As Play Anywhere takes center stage, the future of Xbox has never been clearer: "Our plan is to keep making amazing games and have them reach as many players as we can"

Xbox is getting serious about Play Anywhere. The initiative has existed in some form for a decade, where a single purchase of a video game carries across to any supported device within the Xbox ecosystem. Despite the clear value proposition, Xbox Play Anywhere has largely been sat in the shadow of Game Pass; more of a curiosity than a centrepiece of the platform. But something has changed.

Speaking at the Xbox Showcase, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer declared that "we're working to make sure you're able to play our games wherever you are, which is why every new game in the show is Xbox Play Anywhere." The importance of this is easily overlooked amongst the excitement of an exceptional 2025 lineup of upcoming Xbox games, and the tease of a pivotal 2026 offering which could include new instalments to the platform's most iconic franchises: Fable, Forza, Halo, and Gears.

But Spencer's statement is a signal towards the future of Xbox – more critical to the expansion of the platform than any Xbox Game Studios exclusive or day-one entrant into Game Pass could ever be. The way we play is rapidly changing, and Play Anywhere could be how Xbox regains its competitive edge in a marketplace increasingly dominated by Nintendo, PlayStation, and Valve.

"The Xbox business is pretty unique to the industry," says Craig Duncan, the head of Xbox Game Studios speaking exclusively with GamesRadar+. "Xbox is a platform. We publish some of the biggest and most-played multiplatform games; we have Cloud Gaming, Game Pass, and Xbox Play Anywhere. Our plan is to keep making amazing games and have them reach as many players as we can, wherever they want to play."

Changing Dynamics

To understand the changing dynamics of Xbox in 2025, you need to accept something: whether you like it or not, it's Microsoft's position that everything is an Xbox now – including whatever device you're using to read this article. The platform holder believes that the Xbox Store, Game Pass, and Cloud Gaming are its primary portals into the ecosystem, and that Xbox Play Anywhere will act as the bridge between them. "Recognising that everybody plays in different ways is just so central to what Xbox is trying to achieve – our vision of how we see gameplay evolving," says Roanne Sones, CVP of gaming devices and ecosystem at Xbox.

There are over 1000 supported Xbox Play Anywhere titles. If you purchase any one of these video games from any Xbox online store, you'll be able to take it (and your progress) with you to any supported device – allowing seamless switching between console, PC, handheld, and cloud. Now if you only exclusively play Xbox games on console or PC, perhaps this feature doesn't appeal to you. But Xbox has anecdotal evidence and hard data to suggest that you may be part of an increasing minority.

"We are really investing in refining the experience of playing your games across multiple devices," says Jason Beaumont, VP of experiences and platforms at Xbox. "What I noticed about my console is that it was just one of a constellation of gaming devices that I use in my house. I'm using my console, my gaming PC, my handheld, and Smart TV apps. I play games everywhere, and I want to be able to pick up my progress and continue that wherever I go."

Beaumont is speaking literally here, with Microsoft investing in a collaboration with ASUS to bring the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X to market later this year – handheld gaming PCs that can play Xbox PC games natively, which is undoubtedly a more attractive way to play Xbox games on the go versus the alternative (entrusting your progression to cloud servers and mobile networks). He's also speaking figuratively, to this belief within Xbox that the state of play is changing.

"Our data shows most console players use two or more devices, and that playing the same game on different devices can be difficult. We also know that the console market growth across generations has slowed," says Duncan. It's why Play Anywhere is the sort of service Xbox is gambling on. Two questions that the company has struggled to answer in the last 12 months are why console players would invest in Xbox over PlayStation when so many of its first-party titles are going multiplatform, and why PC players would purchase games through the Xbox app on Windows when Steam is right there.

Here's Duncan's perspective on it: "When you make pro-consumer decisions, you're going to create a strong business now and into the future. We want our game franchises to be as big as possible, while making Xbox the best place to play these games. And our strategy of reaching as many players as we can, anywhere they are, while making it seamless to buy a game once and have it playable across devices is good for everyone."

Perhaps Play Anywhere is the answer to both questions, then. A single purchase empowered with cross-progression and cross-entitlement. One which then lets you shift from playing online with friends on console, unlocking achievements on PC, and pick up your play on the move through handheld or mobile devices – your progress, community, and library right there with you. It's a compelling concept, particularly if Spencer's assertion that there's "28% growth in players playing our games on multiple devices, year over year" is evidence of changing consumer trends.

Strong Support

One way to look at this is that Xbox is taking proactive steps to meet players. Another is that this shift in strategy is the result of another generation cycle spent in last place – PlayStation recently announced that it has no plans to change its strategy or platform initiatives. Regardless, it's difficult to begrudge Microsoft for wanting to get ahead of a trend rather than be caught following it. The question, of course, is what incentive developers have for supporting something like Xbox Play Anywhere – a service that only works if players are aware that it exists, and if more games are willing to support it.

Marcus Morgan, executive producer of Grounded 2, tells me that the executives leading the Xbox division "always talk about Xbox in a way of the platform trying to connect to gamers across the globe – no matter who they are, no matter what they want to play. I think that is such a great and ambitious target." That's a sentiment echoed by Brandon Adler, game director of The Outer Worlds 2: "Anything that encourages more people to play my games I'm always going to love… It's why something like the Play Anywhere initiative is great, because it invites more people to play."

Much like Game Pass, it was always going to be down to the first-party developers within the Xbox Game Studios network to really drive something like Xbox Play Anywhere forward. But unlike Microsoft's premium subscription service, I get the feeling that Play Anywhere can only truly succeed as a system seller – a platform incentive that could court players away from PS5 and Steam – if it receives wide adoption from third-party studios.

Speaking with Anil Glendinning, creative director of There Are No Ghosts at the Grand, one of the breakout reveals from the Xbox Showcase, tells me that Play Anywhere support "felt like a natural fit" for Friday Sundae's debut game. "We've always believed that players should be able to pick up where they left off, regardless of the screen in front of them – it's something that aligns perfectly with the game's structure."

"One moment you're redecorating haunted rooms in a British seaside hotel on your console, the next you're unravelling supernatural mysteries on your handheld. That flexibility just made sense," says Glendinning. "When considering Play Anywhere, the main questions we asked were: will this improve the experience for players? Can we deliver parity across platforms? And does it support the kind of seamless immersion we're aiming for? In all cases, the answer was yes."

Of the two dozen independent developers and publishers I've spoken with in recent weeks, I'm told that building Play Anywhere support into upcoming projects is relatively simple (as much as anything in the game development process could be considered simple). A three step process which involves joining the ID@Xbox program, implementing cross-progression, and cross-entitlement. Although the general sentiment between this group was that aligning entitlements (which is to say, each device seamlessly registering that a single purchase should be accessible for a player) can be a 'living nightmare' for teams unfamiliar with the process, and that Xbox's support could be stronger.

Some developers are taking a proactive approach to ensure its future titles are Play Anywhere ready. Rebellion is one prominent independent studio putting its weight behind the service – including 2025's Atomfall. "At Rebellion, we are keen for as many players as possible to enjoy our games, and Xbox Play Anywhere is a great way to help achieve this goal," says Ben Fisher, head of design at Rebellion. "Specifically, we create games using our own in-house engine, Asura, that has support for Xbox Play Anywhere built in. So, it is very straightforward for our teams to ensure that our titles are compatible for Play Anywhere, as well as support Xbox cloud ecosystem and optimise for Game Pass. The Asura engine also scales nicely for PC-based handhelds, which gives us more options beyond streaming and, alongside Xbox Play Anywhere, gives players a wide choice of when and where they can play our games."

Speaking on background, other flashpoints raised by developers weighing support include recognition that video games are both taking longer and costing more to create. That cross-play and cross-progression initiatives have altered player expectations. That cost of living crises have changed spending habits, particularly as games reach $80. With Xbox claiming that Play Anywhere increases awareness, grows engagement, and keeps folks playing for longer, can this initiative help developers shoulder the burden of an increasingly volatile market to keep delivering for players?

"We strive to create games that we want to play. As fans of gaming and gamers ourselves, whenever we create something that we love or play a game we enjoy, we want as many people as possible to share that fun," says Mike Fridley, CEO of Squanch Games, following the reveal of High on Life 2 at the Xbox Showcase. "Play Anywhere increases the number of gamers that will be able to play our games and partake in that experience."

"Yes, there are potential financial benefits to increasing your audience, and for some other studios, that may be a major driver for them. To some extent, being able to sell to more customers is a driver for us as well, just not our major reason for doing it," says Fridley. "We are a very small indie studio whose fate is directly tied to our market success. We don't have a big publisher conglomerate that will be able to absorb costs if one of our games doesn't hit the financial mark. Being on as many screens as possible comes with some financial benefits that help us keep our doors open."

The Future

Microsoft Gaming has endured yet another challenging generation cycle. Having spent a decade battling to overcome the perception that Xbox Game Studios isn't delivering new titles, the focus shifted just as the first-party floodgates began to open. There was the public battle to acquire Activision Blizzard, reports of Game Pass missing internal growth targets, and an unsteady venture into multiplatform play. And now, with the incoming release of an Xbox handheld and early talk of next-gen hardware on the horizon, the platform holder is starting to gradually realign its pieces on the board.

"We strive to engage with large communities of players around our franchises, and remove barriers so more people can play together and enjoy the games they love, play with their friends, and connect with likeminded gamers," says Duncan. "It's about playing your favorite games on your Series S or X, having cross-save just work, and your progress coming with you. Or finding new games through Game Pass, or playing cross play with some of our games on PC or that have shipped on other platforms. We want our players to enjoy the games we make and play where they want to play."

'Play Anywhere' is becoming more than an initiative to let you seamlessly carry your digital life between devices, then. It's a mantra which bridges Xbox's multiformat ambitions, its increasing first-party output, ongoing support of Game Pass, and new hardware initiatives. As Xbox looks to its future, with early talk of next-gen hardware on the near horizon, Xbox Play Anywhere is transforming into the sell for the entire ecosystem. Whether it will work, only time will tell.

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