Xbox One Mandatory Updates Can Be Disabled to Avoid Mid-Game Restarts

The Xbox One will occasionally need to update and reboot while you’re playing a game, Microsoft has confirmed. But users can turn the feature off.

A Microsoft representative has clarified that while automatic updates can throw you out of a game mid-session, this will be “timed to have the least possible impact” and can be disabled. 

We contacted Microsoft earlier in the week, following an instance during a session with Dead Rising 3, in which our progress was automatically saved and we were forced to update and restart.

“Multiplayer games need to ensure that all players are working from the same versions of the game, and on the most current version of the system,” explained a Microsoft rep.

“If an update is deployed during a game, it will require a quick update after which players can resume playing.

“Users have the option of setting their system to automatically take updates so they are always up to date, or manually taking an update which may increase the disruption to their gameplay. 

Referring to systems in use before the console’s launch on November 22nd, the rep said, “Note that updates are taking place more frequently right now because the system is still in beta.  

“After launch, updates will not take place as often, and will be timed to have the least possible impact on users.”

It should be noted that we’ve had an Xbox One for over a week now and we’ve been playing it for a minimum of 18 hours a day. We’ve only had to update mid-session once.