PlayStation's "Cross-Buy" May Be Its Answer to Xbox Play Anywhere

Sony appears to be gearing up to roll out a "Cross-Buy" feature for PlayStation 5 and PC, a move that would mirror Microsoft's Xbox Play Anywhere system—allowing users to buy a game once and play it across platforms.

The rumour caught fire after X user @yAmethxst spotted a new "Cross-Buy" icon (can be seen in the image above) while browsing the PS5 interface. According to their post, this label is currently visible only on PlayStation consoles, suggesting the feature hasn't been rolled out to web or PC storefronts—yet.

Backing up the claim, reliable dataminer billbil-kun dove into the PlayStation Store's backend and confirmed the symbol's existence. More importantly, they uncovered a key reference—"crossbuy-tag"—in the site's CSS files. By replicating the style, billbil-kun demonstrated that it matches the icon now appearing on PS5, suggesting Sony is laying the groundwork behind the scenes.

This isn't Sony's first foray into Cross-Buy. The feature was used during the PS3/PS4 and PS Vita era, allowing players to purchase a game once and play it on multiple PlayStation platforms. But the new implementation could bridge PS5 and PC—a significant shift for Sony's ecosystem.

To verify whether the styling and symbol are recent or remnants from older systems, billbil-kun ran a check on archived versions of the PlayStation Store. Their research confirmed the "crossbuy-tag" entry was added in June 2025, strongly implying this is a new initiative, not a holdover.

The big question now is what platforms Cross-Buy will cover. Will it link PS5 and PC purchases for first-party games like Spider-Man 2 or The Last of Us Part II Remastered? Or is Sony also laying the groundwork for a new handheld device to tie into the PS5?

No official word from Sony yet, but this quiet backend update suggests an announcement may not be far off.