How to View How Many Hours Played on the Xbox One

PlayStation’s main competitor console, Xbox One, is a tremendously popular, powerful device that has been around since late 2013. Although it was released six years ago, it still remains at the top of the gaming console food chain, neck-and-neck with PlayStation 4.

However, like any other device, it does come with its own downsides, primarily the lack of transparency regarding certain features. For instance, seeing how many hours you’ve spent playing a particular game isn’t as apparent as many would like it to be.

Why This Is the Case?

Although one could argue that the lack of an ‘hours played’ option is just happenstance, there’s a bit more to it than that. After six years on the market, Microsoft would’ve solved it, otherwise.

The main thing about gaming consoles and video games, in general, is the aspect of getting hooked on playing them. With teens and tweens as main target groups, Microsoft knows that this may deter worried parents from purchasing video games for their children. This is, most likely, the main reason you can’t find out for how long you’ve been playing a particular game on your Xbox One.

Although this might be frowned upon, you can’t blame Microsoft for trying to sell more consoles, especially with PlayStation as their main competitor. Video games might be addictive but this addiction isn’t really a dangerous one. All it essentially boils down to is consciously limiting your playtime. Plus, there actually is a way to see how many hours you’ve played an individual game for.

Hours of Playtime

There are a lot of reasons why you’d want to know about your playtime. For one, you can get a more in-depth look at how much time you’ve ‘wasted’ on a video game (although this perhaps shouldn’t be considered wasted time).

With video gaming becoming an actual sport and with many people actually practicing playing video games, you may want to be able to see how many hours you’ve spent playing a particular game. This can also help you plan your time better and come up with a practice schedule.

Alternatively, you may just want to compare your playtime with other people, so here’s how to actually do it.

Turn on your Xbox One and the dedicated TV/monitor that you’re using. Go to the list of installed games and find the one that you want to learn more about (regarding your playtime). Another way to go is by using the Apps and My Games menus. Highlight the icon of the game in question and locate the hamburger menu button on your Xbox One controller. This will bring up the App menu.

Now, tap Go to Official Club. On the next screen, navigate to the Progress tab by scrolling left/right. This will land you on the Achievements tab. If you scroll down, you’ll see the Stats tab. Select it. This tab will display how many hours you’ve played the game that you’ve highlighted and also other cool statistics that you may find interesting. If you select Compare with Friends¸ you’ll get to compare your playtime with your friends and online acquaintances.

Follow these exact steps for any game on your Xbox One and you’ll be able to access all these stats.

Checking Your Playtime

Although it isn’t easy-to-access and completely straightforward, there’s a way you can find out how much time you’re spending on any game on your Xbox. Whatever the reason for you wanting to know, this is how you can go about it. Keep in mind, hours played is an important statistic for a variety of reasons.

Have you managed to find the hours played statistics? Why were you looking for it? What other statistics do you find interesting and useful? Hit the comments section with any thoughts, questions, and tips regarding Xbox One.