Xbox still does not provide official support to many European countries and players do not understand why

Users report they cannot buy digital content legally despite living in the EU.

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The situation has once again put Xbox in the spotlight for a decision that, for many players, is incomprehensible in 2025. In countries like Latvia, community members claim that it’s impossible to set up the console in their region or buy digital content legally, forcing them to resort to changing countries, fake addresses, or simply giving up on the purchase.

The case has gained momentum after a highly commented thread on Reddit, where a Latvian user explains that they can buy without issues on the Microsoft Store, but not on Xbox, which contrasts with services like Netflix or PlayStation, fully operational in the country. The paradox is evident: there’s infrastructure, there’s connectivity, and the market belongs to the European Union, but the blockade remains.

Xbox and the Regional Support Dilemma in Europe

Part of the community argues that providing official support to a country is not “free money”, as it involves complying with local laws, taxation, consumer regulation, and customer support. According to several comments, Xbox doesn’t reach a sufficient market share in many small territories to justify that investment, especially now that Microsoft demands higher profit margins from its gaming division.

Other players point out that this lack of support is precisely one of the reasons why Xbox never takes off in those countries. Consoles are available in stores, players are willing to pay, and there’s an attractive catalog, but with an artificial barrier that pushes many directly towards PlayStation, Nintendo, or PC. “We’re not even asking for support in Latvian, English is enough,” some users comment, highlighting that the problem is not the language, but the commercial blockade.

The most repeated criticism points to a clear contradiction: Xbox talks about reaching billions of players, but continues to operate as if only a few priority markets exist. Meanwhile, in countries like Latvia, Estonia, or Lithuania, there are players, there’s purchasing power, and there are consoles, but no fully functional digital store. And each year that passes without changes, that distance from the competition becomes increasingly difficult to bridge.