Install, play, or delete a game on your Xbox 360 hard drive

This article describes how to install, play, or delete a game on your Xbox 360 Hard Drive.

Notes

• Installing an Xbox 360 game on a hard drive requires between 4 and 8 gigabytes (GB) of free disc space.
• After installing a game on your hard drive, you still need to have the game disc in the disc drive when you start the game.
• Installing games on your hard drive improves load times and minimizes game disc access.
• You can install games to a USB flash drive or to an Xbox 360 4 gigabyte (GB) console; however, some games will not play correctly. For more information please see:
  
  Error: One or more players do not have an Xbox 360 Hard Drive (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2418111)  
• Original Xbox games cannot be installed on an Xbox 360 Hard Drive.

To install a game on your hard drive

1. Insert the game disc into the disc drive.
   
   
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   Note After you insert the disc, the default option is to automatically start the game. If this happens, exit the game and return to the Xbox Dashboard.
2. From the Home hub, Select the game in the drive tray and press Y on your controller that you want to install.
3. Select Install. 
4. A progress indicator appears while your game is being installed on your hard drive.

Note Installing an Xbox 360 game might take 12 minutes.

To play a game from your hard drive

1. Insert the game disc into the disc drive.
2. From the Home hub, select the game in the drive tray and press A.

Note The game disc must be in the disc drive, even though you have installed the game on your hard drive. The console will automatically play the game from your hard drive, but the disc has to be present.

To delete a single game from your hard drive

1. Insert the game disc for the game you want to delete from your hard drive.
2. From the Home hub, select the game in the drive tray and press Y.
3. Select Delete.

To delete multiple games from your hard drive

1. Go to the Settings hub, and choose System.
2. Select Storage.
3. Select Hard Drive.
4. Select Games.
5. Select the game you want to delete.
6. Select Delete.

To clear space on your hard drive

If there is insufficient space on your Xbox 360 hard drive, you will receive the following message:Click YES to view a list of games that you can delete. After you clear enough space on your hard drive, you can install the new game.