Before we discuss how to delete games on Xbox Series S, there are some things you should know. Uninstalling a game from your Xbox is much different than uninstalling a game from your PC. In console gaming, everything is cloud-based. That means everything is stored on the cloud while you have a local copy of the essential data on your console. That means when you delete games from your Xbox, you don’t delete them from the cloud. Since everything is saved on the cloud, you can reinstall the game and get all your progress back. That means you can delete or reinstall games however and whenever you please. 

However, if you delete a game that you don’t own but is available on a game pass, once that game pass expires, you won’t be able to download it again and play. You can download it again and play for however long the game pass lasts. If you have a game installed on your console and the game pass expires, it will not function correctly until you buy it somehow by paying for the game or getting another game pass. 

The world of cloud gaming attracts many users and repels some too. Cloud gaming has many benefits, like saving all your progress automatically and getting it back even after deleting the game. With a PC, when you delete a game, if you reinstall it, there is no way to get your previous progress back unless the game has its cloud storage. So a game you played from start to finish offline will not be recoverable. However, with the Xbox, even offline progress is uploaded to the cloud once you reconnect to the internet. That means deleting games doesn’t have the same finality that it used to. 

This is great since the closed architecture of consoles means you can’t expand your memory or play a game that’s on an external hard drive. Since you are restricted when it comes to space on your console, being able to freely delete games you play less often in favor of new games is crucial. That is why cloud gaming is the answer to the problem of closed architecture. 

Also, it’s fantastic because you never have to pay for the same thing twice. If you bought a rare skin in a game that you deleted, it would be right there waiting for you when you redownload and play it again. If you delete games that cost money, they remain in your library, ready to be accessed again.  

How to Uninstall Games on Xbox Series S

Now let’s get down to how to delete games on your Xbox Series S. The process is not too difficult since console gaming is all about making things easy and convenient for the user. Uninstalling games from your Xbox Series S is a lot easier than you’d expect. We have shared the entire process step by step for you. Without further ado, here’s how to delete games on Xbox Series S. 

  1. Step One

First of all, you need to press the Xbox button on your Xbox Series S controller. The Xbox button is in the center of your controller, near the top, directly above the View, Share, and Menu buttons. It looks like the Xbox logo. Once you find it, you need to press it to open the Xbox guide. The guide has the home tab, a games and apps tab, and shortcuts to your most played games.

  1. Step Two

Now that you have opened the guide, you need to scroll to My Games & Apps using the left or right joystick. You must move it up or down until you end up on the correct tab. Once you are on the correct tab, select it by pressing the A button on your controller. This should make a small window appear. 

  1. Step Three

In the small window, you can see your pinned apps and games for easy access and a tab that says See All. You need to use the left or right stick to end up on the See All tab. Once you are on the See All tab and it is highlighted, you must press the A button again to select it. Then it will take you to see all your games and apps. 

  1. Step Four

Now you are in your local games and apps library. On the left end of the page is a menu with tabs like Games, Apps, Groups, Full Library, and more. You must use the left or right stick again to move up or down as needed until you end up on the Games tab. Then you should be able to see all your games. Now use your stick to move to the right and move up, down, left, or right, as needed, until you have highlighted the game you wish to delete. 

  1. Step Five 

Now that the desired game is highlighted on the menu, you need to press the View button. The View button is the leftmost of the three buttons directly below the Xbox button on the Xbox Series S controller. It looks like a box on top of another box. You can see the picture of what the view button is supposed to look like at the bottom right corner of your screen next to Manage Games. If you are using an older controller, there’s still a view button, and it might be in a different position. Now you’re on the manage game page. 

  1. Step Six

On the Manage Game page, there are several files. There is the game’s main file, which you will delete whatever happens, but there are also update files and game data files. If you want to make space for a new game, you should delete everything. However, you’ll want to ensure that your data is uploaded to the cloud first so that you don’t lose any of your progress. If you aren’t certain whether you’re saved-data is uploaded or not, we suggest saving it to an external drive to save it. If everything is on the cloud, then you can go ahead and use the left or right stick to get to Uninstall All, a tab on the top left. Once the tab is highlighted, you can go ahead and press A to select it. 

  1. Step Seven

Now that you have selected to Uninstall All, the Xbox will make sure it’s not a mistake and ask you if you are certain. It’s always a good thing to have an extra confirmation in case you change your mind at the last minute or are about to delete the wrong game by accident. There will be two options. One says Uninstall All again to confirm, and the other says Cancel. If you select the cancel option, everything will be left exactly as it was. You must select Uninstall All if you want to delete this game.  If that is done, then now all the local game files will disappear, and the space they were using will become available to you for new games. You will still see the game’s name, but it will not be taking up any space. Also, there will no longer be an option to Uninstall it but to see it in the Microsoft Store. 

Delete your Subscriptions to Xbox Series S

There is a small thing that people often forget and end up paying for games that they aren’t even playing. One thing you must make sure of is that when you delete games, you cancel the subscriptions related to them as well. Deleting the local data on your Xbox does not automatically cancel your subscriptions. If you are using a subscription for other games that you are playing, that’s fine. However, if there’s a subscription that is useless now that you aren’t currently playing a game or a few games, then you should go ahead and cancel it. Here is how to manage Xbox subscriptions.  

  1. Step One

The first thing you need to do is head over to account.Microsoft.com on your web browser. And log in. To log in, you must enter your account details, including your username and password. Once you are through, you can continue. 

  1. Step Two

You will be greeted with the Microsoft dashboard featuring your active subscriptions at the top of the page. There will be an option to see all your subscriptions if you can’t see the one you wish to cancel on the welcome page. Once you see the subscription you wish to cancel, either on the welcome page or on the See All Subscriptions page, you can click Manage, which will be right under it. For example, if you wish to cancel a game pass, you’ll have to click manage Xbox game pass. 

  1. Step Three 

When you open the Manage Xbox Subscriptions page, you’ll see all the important information related to that subscription, including the billing history. You will also see the option to Cancel the Subscription or Turn Off the Order Renew. You need to click on that to cancel your subscription to cancel it. It will take you to a page with more information about your current subscription. If you have deleted games on your Xbox but still want to play them on your PC, you could switch out your subscriptions instead of canceling them outright. 

  1. Step Four

However, if you decide that you do wish to cancel your subscriptions since you aren’t playing certain games on your Xbox currently, you can scroll down and click on Cancel Subscription. Now that will cancel your subscription. It’s not a big deal because you can renew it whenever you desire.  

How to reinstall games on Xbox

Perhaps you have changed your mind about that game or suddenly wish to play it again. If you have bought it or if it is under any battle pass you own, you can download it and play it at any time. Let’s walk you through the process of redownloading a game you already own but deleted or uninstalled. Here is how you reinstall games on Xbox Series S. 

  1. Step One

First of all, you must press the Xbox Button on your controller to open the guide. The guide allows you to access many things conveniently, like your games or subscriptions. 

  1. Step Two

Now you need to select my games & apps. This is where you will find all the apps and games you’ve ever owned. 

  1. Step Three

Once you are on my games and Apps page, move down until you’ve selected the Full Library. Here you can see all the games you’ve ever bought, whether you have them downloaded or not. 

  1. Step Four

In Full Library, you’ll see several tabs, including all owned games, all owned apps, Xbox Game Pass, games with Gold, and EA Play. You need to select all owned games. That will take you to a list of all the games you’ve ever owned. 

  1. Step Five

You can now navigate a list of all the games you’ve ever purchased, regardless of whether they are currently installed, until you highlight the one you wish to re-install. Once you highlight the game that you want to re-install, you can press A to select it. 

  1. Step Six

Once you’ve selected the game you wish to reinstall, it opens a page with more information about the game in question. You can take this time to refresh your memory and read up on the game. There will be an option saying Install All. It will reinstall the pre-owned game and all the necessary updates needed to play it optimally. Select it and wait for the game to be reinstalled. 

How to Reinstall Games on Xbox Series S

If you find yourself constantly uninstalling and re-installing games on your Xbox often, then you’re probably tired of how long it takes to download everything. You can make the reinstall almost as instant as uninstalling by relying on a fast external USB drive. You cannot play games that are stored on the drive, but you can use it to quickly install games without downloading. At most, you’ll only have to download the latest update to play. Here’s how you re-installed pre-owned games using an external USB drive. 

Step One

First of all, you must press the Xbox Button on your controller to open the guide. The guide allows you to access many things conveniently, like your games or subscriptions. 

Step Two

Now you need to move down using the left or right stick and select my games & apps by pressing the A button. This is where you will find all your apps and games. 

Step Three

Once you are on my games and apps page, move down until you’ve selected the Full Library. Here you can see all the games you’ve ever bought, whether you have them downloaded or not. 

Step Four

In Full Library, you’ll see several tabs, including all owned games, all owned apps, Xbox Game Pass, games with Gold, and EA Play. You need to select all owned games. That will take you to a list of all the games you’ve ever owned. As long as the USB drive is recognized, you should be able to install it. 

Step Five 

Now you need to open all owned games. There, you will find the game you wish to install. Highlight it and then select it. Then You need to Select Download All. It will be a lot faster since it’s available on a USB flash drive. 

Final Thoughts

With the way things are structured in the Xbox universe, you’ll need to either buy an expansion slot or keep deleting and reinstalling your old games to make space for new ones. On the bright side, due to everything being saved on the cloud, you can delete and reinstall games all the time. However, there are some instances where that would not work. If you delete an Xbox-exclusive game that you got free with your Xbox, you’ll need to repurchase it if you wish to re-download it. That’s why you need to think carefully before you delete such games. 

You can make your reinstall time shorter with a USB hard drive. However, the process of backing up your game files on an external USB drive is quite a pain. It may be better to wait for it to download from the Microsoft store. You can schedule to download games in advance before you want to play with them. 

Now that you know how to delete and reinstall Xbox games, you have more freedom to download as many new games as you want. We hope our advice was helpful, and now you can choose to delete any game you have on your Xbox at your convenience. You also know how to re-download it without any problems, so there are no negative consequences to deleting games. Just make sure all your progress is uploaded to the cloud by connecting to the internet and loading it up one last time before deleting it. That way, you can start from where you left off.

Sadeel
Sadeel
Sadeel is a full-time working mother who doesn't let anything stop her from following her passions, whether it's building PCs for gaming, lifting weights, or watching anime. As a girl, she got into games later in life. However, she puts in the extra effort to get just as good with less experience. Her favorite thing is to unmute herself at the end of a game and surprise other players. Over time, she has gained valuable experience tweaking her PCs, optimizing them to play visually stunning games. Now she's ready to share what she's learned.