Xbox Play Anywhere lets you play select games across Xbox One and Windows 10

E3 2016: Microsoft’s new cross-platform play initiative that was announced today during its E3 2016 press conference, Xbox Play Anywhere, will allow gamers to buy supported games such as Gears of War 4 once, and own and play them on both Xbox One and Windows 10.

A single purchase will net buyers a copy on both platforms, and whether they play on Xbox One or PC, the game will track their progress and achievements. In addition, Xbox Play Anywhere will offer cross-platform multiplayer gaming across Windows 10 and PC.

Gears of War 4 will support cross-play in its campaign and Horde modes; competitive multiplayer, however, will be excluded. This is to avoid situations where keyboard/mouse players might take advantage of their Xbox One counterparts who use a control-pad instead.

Microsoft’s goal with Play Anywhere is to bring the PC approach to consoles, treating all Xbox One games and systems the same: they will work no matter which iteration of the hardware you own (e.g, Xbox One versus Xbox 360). For instance, the next Halo certainly will look better if you have Project Scorpio and a new 4K television to take advantage of all its capabilities, but it will still work on your current machine.

Not every Xbox game will be capable of cross-platform syncing for some time, but the majority of upcoming first-party games by Microsoft will support it. That includes flagship titles like ReCore, Forza Horizon 3, and Halo Wars 2.

UPDATE: Confirmed Xbox Play Anywhere compatible games

• Gears of War 4
• Dead Rising 4
• Sea of Thieves
• Forza Horizon 3
• Scalebound
• State of Decay 2
• Halo Wars 2
• ReCore
• Crackdown 3