Fantasy, well-rounded combat, and an open-world filled with mystical joy launched on Xbox, PlayStation, and Windows PC a little over two and a half years ago in February of 2023. Hogwarts Legacy, by all accounts, was a massive hit with gamers worldwide.
Now, 2 years and 7 months later, Hogwarts Legacy is making another massive splash with support for Xbox Play Anywhere. That’s huge.
First of all, what is Xbox Play Anywhere? According to Microsoft:
“When you own a digital game that supports Xbox Play Anywhere through the Xbox Store or the Windows Store, it’s yours to play on your Xbox console, Windows 10/11 PC, and supported gaming handheld at no additional cost.”
I know many people will claim, “So what, you can play the game on PC already?” Which is true, but now I don’t have to spend another dime to do so.
Years ago, when I first played Hogwarts Legacy, I made the decision to go with a copy on Xbox for achievement support. Something I’ve since dropped in favor of gaming mainly on Windows PC.
While I still play on Xbox, I’ve played a ton more on PC, especially through the Xbox app with Game Pass and other titles like Final Fantasy XVI (Which I just picked up on sale). Seeing something like Hogwarts Legacy getting Play Anywhere support means I’ll be able to immediately download it and revisit the game I once adored.
While there are over 1300 games available on the Xbox Play Anywhere program, it’s only been recently that big-name games have been regularly getting support for the service. Titles like Silent Hill F and Hollow Knight: Silksong have been the exception, not the norm.
With the addition of Hogwarts Legacy, this demonstrates Microsoft and Xbox’s motivation to elevate the service to new heights, featuring both new and older titles. Additionally, this could also lead to Game Pass deals on older games.
One such title I played some years ago was the original Kingdom Come: Deliverance. I purchased the Royal Edition through the Xbox PC app when it went on sale, but was never able to play on Xbox simultaneously since the service only provided the license for the PC version.
With the extra focus on Play Anywhere, I’ve seen more and more of these games added post-release also come with Xbox Play Anywhere support. Something that seemingly wasn’t happening for any post-release game these past few years.
Even better, if the rumored next-gen Xbox does, in fact, support sideloading Steam and essentially acts as a Windows PC, Xbox Play Anywhere will be supported by default.
All of this support comes just a few short weeks ahead of the fabled ROG Xbox Ally launch on October 16, 2025. The gaming handheld that’s making news headlines for being highly priced, yet sold out at multiple retailers.
Even with the price tag, I’m having a hard time not pulling the trigger on the device, given how much I enjoy gaming from the comfort of my couch or bed. Sure, I own a gaming laptop, but sometimes I just want a compact, handheld device with enough power to play the majority of my Windows PC games.
I imagine that with Microsoft’s heavy investment in the handheld market, at least through third-party hardware manufacturers, we’ll see even more games coming. Not just before launch, but hopefully after, if the attachment rate for the handheld market continues on this latest upward trend.
Even if it isn’t, it would be in Microsoft and Xbox’s best interests to continue its ongoing support of the program they pledged resources to back in June of this year. Xbox Play Anywhere was a mainstay during their June showcase that many of us didn’t see coming in such a significant way.
I expect to see an even greater increase in the number of games the service supports throughout the holiday season and well into 2026.
As for the service, my only complaint with Play Anywhere is the occasional slowness of save uploads, which is also something I occasionally struggle with on Steam.
Every so often, I’ll jump on my Xbox after having played a session on PC, usually so I can just play on my bedroom TV, only for it to yell at me for having out-of-sync save files. To fix it, I have to boot up my PC again and wait for it to upload the save for it to work on my Xbox.
I experience the same issue with Steam as well. This past weekend, I began reviewing Dying Light: The Beast, only to discover that the save data on my laptop was not accessible from my desktop Windows. It’s unfortunate that Dying Light: The Beast doesn’t have Xbox Play Anywhere.
Having to go back and forth and boot these machines up is a pain. I suppose I should wait a couple of minutes before cycling my Xbox or PC off in the future. Yes, I’m one of those psychos who turn their console off entirely—no sleep mode for me.
I guess, at the end of the day, I can still love the idea of owning the game everywhere I play, problems be damned. Who in their right mind doesn’t like an additional, free license with their video games?
What about you? Are you excited to see games like Hogwarts Legacy get support for the Xbox Play Anywhere program? Let us know below in the comments, or on social media.
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