Xbox One Error: Game Took Too Long To Start

You can install all sorts of games and apps on your Xbox One, but unfortunately, certain errors can occur while starting those apps and games.

Users reported that some games took too long to start on their Xbox One console, and since this error can prevent you from playing them, today we’re going to show you how to fix it.

How to fix the game took too long to start on Xbox One?

1. Check the status of Xbox Live services

If you’re waiting an eternity and the game takes too long to start while trying to play on Xbox One, we advise you to check the status of Xbox Live services.

Some apps and games rely on Xbox Live in order to work properly, and if there’s an issue with Xbox Live services you might encounter this problem.

To check the status of Xbox Live services, simply visit the Xbox website and check if Xbox Live Core Services are running. If those services aren’t running, you’ll encounter this and many other Xbox errors.

Unfortunately, there’s not much that you can do in this situation, and you can only wait until Microsoft fixes the issue.

If your Xbox games and apps won’t open, this useful guide will certainly help you solve the problem.

2. Start the app again

According to users, sometimes you might be able to fix this problem simply by trying to start the app again. Before trying this be sure to stop the app first. To stop an app, do the following:

1. Go to Home screen by pressing the Xbox button.
2. Highlight the problematic app and press the Menu button.
3. Select Quit.

Wait for 10 seconds or more, and try to start the same app again.

3. Restart your console

According to users, Took too long to start error can occur due to problems with your cache.

Xbox One stores all sorts of temporary files in your cache, and those files should help you start your apps faster, but sometimes certain files in your cache can get corrupted and cause this and many other errors to appear.

Fortunately, you can easily fix these types of errors simply by restarting your console. To do that, follow these steps:

1. Scroll left on the Home screen to open the Guide.
2. Select Settings.
3. Choose Restart console option.
4. Select Yes to confirm.

Alternatively, you can restart your console by holding the power button for 10 seconds until your console turns off. After the console turns off, press the power button to turn it back on again.

After restarting the console and clearing the cache check if the problem is resolved. Some users reported that you need to restart your console a few times before this error is fixed, so be sure to try that.

Few users are advising to unplug the power cable from your console once you turn it off and keep it unplugged for a minute or two. After that, connect the power cable again and wait until the light on power brick goes from white to orange.

Now press the power button on your console and your cache will be cleared and this problem should be resolved.

4. Change your region settings

Few users reported that you can fix Took too long to start error on your Xbox One simply by changing the region on your console. Apparently, you should be able to fix this problem simply by setting your region to USA on your console.

To do that on Xbox One, you need to follow these steps:

1. Make sure that you’re signed in to your Xbox One.
2. Scroll left on the Home screen to open the Guide.
3. Select Settings > All Settings.
4. Choose System > Language & location.
5. Now choose a new location from the list and select Restart now option.

After your console restarts check if the problem is resolved. In addition, some users are recommending that you change your region once again after your console restarts.

Although changing your region is simple, there are few limitations that you should know about. You can change your region once every three months, so keep that in mind.

Also, you won’t be able to change your region if your account is currently suspended for any reason. Lastly, you can’t change your region if you have a balance due on your Xbox Live subscription.

Keep in mind that some services might not be available in certain regions, therefore be sure to choose your region carefully.

You should also know that money on your Microsoft account won’t be moved when you change your region, therefore we recommend that you spend it before changing the region. Keep in mind that this isn’t a universal solution since it works only for some regions.

5. Try installing apps and games on your internal hard drive

Few users reported that this issue occurs only if they try to run their games and apps from an external hard drive.

Using the external hard drive with your Xbox One is a great way to preserve space, but unfortunately, sometimes your external hard drive could be the main cause for this error.

To fix this problem you can try installing your applications and games to the internal hard drive and check if that solves the problem.

6. Remove the problematic game and your Xbox account

According to users, sometimes your installation might be corrupted and that can prevent applications from loading properly. To fix Took too long to start error, you need to remove the problematic game from your system.

Keep in mind that even if you remove the game from your system along with its files, you should be able to download them again, and all your files, including saved games, will be downloaded again, so you won’t lose any progress.

To uninstall a game, follow these steps:

1. Make sure that there is no disc in the disc tray.
2. On the Main screen, go to My Games & Apps.
3. Select the problematic game, and press the Menu button. Choose Manage game from the menu.
4. Select the game again, press the Menu button and select Uninstall.
5. If you have Saved data or Reserved data for this game, be sure to remove it as well.

After uninstalling the game and all of its data, you need to remove your Xbox profile. Sometimes your Xbox profile might be corrupted and that can cause Took too long to start error message to appear. To remove your Xbox profile, do the following:

1. Scroll left on the Home screen and choose Settings > All Settings.
2. Select Remove accounts.
3. Select the problematic account and choose Remove. Sometimes you need to remove the problematic account few times before it’s completely removed from your system, so be sure to do that.
4. Keep repeating the previous step until the problematic account is removed from your console.

After that, restart your console by following these steps:

1. Open the Settings menu and choose Power & startup.
2. Select Turn off or restart.
3. Now select Restart now and choose Yes.

Now you need to re-download your Xbox profile. To do that, follow these steps:

1. On the Home screen scroll left.
2. On the Sign in tab you should see the list of all available users. Scroll all the way down and choose Add & manage.
3. Now select Add new option.
4. Now you need to enter your Microsoft account login information.
5. After your profile is downloaded, be sure to sign in to it.

Lastly, you need to reinstall the problematic game or application. To do that, do the following:

1. Go to My Games & Apps.
2. Scroll all the way to the right and you’ll see Ready to Install section.
3. You should see the game that you removed at the beginning of this solution in the Ready to Install section. Simply select the game and wait until it downloads again.
4. After the game is downloaded, try to start it again.

Some users reported that they were able to fix this problem simply by uninstalling and reinstalling the problematic game, so you might not have to remove your profile.

Other users reported that clearing the Reserved space fixed the problem for them, so you might want to try that before you uninstall the game.

7. Restore factory defaults

Sometimes a bad update or corrupted files can cause Took too long to start error message to appear on your Xbox One. According to users, you can fix this problem simply by resetting your console to factory defaults.

Keep in mind that resetting your console can delete all your files and games, so you might want to back them up. To reset your console to factory defaults, do the following:

1. Scroll left on the Home screen to open the Guide.
2. Choose Settings > All Settings.
3. Now select System.
4. Go to Console info & updates.
5. Select Reset console.
6. You should see two options available: Reset and remove everything and Reset and keep my games & apps. We suggest using the latter in order to reset your console and delete the corrupted files without affecting your games and apps.
7. By using this option you won’t have to download all your games and you’ll be able to continue where you left off. Unfortunately, sometimes this option doesn’t fix the issue, and if that’s the case you’ll have to use Reset and remove everything option.

You can also restore factory defaults by using a USB flash drive. If your Xbox One isn’t responding or if you can’t access Settings, you can perform a factory reset by following these steps:

1. Download Restore Factory Defaults files.
2. Connect an empty USB flash drive to your computer.
3. Factory reset files will be stored in a zip archive. Extract them.
4. Move the $SystemUpdate file to the root directory of your USB flash drive.
5. Disconnect the USB flash drive from your console.

Now you need to perform the reset on your Xbox One by following these steps:

1. Unplug the network cable from your console if you’re using a wired network connection.
2. Turn off your console and unplug the power cord.
3. Wait for 30 seconds or more and plug in the power cord again.
4. Connect the USB flash drive with your console.
5. Press and hold the BIND button on the left side of the console and the EJECT button on the front side of the console. Now press the Xbox button on the console.
6. Keep holding BIND and EJECT buttons for 15 sections.
7. If you were successful you should hear two power-up sounds.
8. After you hear two power-up sounds you can release BIND and EJECT buttons.
9. You should now see instructions on the screen that will guide you through the reset process.

Keep in mind that it might take several minutes for the console to restart. During the restart process you can connect your Ethernet cable to the console.

It’s crucial that you hear two power-up sounds in Step 7 which indicates that the USB flash drive is detected and that the file is copied to your console. If you don’t hear two power-up sounds, you might want to repeat the process again.

Once again, resetting your console to factory defaults will remove your files, installed applications and games, therefore it’s crucial that you back up all important files that aren’t synchronized with your Microsoft account.

8. Clear Persistent Storage

According to some users, you might be able to fix this problem simply by clearing the Persistent Storage. Sometimes files in this section can get corrupted and that can lead to Took too long to start error to appear.

To fix this issue it’s recommended that you clear the Persistent Storage by following these steps:

1. Go to Settings > Disc & Blu-ray.
2. Navigate to Persistent Storage and select the Clear Persistent Storage option.

After clearing the Persistent Storage check if the issue is resolved.

9. Clear Alternate MAC address

Your network configuration can interfere with your apps and games, and in order to fix some issues, you might have to clear your Alternate MAC address. To do that, follow these simple steps:

1. Go to Settings.
2. Select Network > Advanced Settings.
3. Choose Alternate MAC Address and then select Clear.
4. After clearing the Alternate MAC Address your console will restart.
5. After your console restarts check if the problem is resolved.

10. Go offline and try to start the game again

Apparently this issue can sometimes appear if you’re connected to the Internet on your Xbox One. One suggested workaround is to go offline on your Xbox One and try to start the game again. To do that, follow these steps:

1. Press the Guide button on your controller.
2. Go to Settings > All Settings.
3. Select Network > Network Settings.
4. Now choose Go Offline option.

After going offline you should be able to start your game without any problems.

Keep in mind that while you’re offline you can’t play multiplayer games or any other games that require constant Internet connection, but you should be able to play single player games without any problems.

This might not be a permanent solution, but it’s a decent workaround, so be sure to try it.

11. Disable Instant-On feature

Instant-On feature is designed to work as a sleep mode for your Xbox One thus allowing you to quickly start your Xbox One and continue playing. It’s a great feature, but some issue with it can occur.

First of all, this feature doesn’t completely turn off your Xbox, which means that your Xbox is still working and using some power.

In addition, users reported a problem with the TV app, and according to them, they are getting Took too long to start error message whenever they try to start the TV app.

The simplest way to fix this issue is to disable Instant-On mode by following these steps:

1. Press the Menu button and go to Settings.
2. Select Power and startup.
3. Now select Power Options and switch from Instant-On mode to Energy-saving mode.

By turning this mode on you should be able to fix Took too long to start error message. Keep in mind that Energy-saving mode will completely turn off your Xbox One in order to preserve electricity.

This will cause your Xbox One to start a bit slower, but the problem should be resolved. If this solution fixes the problem, you can turn on the Instant-On mode again.

12. Stop Xbox from turning off your cable or satellite box

Xbox One works as a multimedia center and allows you to you watch live TV. However, sometimes issues with TV application can occur, and in order to fix them, you need to prevent your Xbox from turning your cable box on or off.

To that, follow these steps:

1. Go to Settings and select TV & OneGuide.
2. Under Power settings you should be able to choose which devices will be affected by Xbox on and Xbox turn off commands.

After disabling your Xbox from turning on and off your cable box, the issue with Took too long to start error and TV app should be resolved completely.

Keep in mind that after making these changes you’ll have to use your remote for cable box.

13. Sign out of your Xbox One profile and start the TV app again

If you’re having Took too long to start error while starting the TV app, you might want to try signing out of your Xbox One profile and starting the TV app again. To do that, follow these steps:

1. Go to the Home screen.
2. Select your gaming profile in the account list section in the top left corner.
3. Select your account and press the A button on your controller.
4. Choose Sign Out option.

After signing out of your profile, try to start the TV app again. You’ll be asked to sign in again so be sure that you do that. After doing that, the application should start without any problems.

Keep in mind that this is just a workaround, so you might have to repeat it every time you want to run TV app on your Xbox One. Of course, you can try this solution with other apps and games that are having this problem.

Took too long to start Xbox One error will prevent you from playing your games, and it can even prevent you from running certain applications.

This error message can be problematic, but you should be able to fix it by restarting your console and clearing the cache. If that doesn’t work, try your hand at any other solution from this article.

If you have any other questions or suggestions, feel free to leave them in the comments section below.