Xbox Consoles Will Soon Be Able to Pre-Download Game Updates

The next Xbox system update should allow gamers to pre-download game updates so they don’t have to wait for hours to play when a big patch drops. This Update pre-download feature is currently being tested with Xbox Insiders on the Alpha ring, and it may be released to the public as soon as next month.

“Games that enable support for update pre-download will allow updates to be downloaded days before they are scheduled to release, so you can jump in and start playing right when the update goes live,” the Xbox Insider team explained in the release notes for the latest Alpha ring build. Xbox consoles can now download game updates when they’re fully shut down, so this update pre-download feature should give Xbox players even more peace of mind.

As of today, Sea of Thieves if the first game to support this pre-download feature, but many other live service games could take advantage of it. As an example, updates for games like Call of Duty, Apex Legends, or Fallout 76 can be pretty massive, and for players who don’t have fast fiber optic Internet need to wait for hours (if not days) to download these patches. However, it could take some time before more developers get on board with this new pre-download feature.

For the next Xbox system update, Microsoft is also testing the ability for the Xbox OS to remember wireless networks. This is a pretty basic feature, but as of today, disconnecting your Xbox console from your Wi-Fi means that you’ll need to re-enter the password to reconnect it to the Internet, and that may be quite cumbersome using a controller. Lastly, Xbox owners will also be able to manage all remembered networks on their consoles.