What is Xbox Play Anywhere?

Microsoft are bringing out their latest update to their gaming platforms that lets you games across both the Xbox One and PC, although only if you are running Windows 10. So what is it, what does it allow you to do and what games can you play. For the current (short) list of announced games see below, but first lets see what it can do for you.

What is it?

So 'Play Anywhere' is a little enthusiastically named but it basically a cross platform system for playing and purchasing games on both the Xbox and Windows 10 pc systems. Allowing you to buy a games once but download and play it on both the xbox one and your compatible PC. Which should give you more options for gaming and

The games will all be playable on the Xbox One, but for PC gaming you will need to be running windows 10. In both cases you need to make sure you are running the latest updates including the recent Anniversary Update on Windows 10.

The games themselves must be purchased as digital downloads from an online store. Principally the Xbox Store, and in the Windows Store, which unfortunately ties you into their pricing structure. However it should be possibly to purchase the codes for the game downloads from third parties which may save some cash.

What are the benefits?

If you game across both platforms then the benefits here are great.

Having bought only one copy of a game you can download it on both with no extra cost.

Your progress though the game is saved online so you can move between the pc and the xbox and continue where you left off.

Achievement progress will also tracked across the devices.

Any DLC for the game will also be available on both systems for a single purchase.

.. and Multiplayer?

Most importantly the system will include the cross platform multiplayer support, meaning that you can play the games with friends no matter which device they are choosing to play on.

Restrictions?

Well yes of course to stop this system being abused you will only be able to play the purchase game on one device at a time. So while you can download the game on both devices it will only run on one at a time.

There are not yet many games on the horizon that will support this system, but we hope that this list will grow much faster in the future.

Upcoming Xbox Play Anywhere games

ReCore

Gears of War 4

Forza Horizon 3

Sea of Thieves

Halo Wars 2

Scalebound

Killer Instinct Season 3

State of Decay 2

Ark: Survival Evolved

Dead Rising 4

Cuphead

We Happy Few

Crackdown 3