Xbox killing avatars on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

Microsoft will shutdown its Xbox Avatar Editor app on PC, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S on 9th January due to "low engagement", the company has said.

This means you'll no longer be able to access or edit your Xbox Avatar, and you'll lose any purchased cosmetic items for them. Any money spent on avatar items will be refunded.

After 9th January, Xbox Avatars will disappear from profile pages, Microsoft has said. So, if you want to snap one last Gamerpic using your digital self, now's the time.

The good news here is this solely refers to the newer Xbox Avatars, launched in 2018 for the Xbox One era. Microsoft's entirely separate and confusingly distinct Xbox Original Avatars are unaffected.

If you still remember (or use!) your Xbox 360, you'll remember having an avatar there, too. These avatars are what Microsoft now calls Xbox Original Avatars, and they were far more ingrained within Xbox 360's ecosystem. Some Xbox 360 games let you play as your avatar, for example, while others offered cosmetic avatar rewards via a system akin to Achievements.

Again, the Xbox 360-era Original Avatars are not going anywhere - hopefully because switching them off would be more of a headache when it comes to game preservation and back compatibility.

Back during the troubled times of the Xbox One, Microsoft pivoted back to using avatars and spent time creating an all-new system that offered a far more diverse range of options and deeper customisation. This included support for prosthetics, wheelchairs and gender neutral clothing, plus colour combinations for that can stretch to "almost eighty octillion", Microsoft said at the time.

"Microsoft is dedicated to delivering great experiences for players, including a variety of options to personalise their gaming experience with Xbox," Microsoft said in a statement now. "Due to low engagement and our shift in focus towards delivering other player experiences, the Xbox Avatar Editor app will no longer be available starting on 9th January, 2025.

"Players can still personalise their gaming experience with dynamic backgrounds and profile colours on Xbox consoles, and with Xbox Original Avatars, profile themes, and gamerpics on Xbox consoles and PCs."