Xbox Users will no longer be able to use their console's Social Clubs starting in April 2026, as Microsoft has announced that it will retire the feature permanently. Gamers with an Xbox One, Xbox Series X, or Xbox Series S will no longer be able to access Social Clubs through the Friends & Community Updates app on their Xbox console after this feature is removed. Currently, users are unable to create new social clubs, with the feature expected to be removed in the coming months.
Social Clubs offered Xbox users a way to connect with others on their favorite games through user-created “clubs” where they could post discussion threads, screenshots, and other media. Clubs can be created for all types of communities, allowing players to find like-minded players for multiplayer games or to get help with various in-game activities. Anyone interested in experiencing Xbox's Social Clubs one last time will need to do so before they close for good in April.
The Big Xbox Game Pass Ultimate update recently added 2 major games, including a Day 1 release
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate expands its library with two new flagship games, including an anticipated day-one FPS and a celebrated action-RPG.
The Xbox console will remove the Social Club feature in April 2026
According to the official Xbox FAQ page, Social Clubs will be removed as part of the company's “focus on the social experiences players use most today.” The Social Club feature seems to be one of the least used social apps available to Xbox players, warranting Xbox to reconsider its commitment to maintaining the feature in the future. While no other options have been announced at this time, the Xbox FAQ post suggests that players use other ways to connect with players, such as Xbox Messages, Discord on Xbox, Party Chat, and Group Search.
Drag the arms to fill the grid
get started
Drag the arms to fill the grid
EasyMediumHard
One caveat with this update is that only user-created social clubs appear to be on the chopping block. Official clubs for individual games have been confirmed to stick around so developers can interact with their communities. These clubs will not be found under the Friends & Community Updates app, and will instead be located under the game card for their particular game.
Xbox's removal of social clubs comes at a bad time
Despite less user interaction with Xbox's social club feature, its removal comes at a time when other social outlets are under fire from users. Discord recently announced changes to its age verification system coming in March 2026 that will require some users to upload an ID or complete a face scan to access certain age-restricted content, drawing heavy backlash from users. While the Xbox Social Clubs feature won't act as a replacement for Discord's voice chat, it could be a viable alternative to Discord for users to share artwork and screenshots related to the games they're playing. Discord has made it clear that most users will not be subject to these strict age-verification guidelines, but some users are already looking for an alternative platform that Xbox can capitalize on with social clubs.
Social Clubs is just the latest feature to be shut down on Xbox consoles, which have seen several other notable apps removed in recent years, including:
-
Upload Studio — Support ended in 2020
-
Avatar Editor App — Support ended in January 2025
-
Movies and TV shows for purchase — support ends in July 2025
Not every retired app on Xbox consoles is completely gone and some of these features still exist in one form or another. Xbox Original Avatars still exist in supported Xbox 360 games, and users can still access movies and TV shows purchased before support for the service ended, but the way these features have been declining over the past few years shows a clear new direction for the future of Xbox that aims to streamline usability by trimming the console's less-used features. Now, Social Clubs will join the list of Xbox apps that have become shells of their former selves.
