You can now gift PC games on the Microsoft Store

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The perfect gift for someone you're ambivalent about.

Nobody likes needing to use the Microsoft Store. It’s counter-intuitive, fiddly and it manages to make the simple act of downloading and playing a game a needless hassle. It’s just a bad experience. However! Microsoft has made one step in the right direction, allowing PC users to finally gift digital games and DLC.

Announced yesterday, it means that you’ll be able to go to a product page, select ‘Buy As Gift’, type in your pal’s email and voila, you’ve given them the most wondrous gift of all: forcing them to use the MS Store. 

There are a few limitations, however. 

Presumably to stop key resellers taking advantage of the system, you’ll only be able to gift two discounted products every 14 days. The actual rule description is a bit confusing, though. 

“Gift purchasers can only buy two discounted products – and a total of 10 discounted products – every 14 days. There are no limits for gift purchases made at full price.”

So… you can only buy two and a total of 10? Well that’s nonsense. I assume it’s two discounted products and a total of 10 products, regardless of whether or not they’re on sale. 

You also won’t be able to gift Xbox 360 or Xbox Original titles, nor will you be able to gift virtual currency. Anything you do send as a gift will also only be redeemable in the country it was purchased in. 

Several games were made available yesterday, and the plan is to make every game available for gifting today.  

Fraser Brown
Fraser Brown
Online Editor

Fraser is the UK online editor and has actually met The Internet in person. With over a decade of experience, he's been around the block a few times, serving as a freelancer, news editor and prolific reviewer. Strategy games have been a 30-year-long obsession, from tiny RTSs to sprawling political sims, and he never turns down the chance to rave about Total War or Crusader Kings. He's also been known to set up shop in the latest MMO and likes to wind down with an endlessly deep, systemic RPG. These days, when he's not editing, he can usually be found writing features that are 1,000 words too long or talking about his dog.