Hogwarts Legacy magically finds Xbox Play Anywhere support

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Hogwarts Legacy, a fantasy game with engaging combat and a vast, magical open world, became a huge success with players around the globe after its release on Xbox, PlayStation, and Windows PC in February 2023. It’s been a popular title for over two and a half years.

After two years and seven months, Hogwarts Legacy is gaining even more popularity with the addition of Xbox Play Anywhere. This is a significant development for the game.

First of all, what is Xbox Play Anywhere? According to Microsoft:

If you buy a digital game from the Xbox Store or Windows Store that works with Xbox Play Anywhere, you can play it on your Xbox console, Windows 10 or 11 PC, and compatible handheld devices without paying anything extra.

A lot of people might say, “What’s the big deal? You can already play this game on a computer.” And they’re right, but now I can play without having to buy anything extra.

I initially bought Hogwarts Legacy on Xbox to earn achievements, but I’ve since switched to playing mostly on my Windows PC and no longer prioritize those achievements.

I still enjoy playing on Xbox, but I’ve been playing much more on PC lately, particularly using the Xbox app with Game Pass and games like Final Fantasy XVI, which I recently got on sale. The fact that games like Hogwarts Legacy offer Play Anywhere support is great because it means I can download and play them instantly, and it lets me easily revisit games I love.

The Xbox Play Anywhere program has a large library of over 1300 games, but for a long time, only a few popular titles received support. Games like Silent Hill F and Hollow Knight: Silksong were rare examples – most big releases didn’t offer Play Anywhere features until recently.

The inclusion of Hogwarts Legacy shows Microsoft and Xbox are committed to improving Game Pass with a mix of brand new and classic games. It may also mean we’ll see more deals on older titles through the service.

I bought the Royal Edition of Kingdom Come: Deliverance a few years ago through the Xbox PC app when it was discounted. However, I could only play it on my computer, not my Xbox, as the purchase only included a license for the PC version.

Lately, I’ve noticed that many games added after their initial release also include Xbox Play Anywhere support. This wasn’t happening with post-release games for quite a while, so it’s a welcome change.

If the new Xbox rumored to be in development can run Steam games and functions like a Windows PC, Xbox Play Anywhere will automatically work with those games.

This support is arriving shortly before the highly anticipated ROG Xbox Ally becomes available on October 16, 2025. The handheld gaming device has been generating buzz, despite its high price and being quickly sold out at many stores.

Despite the cost, I’m seriously considering buying this device because I love playing games while relaxing on my couch or in bed. I already have a gaming laptop, but I’d really like a smaller, portable option that can still handle most of my PC games.

With Microsoft investing so much in handheld gaming, especially by working with other companies that make the devices, we can expect a lot more games to be released. Hopefully, this continues not just around the initial launch, but long-term, as more people start using these handhelds.

Even if the program isn’t currently thriving, Microsoft and Xbox should continue to support it, as they committed resources to it earlier this year. Xbox Play Anywhere was a surprisingly prominent feature during their June presentation, and maintaining it would be a smart move.

We anticipate the number of supported games will continue to grow significantly, especially during the holidays and throughout 2026.

The only issue I have with Play Anywhere is that saves sometimes take a little while to upload, but I experience that with Steam too.

Sometimes after playing on my computer, I’ll switch to my Xbox to play on my TV, but it often tells me my saved game files aren’t updated. When this happens, I have to turn my computer back on and wait for it to upload the latest save data before I can play on the Xbox.

I’m having the same problem with Steam. I started playing Dying Light: The Beast this weekend, but my save files won’t transfer between my laptop and desktop computers. It’s too bad Dying Light: The Beast doesn’t support cross-platform saving like Xbox Play Anywhere does.

Honestly, constantly restarting these machines is really frustrating. I’ve realized I need to give them a couple of minutes to fully shut down before powering off my Xbox or PC. And yeah, I’m definitely one of those people who completely turns everything off – I don’t bother with sleep mode at all.

Ultimately, I still really want to own the game on all my devices, even if it has some issues. It’s hard to argue with getting a free extra copy of a video game you already enjoy!

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2025-09-30 14:40