Forza Horizon 5 supports Xbox Play Anywhere, buy once to play on Xbox and PC

Forza Horizon 5 Store Screenshot
Forza Horizon 5 Store Screenshot (Image credit: Xbox Game Studios | Microsoft)

What you need to know

  • Forza Horizon 5 is the latest open-world racing game from Playground Games, just announced at E3 2021.
  • It's been slightly difficult to confirm whether or not Forza Horizon 5 followed its predecessor as an Xbox Play Anywhere title.
  • Forza Horizon 5 does support the Xbox Play Anywhere title, meaning you can buy the game once and own it on Xbox and PC.
  • Forza Horizon 5 also supports Smart Delivery, cross-saves, and cross-play, and blends the lines between platforms and generations.

Forza Horizon 5 is the latest entry in the long-running Forza Horizon open-world racing series, and it looks incredible. Forza Horizon 5's reveal during the Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase at E3 2021 drove excitement for the upcoming games to new levels, and revealed a ton of information immediately. One facet of information that's been a little uncertain has been whether or not Forza Horizon 5 supports the Xbox Play Anywhere program.

Forza Horizon 4 is a proud supporter of Xbox Play Anywhere, making it easy to play the game on Xbox and PC. Forza Horizon 5, however, was curiously missing any mention of Xbox Play Anywhere on most of its marketing materials and Forza Horizon 5's preorders. Forza Horizon 5 also doesn't appear on the official Xbox Play Anywhere page.

Fortunately, Forza Horizon 5 does support Xbox Play Anywhere, as we've been able to confirm from two separate locations. While Forza Horizon 5's preorders don't show any mention of Xbox Play Anywhere, the generic Forza Horizon 5 store page does. In addition, the fact sheet included in the Forza Horizon 5 Xbox Wire media set confirms that Forza Horizon 5 is an Xbox Play Anywhere title.

For the uninitiated, Xbox Play Anywhere is an optional program for developers that lets you buy an Xbox or PC game from the Microsoft Store, and own it immediately on both platforms. Xbox Play Anywhere failed to obtain the traction many thought it would at first, but it continues to grow over time steadily and remains one of the best perks for those invested in the Xbox platform.

Forza Horizon 5 not only supports Xbox Play Anywhere, it also supports Smart Delivery, cross-play, and cross-save. That means you can play Forza Horizon 5 across Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC, and Xbox Cloud Gaming, and always know you're playing the best possible version of Forza Horizon 5, won't lose any of your progression, and can continue playing with your friends across platforms and generations.

Forza Horizon 5 officially releases on November 9, 2021, and is included in Xbox Game Pass on day one. You can preorder Forza Horizon 5 starting right now, with multiple editions to choose from. When it releases, Forza Horizon 5 is liable to launch straight to the top of our best Xbox games.

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Zachary Boddy
Staff Writer

Zachary Boddy (They / Them) is a Staff Writer for Windows Central, primarily focused on covering the latest news in tech and gaming, the best Xbox and PC games, and the most interesting Windows and Xbox hardware. They have been gaming and writing for most of their life starting with the original Xbox, and started out as a freelancer for Windows Central and its sister sites in 2019. Now a full-fledged Staff Writer, Zachary has expanded from only writing about all things Minecraft to covering practically everything on which Windows Central is an expert, especially when it comes to Microsoft. You can find Zachary on Twitter @BoddyZachary.