Xbox 360:Playing Game Backups

A notable function of modded Xbox 360s is that you can install game backups of legitimately installed games without needing valid Microsoft signed license, like if you bought something from the Xbox 360 Marketplace. This is especially useful now that the Marketplace is shut down.

This page will cover how to install game backups & applications, with various methods of doing so.

If you want to play Original Xbox titles, ensure that your Xbox 360 is able to run Xbox games before continuing with the guides.

Method 1: Games on Demand (GOD), DLC, & XBLA/XBLIG

Software downloaded from the Xbox 360 Marketplace came in four formats:

• "Game on Demand" (GOD) is Microsoft's official term for any retail released title that was listed on the Xbox 360 Marketplace. They are packaged in several SVOD containers and are signed with a LIVE signature.
  • Original Xbox games sold on the marketplace are also in packed in a similar way to Games on Demand, and also have a LIVE signature.
• Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA) games were usually smaller titles released by the larger game developer studios developed with the standard SDK which were cheap and quick to download. XBLA games are signed with a LIVE signature, but if they were downloaded from the Marketplace then they will have a PIRS signature. Some Xbox 360 homebrew is also packaged this way.
• Xbox Live Indie Games (XBLIG) were games usually released by smaller developers, and were developed with Microsoft's XNA development tools on retail consoles rather than the standard SDK used by bigger budget developers. The service would later be discontinued in 2015.
• Demos are packaged similarly to XBLA games, but do not require a license. This allows them to be ran from pressed and burned discs, even on retail consoles. Some Xbox 360 homebrew is also packaged this way.

Since the Marketplace is shut down, the only games you can still legally buy digitally are the backwards compatible titles on the modern Xbox strorefront for the Xbox One or Xbox Series family. That being said, it is also possible to install game backups in these formats.

Manage Content on PC

If you want an easy user friendly way to manage this content and copy it to either USB storage or an Xbox 360 FATX hard drive mounted with FATXplorer, 360 Content Manager is the preferred application to do so. It even allows you to unlock any type of Marketplace content, including Games on Demand.

View more information about 360 Content Manager on its dedicated wiki page here.

Xbox Indie Games

To play Indie Games, you should have this title update installed by placing it in Content\0000000000000000\58E07D2\000B0000\tu32000100_00000000. Indie games usually come in an SVOD package. These should go inside the 0000000000000000\58E07D2\00000002 directory. The full path of an indie game should look something like this: Content\0000000000000000\58E07D2\00000002\1DDF3646E2A20520C06D6FFF5F1B2979121879AC58.

Games on Demand & XBLA

Convert ISO to Game on Demand

If you have legitimate dumps of Xbox 360 game discs, these can be converted into Games on Demand with an unlocked license with the ISO2GOD application.

Installation

If you want games to show in original dashboard then the games should be installed to your internal or external hard drive under the Content directory inside of the public download directory (Content\0000000000000000) and inside the directory with the Title ID. If you're not sure what the Title ID is, you can look it up on the Games Database. Inside the Title ID directory should be a folder named 000D0000 which contains your game file. The full path of a game should look something like this: Content\0000000000000000\68C101BA\000D0000\26F32F9B748A8F60CDE75EB5A56185E470CA7C3858.

If you only want to use GOD format games in a custom dashboard like Aurora, then the file path does not matter. It can be played anywhere on the console and scanned by the dashboard. Just be aware that DLC still requireds installation to the Content directory, and installing GODs outside of the Content\0000000000000000 directory will not be detected in the Microsoft Dashboard or Xbox Live friend invites.

Unlocking

If you have legitimate content from the Xbox 360 Marketplace but you want to use it on other modified consoles without needing to share an account or connect them to Xbox Live, you can modify their licenses to be unlocked in order to play them on any modified console.

XBLA and DLC content can be unlocked with XM360, whereas Games on Demand can be unlocked with GOD Unlocker XB360.

DLC

DLC files should go inside the Content directory 00000002 of a Title ID folder. The full path of a DLC should look something like this: Content\0000000000000000\58E07D2\00000002\D15B11B78B42EAD08103E25AA45D2946942B1BCC54.

Method 2: Raw File Format

"Raw Files" or a "Folder Application" or a "XEX folder" is essentially the game files directly copied from a disc or extracted from a SVOD package into a folder. It will contain a Xenon Executable (.xex) with all of the asset files of the game directly accessible. The majority of Xbox 360 homebrew will also be distributed this way.

Games and applications in this format can be placed and used anywhere on the console. Most dashboards have to have a content path set in order to automatically find them, which you can change in the dashboard settings.

Extracting files from ISO to Folder

View this page for more information.

Convert Game on Demand or XBLA to Extracted

You can extract an XBLA game with a tool such as wxPirs and launch it manually from Default.xex. Some of the dashboards may recognize the game even in this form. As for GODs, you can use GOD2ISO in order to convert it into a format that's easily extractable as well.

Method 3: NXE Installation

On the Microsoft Dashboard, you have the option of installing a game to the internal drive. Normally, games installed with this method on an unmodified retail console will have several limitations, such as requiring the disc as a license check to play the game, not being playable on consoles other than the one it was installed with, and the inability to move or copy the game with the dashboard's storage utility.

Converting NXE Installations to Game on Demand

While modded consoles can still play these style of games without the disc, but they will still have the other limitations. It is preferred to convert NXE installed games to Game on Demand for this reason.

In order to convert NXE Installed games into the standard Game on Demand format, you can run the NXE2GOD application on the console itself. It can either be installed manually as detailed with Method 3, or downloaded with Xbox 360:Homebrew Store.

Blacklisted Games

Credit to this list goes to Discord user brokenscholar. The location of this blacklist on the NAND is unknown, but it has precedent to be updated. An example of this is Crackdown not being able to install on 7xxx dashboard revisions, but was later whitelisted.

XGD1 hybrid discs, like all Original Xbox games, these cannot be installed. These are pressed on the same media and contain executables for the Xbox and Xbox 360, assuming default.xex in root dir>default.xbe root directory (?)

Please note that this list isn't exhaustive. Some games that have NXE installation blocked may not be documented here. If your game isn't on the list but has NXE installation blocked, please document it!

• Alien Breed Trilogy (XBLA launcher)
• Batman: Arkham Origins Disc 2 (multiplayer, dead for years)
• Battlefield Hardline
• Big Bumpin (XGD1 hybrid release)
• Cabela's Outdoor Adventures
• Capcom Digital Collection (XBLA launcher)
• College Hoops 2K7
• Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 (Likely to prevent nude mod hotswapping, but this is speculation)
• Dreamcast Collection (XBLA launcher)
• Final Fantasy XI (all versions, demo title launcher + mandatory install in non SVOD format (0000003)
• Hasbro Family Game Night
• Namco Museum Virtual Arcade (XBLA + demo title launcher)
• Minecraft (XBLA launcher)
• NBA 2K7
• NBA 2K8
• NBA Ballers: Chosen One
• Ping17 Test Disc November 2006 (demo title launcher, MS internal)
• Pocket Bike Racers (XGD1 hybrid release)
• PopCap Arcade Volume 2 (XBLA launcher)
• Official Xbox Magazine North America - 52, 54-64 (XGD1 hybrid discs)
• Official Xbox Magazine North America - 53, 65-131 (demo title launcher)
• Official Xbox Magazine discs in general (unknown)
• Quake 4 Bonus Disc/Quake II (demo title launcher)
• Serious Sam Collection (XBLA launcher)
• Sherlock Holmes vs. Jack The Ripper
• Sneak King (XGD1 hybrid disc)
• Supremacy MMA
• Titanfall (uses DVD drive and HDD cache to optimize I/O. digital version exists, disc was never whitelisted)
• The Crew (mandatory install across two discs!)
• Worms Collection (XBLA launcher)
• Xbox Live Arcade Unplugged Volume 1 (redirects to games library, it's just a shortcut XEX)
• Any Installation discs (discs that only serve to install CON/PIRS content to the HDD - GTA V, COD Ghosts/AW, game add on discs as examples)
• Bonus discs with no games included
• Kiosk discs up to v3.4, 4.x and up require full format of HDD to install in GOD format, so those qualify as NXE install required.
• Anything pressed on a CD or DVD (some game demos, some magazine discs, update discs, iptv installer discs)

Disc Installation Data

If you have a multi-disc game with an "Install Disc", it's easiest to just use the real disc's built in installation wizard on the console to install the game, as it will also do the proper console signing and transfer to the correct file paths. That being said, if your console's disc drive is defective and can't read discs, you can still manually install the installation data with a computer and USB drive or FTP. Most of them will have a Content folder inside of them that contains the installation data, and can be copied to the root of your console's HDD. However, there are some exceptions to this rule.

Watch_Dogs

Watch_Dogs is a special case where the "install disc" doesn't contain SVOD packages on the disc itself. Instead, the disc just has the raw asset files and the installation wizard on the disc used for installation handles the packaging & signing on the fly. In order to install the disc installation data for this game without using the disc drive, you will need to extract both the "play disc" and "install disc" using the info from Method 3. All of the files in the installation1 and installation2 folders of the install disc go into the root of the folder created for the play disc, and you can now play the game in extracted format.

Wolfenstein: The New Order

The first disc of this game acts as both the "Install disc" and a "play disc". However, the installation process of the first disc will not function if you try to launch it in extracted format. However, if you convert the first disc into a Game on Demand, the game will still run correctly. Make sure that the padding is left intact when converting the first game to GOD so you can ensure it will be functional. The second, third, and fourth "play" discs can be run as extracted format just fine, but you may as well convert all of the discs to GOD for consistancy.

LibXenon Homebrew

Homebrew compiled with libXenon are not usually recognized by any dashboard. The executable of libXenon homebrew contains .elf extension. To run them, you can also place the .elf file onto the root of a USB storage device and insert it into the Xbox. You can then either execute it manually from a file browser or start the Xbox 360 by pressing the Eject button which will load directly into the application.