Microsoft and Ubisoft have quietly launched one of the most consumer-friendly ownership benefits Xbox players have seen in years: if you own a digital copy of any of 13 major Ubisoft games on Xbox Series X|S, you now get the full PC version at no extra charge. The program took effect on July 27 for new purchases, and the rollout for existing owners continues through August 4—no subscription, no upgrade fee, just a second platform license tied to your Ubisoft Connect account.
This isn’t Xbox Play Anywhere in the traditional sense. It’s a separate, console-to-PC entitlement delivered through Ubisoft’s own ecosystem. But for millions of players who have both an Xbox and a Windows gaming PC, laptop, or handheld, it eliminates one of the most frustrating forms of double-dipping.
The 13 Games Getting the PC Treatment
The list spans Ubisoft’s biggest recent franchises, from open-world RPGs to competitive shooters and live-service racers. Every title is a modern release, not a dusty back-catalog filler:
- Assassin’s Creed Mirage
- Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
- Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora
- Far Cry 6
- Immortals Fenyx Rising
- Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
- Riders Republic
- Skull and Bones
- The Crew 2
- The Crew Motorfest
- Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Extraction
- Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege
- Watch Dogs Legion
Microsoft’s Xbox Wire announcement confirmed that all digital Xbox Series X|S owners of these titles will eventually see a corresponding PC license appear in their Ubisoft Connect library. For anyone who has added a gaming PC or Windows handheld to the household but kept their Xbox, the math is straightforward: potentially hundreds of dollars of games no longer require a second buy.
Who Gets What—and Who Doesn’t
The benefit is strictly one-way. If you bought the Xbox console version, you get the PC version. If you bought on PC, you do not get the console version. Microsoft’s FAQ is explicit: “The program enables a free PC version for qualifying Xbox console owners, but not the reverse.”
New digital Xbox purchases made from July 27 onward qualify immediately; the PC license is added at the time of purchase. Existing digital owners are being rolled in progressively through August 4. Physical disc owners are not included—this is a digital-only offer tied to your Ubisoft and Microsoft accounts.
How This Differs from Xbox Play Anywhere
At first glance, “buy on Xbox, play on PC for free” sounds like Xbox Play Anywhere, but the implementation is fundamentally different. Play Anywhere games live inside the Microsoft ecosystem: one purchase, one library, cloud saves, achievements, and a unified friends list across Xbox and Windows via the Xbox app. Ubisoft’s program routes everything through Ubisoft Connect.
That means you’ll need the Ubisoft Connect launcher on your PC—even if you browse or buy the game through the Xbox PC app. Your saves, achievements, and social features depend on Ubisoft’s servers, not Microsoft’s. While the PC entitlement itself is free, you won’t get Xbox achievements on PC, and cloud saves are handled by Ubisoft’s own cross-progression, which varies from game to game.
For many, this is a welcome improvement over buying the same game twice. For those who value a seamless, Xbox-identity experience across devices, it’s a compromise.
What About DLC and Cross-Progression?
One of the strongest parts of the deal is that most downloadable content and edition upgrades carry over. If you own the Deluxe or Ultimate edition on Xbox, the PC version should reflect that—not just the base game. According to Microsoft, “most eligible DLC and add-on packs transfer,” including premium editions.
But there are carve-outs. Consumables like in-game currency, booster packs, and one-time-use items typically stay tied to the original platform. That matters in games like Rainbow Six Siege or Skull and Bones, where players may have invested heavily in battle passes or virtual currencies. Microsoft advises checking each game’s Properties page inside Ubisoft Connect to see exactly what migrated.
Cross-progression—the ability to pick up where you left off—is not guaranteed across all 13 titles. Ubisoft Connect supports account-wide progression for many newer games, but the Xbox Wire announcement uses deliberately cautious language: “Select games that support cross-progression will allow users to find their Xbox content on the PC version.” Assume you’ll need to test each game individually, and don’t delete console saves until you’ve confirmed your progress appears on PC.
Step-by-Step: How to Claim Your Free PC Version
If you own any of the eligible games digitally on Xbox Series X|S, here’s exactly what to do:
- Update Ubisoft Connect to the latest version on your Windows PC or handheld. Microsoft explicitly warns that older versions won’t show the new entitlements.
- Sign in with the same Ubisoft account linked to your Xbox profile. The connection is typically made the first time you play a Ubisoft game on console.
- Check your library inside Ubisoft Connect. Eligible games should appear automatically—no code redemption required. The rollout continues until August 4, so if you don’t see a title right away, check back later.
- Verify the edition and DLC by right-clicking the game tile, selecting “Properties,” and scanning the list of downloadable content. If something is missing, contact Ubisoft support.
- Test cross-progression by launching the game on PC, loading a save, and confirming your progress, items, and currency balances. Only then should you resume playing on either platform with confidence.
Why This Matters for Windows Handhelds and PC Gamers
The free PC versions are a game-changer for owners of Windows handhelds like the ASUS ROG Ally, Lenovo Legion Go, or any compact gaming laptop. Ubisoft’s catalog is well-suited to portable play—think short sessions in The Crew Motorfest, platforming in Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, or exploration in Assassin’s Creed Mirage—and native PC access often looks and runs better than cloud streaming from a home console.
But handhelds also magnify the friction. Launching a game through Ubisoft Connect means one more launcher to manage, often with on-screen keyboard prompts, controller mode switching, and updates that don’t funnel through the Xbox app’s unified interface. If you’re used to the simplicity of SteamOS or even Xbox Cloud Gaming, the Ubisoft Connect layer can feel clunky.
The Bigger Picture: Ubisoft and Xbox PC Integration
This move didn’t come out of nowhere. Over the past year, Ubisoft has dramatically expanded its presence inside Microsoft’s Xbox PC ecosystem. In early July, the publisher added over 80 games to the Xbox PC store, many of them part of Ubisoft+ Classics—the subscription catalog included with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. That integration gave Game Pass subscribers access to a huge swath of Ubisoft titles on Windows, but without any of the Xbox ecosystem perks: no achievements, no cloud saves via Microsoft, and no Play Anywhere.
Windows Central’s reporting highlighted this gap bluntly, calling the PC ports “lazy” for omitting features that Xbox users on console have enjoyed for years. The new console-to-PC entitlement program is a direct response to that frustration: it solves the ownership duplication problem. It does not, however, bring those missing Xbox features to the PC versions. You’re still playing a Ubisoft Connect game, just now without paying for it twice.
The Bottom Line
Microsoft and Ubisoft have given Xbox Series X|S owners a concrete, money-saving benefit: free PC copies of 13 major games. It’s a smart, consumer-friendly move that acknowledges the multi-device reality of modern gaming. The addition of DLC transfer, the inclusion of recent blockbusters, and the tight rollout timeline all signal that this is a serious, not token, program.
Yet it’s also a reminder of how fragmented the Xbox-on-Windows experience can be. True Play Anywhere remains the gold standard—bidirectional ownership, Xbox achievements, cloud saves, and a single launcher. Ubisoft’s offer delivers the most important part (the free game), but the surrounding experience still depends on a separate account, a separate launcher, and variable cross-progression support. For anyone who wants a seamless Xbox identity across console and PC, there’s still work to be done.