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For the past couple of console generations, Xbox has clearly been trailing behind the competition in almost every aspect. This has led to the so-called console wars to become a bit one-sided, and although the existence of some opposition in any industry is much-needed, Sony’s gaming division has not really faced any major threats from its rivals for a long while now.
And whatever Microsoft tries to do with its own platform, it always seems like something that has already been done way better by the opposing company before. Similar is the case with the latest feature reportedly making its way to Xbox soon, as it has been a part of Sony’s gaming consoles for years.
Xbox is Taking a Page out of Sony’s Book Regarding Updates
TrustedCall of Dutyand Xbox insider CharlieIntel shared that Microsoft is finally bringing a long-overdue feature to the Series X/S consoles, as players will be able to pre-download game updates.
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That basically means that before a developer officially launches the update and if its game supports pre-downloads, gamers can just download it well before time, so when it eventually does get released, they do not have to wait to jump right on with the action.
Xbox is finally working on supporting the ability to pre-download game updates, similar to what PS5 offerspic.twitter.com/MYfF5tEpKV
— CharlieIntel (@charlieINTEL)June 30, 2025
It is undoubtedly an extremely convenient feature, but one can’t help but wonder why its inclusion has taken so long to be even discussed, especially when PlayStation has been supporting it for quite some time now.
Aside from providing its player base with high-quality exclusive and first-party video games, Sony’s current and last-generation gaming consoles have also been letting its community pre-download game updates years before Microsoft even started to test the waters with them.
It turns out that,similar to some questionable decisions thatMicrosoft has made in the past regarding its gaming division, the company has decided that the update pre-download feature will not be effectively available for every single Xbox player just yet.
Only the Insiders Will Be Able to Pre-Download Updates for Now
Since the game update pre-download feature is currently under development and in its testing phase, Microsoft is only letting the Xbox Insider community preview it, which is naturally raising questions among the console community.
What’s the point of this why not release the update on all plats early ??
— Creeper (@Creeeper_)July 14, 2025
It definitely would have made more sense to launch the feature simultaneously for everyone without having to go through the requirement of subscribing to a certain program, but regardless, it really is not as “exciting” of an update as Microsoft hopes it is for its Insiders.
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The gaming community is pointing out that this feature has been around long before the current generation of consoles even began, as Sony has been implementing it since the PS4 days.
Wait they couldn’t do this already? This has been a thing even on ps4
— INSANE (@Insane_Playzz_)July 10, 2025
But this is a required step in the right direction for Xbox, and if it keeps bringing new features like these along with adding more memorablegaming experiences to its upcoming lineup, the consoles could actually start seeing some success.
Are you glad that Microsoft is finally bringing the update pre-download feature to its video game consoles? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
Osama Farooq
Senior Gaming Content Editor / Critic
Articles Published :356
Ever since Osama was gifted the glorious PS2 more than two decades back, video games have formed a major part of his life, ranging from spending hours playing through every single Dragon Ball game he could find to witnessing the gaming industry evolve into something extraordinary in modern times. Building his collection of PlayStation consoles throughout the years all the way up until PS5, he prefers single-player experiences like The Last of Us and Persona, while also letting off steam on a daily basis with casual EA Sports FC matches. But the current rise in online multiplayer shooters will never really appeal to his old-school self.
