Why can't I play games I bought on my Xbox One on my PC?

Hey there Paul,

Thank you for your prompt reply. I checked through the link you sent, no dice. The Microsoft Store says I own the games, but it won't let me install it anywhere but my Xbox. When I go into, for example, Fallout 4 Game of the Year, a game I own and purchased 5/14/2018, it says that I own the game, but not on this platform, that being the PC. I can provide proof of purchase in the form of my Microsoft Store order history. I understand that physical copies for Xbox games won't work on PC, for obvious reasons, but what bothers me is that I apparently can't play the Xbox games I bought on the Xbox's store, the very same store I am using on the PC.

Btw, my Windows 10 version is 1909 (OS Build 18636.836)

In the majority anything you purchased from anywhere on the Internet will only function on the platform it was sold to you to function, usually on a singular device or one at a time. If you purchase Bioshock for Xbox One, it does not give you a license to play Bioshock for PS4 or PC. You would need to purchase a separate copy for each platform. Microsoft has started to offer cross-platform/play anywhere games in which some games sold will allow you to execute the game on multiple platforms like the PC and the Xbox One. Prior to making a purchase, check the system requirements. If it includes multiple platforms, that game/game purchase is cross-platform.

Examples:

Forza Motorsport 7 Standard Edition - Xbox One or Windows 10

Minimum

DRAGON BALL XENOVERSE - Xbox One only

Minimum

Hi IanMarine,

Got it, thanks. Not exactly, it's more of the game platform it's licensed to be made available. You should be able to see in the game requirements which platform it is licensed to. For Example, for Forza Motorsport 6 in the link below, it's licensed to both Xbox One & Windows 10 platforms.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forza_Motorsport_6

While Guitar Hero Live, it's not licensed or available in Windows 10.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guitar_Hero_Live

Though Microsoft is offering "Play Anywhere" that supports across platform, and hopefully they'll make it available to all games soon. I wished the same too to be honest. Anyways, here's a list below. It may not be updated, but it's a good reference.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Xbox_Play...

I hope I was able to provide some light on the matter. Let me know how you go. Thank you!

Sincerely,

Paul A.

Independent Advisor

(Note: There are non-Microsoft websites above. The pages appear to be providing accurate, safe information. Watch out for ads on the site that may advertise products frequently classified as a PUP (Potentially Unwanted Products). Thoroughly research any product advertised on the site before you decide to download and install it.)

Ok, I hovered over the exclamation mark for Bioshock, at random, and it said "Bioshock does no work on this device", even thought I'm 100% certain Bioshock was released for the PC. I tried the same on other games, and got identical error messages each time.

As you can see, I can install some games, such as Forza Horizon 4, but not other games such as Skyrim and Farcry 5.