Play Anywhere

See also: Xbox network § Xbox Play Anywhere

Xbox Play Anywhere, formerly Live Anywhere, is an ongoing initiative by Microsoft Gaming to bring the cross-platform Xbox network (formerly Xbox Live ^[1] ) service to a wide variety of Microsoft platforms and devices, chiefly the Xbox Series X|S, Windows 11, Xbox One, and Windows 10.

Platforms

Platform	Service name	Launched	Discontinued
Windows 11	Xbox network	October 5, 2021 [2]
Xbox Series X/S	Xbox network	November 10, 2020 [3]
Windows 10	Xbox network	July 29, 2015
Xbox One	Xbox Live	November 22, 2013
Windows 8 and 8.1	Xbox on Windows	October 26, 2012	Before May 8, 2023 [4]
Windows Phone, 10 Mobile	Xbox on Windows Phone	October 21, 2010	Before October 8, 2017 [5]
Zune	Zune Social	September 16, 2008	September 4, 2011
Windows XP, Vista, 7	Games for Windows – Live	May 22, 2007	Before May 8, 2023 [4]
Xbox 360	Xbox Live	November 22, 2005	July 29, 2024
Xbox	Xbox Live	November 15, 2001	April 15, 2010

Features

• Buy Once, Play Anywhere: Purchase a compatible digital game once and own it on both Xbox and Windows ^[4]
• Cross-Progression: Game saves and progress sync automatically across devices ^[4]
• Shared DLC: Downloadable content (DLC) and add-ons are shared between platforms ^[4]
• Single identity (Gamertag) across all platforms (tied to a Microsoft account)
• Cross-platform chat, with text, voice, and video
• Unified friends list and message system
• Cross-platform multiplayer online gaming, including game invites

See also

• Microsoft Points
• Xbox Game Pass

References

1. Boddy, Zachary (2021-03-22). "Microsoft officially ends 'Xbox Live' brand, changes to 'Xbox network'". Windows Central. Retrieved 2023-05-08.
2. Blog, Windows Experience (2021-08-31). "Windows 11 available on October 5". Windows Experience Blog. Retrieved 2023-05-08.
3. Xbox, Phil Spencer, Head of (2020-09-09). "Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X Launch November 10, Starting at $24.99 a Month with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and EA Play". Xbox Wire. Retrieved 2023-05-08.
4. "Xbox Play Anywhere | Xbox". Xbox.com. Archived from the original on 2023-05-08. Retrieved 2023-05-08.
5. "Goodbye, Windows 10 Mobile". CNET. Retrieved 2023-05-08.

External links

• List of Play Anywhere compatible Xbox digital games Archived 2025-08-07 Archived 2025-08-07 at the Wayback Machine
• ExtremeTech article describing Live Anywhere concept Archived 2009-02-28 at the Wayback Machine
• Video of a Live client running on a mobile device Archived 2007-09-30 at the Wayback Machine
• Original Xbox Live To Shut Down