The Xbox One is an excellent console, but nothing lasts forever, and game consoles are no exceptions. They are made up of moving components, and over time they degrade.
How long should an Xbox One last you before it needs a replacement? I did my research to find the perfect example for you.
According to Microsoft, the Xbox One is built to last for ten years while powered on. In reality, the Xbox One’s longevity depends on many factors, such as properly maintaining the console via cleaning excess debris with a microfiber cloth and keeping it in a well-ventilated cool area. Without maintenance, the Xbox One will last around 4-5 years.
The Xbox One, a 10-year figure, was from an interview with Eurogamer way back in 2013. Although you can see in my poll from my YouTube channel, only 17% of Xbox gamers surveyed found the console lasted more than eight years, two years before Microsoft 10 year claim.
I can almost guarantee the users whose Xbox One lasted 8+ years took care of their console. So keep reading, and I will explain how you can stay happy gaming via and make your Xbox One last longer and why console lifespan varies a lot from person to person.
If you are interested in checking out the best Xbox accessories to transform your Xbox experience you can find them by clicking here, you can also click the button below.
How Long Will an Xbox Last?
According to Microsoft, the Xbox One is built to last for ten years while powered on. However, in reality, the Xbox One’s longevity depends on the cleanliness of the Xbox, how well the Xbox is kept if it was powered off at night and if the Xbox is stored in a cool-well ventilated area. Without these factors, the Xbox One lasts around 4-5 years.
Your Xbox lifespan will depend a LOT upon the user.
Picture a video game collector. They might play 5-10 games a year on the console; they keep it in the PERFECT condition, the Xbox is placed in a well-ventilated cool area away from dust and debris. They open their console up once every three months and diligently clean it with a compressed air can and a microfiber cloth.
If you treat your Xbox like that, it will last a LOT longer than for most people, me included!
Now picture the worst condition for your Xbox if it’s a family console.
A family likely has the Xbox set up on the TV stand, a hot place full of dust without good ventilation. It’s probably used constantly, and when someone isn’t using it, someone else is. It gets worse for the poor Xbox; it’s also used for watching YouTube and series/movies on Netflix. The poor Xbox doesn’t get any rest!
To see if leaving your Xbox One all night is bad for the console, you can learn more in my post on my other website.
I’m sure you can see the differences between the two extremes. One person is very careful with their Xbox and gives it the utmost attention, while the other users treat their Xbox like a workhorse.
Some Consoles Have Known Issues
Some consoles have huge hardware problems. No matter if you treat your Xbox like a princess, they can still stop working.
The most infamous was the Xbox 360 red ring of death. The three red lights on the Xbox 360s ring indicator indicated a general hardware failure occurred. This hardware fault cost Microsoft $1 billion as they replaced all of the defective units.
A more recent hardware issue is the Nintendo switches joy-con drift. Luckily for us gamers since 2019, Nintendo said they would fix Joy-con drift for free.
What these hardware issues tell us is no matter what we do, sometimes consoles have problems. The Xbox One hasn’t been known to have any huge hardware issues like the Switch or Xbox 360 but keeps reading to ensure your Xbox One lasts as long as possible.
How Do I Make My Xbox One Last Longer?
- Keep your Xbox One in a well-ventilated area.
- Open up and clean your Xbox One of dust with compressed air & microfiber cloth every three months.
- Upgrade your hard drive to an SSD.
- Replace the Optical drive.
- Fix software & OS problems by resetting.
Keep Your Xbox One Well Ventilated
If your Xbox One’s fans sound like a jet engine about to take off, you can do something about it. Heat is the enemy of electronics overall.
- Keep your Xbox One in a cool, well-ventilated area. Do NOT keep your Xbox in a closed glass or wood cabinet, especially when it’s running. According to Microsoft, your Xbox should have a minimum of 4-6 inches of clearance for airflow on all sides.
- Do not place anything near or on the Xbox, such as a cable box or another console for maximum airflow.
- Get a stand or a riser to elevate the Xbox off the ground to provide better airflow. Take a look at the best options on Amazon here.
- Use a can of compressed air to blow dust and debris away from the Xbox, then use a micro-fiber cloth to wipe off the residue.
You can get the can of compressed air I use to clean my Xbox from Amazon here and the best micro-fiber cloths to wipe your Xbox clean.
If you want to know how to properly store your Xbox and more detailed information on cleaning dust from your Xbox, consider reading my guide.
How To Open Up & Clean Your Xbox
If you are hesitant to open up your Xbox One to clean it, don’t worry.
How To Clean Your Xbox One With Compressed Air Without Opening It
- Unplug your Xbox One.
- Use a microfiber cloth to wipe down the Xbox’s exterior.
- Use circular motions to wipe down the outside of the Xbox, including the top, bottom, front, back, and sides of your console and fingerprints or smudges on the plastic parts of the Xbox.
- After carefully using a can of compressed air to remove any additional dust build-up inside the ports, utilize short bursts to remove build-up in the USB ports and vents of the consoles. Take care not to shoot dust back into the console.
- Return to the exterior of the Xbox with the microfiber cloth and remove any of the dust built up on your Xbox.
Upgrade Your Hard Drive To An SSD
Every mechanical drive, including the spinning platter drive found in your Xbox One, has an MTBF rating (mean time between failures), so it will eventually die.
Even newer Xbox One models like the Xbox One X still ship with hard drives. Luckily for us replacing the storage is an easy and cost-effective way to give your Xbox One a HUGE performance boost. Please pick up an SSD for a bargain on Amazon here; I recommend the WD_Black. Check out this comprehensive iFixit guide and the above video on the steps you need and the extra tools you need, including a spudger that you can find on Amazon.
However! There is a MUCH easier lazy man’s way to transform your Xbox old hard drive, and that’s by using an external hard drive.
By utilizing the Xbox 3.0 USB connection, your Xbox read speeds will be dramatically better than the SATA II drive inside the console, and all you need is to connect a USB cable from the drive to the Xbox EASY; right! Again my recommendation is the fantastic WD_Black that comes with a HUGE 5TB of storage enough for countless games.
Want to enjoy the fastest internet for your Xbox? If so, you can read my detailed guide that explains how to lower ping and fix lag on Xbox One.
Fix Software & OS Problems By Resetting
The Xbox One suffers from software problems. Performing a hard reset is similar to restarting a computer whenever you encounter a bug.
How To Hard Reset Xbox One
- Hold the power button on the front of the console for 10 seconds.
- Release the power button only when the Xbox shuts down.
- Disconnect the power cable and wait another 10 seconds.
- Reconnect the power and turn the console back on.
If that doesn’t work, you will need to factory reset your Xbox making the software revert back to factory settings new and fresh straight out of the box. WARNING this will delete all data on your Xbox One, so please read my article to know how to pick up your saved data.
How To Factory Reset An Xbox One
- Press the Xbox button to open the guide.
- Select Profile & system > Settings > System > Console info.
- Select Reset console.
- On the Reset your console? Screen, you’ll see three options: Reset and remove everything. This option resets the console to factory settings.
