Is It Worth Keeping The Box Your Xbox Came In?

After cracking open the packaging for a new Xbox and setting up your new console, you may find yourself caught in the dilemma of deciding what to do with the now-empty box. PlayStation 5 users have assuredly run into the same problem. While it may sometimes be unnecessary for owners to hang on to their boxes, there also can be benefits from doing so–and not just to turn them into cat houses or forts for kids.

Though some old Xbox Series X/S boxes may be doomed to rot in a closet or attic for eternity after being opened and saved, there are moments in which you may thank yourself for keeping them. Whether you're moving to a new home or often take your Xbox on the road, some Reddit users argued nothing makes a better, more size-appropriate container to keep your console in than the box it arrived in. "I travel home to see my parents annually for like a week and a half to two weeks at Christmas," one user wrote. "[The boxes] come in very handy to transport it in my car lol."

Resale value is another major reason it could be worth keeping the box your Xbox came in. Some Reddit users and game collectors argued the packaging is a crucial element of any console collection. "'Complete-in-Box' is a key term for a reason," one Redditor wrote. "The box is an inseparable part of any item that may be considered collectible. People will want the boxes, and you will eventually feel the sting of regret if you get rid of or lose them." Thus, if you know you'll one day part with your Xbox to move on to the next console generation, you'd probably make more of your money back if you had the box to sell it in.

If you've no plans to ever move on from your Xbox after you've purchased it, clinging on to its packaging can be a waste of space. It's also arguable latching on to your Xbox box merely for nostalgia, emotions, or fascination with its design could be a sign of hoarding. Sony once even shared a cheeky message reminding gamers that parting with boxes can be a healthy habit. "PSA it's OK to throw away the cardboard box your PlayStation came in now," the company wrote in a May 2023 X, formerly known as Twitter, post.

An unneeded cardboard box is better off finding a new home in the nearest recycling bin. That way, it can be out of sight and out of mind, rather than inhabiting space it doesn't need to exist in. If you've no intentions to get rid of it, yet are not going to keep your Xbox in it, either, there is, of course, the option to repurpose it, whether it be to hold other objects, like maybe your controllers or indoor security cameras, or to convert it into material for arts and crafts, or even to serve as a cost-effective way to fight weeds in a raised garden bed.