Fix Xbox Error 0x80070102 Game Takes Too Long To Start (2025)

Updated: 11/29/2025

You select a game on your Xbox, see the splash screen for a moment, and then get kicked back to the dashboard with a message saying 0x80070102 or This game took too long to start. It happens more often with online titles or games installed on external drives, and it can ruin a gaming night fast. This error usually means something delayed the launch process too much, such as storage issues, cached data, or Xbox Live problems, but you can usually get things running again without a full reset.

Table of Contents

Method 1: Hard Power Cycle The Xbox And Clear Cache

Reconnect the power cable, turn the console on, and once the dashboard loads, try launching the affected game again. Many players find that games which previously failed now start normally after this deep reboot.

Method 2: Check Storage Health And Move Or Reinstall Games

If the game still refuses to launch quickly enough, uninstall it from the console, restart the Xbox, and reinstall it from your library or the Microsoft Store. Corrupt files from interrupted updates are a common source of launch timeouts, and a clean install removes that uncertainty.

Warning: Uninstalling a game does not normally delete your cloud saves, but double check that cloud sync is enabled before removing anything to avoid losing local only progress.

Method 3: Verify Xbox Live Service Status And Network

If you frequently see launch timeouts in online games, connect your Xbox to the router with an Ethernet cable instead of Wi Fi, and avoid heavy streaming on other devices while playing. A more stable connection reduces handshake delays that can be mistaken for the game taking too long to start.