To enjoy Xbox 360 games on your PC using the Xenia emulator, you’ll need to create your own digital backups of the games you legally own. This process is called “ripping” and involves transferring the game data from your physical discs or console to your computer. This guide explains how to do it responsibly and effectively while staying within legal and ethical guidelines.
Before you begin, make sure you have the following tools and hardware:
A modified Xbox 360 console (RGH or JTAG)
This is required to access and extract game files. Standard retail consoles cannot perform this task due to system restrictions.
Xbox 360 games that you own
Whether on physical disc or installed digitally on your console, only use titles you have legally purchased.
A USB drive or LAN network setup
This will allow you to transfer the game files from your console to your PC.
A PC with adequate storage
Xbox 360 games can range from 6 GB to over 20 GB each.
Homebrew tools installed on your console, such as:
The preferred method for Xenia is to extract the game files into a folder structure that includes a default.xex file. This format ensures maximum compatibility with the emulator.
Install XeXMenu or Freestyle Dashboard on your modded Xbox 360.
Insert your game disc into the console’s drive.
Navigate to the disc using the file manager in XeXMenu or FSD.
Copy the entire game directory (including default.xex) to a USB drive or internal hard drive.
Transfer the copied files from the Xbox 360 to your PC via USB or FTP.
On your PC, you should now have a fully extracted folder of the game, ready to run in Xenia.
Some users may prefer to dump their game discs into ISO format instead of extracting individual files. This method is supported by Xenia but may offer less compatibility depending on the title.
Use a modded Xbox 360 or legacy hardware like a Kreon-flashed DVD drive (rare and outdated) to read Xbox 360 discs.
Utilize homebrew tools such as DVD2XBOX or custom dashboards to create ISO images of your games.
Transfer the ISO to your PC.
In Xenia, simply open the ISO directly via File → Open.
To ensure legal and emulator-compliant use:
Do not download games from unofficial sources.
Xenia is designed to run games you already own. Downloading pre-ripped games is illegal in many jurisdictions and violates emulator guidelines.
PC DVD drives cannot read Xbox 360 discs.
Due to the use of custom security sectors, only certain modded hardware or original consoles can read and dump game content.
Encrypted digital content from Xbox Live is not supported.
Games purchased digitally must be dumped from the original console where they were installed.
Once your game has been successfully ripped:
Open Xenia on your PC.
Click on File → Open.
Navigate to the folder containing the game and select the default.xex file (or the ISO file if applicable).
The game will launch if it’s compatible and the dump is valid.
Ripping your own Xbox 360 games is the recommended way to use Xenia responsibly and legally. Whether you prefer working with extracted folders or ISO files, the key is to use original games you own and trusted tools for the dumping process. With the right setup, you’ll be able to relive your favorite Xbox 360 titles on modern hardware while preserving your game collection for years to come.
