Xbox Play Anywhere: What One Digital Purchase Includes

Find the badge on the edition you want

Xbox Play Anywhere gives an eligible digital purchase access on supported Xbox consoles and Windows PCs. Microsoft also lists supported Windows 11 handhelds. Look for the Xbox Play Anywhere badge on the product page and check the listed devices for that edition.

An eligible purchase can come from the Xbox or Windows store, or through a digital code from a participating retailer. The program applies to digital copies. If you have a disc, check your digital library for an eligible copy before expecting the game to appear on your PC.

Use the same Microsoft account on both devices

The US Xbox Store lists the Xbox Play Anywhere badge for Avowed Standard Edition, along with Xbox Series X|S and PC support. Obsidian's launch announcement confirms that a qualifying purchase carries progress and achievements between the Xbox and Windows versions.

Suppose you finish a quest on your Xbox and want to continue from a Windows PC. Open the Xbox app using the Microsoft account that owns the game. Check your library for the installation and look for that quest's progress when you launch it.

Finish one session before opening the next

Microsoft limits sign-in to the same Play Anywhere game to one device at a time. If you want to move Avowed from the console to the PC, save your progress and exit the game on the console before opening it on the PC.

Use something easy to recognize when you check the save, such as the last quest you finished. If the expected progress is missing, check the account and the game edition on both devices before making a second purchase or starting over.

Forza Horizon 6 has two PC purchase routes

Playground Games documents Xbox Play Anywhere for the digital Xbox and Microsoft Store copies of Forza Horizon 6. Steam sells its own copy. The developer also documents cross-save between Xbox, the Xbox version on PC and Steam.

The Steam listing requires a linked Xbox account. A driver with access to both versions can use the same account to continue their progress. Access to the Steam copy still comes from Steam. Check which library holds the copy you plan to install.

Check what your edition includes before looking for add-ons

The US Xbox Store lists the base game in Forza Horizon 6 Standard Edition and includes Car Pass in Deluxe. Playground Games says DLC entitlements carry between Xbox and the Microsoft Store version on Windows under Play Anywhere.

Imagine owning Deluxe on Xbox and opening the game through the Xbox app on PC. The Car Pass entitlement can come with that purchase. The Steam store lists its own editions and Car Pass. Check your Steam entitlements if you play there.

Check the PC before starting the download

Access in your library tells you which copy you can install. Open the system requirements for that copy before setting aside time to play. The Steam listing for Forza Horizon 6, for example, specifies an SSD for installation.

If you plan to finish on Xbox and pick up the game on PC, check the PC requirements and complete the installation ahead of the switch. Then you can spend the next session continuing your game instead of waiting for a download.

Keep exploring

FOLLOW THE SOURCE

Sources & further reading

Have a correction? Tell our editorial team.

✦ NICE. YOU LEARNED SOMETHING.