In September this year, Microsoft’s Play Anywhere launches on Xbox One and PC. Buy any Xbox One game digitally, and you’ll get the PC version of the same game gratis, added to your linked Windows 10 account.
You’ll have to download and install updates for both your Windows 10 PC and Xbox One to take part of the program.
“The Windows 10 Anniversary Update and the related Xbox update coming this summer to enable the Windows Store on Windows 10 and Xbox One to support Xbox Play Anywhere games,” a Microsoft spokesperson told Polygon. “Then, beginning with the launch of ReCore this fall and continuing with Forza Horizon 3, Gears of War 4, Halo Wars 2 and others, when you digitally purchase a game that supports Xbox Play Anywhere, you have access to the game on both Xbox One and Windows 10 PCs for one price and your progress, game saves and achievements are shared seamlessly across both platforms.”
Here’s a list of all of the games confirmed to be hitting the service:
- Gears of War 4
- Forza Horizon 3
- ReCore
- Sea of Thieves
- Halo Wars 2
- Scalebound
- Killer Instinct Season 3
- State of Decay 2
- Ark: Survival Evolved
- Cuphead
- We Happy Few
- Crackdown 3
That said, every game published by Microsoft’s Game Studios will benefit from Play Anywhere in the future.
“With the Xbox Play Anywhere program, you can buy a game once and play on your Windows 10 PC and Xbox One with shared progress, shared game saves and shared achievements,” Windows & Devices Group CVP Yusuf Mehdi said. “Every new title published from Microsoft Studios will support Xbox Play Anywhere and will be easily accessible in the Windows Store.”
While many feel that this move makes owning an Xbox redundant, I feel it’s a smart play to turn the Xbox platform in to something that transcends hardware.
Last Updated: July 4, 2016
Uberutang
July 4, 2016 at 14:35
Funny coz this convinced me to get a XBOX over a PS4 (Have PC already).
Fox1 - Retro
July 4, 2016 at 15:50
The Xbox at it’s current state is evenly poised with a medium spec’d gaming PC. DX12 has brought in a much needed performance boost.
Ghost In The Rift
July 4, 2016 at 14:42
Smart move by Microsoft but still not gonna help a gamer like me with a capped internet link.
Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0
July 4, 2016 at 14:44
Cuphead on PC? Thanks MS!
Viking Of Science
July 4, 2016 at 15:26
Don’t Give in, The Windows store is hot garbage….
Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0
July 4, 2016 at 16:15
But I don’t own a 180 box 🙁
The Order of the Banana
July 4, 2016 at 14:44
Yay! Now I can get rid of my boner… WOHOOO! Thank you Microsoft, the damn thing is so huge it takes up a whole room.
Greylingad[He Charges!]
July 4, 2016 at 14:50
You should maybe have that looked at…Oh, you mean…
Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0
July 4, 2016 at 14:53
It takes so much room Trump is gonna use them as a foundation for his wall.
The Order of the Banana
July 4, 2016 at 15:00
If you stack two of them opposite each other all you need is a roof, and you have an instant bus stop. Sadly, if you put 4 of them next to each other, their combined size is enough to create a gravity well… 😮
Pieter Kruger
July 4, 2016 at 14:47
F A N T A S T I C ! ????????????
Greylingad[He Charges!]
July 4, 2016 at 14:56
So you have to download the game twice essentially, so for instance, the PC version of Quuuuvaaaantuuuuum Break was a 40GB download, excluding the damned patch the thing later had, which didn’t help much other than ad an exit button to the main menu, which also tallied in at 21 GB. This excludes the bloody live series thing, which also doesn’t change much when you select the different things in game…”This space was reserved for lots of ranting, yada-ya-ing and more blah-ing”…
TL;DR: I hate that store…
Fox1 - Retro
July 4, 2016 at 15:48
The series add-on for QB is 75gb.
Greylingad[He Charges!]
July 4, 2016 at 15:56
Yup! Which is why I tend to skip the series bit…
Ottokie
July 4, 2016 at 14:56
But will this actually work with SA’s caveman internet speed standards?
darthza
July 4, 2016 at 15:37
This is awesome. Now when I’m chilling in bed can play on console, then when at PC can carry on playing there with pic friends. I like that MS is giving us the option to play like we want and not punishing us for making one choice over another.
Fox1 - Retro
July 4, 2016 at 15:51
R6k for a RX480 or R6,7k for an Xbox One Elite plus Elite controller.
Captain JJ off track
July 4, 2016 at 15:53
This still means using the Windows Store if you’re a pc gamer
So no thanks. Keep the games.
Jan Chlupacek
July 4, 2016 at 17:21
They are ditching Win7 hard. This makes me think about actually buying Win10 to be able to dual boot. I am so scared to make Win 10 my main. I tried to do the dual boot already, but that screwed up my hd’s lettering, which made this even more scary for me. Thoughts?