Microsoft might be killing its Xbox Rewards app, leaving a question mark over the future of our gamer freebies

The app is rumored to be deactivated and everything moved to Rewards, ending the weekly challenges and player streaks.

What you need to know

• Xbox consoles are said to today be showing players a message stating that Microsoft Xbox Rewards is coming to a close.
• The weekly series of quests will continue in the app until the end of November, and be removed permanently from December. Moving forward, those quests would display in a new Rewards tab in your Xbox profile. 
• However, the tab doesn't seem to support streaks and some of the other bonuses the old Microsoft Rewards app has. 
• The weekly Microsoft Xbox Rewards quests are an easy way for players to earn points towards Xbox purchases.
• The news was originally broken on Twitter by user IdleSloth, and a screenshot was shown in Portuguese — we haven't yet been able to replicate the message on a US, German, or UK console.

Freebie fans who enjoy collecting Microsoft Reward points via their Xbox dashboard are facing a significant letdown today. It seems that Microsoft could be discontinuing the weekly reward quests on the console and shutting down the Microsoft Rewards app entirely on Xbox.

Microsoft Rewards is a free, no-brainer program that lets you earn points going about your daily tasks on the platform. Points can be earned by shopping, using Bing search, and gaming on Xbox, Windows PC, and mobile. The message shown indicates activities will simply move to another Rewards app, but previous changes in the past 12 months have always seemed to spell less rewards, so we are not optimistic.

The news broke today on X (Twitter):

The message itself is in Portuguese, and so far nobody on the Windows Central team has managed to get it to appear on a US or UK region Xbox, so we cannot confirm if this is a worldwide change or not. We will update as we know more.

The message translated to English using Google reads: 

Earn Rewards with Xbox

We recreated, simplified, and integrated the Rewards experience on Xbox, making it all about gameplay and the activities that players love most. With the new Rewards hub on Xbox, players will no longer need to have separate apps to earn or redeem Reward points.

Starting December 2023, we will no longer publish offers in the Microsoft Rewards app on Xbox, focusing instead on new activities in the new Rewards hub. Basically, this change is intended to simplify and streamline the Rewards experience for players and helps access all Xbox-related offers and activities in one convenient location. The weekly series continues until the end of November and, after that, it will be deactivated in the application, along with the weekly sequence.

Xbox Rewards will remain part of the Microsoft Rewards program, and all points you earn on Xbox will continue in other parts of the program. To maximize your points and earn even more, be sure to check out the hub.

What's the big deal?

While the message suggests a straightforward transition of the Reward system to another "streamlined" app, it signifies the conclusion of many players' weekly streaks for the Microsoft Rewards weekly activities — a streak held in high regard by numerous players, some boasting two-year streaks. For context, a 10-week streak yields 2500 points. This has been one of the few effective methods left to accumulate points. It should be noted that the Xbox Rewards dashboard currently available on your profile page on your Xbox was additive to a lot of the quests we get on the Microsoft Rewards for Xbox app — removing the separate app will result in cumulatively fewer rewards overall. That's not to say the Rewards tab won't suddenly get more quests as a result of this reported shutdown, but there are reasons to be skeptical (more on that in a minute).

In addition to this, the Microsoft Rewards dashboard on Xbox has been notably less rewarding in recent months, progressively declining in available activities since the controversial relocation of 'Achieve More, Earn More' to the Game Pass app.

Message gamers were met with in March on the Xbox Rewards Dashboard. (Image credit: Jennifer Young - Windows Central)

Microsoft Rewards for Xbox has been going downhill for a long time

The removal of 'Achieve More. Earn More' (AMEM) marked a downward trajectory for Microsoft Rewards on Xbox. Numerous activities have been removed from the dashboard since then, transforming an app that was once a priority when I turned on my Xbox, into an afterthought. In short, it has been significantly nerfed. Previously, in the UK, I could easily earn 2500-3000 points per month, which was quite handy for covering expenses like Diablo 4 battle passes with Microsoft Reward points.

The nature of the new app and whether it will be more rewarding than current activities remains uncertain. However, historical patterns indicate that changes to the Rewards system on Xbox have not been favorable.

The reality is that Microsoft Rewards was always designed to be something that would drive people to use Bing.com, rather than Xbox. If people are earning enough points without actively using Bing for their searches, Microsoft may see that as defeating the point for them. 

Can I still earn Microsoft Rewards points elsewhere?

Yes. There aren't any changes right now to the current system which lets you earn Microsoft Reward points by searching on Bing, spending money in the Microsoft Store and exploring the daily activities on Microsoft Rewards.

Updates on how it will operate on Xbox from December are eagerly awaited. This article will be updated as more information becomes available, and if other regions begin to experience the same message.

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