Xbox 360

The Xbox 360 was Microsoft’s second console and one of the most important in gaming history. It defined online console play with Xbox Live, made achievements a standard feature, and was home to Halo 3, Gears of War, Mass Effect, Black Ops 2 and the Guitar Hero and Rock Band boom. About 84 million were sold. This page covers its release date, every model, its famous hardware problems and how to play Xbox 360 games today.

When did the Xbox 360 come out?

The Xbox 360 release date was November 22, 2005 in North America, followed by Europe on December 2 and Japan on December 10, 2005. It launched a full year before the PS3. How old is the Xbox 360? It turned 20 in November 2025. Microsoft ended production on April 20, 2016, and closed the Xbox 360 Store and Marketplace on July 29, 2024.

Xbox 360 models

Model	Year	What was different
Xbox 360 Core / Arcade	2005 / 2007	Entry models with little or no hard drive and a wired or wireless controller
Xbox 360 Pro	2005	20GB hard drive, wireless controller, $399
Xbox 360 Elite	2007	Black finish, 120GB hard drive, HDMI port, $479
Xbox 360 S (slim)	2010	Smaller glossy or matte black case, built-in Wi-Fi, Kinect port, quieter, far more reliable
Xbox 360 E	2013	Redesigned to look like the Xbox One, fewer USB ports, no optical audio

The Xbox 360 S and Xbox 360 slim are the same console. If you buy an Xbox 360 console today, the S or E is the safest choice because of the reliability problems with the original models.

Red ring of death

The red ring of death was the Xbox 360’s most famous fault: three of the four lights around the power button flashed red and the console stopped working. It was caused mainly by heat: the lead-free solder joints under the graphics chip cracked after repeated heating and cooling. Failure rates on early consoles were extremely high. In July 2007 Microsoft extended the warranty to three years for this error and set aside more than $1 billion for repairs. Later “Falcon” and “Jasper” motherboards ran cooler, and the Xbox 360 S fixed the problem. If an old fat Xbox 360 shows the red ring today, repair shops can reflow or reball the chip, but the fix rarely lasts.

Delisted Xbox 360 games and the store closure

Since July 29, 2024 you cannot buy new games or DLC on the Xbox 360 itself. You can still download games you already own. Many Xbox 360 games remain for sale on the Xbox One and Series X|S store if they are backward compatible, and those purchases also work on the 360. Delisted Xbox 360 games are titles removed from sale, often because music, car or sports licenses expired: examples include many Forza and racing games, licensed movie tie-ins and older sports games. If you own a delisted game digitally it stays in your library; otherwise the only way to play is with the disc.

Can you play Xbox 360 games on Xbox One and Series X?

Can you play Xbox 360 games on Xbox One? Yes, but only the 600+ games on the official backward compatibility list. Can you play Xbox 360 games on Xbox Series X? Yes, the same list works on Series X|S, usually with faster loading, and many games get Auto HDR and higher resolution. To play, insert your Xbox 360 disc and the console downloads the compatible version, or download digital purchases from your library. Popular backward-compatible games include Halo 3, Gears of War 1-3, Red Dead Redemption, Fallout 3, Mass Effect and Black Ops 2.

Xbox 360 price in 2026

Xbox 360 consoles for sale are cheap. Typical used prices: original white consoles $40-$80 (with red ring risk), Xbox 360 S $70-$130, Xbox 360 E $70-$120, and the Elite $60-$100. Refurbished Xbox 360 units from retro game stores cost more but usually include a tested console, a cleaned disc drive and a warranty. Bundles with Kinect, Guitar Hero controllers or a pile of games are common at garage sales.

Xbox 360 controller

The Xbox 360 controller is still one of the most popular PC controllers. The wired version plugs straight into Windows; the wireless version needs the Xbox 360 Wireless Gaming Receiver for Windows. It does not work on Xbox One or Series X|S, and Xbox One controllers do not work on the 360. Third-party copies are common, so check the build quality before buying.

Kinect, Guitar Hero and accessories

Xbox 360 Kinect (2010) was a motion camera that sold more than 8 million units in two months. It only works with Kinect games on the 360. Guitar Hero on Xbox 360 includes Guitar Hero II, III, World Tour and Warriors of Rock; you need the Xbox 360 Guitar Hero controller, and newer guitars from Guitar Hero Live do not work. The Rock Band series also used its own instruments. Check our Kinect guide for more.

Best Xbox 360 games

• Halo 3 on Xbox 360, plus Halo 3: ODST, Halo Reach and Halo 4.
• Gears of War on Xbox 360: the original trilogy.
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 on Xbox 360 and Modern Warfare 2.
• Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon games for Xbox 360: Advanced Warfighter, Advanced Warfighter 2 and Future Soldier.
• Mass Effect 1-3, Red Dead Redemption, Fallout 3 and New Vegas, Skyrim.
• Guitar Hero and Rock Band for parties.

Common Xbox 360 errors and mods

Xbox 360 error code 807b0193 is a network or account error that appears when the console cannot reach an Xbox service; with the store closed, some menus now show it. Check that you are signed in, that the date and time are correct, and recover your profile from Settings > Account if needed. RGH (Reset Glitch Hack) and the Brazilian and Portuguese “chip de desbloqueio” mods are hardware modifications that let the console run unsigned code. They void any warranty, get the console banned from Xbox Live, and running pirated games is illegal. We do not provide instructions for them.

Is an Xbox 360 still worth buying?

As a cheap retro console, yes. Its library is huge and discs are inexpensive, and many games never came to newer platforms because of licensing. Online play is mostly gone for older titles, but split-screen and single-player games work fine. If you only want the big hits, an Xbox One or Series X|S plays the backward-compatible versions with better performance, so you may not need the old hardware at all. Collectors still prefer the original console for delisted games, Kinect titles and plastic-instrument music games.

How to keep an old Xbox 360 running

• Give it space: never put it in a closed cabinet, and keep the vents clean of dust.
• Replace the old hard drive with a larger one or use a USB drive (up to 2TB per drive) for game storage.
• Keep a spare power brick; original fat-model bricks fail after years of heat.
• Recover your Microsoft account profile on the console before the password expires, so you can still re-download purchases.

Xbox 360 vs PS3

The two consoles sold almost the same number of units over their lifetimes, about 84 million for the Xbox 360 and about 87 million for the PS3. The 360 launched a year earlier, was cheaper and easier to develop for, and had the stronger online service; the PS3 had Blu-ray, free online play and stronger exclusives later in its life. See the PlayStation 3 hub for the other side, and the Xbox One hub for what came next.

Whether you are reviving an old console from the attic or buying one for the first time, the Xbox 360 remains one of the best-value retro systems: a huge library, cheap discs and great multiplayer games for the couch. For newer hardware, see the Xbox Series X hub.