Is Xbox Down? Major Microsoft Azure Outage Hits Xbox Live, 365 and Cloud Services

Xbox users across the world faced major connection problems on Wednesday, October 29, 2025, after a widespread Microsoft Azure outage disrupted multiple services including Xbox Live, Microsoft 365, and Windows online functions. The outage began around noon Eastern Time and is still affecting users globally.

The issue stems from Microsoft’s cloud infrastructure, Azure, which powers many of the company’s products. This has caused problems for Xbox players trying to sign in, load the Xbox dashboard, or connect to multiplayer servers. Even the official Xbox Support page went offline during the disruption, leaving users without clear updates for several hours.

Azure Network Glitch Affects Xbox Live and Microsoft Services

According to Microsoft’s status page, the outage was triggered by a malfunction in the Azure Front Door (AFD) service, which handles global traffic routing for many Microsoft tools. The company said it was working on mitigation efforts but did not specify when services would be fully restored.

Downdetector, a platform tracking online outages, recorded over 18,000 reports of Azure-related issues and more than 11,000 complaints from Microsoft 365 users within the first hour of the incident. Although reports later decreased, access to Xbox services remains unstable.
News outlets such as Reuters and The Verge confirmed that Azure’s problems extended to Xbox, Microsoft 365, and several enterprise apps dependent on cloud connectivity.

Xbox players reported console errors, missing dashboard content, and failures while launching online games. Many confirmed being unable to access digital libraries or multiplayer features. On social media, hashtags like “#XboxDown” and “#AzureOutage” began trending as users shared screenshots of error messages and login failures.

Impact on Gamers and Businesses

The outage didn’t just hit gaming. Airlines, financial services, and tech firms relying on Azure also reported downtime. Alaska Airlines confirmed its app and website were offline due to the same Azure issue, showing how deeply the outage cut across multiple industries.
For gamers, this means temporary interruptions to Xbox Live, Game Pass, and other network-based features until Microsoft completes recovery efforts.

Microsoft engineers are actively investigating the situation, saying that service restoration is underway. The company promised frequent updates through its Azure and Microsoft 365 status dashboards once systems stabilize.

Until then, Xbox players are advised to switch to offline play or retry later as cloud connectivity gradually returns. The issue highlights how dependent modern gaming systems are on cloud infrastructure like Azure, which powers everything from logins to multiplayer lobbies.

FYI (keeping you in the loop)-

Q1: Is Xbox down right now?

Yes. Microsoft has confirmed ongoing Azure issues that are affecting Xbox Live connectivity and related online services.

Q2: Why can’t I sign in to Xbox Live?

The outage in Microsoft’s Azure Front Door network is disrupting Xbox login, multiplayer, and dashboard access for many users.

Q3: Are other Microsoft products affected?

Yes. Microsoft 365, Teams, and some Windows online features are also seeing intermittent outages caused by the Azure disruption.

Q4: What can Xbox players do during the outage?

Switch to offline gaming or retry connections periodically until Microsoft restores full online functionality.

Q5: How long will it take to fix?

Microsoft hasn’t given a clear timeline yet but has said mitigation steps are underway and service recovery will be gradual.