Xbox has confirmed it is experiencing “major outages” impacting party-related features, including sending game invites, receiving messages, and managing party groups. The issues, first reported at 9:30 a.m. BST on August 14, affect users on Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC, and even Xbox apps on iOS and Android. Multiplayer, single-player gameplay, and most other services remain unaffected.
According to the Xbox Support Twitter account, engineers are actively working to resolve the problems. The official status page currently lists five services affected, with “Party Management” and Party Chat entirely down. Players may also face trouble sending or receiving game invites, and in some cases, invites do not successfully connect users to games. Messaging functions—both sending and viewing—are also disrupted.
The timing is particularly frustrating for gamers participating in EA’s second open beta weekend for Battlefield 6. While the outage doesn’t block access to the beta, those hoping to squad up with friends will find the process difficult until the issues are fixed. The beta runs until August 17, giving players a wider window to enjoy it once party services are restored.
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Xbox has not disclosed the cause of the outage, but such disruptions are not unusual in the gaming world. Longtime players may recall the infamous 2011 PlayStation Network outage, which lasted nearly a month and left millions unable to access online multiplayer.
Despite the current setback, Xbox’s other core services are functioning normally. Players can still purchase games from the Xbox Store, stream via Game Pass, and join online matches. August’s Game Pass lineup includes Assassin’s Creed Mirage, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 Enhanced (added August 12), and the upcoming Gears of War: Reloaded, launching August 26.
For now, Xbox advises players to monitor its support channels for updates as work continues to restore full party functionality.
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