Xbox Series S/X: How to Download Games When In Standby Mode

Just like handheld devices, modern-day gaming consoles have quality-of-life features that weren't present on older machines. Thanks to a machine's connectivity, players can access and manage their gaming collection from their mobile phones and install games on their Xbox Series X/S while away from the home console.

Installing games on the Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 are a long way from gaming machines in the 80s that could take 25 minutes to load one section of a game using a cassette tape. Nowadays, with a fast internet connection - for potential updates - one can install 100 GB of titles within an hour while the machine sits in standby mode.

Settings To Install In Standby Mode

Ensure the Xbox is connected to the internet.
Click on the Settings Cog in the top right-hand corner of the Xbox home screen.
In the General Tab, Select Power Options.
Select Sleep mode,
Select Customize Power options.
Ensure there is a checkmark next to k eep my console up to date and keep my games up to date.
Enabling these features will allow the Xbox to update on standby.
Select Remote Features to test whether the Xbox is set for remote play.

Install A Disc-Based Game In Standby Mode

The most common method of installing a video game is to insert a disc into the Xbox Series X/S and install it from there. Thanks to the Xbox's standby settings, players don't need to keep the machine on for the game to install on the console if they have the above settings.

Place a disc-based Xbox game into the Xbox Series X/S, hold down the Xbox Button, and select Turn off the console. The game will install from the disc and -should - automatically install updates in standby mode. However, the Xbox can occasionally require the player's permission to install updates. So it's often better to wait a minute for the prompt before switching off the machine.

Install A Game Using The Xbox App

The Xbox has two official apps that players can use to install games. The Xbox app allows players to purchase and install games directly to the console in standby mode. The second is the Xbox Game Pass app. The app lets players install games only included in the Xbox Games Pass subscription. With the above settings ready, one can install a game remotely using the following instructions:

Install the Xbox app and/or the Xbox Game Pass App from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store.
Sign into the Xbox Apps with the owner's Xbox login details.
Press the search button and enter the desired title.

Purchase the game - and select download to console.
If players already have the game in their library, there's no purchase necessary.

Install the game in the desired location.

The game will download to the Xbox from a remote location while in standby mode. However, one should be aware that the Xbox Series X/S will (obviously) consume more energy than it would if it was powered off or disconnected from the mains.