It seems that a recent update or bug is preventing certain people from buying backward-compatible Xbox 360 games on their Xbox One, Xbox One S, or Xbox One X. Typically, Microsoft makes purchasing games, movies, and other media content a seamless process, so this comes as a bit of a surprise. Based on feedback from our users this is more of a common issue with the Xbox One than it may seem, so let’s walk through why you can’t purchase Xbox 360 games on Xbox One (and newer Xbox consoles) and troubleshooting steps so you can learn how to buy them.
Note: This has not yet been tested or confirmed as an issue on the Xbox Series X|S or through Xbox GamePass Ultimate.
In This Guide
The Reason You Can’t Buy Xbox 360 Games on the Xbox One
There seems to be no logical reason for the issue of purchasing Xbox 360 games on your Xbox One, Xbox One S, or Xbox One X.
What I found in our research and experience is that there seems to be an issue with Account Age. Depending on the birth date that you have listed on your account, it could prevent you from using this function.
Essentially, individuals whose account age is currently younger than 18 are having trouble buying Xbox 360 games on Xbox One, One S, and Onex.
It could just be a bug that Microsoft has yet to prioritize. Or there could be a reason behind it we don’t know about. Both, or something else, is possible.
How to Buy Xbox 360 Games on Xbox One
Even though this is completely arbitrary and ludicrous, luckily there are a few ways to get around the issue of not being able to buy Xbox 360 games on Xbox One, One S, or One X. Let’s go!
Option #1 – Purchase the Games on an Xbox 360
The first option that makes the most sense is to log in to an Xbox 360 console and purchase the games there. Since your Microsoft account works and syncs across multiple devices, you’ll be able to download and play your purchased Xbox 360 games on your Xbox One, One S, or One X (and even Series S|X!).
But what if you don’t have a spare Xbox 360 lying around?
Option #2 – Buy Xbox 360 Games via the Microsoft Store Online
The second option is to purchase Xbox 360 games via the Microsoft Online store. Much like purchasing games on your Xbox 360, the games you purchase in the Microsoft Store will sync to your other devices.
In 2025, there are quite a few Xbox games you can play on your Windows based PC. If you still want to try and fix the root of the problem, which is the birth date on the account being under 18, there are 2 remaining options.
Option #3 – Change the Birth Date on your Microsoft Account
If you, your parents, or a friend set up the Microsoft account a specific way, you may have the option to change the birth date on the account to allow it to be over 18 years old. Whether this was done by mistake or you’re trying to override the default settings (or bug) that Microsoft has, here is what you (or your parent) need to do:
How to Change Birth Date:
- Navigate to ‘Family Settings’ in your Microsoft Account
- Select ‘Manage My Child’s Profile Info’
- Select ‘Edit this Child’s Personal Info’
- Update ‘Birthdate’
- Select ‘Save’
This should allow you to purchase Xbox 360 games on Xbox One, Xbox One S, or Xbox One X.
Note: If you didn’t originally provide consent to change this information upon account creation, you won’t be able to change the child’s personal info and date of birth in the Microsoft account settings.
And as always, make sure you’re not lying about your date of birth. This could be a Microsoft ToS that will get your account permanently banned and unable to be recovered, including games, downloads, achievements and other content. Definitely not worth risking if you care about your Microsoft/Xbox account!
Option #4 – Wait Until the Age on Your Account is 18 Years Old
Unfortunately, if you can’t change the birth date on the account, you’ll have to buy your games through other means. Eventually, you’ll be able to purchase games when you (or your account) turn 18 years old, but until then you won’t be able to.
Option #5 – Purchase Games with a New Account
You could create a new Xbox account and update the age upon creating it (without any limitations).
We all know the pitfalls of creating a new account, but here’s something worth considering: As of December 2024, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is giving away a decent amount of free games for the holidays. Microsoft is also offering it for a discounted price for the first month. After that, for $19.99/month (USD), there is still loads of content on both your Xbox console and PC that makes it well worth the price. I’ve been subscribed to it for as long as I can remember, and even just having it for one game you won’t play for a long time or games you want to try, but don’t want to commit to, is worth it as well.
Free Game Pass Ultimate from Microsoft Rewards
And don’t forget, you can also use a few different strategies to go after free or heavily discounted Xbox Game Pass Ultimate gift cards that allow you to play games and online with your friends, without spending a penny.
We hope this article helped you fix the issue of not being able to buy Xbox 360 games on Xbox One consoles or Xbox Series S|X. Even though there are workarounds for this, it’s a strange occurrence you can’t purchase the games as you would normally expect. Check out XboxDIY.com’s other Xbox troubleshooting, repair guides, tutorials, news, and reviews to help make your gaming experience better. Head over to our Contact page to get in touch with us. Game on!
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