Xbox Series X: How to sign in on Series X even if core services are down

On Tuesday morning, there was a package at my door — one I’d been pretty excited about for a long time. I opened it up, placed the massive unit on a wooden stand, hooked it up to my TV, and began the console setup process.

Unfortunately, I was hit with a snag: Xbox Live core services had gone down in the middle of setting up my new Xbox Series X.

Read More: Xbox Series X Review: Is This Microsoft's Best Console Ever?

Xbox Series X: How to sign in on Series X even if core services are down

Social media was atwitter with complaints; folks couldn’t sign in on their new consoles. Which — until the Series X or Series S is set as your home console — keeps you from playing games whenever Xbox Live isn’t working properly.

Almost by accident, I came across a workaround that allowed me to sign into my Xbox Live profile, start installing stuff, set the new console as my “home Xbox,” and even play games while the network was having major issues.

What I did was pretty simple. Out of the box, you can open the Xbox Store app that’s already been loaded onto your console from the factory. When you do so, it immediately asks for the email and password for your Xbox account.

Sign in that way, and you should be good to go as far as getting your new console set up, buying and installing your games, and playing stuff that doesn’t require Xbox Live.