How to Play Your Xbox Games in Windows 11 (2024)

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This article explains all the different ways you can play Xbox games on Windows 11.

How to Play Xbox Games on Windows 11 With Xbox Play Anywhere

Xbox Play Anywhere is a feature that lets you buy a game once and then play it on both Xbox consoles and Windows 11/10 PCs. That means you can buy one of these games on your Xbox and then install it on your PC later or buy it directly from the Microsoft Store on your PC. Here’s how it works:

1. Navigate to the Xbox Play Anywhere website.

   

   Skip to Step 6 if you've already bought a Play Anywhere game from your Xbox.

2. Locate a game you want, then select game title or box art.

   

   There's a search box on Xbox's website, and filters and sorting options to help you find games.

3. Select BUY, or GET if it's free.

   

   If you have a Game Pass subscription, and you’ve selected a compatible game, you'll see PLAY WITH CLOUD GAMING and INSTALL TO in addition to the buy option. The first one lets you stream the game without installing it, and the second lets you install the game without purchasing it.

4. Enter your billing details and then select BUY. If it's a free game, select GET.

   

5. When you see the success message, choose CLOSE.

   

6. Open the Microsoft Store, and type the name of the game into the search bar.

   

7. Select the game from the list of results.

   

8. Select Install > Download.

   

   Lots of video games take up loads of disk space. If you have to, clear out junk files in Windows 11 to make room for the game.

9. Open the Xbox app (open Start to search for it), locate the list of games on the left, and select the game you just installed

   

   If you have a lot of installed games, you can select My Library to look for the title there.

10. Select Play. The game will launch, and you can start playing.

    

How to Play Xbox Games on Windows 11 With Cloud Gaming

If you have a Game Pass Ultimate subscription, you can play Xbox games on your Windows 11 PC through cloud gaming. This option runs the game on Microsoft’s cloud servers and streams it to you over your internet connection, so it works best if you have a strong internet connection. The main benefit is that you can start playing right away, but the video quality and frame rate will typically be lower than if you ran the game locally on your own computer.

Here’s how to play Xbox games on Windows 11 with cloud gaming:

1. Open the Xbox app on your computer and select Cloud Gaming.

   

2. Select a game you want to play.

   

3. Select PLAY, or PLAY WITH GAME PASS if that's what you see.

   

4. Wait for the game to load. Now you can start playing!

   

How to Stream Xbox Games to Windows 11 With Remote Play

If you have an Xbox console on your home network, and it isn’t in use, you can stream games from the console to your Windows PC. This method lets you play games that you’ve downloaded to your Xbox without downloading them again, and it’s also the only way to play Xbox game discs on your PC, since Windows 11 can’t read Xbox game discs. Here’s how to use Xbox Remote Play:

1. Open the Xbox app on your PC.

2. Select the console icon located between your gamertag and the bell icon in the upper left corner.

3. Choose your Xbox console in the drop-down list.

   Your Xbox needs to be powered on and connected to the same network as your computer.

4. On your console, select the option to allow the remote connection.

5. Your Xbox will start streaming to your PC, allowing you to launch and play games.

   You can play with a controller connected to either your PC or your Xbox.

How Does Windows 11 Play Xbox Games?

There are three primary ways to play Xbox games on Windows 11:

• Xbox Play Anywhere: If a game supports this feature, you can buy it once and then play it on both Xbox and PC, and your progress will be synchronized through the cloud. Game Pass Ultimate subscribers can play most of these games for no additional charge.
• Xbox Cloud Gaming: This is a feature of Game Pass that allows you to stream games from the cloud without installing them. It’s a good option if you have a strong internet connection and want to start playing right away.
• Xbox Remote Play: This option streams the game from your Xbox console to your Windows 11 PC, so it works best if your Xbox and PC are both connected to your network via Ethernet instead of Wi-Fi.