Xbox Shuts the Curtains on Movies and TV Purchases — No More Buying Films on Xbox Consoles

Microsoft has officially pulled the plug on buying movies and TV shows via Xbox and the Microsoft Store as of July 2025, a quiet yet significant shift in how digital media is handled on one of gaming’s biggest platforms. If you were planning to bulk up your film collection for movie nights via your Xbox Series X/S or PC using the Microsoft Store… well, that’s not happening anymore.

So, What Exactly Just Got to the Chopping Block?

As reported by Eurogamer, Microsoft has unceremoniously removed the ability to purchase any new movies or TV shows on Xbox consoles as well as via the Microsoft Store on PC. And no, there wasn’t a huge PR announcement or even a countdown, just a quiet blip, and now it’s gone. As of 17th July 2025, if you navigate to where films and TV once lived on your Xbox dashboard, you’ll notice the option to buy is simply not there. Renting? Also out. Streaming? Off the table unless you look outside of Microsoft’s ecosystem.

The services affected include the entire Movies & TV purchasing platform that had been available on Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and Windows PCs. If you’ve previously bought content, breathe easy as your existing library remains intact and watchable. But purchasing new stuff? That ship has sailed. Microsoft did confirm back in April 2023 that movie and TV purchases would be phased out, but they never followed up with fanfare or a final reminder.

Why Microsoft’s Quiet Shift Might Say More Than It Seems

This move puts Xbox in stark contrast with rivals like PlayStation, which still lets users buy films via its Store, albeit with a slightly scaled-back offering. With digital media ownership now more vulnerable to licensing issues and platform policy shifts, this decision hints at Microsoft’s deepening commitment to a content streaming model and subscription-first strategy. Think Game Pass, xCloud, and heavy partnership with Netflix and Disney+.

It’s also arguably a smart resource reallocation strategy. Xbox leadership has already expressed that long-term growth will come from subscriptions and cloud distribution rather than retail digital media sales. Supporting and updating a storefront model for films outside their own ecosystem, and competing with giants like Apple and Amazon just wasn’t worth the effort anymore.

From a user standpoint though, it cuts yet another corner off the Xbox ecosystem, and that won’t go unnoticed. Longtime Xbox users, especially those who used consoles as media hubs (which was a big Xbox One sales pitch back in 2013), may find their usage habits disrupted, if not discouraged entirely. It’s another nail in the coffin for the all-in-one “entertainment centre” vision the brand pushed so hard just two generations ago.

And then there’s the trust issue. When users buy digital content, and especially entertainment media, they do so with the presumption of the platform’s continuity. Even if purchased content is still viewable, removing the buying/membership route suggests a slow phasing-out. Will support for the app fade next? Will previously owned media eventually become inaccessible due to licensing retractions? It’s not far-fetched. The digital rights management (DRM) limitations surrounding bought content have been a point of contention for years.

Some fans argue the change was long overdue since few users reportedly purchased media through Xbox in recent years. Others, particularly collectors or users who liked storing favourites across platforms, feel caught off-guard. While the digital storefront world shifts toward favouring streaming video services, Xbox cutting away ownership options feels like a heavy-handed move in the broader trend toward media centralisation.

It’s worth noting this change affects both consoles and PC via the Microsoft Store, so any hope of switching to a second screen (like your Surface tablet) to access new purchases won’t solve the issue. Only existing titles will play—no new movies or shows incoming, full stop.

So what’s next? The Microsoft Movies & TV app is still functioning for library playback, but users looking to purchase digital films or TV episodes will need to head to competitors. Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, or Google Play are your best bets. Or, of course, game the system the way Microsoft wants you to embrace Game Pass, stream everything or download whatever happens to be trending on Netflix this week.