Back in February. Microsoft announced plans to implement a new feature called Smart Delivery, which would allow people to purchase games available for Xbox One and Xbox Series X once and play them on either system freely. Today, the company announced some of the first games that will be taking advantage of this when the system launches this holiday season.
Through a post on the Xbox Wire, Microsoft listed 14 games that will be Smart Delivery compatible, as well as confirmed that there will be more announcements between now and launch. The list reads as follows:
- Halo Infinite
- Cyberpunk 2077
- Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
- Destiny 2
- DiRT 5
- Scarlet Nexus
- Chorus
- Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2
- Yakuza: Like a Dragon
- The Ascent
- Call of the Sea
- Gears 5
- Second Extinction
- Metal: Hellslinger
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The idea of Smart Delivery is that it will both allow you to pick up where you left off on cross-generational games if and when you upgrade to the Xbox Series X, as well as it will just make it simple for folks who might be afraid of accidentally purchasing the wrong version on digital storefronts. Here are a few scenarios Microsoft laid out to illustrate the ways it will benefit people making the transition from Xbox One to Xbox Series X, as well as how it could be helpful for folks juggling both in one household:
- If you own Gears 5 or are loving it via Xbox Game Pass now, you can play it today on Xbox One. Then, if you pick up an Xbox Series X this holiday, all it takes is a push of a button to download it and you’ll have the Optimized version of Gears 5 – available on day 1 at launch with the console – at your fingertips.
- When Halo Infinite launches alongside Xbox Series X and Xbox One this holiday, you only have to buy the game once and you’ll get the best version for whichever console you own, or both. If you pick up Xbox Series X for your living room, Smart Delivery will recognize that and deliver you the Optimized version there. If you decide to move your existing Xbox One to a bedroom or the office, Smart Delivery will recognize that too and deliver that version when you’re playing on Xbox One.
- Lastly, some new and existing Xbox One titles will be Optimizing their games after the Xbox Series X launches. For example, if you buy Cyberpunk 2077 when it launches on September 17, you’ll be set to explore Night City on Xbox One. If you pick up Xbox Series X at launch this holiday, you can play it there too in compatibility mode picking up exactly where you left off. Then, when CD PROJEKT RED delivers an Xbox Series X Optimized version of Cyberpunk 2077, you’ll automatically get upgraded once it’s available at no additional cost.
While Smart Delivery will be an option, not every company is required to use it. EA, for example, has made the parameters of Smart Delivery for the upcoming Madden NFL 21 more limited, meaning that people will have to jump on it within a certain time frame before the offer closes. As these seem to be determined on a case-by-case basis, we’ll have to keep an eye on individual games as we make the transition from one generation into the next. At the very least, Microsoft has standardized it for Xbox Game Studios games like Halo Infinite, so there’s a little bit of certainty there.
