So, you want to buy an Xbox game from your phone, but you can’t figure out how to do it. I was trying to buy an Xbox game on my phone and realized it’s a lot more complicated than it needs to be.
I know what you’re probably thinking: “Why don’t you just use the Xbox app?”. Well, as it turns out, you can’t buy games through the Xbox app at this time.
You can use the app to search for games but you’ll only see the option to download them to your console. What’s funny is you can remotely download any game to your console, but you won’t be able to play it until you buy a copy. Strange!
Here are some workarounds:
Ways to Buy Xbox Games from Your Phone
Use G2A Marketplace
You can access the G2A marketplace from your phone’s web browser and buy Xbox games from your phone. G2A is a third-party marketplace for game keys.
When you buy a game, you’ll be given a license code, and you can redeem that code through Microsoft’s website. It takes a little longer but you can find some great deals. Did you know you can buy games from Argentina to save over 90% on games?
Use Your Web Browser
If you prefer not to use third-party platforms, you can buy games directly from the Microsoft website. Open your favorite web browser on your phone and navigate to Browse all games on the Xbox website. You will need to sign in to your account and have an active payment method.
The benefit of using this method is as soon as you buy a game it will be linked to your Microsoft account. You don’t need to redeem codes or anything like that. The downside is the games are usually pricey. From time to time, there are good sales to keep an eye on.
Why Can’t You Buy Xbox Games from the Xbox App?
It’s not entirely but seems to be due to the fees of the given app stores. For example, Google charges app developers a 15% service fee. It was previously 30%, which I assume Microsoft would not be interested in paying when there are other workarounds.
So, buying Xbox games from your phone is a bit annoying because you need to use your web browser, it’s the best alternative we have. At least the Xbox website is optimized for mobile.
