Common Xbox One Problems and How to Fix Them

The Xbox One is an amazing piece of technology. Released on November 22nd, 2013, it delivered an immersive game experience with top-of-the-line graphics and hardware. Much like other console releases, at the time, it was mind-boggling to think how far we’ve come in the world of gaming consoles.

But like any other piece of technology, the Xbox One had its fair share of problems and sometimes it can be difficult to find solutions. Now that many original Xbox One, Xbox One S and even Xbox One X systems are aging, you’re seeing more and more issues as hardware fails and software compatibility becomes too complex for Microsoft (and 3rd parties) to maintain.

Since you might be dusting off that old Xbox over the holidays or summer break, I decided to come up with a handy list of common problems with the Xbox One family of consoles and how to fix them. You might even find something that you can use to troubleshoot your Xbox Series S or Xbox Series X.

Issue #1: Your Xbox One game won’t start, is crashing, or freezing

One of the most common issues with video games is that they have a tendency to crash or freeze – especially physical video game discs. Technically speaking, there are numerous reasons why something like this could happen, such as corrupt updates, server issues, or a broken or scratched disc. You might have even not played your Xbox for a week or so and the games won’t start.

99% of the time, the best way to fix an Xbox game that is not starting or consistently crashing, is to fully quit out of the game and reboot it from the beginning.

This can be accomplished following these steps, and will restart the game from the beginning:

Press the Xbox Menu Button > Press on the Menu Button > Select ‘Quit’ > Restart Game

If you’re still running into issues with your game not starting, crashing, or freezing, you can always try to hard reset or power cycle your Xbox, or Fix Your Scratched or Damaged Xbox game disc. You’ll be surprised at how long some household ingredients and (gentle) elbow grease go when it comes to tricking that disc drive laser into thinking the disc is perfectly fine.

Issue #2: Xbox One Beeps But Won’t Turn On

The issue of your Xbox One beeping but not turning on is a common one. But we have a few different ways to approach fixing it.

Essentially, there are two reasons why the Xbox One may beep but not turn on:

• The console needs reset. It’s important to know the differences in the different ways to reset your Xbox One here.
• You have a hardware issue or problem with your power brick. You can investigate, but it may need to be replaced.

Most of the troubleshooting steps you can follow to fix your Xbox One in this situation are pretty straightforward. Even if something is broken, it can be replaced for relatively cheap.

Read more about why your Xbox One Beeps But Won’t Turn On and how to fix it in my detailed article here at XboxDIY.com

Issue #3: Xbox One Controller Stick Drift

Ah – the good old “I can’t select anything because my Xbox One controller joystick is moving by itself” – it’s one of the oldest ones in the book. It’s frustrating, but most of the time it’s due to that Snickers bar you ate a few months ago, or the fit of rage that made you finally quit FIFA 18 for whatever other soccer video games exist.

This one is pretty simple – take your Xbox One controller apart, inspect bad parts, clean or replace bad parts as necessary, and put your Xbox One controller back together!

Pro Tip: Don’t forget to clean the Xbox controller while you’re at it. You can even paint the controller shell a custom color, if you’re feeling ambitious.

Take a look at these videos and articles to help you get started:

Controller Disassembly/Assembly Videos:

• Part 1 – How to Open an Xbox One Controller (Case)
• Part 2 – How to Open an Xbox One Controller (Buttons/Internals)
• Part 3 – How to Reassemble an Xbox One Controller Part 3 (Reassembly)

Controller Disassembly/Assembly Articles:

• How to Open an Xbox One Controller
• How to Reassemble an Xbox One Controller

Issue #4: Broken LB and RB (Left/Right Bumper) Buttons on Xbox One Controller

After making a video on How to Fix a Broken LB/RB Bumper on Xbox One Controller, I quickly realized this was a much more common issue than originally anticipated.

The crux of the issue with the bumper is a tiny plastic arm that can easily break under extra tension. You can tell this is an issue when your Xbox One controller doesn’t make the normal clicking sound when pressing down on your LB or RB buttons.

You might also notice some plastic rattling sounds inside your Xbox Controller. This is never a good sign for the fate of your LB and RB bumpers, unfortunately.

If you’d prefer to read, I have an article on How to Fix a Broken Xbox One Controller Bumper for more ways to fix or replace your controller buttons, plus some other helpful tips and tricks that aren’t in the YouTube video (or have been added after)

Issue #5: My Xbox or Xbox Game Won’t Connect to the Internet or Go Online

This one is different than an Xbox One game crashing or freezing. Even though they sound the same, it’s important to know the difference when properly trying to diagnose or troubleshoot your Xbox One issues.

Sometimes, when you start a game that requires an online connection to access the menu (pretty much every game nowadays), the game won’t connect even though you are signed in to Xbox Live. Sometimes it will even tell you that the game has lost connection to the servers.

What we have noticed your Xbox game can’t connect to the internet or go online typically after you’ve applied a game update, or the game has been running in the background for an extended period.

The fix is pretty simple. You can do one of two things:

• Restart the game, as mentioned above.
• Perform a hard reset on your Xbox. This should allow you to start the game and go online.

In the rare case that this doesn’t work, you might want to reset your router and or cable modem so you can connect to games online. Also verify there are no additional accessories such as external keyboards, Xbox Kinect Sensors, or hard drives that could be causing the issue.

Issue #6: Xbox One Slow Download Speeds or Download Has Stopped/Paused

A lot of times you may experience slow download speeds when downloading a new Xbox game or update. The download speeds will most likely appear slower than the internet connection you are paying for from your ISP.

Your download may have even paused or stopped completely at some point.

While there are numerous reasons why your Xbox game is downloading slowly or has stopped downloading altogether, there are a few common troubleshooting tips you can use to fix it.

The most common method to fix slow download speeds for Xbox One is to disconnect your router and/or cable modem and let it sit for a few minutes. This will flush the cache, refresh your IP, and perform other operations that will help get your internet back on track.

Most importantly, and honestly something that I tend to forget about often, is updating settings to allow for background updates. That way, you can let time work for you and update games while you’re at school or work. It doesn’t matter how slow your download speeds are at this point, as long as you have enough time away from your console.

I have some more painfully easy tips and tricks in my guide on How to Speed Up Slow Downloads on Xbox One. You’re going to be cursing after not thinking about some of these.

Issue #7: Can’t buy Xbox 360 Games on Xbox One

There’s a strange glitch on Xbox One where you can’t buy Xbox 360 games under certain scenarios. These scenarios range from account settings and other strange nuances but can prevent you from enjoying the backward compatibility of your Xbox One and the breadth of Xbox 360 games available from the marketplace.

The different settings and troubleshooting options outlined in our article Why can’t I buy Xbox 360 Games on Xbox One? are worth exploring if you experienced the same problems that myself and many other gamers did with this situation.

You’ll never know what other common Xbox One problem this might help solve.

Do you have any common Xbox One issues and recommendations for fixing them?

Sometimes fixing your Xbox One comes down to basic troubleshooting methods and common sense.

In other more serious situations, it might just be time to hang it up and buy a new Xbox One.

Were you able to fix or at least identify some potential solutions for fixing your broken console? XboxDIY will keep this list up to date as a cheat sheet for how to fix common problems with your Xbox One.

You can also visit XboxDIY on YouTube or visit our other repair guides, troubleshooting, or tutorial articles.

If you’re still having an issue or problem with your Xbox One, Xbox One S, or Xbox One X and don’t see it here, drop a comment below to start a discussion or reach out on the Contact page. Game on!