Some links on this page are affiliate links: if you buy through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Microsoft announced four formerly Xbox-console-exclusive games for rival hardware in February 2024, and all four ports have now launched. Pentiment and Grounded came to PlayStation and Nintendo Switch; Hi-Fi RUSH and Sea of Thieves came to PlayStation 5. The move did not bring Xbox Game Pass to rival consoles, nor did Microsoft promise that every Xbox game would follow.
At a glance: the four ports
| Game | PlayStation | Nintendo Switch | Launch date | Multiplayer and cross-play |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pentiment | PS4, PS5 | Switch | February 22, 2024 | Single-player; no equivalent cross-play feature was announced |
| Hi-Fi RUSH | PS5 | Not announced | March 19, 2024 | Single-player; no equivalent cross-play feature was announced |
| Grounded | PS4, PS5 | Switch | April 16, 2024 | Cross-play across Xbox, PlayStation, Switch and PC |
| Sea of Thieves | PS5 | Not announced | April 30, 2024 | Cross-play across Xbox, PlayStation and PC |
Microsoft identified the games in its February 21, 2024 announcement, “New Platforms, New Players: Xbox Games Coming to Switch and PlayStation”. The initial policy announcement came through the Official Xbox Podcast on February 15, 2024.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Minecraft - Nintendo Switch | $29.83 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
|
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - US Version | $52.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
|
Star Fox™ - Nintendo Switch 2 | $59.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
|
Sonic Superstars - Nintendo Switch | $24.87 | Buy on Amazon |
What Microsoft actually announced
On February 15, Microsoft said four games that had been available to Xbox players for at least a year would move to other console platforms. It initially withheld their names, describing a mix of “hidden gems” that could reach a larger audience and live-service games that could benefit from bigger communities. Microsoft also said broader distribution could help fund future versions of those games or other first-party projects.
The company described Xbox hardware as a flagship experience and said there was “no fundamental change” to its general approach to exclusivity. It also stated that Game Pass would remain available only on Xbox platforms under this announcement. Those points are recorded in Microsoft’s February 15 statement.
#1 Best Overall
- Minecraft is a game about placing blocks and going on adventures
- Explore randomly generated worlds and build amazing things from the simplest of homes to the grandest of castles
- Play in creative mode with unlimited resources or mine deep into the world in survival mode, crafting weapons and armor to fend off the dangerous mobs
- Play on the go in handheld or tabletop modes
- Includes Super Mario Mash-Up, Natural Texture Pack, Biome Settlers Skin Pack, Battle & Beasts Skin Pack, Campfire Tales Skin Pack; Compatible with Nintendo Switch only
Game by game
Pentiment
Obsidian Entertainment’s illustrated historical narrative adventure launched on PS4, PS5 and Switch on February 22, 2024. It was an obvious low-risk candidate for a wider release: a distinctive, single-player “hidden gem” that could find readers and players who did not own an Xbox. Pentiment had already been available on PC as part of the Xbox ecosystem, so “exclusive” here means previously unavailable on PlayStation and Nintendo consoles.
Hi-Fi RUSH
Tango Gameworks/Bethesda’s rhythm-based action game came to PS5 on March 19, 2024, at midnight UTC; PlayStation pre-orders opened February 22. Microsoft’s announcement named PS5 only, not Nintendo Switch. The game’s combat and environments synchronize with music, making it a focused single-player showcase rather than a community-driven service.
Grounded
Obsidian’s cooperative survival adventure launched on PS4, PS5 and Switch on April 16, 2024. Microsoft said in the February 21 announcement that the game had already reached 20 million players. Cross-play was announced across Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch and PC, making a larger platform footprint directly useful to groups whose friends own different systems.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
Sea of Thieves
Rare’s shared-world pirate game launched on PS5 on April 30, 2024. Microsoft said it had passed 35 million players at the time of the announcement and announced cross-play between Xbox, PlayStation and PC. For a live service built around crews and shared worlds, access to more potential players was the clearest community rationale in the four-game selection.
Rank #2
- New stages and fighters are joined by the combined rosters of every past Super Smash Bros. Game
- Challenge others anytime, anywhere, whether you're on the couch or on the go
- Play any way you want—locally, online, in TV mode, Tabletop mode, Handheld mode, or even with GameCube Controllers
- Fight faster and smarter with new and returning techniques, like the perfect shield and directional air dodge
- Face off in 2-4 player battles, or play against the computer
Why these four games?
Reach for acclaimed single-player games
Pentiment and Hi-Fi RUSH could gain new audiences without requiring a large ongoing player population. Their distinctive identities also let Microsoft expose Xbox-owned creative work to people who had not bought an Xbox.
More players for multiplayer services
Grounded and Sea of Thieves have a practical reason to expand: cross-platform populations can make it easier to find friends, fill crews and sustain shared worlds. Microsoft explicitly highlighted cross-play for both titles.
Additional sales and reinvestment
Microsoft’s stated business case was that reaching more players could increase a game’s impact and help support future versions or other first-party projects. Whether each port met an internal financial target is not established by the announcement.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteWhat “rival consoles” means in practice
The phrase does not mean every game launched on every competing system. PS5 received all four. PS4 received only Pentiment and Grounded. Switch received only Pentiment and Grounded. Hi-Fi RUSH and Sea of Thieves were not announced for Switch, and Sea of Thieves was not announced for PS4.
Rank #3
- Blast off on a high-octane adventure to save a star system from invasion
- Tear through space, soar across planets, and shoot loads of foes out of the sky at every step of the way
- A cinematic take on the Star Fox 64 story, featuring fully voiced dialogue, an epic orchestral soundtrack, and a complete visual overhaul for the Nintendo Switch 2 system
- Enter first-person mode to experience the action from inside the cockpit, and even use mouse controls to fly
- Invite a second player* to join you as a gunner using Nintendo Switch 2 mouse controls
All four were already part of Microsoft’s Xbox/PC ecosystem before the ports. Calling them “formerly Xbox-console-exclusive” or “previously unavailable on PlayStation and Nintendo consoles” is more precise than calling them exclusive to Xbox hardware in every sense.
Game Pass, cross-play and cross-save
The ports were sold as platform versions; Microsoft did not announce Game Pass for PlayStation or Nintendo. An Xbox or PC player could continue using eligible first-party access through the Xbox ecosystem, while a PlayStation or Switch owner would obtain the corresponding port through that platform’s store.
Cross-play is confirmed for Grounded across Xbox, PlayStation, Switch and PC, and for Sea of Thieves across Xbox, PlayStation and PC. Cross-play does not automatically imply cross-save, cross-entitlement or shared purchases. The February 2024 announcement did not promise equivalent cross-save functionality for Pentiment or Hi-Fi RUSH.
What Microsoft did not promise
Microsoft did not say that Starfield, Halo, Forza, Gears, future Elder Scrolls games or every other Xbox-owned title would come to PlayStation or Nintendo. In the follow-up Xbox discussion, Phil Spencer, Sarah Bond and Matt Booty described the four-game initiative without promising that everything would follow; see the official Xbox podcast update.
Rank #4
- A new Spin on a Classic: You've never played classic Sonic like this before!
- Multiply, swim up waterfalls, change form, and more with the powers of the Chaos Emeralds.
- lay as Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy Rose, using their unique abilities to explore and uncover new paths and secrets.
- More Friends, More Fun: Play with up to 3 other players in local Co-op and challenge players from around the world in Battle Mode!
It is reasonable to interpret the move as a test of broader software reach, multiplayer population and reinvestment while preserving Xbox hardware and Game Pass as distinct parts of the ecosystem. That is strategic analysis, not a guarantee Microsoft made about its entire future catalog.
Which version fits each player?
PlayStation owners
- PS5 is the only PlayStation system with all four games. Hi-Fi RUSH and Sea of Thieves require PS5 in the announced lineup.
- PS4 supports Pentiment and Grounded.
- Grounded and Sea of Thieves are the multiplayer choices. Check the current PlayStation Store listing for the applicable online-multiplayer entitlement before buying.
Nintendo Switch owners
- Switch received Pentiment and Grounded, not Hi-Fi RUSH or Sea of Thieves in the original announcement.
- Portability is the Switch advantage; performance, resolution and loading can differ from PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC.
- Grounded’s announced cross-play is useful for mixed-platform groups.
Xbox owners
- The ports did not remove these games from Xbox.
- Xbox remained the platform Microsoft described as offering the flagship console experience and Game Pass access under the 2024 announcement.
- The trade-off is less software differentiation from PlayStation and Switch; the benefit is a larger potential community for multiplayer games.
Choosing between platforms
- Identify who you want to play with, especially for Grounded and Sea of Thieves.
- Choose whether portability matters; only Switch versions of Pentiment and Grounded were announced.
- Factor in Game Pass access if you are comparing Xbox or PC with a rival console.
- Check the required hardware: PS5 for Hi-Fi RUSH and Sea of Thieves, PS4 or PS5 for Pentiment and Grounded.
- Verify online-subscription rules, current prices and cross-save support on the relevant storefront. Cross-play alone does not settle those questions.
Current status: this rollout is complete
As of August 2026, these are completed 2024 releases, not upcoming ports: Pentiment (February 22), Hi-Fi RUSH (March 19), Grounded (April 16) and Sea of Thieves (April 30). A current headline should therefore say Microsoft brought four former Xbox-console exclusives to rival consoles in 2024.
Later multiplatform decisions may belong in a separate, independently sourced update. They should not be folded into the February 2024 four-game list, whose platforms and dates are documented in Microsoft’s original announcement.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
