At Microsoft, we have set ambitious goals to significantly reduce our environmental impact and become a carbon negative, water positive and zero waste company by 2030.
Xbox plays a major role in helping us achieve this goal, and today we are proud to announce that in just three years (FY20-FY23), Xbox has contributed to this goal with actions to reduce energy consumption during console use. These actions, which include greening the game code and having players enable power saving mode, have avoided over 1.2 million metric tons of CO2e compared to no action. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that this reduction avoids emissions equivalent to more than 3 billion car miles (driven by an average gasoline-powered passenger vehicle) being released into the atmosphere.
These preventions were only possible through our collaboration with game developers who Xbox Sustainability Toolkit and players who choose to use the Shut Down power saving option, Active Hours, and carbon-conscious updates on Xbox consoles. These actions highlight some of the improvements we’ve made to reduce our carbon footprint, and we’re constantly exploring new ways to innovate, learn, and improve our sustainability efforts at Xbox.
More energy efficient game code with the Xbox Sustainability Toolkit
Xbox is the first major gaming console to develop tools to measure energy consumption and emissions, and to make research and case studies on reducing energy consumption and emissions publicly available through the Xbox Sustainability Toolkit. These tools, which include power consumption dashboards, case studies, and telemetry data, have enabled developers to gain insight into the energy consumption of their games and identify opportunities to reduce energy consumption in ways that are imperceptible to players. These techniques can also be used to extend battery life on battery-powered gaming devices.
In just three years (FY20-FY23), we have seen the implementation of the Xbox Sustainability Toolkit by studios like 343 industries for Halo Infinite, Activision for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II and Call of Duty: Warzoneand others. Thanks to the collective efforts and support of our developers, these latest emissions reduction measures have been made possible. We look forward to continuing to see the positive impact of the Xbox Sustainability Toolkit as new tools are introduced such as the Dynamic Power States API, the latest platform technology that became available in June and enables developers to achieve greater power savings without compromising graphical fidelity.
We are constantly looking for ways to enable developers to use tools and resources that help reduce energy and emissions in game development. Developers interested in accessing these tools can visit the Xbox Development Kit (GDK). Additional resources can be found on the Xbox Game Dev Docs Website. Developers can also contact their Microsoft representative or participate in discussions on the Xbox Developer Forums to learn how to get started.
More energy and emissions efficient Xbox consoles
One of the most impactful ways gamers have contributed to energy and emissions savings has been with the introduction of Xbox’s latest energy efficiency features. In 2023, Xbox became the first-ever gaming console to offer carbon-conscious game downloads and updates, reducing its carbon footprint by optimizing updates and downloads to run when the console can use the most renewable energy. We also introduced Shutdown (Energy Saving) power option, a one-time power settings update that reduces power consumption while the console is turned off and can reduce power consumption by up to 20x when turned off compared to sleep, and Active Hours, a power settings update that lets players customize the active hours of their console.
To ensure you are taking advantage of the latest energy efficiency features on your console, go to Settings > General > Power Options and confirm that Shutdown (energy saving) is active.
More achievements to unlock
While we’re proud of the progress we’ve made at Xbox to reduce our environmental impact, we know the work toward a more sustainable future is never done. Gaming is fun for players, but we recognize it also has an impact on our environment. Our commitment to our players and the industry is to work to improve that impact in a responsible way.
By working closely with our players, developers and the industry, we continue to create innovative solutions. It won’t be a straight path to 2030, but we are committed to equipping game developers with cutting-edge analytics and bespoke toolkits. We are inspired by the enthusiasm of our studios and players for exciting new technical applications. It is this spirit of community and dedication to exploration that spurs the best in the industry and puts ambitious, meaningful goals within reach.
For more information about our efforts to improve our environmental impact, visit xbox.com/sustainability.
