The official public October 2026 update for Xbox consoles has begun rolling out this evening (October 28th), featuring a whole bunch of new features highlighted by the long-awaited arrival of Mythic Achievements.
As per the update notes on the Xbox website, there are 10 new features that are arriving via the October update, many of which have been in testing with Xbox Insiders in recent weeks, such as the ability to choose a startup animation.
There are also a bunch of bug fixes in the update, which are as follows:
- Fixed an issue where Home could start refreshing continuously.
- Fixed various issues where the console could boot to a black screen instead of Home.
- Fixed an issue where downloads could appear to pause or stop unexpectedly.
- Fixed broken images and text for certain compilation discs in the recent games list.
- Fixed an issue where focus would be reset or lost in My games & apps when contents are refreshed.
- Various memory and performance fixes for users with very large libraries.Various stability and performance fixes.
If you want to download the update immediately, you can do so by going to “Settings”, “System” and then “Updates”, and you should find it waiting for you in there. Alternatively, you can wait for the update to automatically install to your system in the coming hours.
Here’s a list of those 10 new features, along with details on each of them:
1. Mythic Achievements
Whether you’ve spent years chasing every achievement, or are simply proud of the games you’ve finished, Mythic Achievements recognise some of the biggest accomplishments in your XBOX history. You earn a Mythic Achievement when you complete all original achievements for a game. Achievements added later through DLC or updates aren’t required, and once you’ve earned Mythic status, it’s yours to keep.
2. New Portal For Your Old Disc To Digital Licenses
Viewing disc to digital licences you no longer have access to will now open a console native experience instead of a web page. Find this in Settings > General > Personalisation > Games & apps.
3. More Visibility & Control Over Game Saves
You can now view, sort, and delete local game saves that aren’t currently in use, helping you make space for the games you’re currently playing. Whether you want to delete a single large save file or clear all unused local saves at once, you now have more visibility and control over your console’s storage.
4. Choose Your Xbox Startup Animation
You can now choose which animation you see when starting up your console, with options spanning from XBOX One through the latest generation. This new setting can be found under Settings > System > Startup. The existing setting that lets you choose to play the startup animation without sound has also been moved to this page.
5. Higher Quality Streaming For Remote Play
You can now enjoy higher-quality remote play streaming to your XBOX Series X|S console, with support for up to 1440p resolution and increased video bitrates for sharper visuals and smoother gameplay on supported devices.
6. Xbox Party Chat Infrastructure Upgrades
This release contains significant changes to underlying party chat infrastructure designed to enhance the future reliability and security of parties.
7. New Ways To Customise The Dashboard
We’ve heard from players who want more control over what shows up in the recent games and apps list at the top of Home. You can now remove any item in that list using the Menu button, including the Play History tile, making it easier to keep Home focused on what matters most to you. You can also enter a new immersive background mode that lets your dynamic or custom background take centre stage. Simply press the Right thumbstick button on your controller from anywhere on Home to fade away the UI and enjoy your background without distractions.
8. Local Search
A new local search feature to quickly find specific games and achievements within large lists available in My games & apps, official club achievement lists, and the gaming tab in your profile. Local search works alongside existing filters and sorting options to help you find what you’re looking for more quickly.
9. Improvements To Xbox Cloud Gaming
Games that you play via XBOX Cloud Gaming will now be automatically added to the Games section of My games & apps. To remove these, use the Menu button.When network conditions allow, downloads will now continue in the background while you stream, helping reduce wait times and keep gameplay uninterrupted.
10. More Detailed Information On Xbox Badges
Now you can view detailed information for every badge displayed on a profile, including high-resolution artwork and details about when and how it was unlocked. Whether you’re revisiting your own collection or exploring another player’s profile, it’s easier than ever to discover the story behind each badge and celebrate the achievements, milestones, and experiences they represent.
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