





Big news for Windows 10 gaming came out of our Xbox event last week in San Francisco, where journalists, YouTube personalities and Twitch streamers got hands-on time with Xbox’s most-anticipated spring games and platform experiences, including Xbox One consoles and gaming PCs from our hardware partners. It was there where Head of Xbox Phil Spencer shared that the biggest Microsoft Studios franchises will be coming to both Xbox One and Windows 10 this spring.

Click here to watch my interview with Larry Hyrb also known as Xbox Live’s Major Nelson about today’s news.

Kicking off with today’s release of Gears of War: Ultimate Edition for Windows 10, the Xbox spring games lineup includes a wide array of fan-favorite franchises coming to both Xbox One and Windows 10, including Gears of War: Ultimate Edition; Forza Motorsport 6: Apex — a free Forza experience for Windows 10; Quantum Break; Killer Instinct: Season 3; Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition and Pit People from The Behemoth.

“At Xbox, we believe gamers should be able to play the games they want, with the people they want, on the devices they want,” Spencer said. “We are making that vision a reality by bringing more of the biggest Microsoft Studios franchises to Windows 10 starting this spring.”

Here’s a look at some of the great titles coming to Windows 10 this spring

Gears of War: Ultimate Edition for Windows 10 – Available in the Windows Store starting today, Gears of War: Ultimate Edition is playable for the first time on Windows 10. Remade from the ground-up, the game features amazing 4k resolution built with DirectX 12, unlimited refresh rates and controller and mouse and keyboard controls.

Forza Motorsport 6: Apex – Arriving in the Windows Store this spring, Forza Motorsport 6: Apex is a free, curated standalone experience for Windows 10 that provides fans with a diverse tour of what Forza Motorsport 6 has to offer, including trademark innovations iconic to the Forza franchise, such as Drivatar™ opponents and Forzavista™ cars, as well as new ways to play and compete. The experience also takes advantage of DirectX 12, delivering breathtaking visuals at up to 4K resolution.

Quantum Break – Remedy Entertainment debuted the DirectX 12-powered Windows 10 version of Quantum Break at the Xbox Spring Showcase, offering hands-on demos. Anyone who pre-orders the Xbox One digital version through the Xbox Store, purchases an Xbox One digital token at participating retailers, or pre-orders an Xbox One Special Edition Quantum Break bundle, will receive the Windows 10 version of the game for free, downloadable from the Windows Store via redemption code when Quantum Break launches on Xbox One and Windows 10 on April 5.

Remedy Entertainment debuted the DirectX 12-powered Windows 10 version of Quantum Break at the Xbox Spring Showcase, offering hands-on demos. Anyone who pre-orders the Xbox One digital version through the Xbox Store, purchases an Xbox One digital token at participating retailers, or pre-orders an Xbox One Special Edition Quantum Break bundle, will receive the Windows 10 version of the game for free, downloadable from the Windows Store via redemption code when Quantum Break launches on Xbox One and Windows 10 on April 5. Killer Instinct: Season 3 – Iron Galaxy and Microsoft Studios announced that eight new fighters are joining the arena in Killer Instinct: Season 3, available March 29 on both Xbox One and Windows 10. The team provided hands-on with the first four characters available on launch day – Kim Wu, Tusk, The Arbiter from the Halo franchise, and Rash from Battletoads – on Xbox One and Windows 10.

– Iron Galaxy and Microsoft Studios announced that eight new fighters are joining the arena in Killer Instinct: Season 3, available March 29 on both Xbox One and Windows 10. The team provided hands-on with the first four characters available on launch day – Kim Wu, Tusk, The Arbiter from the Halo franchise, and Rash from Battletoads – on Xbox One and Windows 10. Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition – Microsoft Studios highlighted additional content for Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition, demoed at the Xbox Spring Showcase on Xbox One. The Definitive Edition enhances the award-winning original game release with new content, including new areas, abilities, more story sequences, multiple difficulty modes, fast travel between areas, and more. Available March 11 on both Xbox One and Windows 10.

– Microsoft Studios highlighted additional content for Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition, demoed at the Xbox Spring Showcase on Xbox One. The Definitive Edition enhances the award-winning original game release with new content, including new areas, abilities, more story sequences, multiple difficulty modes, fast travel between areas, and more. Available March 11 on both Xbox One and Windows 10. ID@Xbox – Pit People from The Behemoth is coming first to Xbox One, followed by Windows 10. Experience this fast-paced, turn-based co-op adventure in a closed beta later this year.

Minecraft on Oculus Rift – Microsoft and Mojang are teaming up with Oculus to provide the first-ever demos of Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition on Oculus Rift. You can play Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition in Creative or Survival mode in full 3D while using the familiar Xbox One controller that ships with every Rift sold.

New Features in the Windows 10 Xbox App and Xbox One

The Xbox team discussed new updates arriving soon on Xbox One and also in the Xbox app in Windows 10:

Gamerscore Leaderboard in the Achievements section and Hero Stat Leaderboards in Game Hubs

See Avatars in your Activity Feed if you’ve chosen to replace your gamerpic with your Avatar

An updated “Featured” section spotlights games, deals, community events and more

16-person Party Chat is enabled across both Xbox One and the Windows 10 Xbox app

With the expansion of the Xbox ecosystem to include Windows 10, gamers benefit from a bigger community to play with on Xbox Live, which in turn attracts more developers who will create even more great games. With features like game streaming, cross-play, shared saves, one friends list on all your screens, controllers and accessories that work across devices, and the world’s best multiplayer and biggest gaming social network in Xbox Live, switching back and forth between Xbox One and Windows 10 has never been easier.

To get all the details about today’s news head over to Xbox Wire.