For all of the costs of console gaming, it’s no wonder so many want to eek out as much value as possible. Preventing damage is par for the course. And if you’re someone who grew alongside the Xbox 360, you know just how much console defects, namely bad thermals, can add to overall cost (the infamous Red Ring of Death).
Thankfully, Microsoft course corrected with the Xbox One. Compared to the PS4, it’s much quieter and cooler. But you’re still going to want to keep certain factors in mind to prevent it from running too hot.
How long can you keep the Xbox One on until it overheats? Theoretically speaking, it’s going to depend on a lot of factors. In most cases, you’ll be absolutely fine with extended gaming sessions going well beyond 5 hours. The Xbox One, along with the Xbox Series X|S, were built with longevity in mind. In fact, the Xbox One was designed to be powered on continuously for 10 years.
Keep reading for our guide on how to minimize the risk of overheating, best practices, and what causes a console to run too hot.
Built for longevity
The Xbox One was built to last a long time. A really long time. At the start of the generation, Microsoft was quoted as saying that they envisioned a 10 year life (even with the console always powered on). And nearly 10 years later, the Xbox One has done a fine job of keeping that promise.
Many users are still playing on original Xbox One’s to this day (this Reddit thread is full of happy owners), and we never saw an equivalent disaster to the Red Ring of Death. I’ve found the original model to run quiet and cool all these years later.
Somehow, it’s even running modern games relatively well. Halo Infinite ran in a passable way when I got a chance to watch it being played. It runs at 30 FPS and won’t hit the highs of 4K, but it runs all the same. Owners of the Xbox One and Xbox One S can even step into the next generation through xCloud. The streaming service, included with Game Pass Ultimate, utilizes Series X hardware.
Have a long history with Xbox? See it visualized with Microsoft’s Xbox Museum.
Microsoft knew that they messed up with the Xbox 360. The Xbox One generation was their way of making things right. At the end of the day, consoles should be able to take a beating. They should last a long time.
This effort has continued with the Xbox Series X|S. My experience related to thermals and noise has been flawless. The Series X does a fine job with heat dissipation, so much so that it’s near silent when running.
When to worry about overheating?
Your setup is going to be the biggest determinant of overheating. Factors that can push temperatures too far include:
- Too much dust
- High ambient temperature
- Poor airflow
- Old thermal paste
If you’re regularly dusting around your Xbox One or Xbox Series X|S, playing in sensible temperatures, and aren’t enclosing your console in a tight space, then you shouldn’t worry about overheating. Sometimes you get a lemon, but most consoles will be able to withstand extended gaming sessions in normal environments.
In terms of temperature, it’s best to play in a room that’s below 75 degrees Fahrenheit. If you live in an area with high temperatures during the summer, AC is always a good bet. If nothing else, maintaining good airflow is a must. Stuffing your Xbox One in a tight space is only fuel to the fire when temperatures start rising.
Just how hot does the Xbox One get? HIDEit Mounts’ tests show the Xbox One S reaching 102.2 degrees Fahrenheit after 1 hour of playtime on an open surface. Comparatively, the original Xbox One was found to reach up to 115 degrees Fahrenheit.
Ideally, you’ll want your console to be out in an open space with no obstruction to airflow (Microsoft suggests as much on their official guidelines for positioning and ventilation).
It’s these things that will make a console reach inoperable temperatures. The Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S were made for gaming. And long sessions go without saying (especially in the era of streaming).
Can you leave the Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S on overnight?
The Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S were built with excessive use in mind. Leaving on a console all of the time still provides more wear and tear, and may decrease the lifespan of your Xbox One or Xbox Series X|S.
The Xbox gives the option to automatically turn off your console after 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 hours of inactivity (the equivalent of a sleep timer).
With that said, life happens. Sometimes we forget or fall asleep. I’ve certainly forgotten to turn my laptop off many times and it’s still chugging away. Consumer electronics, at the end of the day, are meant to be used thoroughly. More importantly, Microsoft designed the Xbox One to specifically withstand being powered on all of the time.
There are two primary power settings on Xbox consoles: Instant On and Energy Saving.
Most Xbox consoles are technically on all of the time anyway, just in a low power state. One of the features of Xbox is Instant On, which allows the console to download while turned off and return to a fully woken state quickly (the power consumption of Instant On is 11 W on the Xbox One S and 13 W on the Xbox Series X).
Similar outlook to other consumer electronics
The Xbox is a piece of tech similar to conventional laptops and desktop PCs. It’s a specialized computer, sure, but much of the same care and maintenance principles apply.
Heat, as with all electronics, is the number one killer of your Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S. Both consoles are built with much better cooling than many gaming laptops. You’re usually not going to run into cases of thermal throttling as you would on something like a gaming laptop. But excessive dust, cramped spaces, and high ambient temperature will still bring your console to its knees.
And since the Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S have GPUs like gaming PCs, some of the same fatal outcomes of overheating can occur. Artifacting can be a symptom of a dying GPU caused by overheating. It’s not a common occurrence (even with gaming computers), but is still a risk.
In summary
Overheating can happen to any console. It’s uncommon, but it happens. Mitigating your risks by regularly dusting, keeping surrounding temperatures cool, and making sure your Xbox’s ventilation isn’t obstructed are your best bets.
In an ideal scenario, both the Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S can take hours and hours of gameplay. They were designed for it. In fact, it’s not uncommon for people to play or use their Xbox for over 5 hours a day year after year without fail.
Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S inherently avoid the risks of things like overclocking and poor thermal management, but common sense still goes a long way in making sure you get the longest life out of your console.
Lover of games, tech, nature, and strange electronic music. Shaped by Sega, PlayStation, Nintendo, and Xbox – platform agnostic ever since. Currently overwhelmed by choice on my Xbox Series X thanks to Game Pass.