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Ubisoft Gives Free PC Copies to Xbox Owners of Select Games
Ubisoft and Xbox have expanded their partnership so that Xbox owners of select Ubisoft titles now receive free PC copies of those same games through Ubisoft Connect. The move rewards players who bought games on Xbox but have since switched to, or also play on, PC, and reflects Microsoft's broader recent push to make its content more accessible on Windows ahead of a next-generation Xbox console that is expected to be more PC-like.
The offer covers twelve games, including Assassin's Creed Mirage, Assassin's Creed Valhalla, Far Cry 6, Skull and Bones and Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege, and applies automatically to anyone with linked Xbox and Ubisoft Connect accounts, with copies due to appear by 4 August. Future Xbox purchases of these titles will also unlock a PC copy, though the arrangement does not work in reverse for those buying on PC first. Ubisoft has additionally added premium editions of games such as Assassin's Creed Shadows to Xbox's PC app, following Microsoft's recent move to bring backward-compatible original Xbox titles to PC and rumours of a feature allowing players to digitise their physical game libraries.
In short
- Xbox owners get free PC copies of 12 Ubisoft games via Ubisoft Connect
- Offer applies automatically to linked accounts by 4 August
- Part of Microsoft's wider push to unify Xbox and PC gaming
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
This partnership exemplifies positive innovation that directly benefits players by rewarding their loyalty and removing artificial barriers between platforms. Xbox owners who have invested in these games can now play them on PC without repurchasing, creating tangible value and consumer choice whilst encouraging healthy competitive innovation that other companies are similarly free to pursue.
The case against
This arrangement raises legitimate competitive concerns by creating preferential treatment for Xbox/Microsoft ecosystem players whilst disadvantaging those invested in other platforms. The one-directional nature—from Xbox to PC but not in reverse—suggests the partnership is designed to advance Microsoft's ecosystem interests rather than platform neutrality, and could incentivise fragmented market practices rather than establish fair consumer standards across the industry.
Explained simply
Ubisoft is a major video game publisher, and Xbox is Microsoft's gaming platform that operates on consoles and computers. The two companies have a partnership where Xbox owners who have bought certain Ubisoft games can now claim free copies of those same titles to play on PC.
This move reflects a broader shift in the gaming industry towards breaking down barriers between different platforms. Companies are increasingly recognising that many people game on multiple devices, and are allowing them to access their purchases across different platforms. Microsoft has been particularly active in this strategy, integrating its PC and console gaming services more closely as it plans for future gaming hardware.