Xbox One, Windows Game Gifting Is Almost Here

Christmas is still more than two months away, but you don't have to wait for the holiday season to start being generous with your digital games. Especially those coming from Microsoft's own gaming ecosystem. Microsoft seems to still be playing coy, but the word is already out. Being able to buy Xbox One games for friends is somewhat already possible if you're an Xbox One Insider. Even better, it seems to also be possible for Windows 10 Insiders as well, with a bit of a caveat.

Being able to gift games and apps is almost always one of the most requested feature on any digital content store. It is, however, also prone to being abused for other purposes, which is probably why some content distributors like Google and Microsoft haven't yet implemented something like it. Microsoft, however, has been listening.

According to Windows Central, some Xbox One Insiders, specifically those running preview build 1710, are seeing the option to send a purchase as a gift, either via email or through an Xbox Live gamertag. Other than having to enter those details, gifting a game follows the same process as buying a game for yourself. On the other end of the line, the recipient will get a 25-digit code to read the game to any Microsoft account through Xbox Live.

Apparently, it's not limited to the Xbox One either. You can apparently also gift games from the Windows 10 store, soon to just be "Microsoft Store". Unlike on the Xbox One, however, the selection on Windows is more limited, specifically to some "Play Anywhere" titles only.

Microsoft has remained quiet regarding the matter though it probably already expected that news will break out once Insiders got their hands on the latest build. All that's left, really, is an official announcement and official release, and then the gifting, and hopefully not the cheating, can begin early.