What is Xbox Quick Resume and how does it work

Xbox Series X and S
(Image credit: Microsoft)

With Xbox Quick Resume you can suspend several games at once to keep them running in the background, even when the console is turned off. That means when you turn your console back on, or switch to a game you were playing earlier, you can pick up exactly where you left off with no loading or rebooting the game. It's a very convenient Xbox Series X feature if you need to suddenly stop playing to do something else, and is the result of the powerful Xbox Velocity Architecture. If you've picked up a solid Xbox Series X deal and now have a few new games on the go that you might be quickly switching between, here's what you need to know about the Xbox Quick Resume feature.

How to set up and use Xbox Quick Resume

(Image: © Xbox)

Handily, Xbox Quick Resume is automatically enabled by default, so you don't need to do anything to set it up as it's already quietly working away in the background. To use this feature, simply hit the Xbox button then select a new game to play, which will place your current game into a suspended state. When you want to return to a previous game, select it from your library and you'll almost instantly resume from where you left off.

This feature will work seamlessly across multiple games, but if you want to bypass Xbox Quick Resume for whatever reason then you can press the Xbox button and highlight the game from the guide, before pressing the Menu button and choosing the Quit option. This will fully shut the game down and remove it from your current Xbox Quick Resume line-up, so the next time you start it, you'll need to wait for it to load up again.

Does Xbox Quick Resume work with online games

Call of Duty Warzone

(Image credit: Activision)

Due to the nature of online games, the way the Xbox Quick Resume function works with them will depending on the game. Some games may allow you to jump back into the same game mode you were playing before, perhaps even the same match if you're fast enough, while others may kick you back to the lobby or out of the multiplayer mode entirely. As there are many more variables involved compared to using Xbox Quick Resume for single player games, your experience will depend on how the developers have set up their online system to deal with suspending and resuming.

How to install Xbox Series X games | How to transfer games to Xbox Series X external transfer | How to pair an Xbox Series X controller | Xbox Share button | Xbox Series X controller and accessory compatibility | Xbox Series X standby mode | What discs work in an Xbox Series X | Does Xbox Series X play Blu-ray movies | How to eject an Xbox Series X disc | How to set up the Xbox mobile app | How to hard reset an Xbox Series X 

Iain Wilson
Guides Editor

Iain originally joined Future in 2012 to write guides for CVG, PSM3, and Xbox World, before moving on to join GamesRadar in 2013 as Guides Editor. His words have also appeared in OPM, OXM, PC Gamer, GamesMaster, and SFX. He is better known to many as ‘Mr Trophy’, due to his slightly unhealthy obsession with amassing intangible PlayStation silverware, and he now has over 750 Platinum pots weighing down the shelves of his virtual award cabinet. He does not care for Xbox Achievements.

Read more
Xbox Series S deals
The best Xbox Series S deals and bundles: all the biggest offers in March 2025
Xbox Series X
The best Xbox Series X bundle deals in March 2025
Suicide Squad Kill the Justice League crossplay
How to use Suicide Squad Kill the Justice League crossplay
Indiana Jones and The Great Circle - Indiana peers out from the shadows in stealth
Best Xbox Series X games to experience on Microsoft's flagship console
Assassin's Creed Shadows cinematic screenshot
Assassin's Creed Infinity: Everything you need to know about the Animus Hub
South of Midnight hero image for Big Preview showing the character Rhubarb looking surprised
Yes, South of Midnight will still run at 60fps despite its stop motion animation: "you're still in this crafted world without making it, you know, too nauseating"
Latest in Xbox Series X
Silent Hill f art showing a person covered in plants
Silent Hill f has been pre-emptively banned in Australia, with no reason given for the 'refused classification' rating
Assassin's Creed Shadows review gameplay showing Yasuke overlooking the sea and lush green scenery
Assassin's Creed Shadows has already "surpassed the launches of AC Origins and Odyssey" with 2 million players and counting
FC 25
FC 25 Dreamchasers tracker and full UEFA promo guide
A Dragon Age character stares out against a blue background.
BioWare makes a return to Dragon Age: The Veilguard with a surprise PC update, months after layoffs and a seemingly final patch
Putting cigarettes in fish mouths in Thank Goodness You're Here
Thank Goodness You're Here's developer says it was trying to design a game normally before realizing "we're s**t at video game design"
MindsEye
GTA veteran's new open-world game will belong to everyone – almost like a wild mix of Roblox and Minecraft servers: "It won't just be ours"
Latest in Guides
FC 25
FC 25 Dreamchasers tracker and full UEFA promo guide
Assassin's Creed Shadows Naoe "justice must be served" or "killing them isn't justice" Yaya and Mistumune choice
Should you side with Mitsumune or Yaya in Assassin's Creed Shadows?
Pokemon TCG Pocket Shiny Cards
How to get Shiny Pokemon in Pokemon TCG Pocket
Assassin's Creed Shadows money naoe and merchant
How to get money in Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Pokemon TCG Pocket Shining Revelry
Pokemon TCG Pocket Shining Revelry release date and details
Assassin's Creed Shadows Naoe in outfit
Best Assassin’s Creed Shadows armor for Naoe and Yasuke