How to play Windows 10 Store games offline
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Microsoft’s Windows 10 Store offers a huge library of games for PC gamers. From games like Forza Horizon to Halo Wars 2 to Resident Evil 7, if you have a Windows 10 PC which can run those games, there really is nothing that can be lost if you choose to buy games from the Store as opposed to Steam or other storefronts – especially if they support Xbox Play Anywhere.
However, with Windows 10 Games from the Store, the Windows Store validates your license to play the game (ie checks whether you are allowed to play the game) on every run. Which means that before you can play one of your purchased games the Store first checks to see that “Hey, does ‘X’ own this game s/he wants to play”.
Obviously, this can pose a problem for users who are constantly on the move and who may have spotty internet service and cannot possibly verify reliably every time they launch the game.
Microsoft introduced an option in the Windows Store to help such users. Dubbed “Offline Permissions”, this allows you to permanently mark your system as one which is your main gaming PC and therefore allows you to take your games offline.
How to play Windows 10 Store games offline
1) Open the Windows 10 Store app and click on your profile pic.
2) Navigate to settings
3) Scroll down to the “Offline Permissions” toggle.
4) Toggle it on.
It is worth noting – and you are warned in the UI – that you can only change this setting three times every year, so if you’re frequently moving PCs, it may be worth having a think about which PC you really want to use as your main gaming machine before you get stuck on the wrong machine.
