Xbox Play Anywhere will arrive this autumn.

Microsoft has announced a launch date for its new Xbox Play Anywhere service that will allow you to buy a single version of a participating digital game as a single purchase and then play it on both an Xbox One and a Windows 10 PC. For more details about this service, including how it works, which titles support it, and its official release date, Pocket-lint has explained everything you need to know and more.

What is Xbox Play Anywhere?

Microsoft introduced its new Xbox service, called Xbox Play Anywhere, at E3 2016. The service basically allows you to purchase a participating game (aka an "Xbox Play Anywhere" digital game), then play it on both an Xbox One and a Windows 10 PC at no additional cost. That means, with a single purchase, the game will be unlocked across both platforms. Also, your progress - including saves, achievements, add-ons, season passes, consumables, and in-game unlocks - will transfer across both platforms, so you can pick up where you left off.

How does Xbox Play Anywhere work?

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Microsoft

Participating games will be marked on Xbox's website, the Xbox Store, and the Windows Store with the Xbox Play Anywhere icon. You can also go to the Xbox Play Anywhere site (coming soon) to see a full list of games. Once you buy one of these titles, it’s yours to play on both an Xbox One and a Windows 10 PC. However, you will need to install the Windows 10 Anniversary Edition update on your PC, as well as the latest update on your Xbox One console. From there, simply log into your Xbox Live/Microsoft account, and your Xbox Play Anywhere games will be available to download.

You can only sign into an Xbox Play Anywhere digital game on one Xbox One console or one Windows 10 PC. You cannot be signed into the same game on both an Xbox One console and a Windows 10 PC at the same time.

What are some Xbox Play Anywhere games?

Xbox Play Anywhere only applies to digital games. Here's an initial list of confirmed titles:

  • Gears of War 4
  • Phantom Dust
  • Killer Instinct: Seasons 1, 2 and 3
  • Forza Horizon 3
  • ReCore
  • Cuphead
  • Slime Rancher
  • The Culling
  • Everspace
  • ARK: Survival Evolved
  • Sea of Thieves
  • Scalebound
  • State of Decay 2
  • Halo Wars 2
  • We Happy Few
  • Crackdown 3

When will Xbox Play Anywhere be available?

Xbox Play Anywhere will go live 13 September 2016, starting with the game ReCore, which is released that day. The service requires that you have the Windows 10 Anniversary Edition update on your PC, which releases 2 August, and the summer update on your Xbox One console. It only supports the download version of the game, not the disc.

Want to know more?

Check out Microsoft's website for more details.