Microsoft’s massive Azure outage sent shockwaves through the gaming and tech worlds overnight
A major Microsoft Azure outage left millions of users offline overnight, with Xbox Live, Minecraft, and a range of business services caught in the fallout.
The disruption, which began late Wednesday (AEDT), stemmed from a configuration error that rippled across Microsoft’s global cloud network, taking down everything from gaming platforms to airline websites.
For gamers, the effects were immediate — Xbox sign-ins failed, multiplayer sessions froze, and Minecraft servers went dark. Even major companies running on Azure infrastructure, including Alaska Airlines, reported service interruptions.
Microsoft says it has since rolled out a fix, restoring traffic through its Azure Front Door network and gradually bringing systems back online. While most services appear to be stabilising, the company has warned that some users may still experience intermittent issues as recovery continues.
As of Thursday morning, Xbox and Minecraft access is largely back, but Microsoft’s engineers are still monitoring the situation to prevent further disruption.
