Is An Xbox One Still Worth Buying In 2026?

If you’re looking to buy a new console but don’t want to drop a few hundred dollars on it, then it makes sense to turn to older generations. You can generally pick them up second-hand for a much lower price than a new, top-of-the-line console, and in some cases, you can still access some features and games that you would typically need a newer console for. Right now, that’s the case for eighth-generation consoles like the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and arguably, the Nintendo Switch.

While it might not sound that useful to say, whether it’s worth buying an Xbox One in 2026 somewhat depends on what you’re planning on using it for. In a lot of ways, the Xbox One is still a viable option: it’s supported by Xbox Game Pass and other online functionality, a surprising amount of games are compatible with it, it offers selective backwards compatibility, and you can use it as a DVD and Blu-ray player. It’s relatively cheap, too, making it an accessible option for enjoying some console gaming or to use as a low-cost media center.

However, if you’re planning on trying to play the newest, most intensive, triple-A games on it, then you’re better off avoiding it. Performance-wise, the Xbox One just doesn’t cut it for that kind of gaming. You’ll quickly run into performance issues, and in many cases, the game won’t install or launch at all. Similarly, you also won’t be able to play new first-party releases on an Xbox One, as confirmed in an interview with Axios in 2023. With that in mind, you might want to consider saving your money to put towards a ninth-generation console instead.

The Xbox One can provide a cheap option for low-re

Just because the Xbox One isn’t the most up-to-date model, it doesn’t mean that the console is completely redundant. The Xbox Store is packed with platform-compatible games, and new third-party releases still launch on the console. So long as you aren’t hoping to play any newer, processing-heavy games like “Grand Theft Auto VI” or “007 First Light,” then you could still get some mileage out of it. You’ll also save a lot of money compared to buying a ninth-generation console.

Right now, you can pick up a used regular Xbox One or an Xbox One S Digital Edition for around $60 to $130 on Ebay, depending on what condition it’s in and what else it’s bundled with. Meanwhile, the price for a refurbished Xbox One from GameStop starts at $104.99, scaling up from there for a larger hard drive, alternative design or color scheme, or for Digital Edition consoles. That’s a lot cheaper than the $500 you can expect to drop on an Xbox Series S. But bear in mind that your secondhand console might not come with a controller, so be sure to factor that into your budget.

One thing that makes the Xbox One worthwhile is also something that unfortunately pushes the price up. That’s Xbox Game Pass, which gives you access to a large library of games and extra features in exchange for a monthly subscription. Xbox Cloud Gaming is particularly useful for the Xbox One, as it allows you to play games that might otherwise struggle on the console. It isn’t cheap, though, with Game Pass memberships ranging from $9.99 to $22.99 per month.

It can double as a cheap entertainment center and physical media player too

A standard Xbox One has a particular advantage over its Digital Edition equivalent — it comes with a built-in disc drive. Besides allowing you to play physical games, this means you can also use your console as a DVD or Blu-ray player. Considering how much a Blu-ray player can cost you in 2026, that actually makes it a pretty good deal.

Using your Xbox One as a media player comes with a catch, though. For starters, it isn’t region-free, meaning you can only play discs from the same region your console was made in. Secondly, the Xbox One’s Blu-ray player can sometimes struggle to read and play discs well, leading to lagging or distorted visuals and janky audio. Your mileage may vary, but if you’re looking especially for a Blu-ray player — rather than thinking of it as an incidental bonus to owning a console — then you might be better off buying a dedicated player.

If you don’t have a smart TV or you’re going to run your console through a monitor, then there’s another way your Xbox One might be useful. Streaming apps like Netflix, Crunchyroll, and Spotify, alongside social media platforms like YouTube and Twitch, can all run on the console, making it easy to watch what you want directly from your console. It also supports USB data storage, meaning you can run a hard drive or USB through it to watch any digital copies of TV shows or movies that you own that way using a media player app.