Xbox 360: General troubleshooting

Last Updated: June 29, 2023

Question: I have a problem with an Xbox 360 game, what general troubleshooting can I apply for this?

Answer: Try the following general suggestions:

   1. Make sure all of your appropriate connections are functioning (Power cables and AV cables are all fully attached).   2. Make sure your game disc is free of dust and/or scratches.  To clean the disc:   3.          * Hold the disc by the edges without touching the surface with your fingers.          * Clean the disc with a soft cloth, lightly wiping from the center outwards.          * Do not use solvents or chemicals to clean the disc.          * Try to play the game again.   4. Try changing the video mode for the graphics on the Xbox 360. Try loading the Xbox 360 without the disk. Then from the tabs goto the "System" tab --> "Console Settings" --> "Display" --> "Screen format". Change this over to normal mode for me then try the game again.   5. Make sure the Time Setting on your Xbox 360 is set to today's date.   6. Remove all unnecessary peripherals, and then test to see whether the problem still occurs.   7. Try clearing out the Xbox 360 cache folder on the hard drive. To do this turn on the Xbox 360 without the game inside to load the dashboard. From here make sure your controller is working and you can move around the menu. Place in the game disk and hold down the A button. Keep this button held until the game starts to load up past the intro screen.   8. If you have internet access, we suggest logging onto the internet to see if there is any patches or updates for the game. It will appear on screen if there is an update for the game when you connect online.   9. If your using a normal TV, try changing the PAL settings. Try loading the Xbox 360 without the disk. Then from the tabs goto the "System" tab --> "Console Settings" --> "Display" --> "PAL settings". Change this over from the current PAL setting to the other setting in use.