PC Game Pass subscription

Your PC Game Pass subscription plan might have expired which is why you are unable to purchase a game from the Xbox app. Hence, buy the required plan and then see if the problem is resolved.

5] Make sure there is enough free space to store games

If you have tried the above fixes and still the problem is not resolved, there are chances that you don’t have enough free storage space to install games. Hence, check the available storage space and make sure that you have the required free space for installing and saving games.

If you don’t have enough storage space, you can free some space using Windows inbuilt tool i.e., the Disk Cleanup tool. You can also try clearing duplicate files and removing unnecessary apps and files. Besides that, you can enable Storage Sense to automatically delete temporary files and free up some space.

You can also change the download location in the Xbox app and choose a hard drive or drive partition that has enough free space to store games. Here’s how you can do that:

First, open the Xbox app and click on your Profile icon from the top-left corner.
Now, select the Settings option and move to the General tab inside the Settings window.
Next, under the Game install options section, change the download location accordingly.
You can now try installing a game on the Xbox app and see if the problem is fixed or not.

See: Xbox App sign-in error (0x409) 0x80070422 on Windows PC.

6] Restart Xbox and EA apps (for EA Play games)

If you are having this problem only with EA Play games like Battlefield 2042, EA SPORTS FIFA 23, etc., close both Xbox and EA apps and then relaunch the Xbox app. See if you are able to install an EA Play game or not. This fix is recommended on the official Xbox Support page. So, try and check whether it works or not.

7] Check the current Xbox server status

This could be a widespread issue. If the Xbox services responsible for downloading and installing games are down currently, you will experience this issue. Hence, check the Xbox status page and make sure all the services are up and running. If not, wait for some time and let Microsoft fix the problem from their end. You can try installing your games once the services are back in active status.

8] Update Xbox and Gaming Services apps

You are likely to face issues with the Xbox and Gaming Services apps if they are out-of-date. It is always recommended to keep your updates updated to avoid such issues and for better performance. So, update your Xbox and Gaming Services apps using the below steps and check if the problem is fixed:

First, open Microsoft Store and go to the Library tab present on the left-side pane.
Now, click on the Get updates button and make sure to update the Xbox and Gaming Services apps.
Once done, reopen the apps and see if you can download your games or not.

9] Repair or Reset the Xbox app

The next thing you can do is repair your Xbox app. If the issue is caused due to corruption in your app, Windows will repair the app and it will work normally. However, if repairing the Xbox app doesn’t work, you can reset the app to its original state and settings to fix the stubborn corruption. Here’s how you can do that:

First, open Settings by pressing Win+I and navigate to the Apps tab.
Now, select the Installed apps option and from the list, move down to the Xbox app and click on the three-dot menu button.
After that, choose Advanced options and scroll down to the Reset section.
Next, click on the Repair button and once the process is finished, reopen the app and check if the problem is gone.
If the issue is still the same, click on the Reset button instead of Repair and follow the prompted instructions. See if this helps.

10] Reinstall Gaming Services

If all the above solutions failed to resolve the issue, the problem might lie with your Microsoft Gaming Services app. Hence, uninstall the Gaming Services app and then reinstall it. Hopefully, it will resolve the problem for you. Here are the steps to remove and then reinstall Gaming Services on your Windows 11/10 PC:

Firstly, open Windows PowerShell with administrator rights.
Now, in Windows PowerShell, enter the below command to remove Microsoft Gaming Services:
```
Get-AppxPackage *gamingservices* -allusers | remove-AppxPackage -allusers
```
Once the command is finished successfully, enter another command as follows:
```
start ms-windows-store://pdp/?productid=9MWPM2CQNLHN
```
The above command will open up the official page of the Microsoft Gaming Services app in Microsoft Store. You can simply click on the Get button to install it.
When you are done installing the app, restart your computer and see if the problem is fixed.

Hopefully, you will now be able to download and install games from the Xbox app.

TIP: This post will help if the Xbox app itself is not downloading or installing on your Windows PC.

How do I download Xbox games on Windows 11?

To download Xbox games on Windows 11, open the Xbox app and sign into your Microsoft account. Now, you can go to Store and then browse your favorite Xbox games. You will then be able to download and install or purchase games using Xbox Game Pass. But, do make sure that Gaming Services is not installed on your PC.

How do I fix my Xbox Game Bar on Windows 11?

If Xbox Game Bar is not working properly on your Windows 11 PC, you can try enabling the Game bar using Registry Editor. Apart from that, you can also repair or reset Xbox Game Bar or reset the Xbox app to fix the problem. At last, if nothing works, reinstall the Xbox app and then see if Xbox Game Bar works fine or not.