Xbox Play Anywhere is the future of Microsoft's gaming plans when it comes down to Windows 10 and its Xbox gaming consoles. The company is certainly making moves to change the way things are done, but only time will tell if it will all work out as planned.
As proof that Microsoft is serious about Xbox Play Anywhere, we can confirm that the first set of games that falls under the moniker is now available for preorder. Gamers can preorder right now from the Windows Store and Xbox Store, all for the cool price of $60, with only one going for $40.
The games in question are Gears of War 4, Forza Horizon 3, and ReCore. All three games are exclusive to Microsoft, so they won't be showing up on a PlayStation console anytime soon. Gears of War 4 and Forza Horizon 3 are both titles made directly from Microsoft Studios, while ReCore is a game from a third-party.
Now, Xbox Play Anywhere is not just about playing games on all Microsoft platforms. For any supported game that is purchased from the Windows Store, gamers will have the option to download the same game for the Xbox without having to pay a dime.
The same goes for whether or not the game was first purchased from the Xbox Store.
It should be noted that game saves carry over as well. Play the game on your Windows PC, save it and continue playing on the Xbox directly from the previous save point.
With some games, Windows PC and Xbox players can match up in multiplayer matches. For now, this is restricted to co-op multiplayer, and for a good reason. You see, the controller is still not good enough to compete with the mouse and keyboard, so it would be unfair to console players to have them facing off against PC players.
If you're not interested in the above games, worry not, more Xbox Play Anywhere titles are on the horizon. The ones we know of so far are Sea of Thieves, Halo Wars 2 and Scalebound. We expect all Microsoft exclusive titles to support this new initiative. Problem is, only time will tell if third-party developers will follow Microsoft's lead.
We expect Project Scorpio to support Xbox Play Anywhere when it becomes available during the holiday of 2017. We can't be certain in what capacity the Xbox One will continue to support it by then, but we see no reason why anything should change.
