Xbox and Microsoft Services Face Outages on October 29

Redmond, Washington – Gamers and Microsoft users experienced significant outages on October 29, disrupting Xbox Live, the Xbox Store, and Microsoft 365 services. Reports began flowing in around 3:45 PM, with Downdetector illustrating a peak of over 18,000 users voicing complaints.

A breakdown of the issues revealed that 72% of reports centered on server connection failures, while 22% related to purchasing problems on Xbox platforms. Users took to X, expressing their frustration. One individual commented, “I legitimately brought an Xbox today to play Halo and it’s down. What are the chances?”

According to reports, Microsoft’s Azure cloud services faced issues around the same time. Users noted problems accessing various Microsoft services, including Azure, Xbox, and Microsoft 365 applications. “Microsoft appears to be completely disconnected,” said a frustrated user on X. “Azure services are not working.”

As service interruptions continued, Xbox Support reached out via social media stating, “Users should once again be able to access Game Streaming and Xbox Storefronts. Thank you for your patience while we address this issue.”

Downdetector, which tracks service disruptions, only flagged incidents when complaint reports surge beyond normal levels for a specific time. The site collects user reports and validates them in real time. Microsoft’s ongoing issues seemed to stem from Azure’s service outages, which started around noon EDT on the same day.

Microsoft has yet to release a full statement explaining the root cause of these outages or provide a timeline for resolution. Meanwhile, users hope for prompt restoration of service, eager to return to their gaming and professional activities.