Games for Windows - Live

CONCEPT

Microsoft's PC branch of its Live service. Lends the same functionality as Xbox Live Gold to Games For Windows games including cross-platform compatibility for achievements, friends & messages, downloadable content, and in some cases, multiplayer.

Concept Images Related Pages

EditHistoryPage info

Overview

Games for Windows - Live, launched on May 8, 2007 (with the release of Halo 2and Shadowrun (Game)), is an online gaming service used in a number of Games for Windows branded PC games. Users have a gamertag, which can be used across all Live services. Originally, a number of features required a subscription fee and Xbox Live Gold subscribers also had access to Games for Windows - Live features and vice versa. Access to all features have later been made free to all users. A recent update has changed how the GUI looks and adds a stand-alone application. Features

• Single gamertag
• Common gamer profile
• Common gamerscore
• Single player achievements - All titles have achievements, though some share the list with the Xbox 360 version
• Private chat via text and voice
• Common friends list and online presence
• PC only multiplayer including browsing a list of active PC games
• Multiplayer matchmaking with friends
• TruSkill matchmaking
• Multiplayer achievements
• Cross-platform gameplay
• Games on Demand (December 15th,2009)

A single friends list is shared across GFW - Live titles, but it is not possible to access it when not in a game.

Setbacks

There have been several setbacks and delays with Games for Windows Live and Live Anywhere. None of the Arcade games announced for release on Games for Windows Live and Live anywhere have been released, such as Uno and Geometry Wars.

Games view all →]

• Ace Combat Assault Horizon (Game)
• Age of Empires Online (Game)
• Battlestations: Pacific (Game)
• BioShock 2 (Game)
• Blacklight: Tango Down (Game)
• BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger (Game)
• Bulletstorm (Game)
• CarneyVale Showtime (Game)
• Check vs. Mate (Game)
• Crash Time 4: The Syndicate (Game)
• Dark Souls (Game)
• Dead Rising 2 (Game)
• Dead Rising 2: Off the Record (Game)
• Deer Hunter Tournament (Game)
• DiRT 2 (Game)
• DiRT 3 (Game)
• F1 2010 (Game)
• F1 2011 (Game)
• FUEL (Game)
• Fable III (Game)
• Fallout 3 (Game)
• FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage (Game)
• Game Room (Game)
• Gears of War (Game)
• Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu (Game)
• Gotham City Impostors (Game)
• Halo 2 (Game)
• Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet (Game)
• Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights (Game)
• Kane & Lynch: Dead Men (Game)
• Lost Planet: Extreme Condition - Colonies Edition (Game)
• Mahjong Wisdom (Game)
• Microsoft Flight (Game)
• Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection (Game)
• Ms. Splosion Man (Game)
• Operation Flashpoint: Red River (Game)
• Osmos (Game)
• Pony Friends 2 (Game)
• Project Gotham Racing (Game)
• Project Gotham Racing 2 (Game)
• Quantum of Solace (Game)
• Resident Evil 5 (Game)
• Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City (Game)
• Rugby League Live (Game)
• Section 8 (Game)
• Section 8: Prejudice (Game)
• Shadowrun (Game)
• Star Wars The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes (Game)
• Stormrise (Game)
• Street Fighter X Tekken (Game)
• Test Drive: Ferrari Racing Legends (Game)
• The Club (Game)
• Tinker (Game)
• Toy Soldiers (Game)
• Tron: Evolution (Game)
• Universe at War: Earth Assault (Game)
• Vancouver 2010 (Game)
• Viva Piñata (Game)
• Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II (Game)
• Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II: Chaos Rising (Game)
• Where's Waldo?: The Fantastic Journey (Game)
• World of Goo (Game)

Concept details

Name

Games for Windows - Live

Aliases

GFWL

Games

• Ace Combat Assault Horizon (Game)
• Age of Empires Online (Game)
• Battlestations: Pacific (Game)
• BioShock 2 (Game)
• Blacklight: Tango Down (Game)
• BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger (Game)
• Bulletstorm (Game)
• CarneyVale Showtime (Game)
• Check vs. Mate (Game)
• Crash Time 4: The Syndicate (Game)
• Dark Souls (Game)
• Dead Rising 2 (Game)
• Dead Rising 2: Off the Record (Game)
• Deer Hunter Tournament (Game)
• DiRT 2 (Game)
• DiRT 3 (Game)
• F1 2010 (Game)
• F1 2011 (Game)
• FUEL (Game)
• Fable III (Game)
• view all →

Franchises

• Has franchises: Mortal Kombat (Franchise), Sonic the Hedgehog (Franchise), Capcom Versus (Franchise), Street Fighter (Franchise), Tekken (Franchise), Star Wars (Franchise), Star Wars: Clone Wars (Franchise), Grand Theft Auto (Franchise), Formula 1 (Franchise), Batman (Franchise), DC Universe (Franchise), Halo (Franchise), Batman: Arkham (Franchise), Dead Rising (Franchise), Gears of War (Franchise), Lost Planet (Franchise), James Bond (Franchise), Red Faction (Franchise), Colin McRae Rally (Franchise), DiRT (Franchise), Dark Void (Franchise), Resident Evil (Franchise), Fallout (Franchise), Warhammer 40,000 (Franchise), Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War (Franchise), Shadowrun (Franchise), Age of Empires (Franchise), Ace Combat (Franchise), Fable (Franchise), Viva Piñata (Franchise), TRON (Franchise), Kane & Lynch (Franchise), Where's Waldo (Franchise), Olympic Games (Franchise), BlazBlue (Franchise), Rugby League (Franchise), 'Splosion Man (Franchise), Souls (Franchise), Section 8 (Franchise), Crash Time (Franchise), FlatOut (Franchise), Blacklight (Franchise), Battlestations (Franchise), Deer Hunter (Franchise), Juiced (Franchise), Microsoft Flight Simulator (Franchise), Operation Flashpoint (Franchise), Toy Soldiers (Franchise)

Characters

Locations

Objects

People

Related Concepts

• Has related concepts: Online (Concept), Achievements (Concept), New Xbox Experience (Concept), Digital Distribution (Concept), Xbox Live (Concept), Dead Multiplayer (Concept), Viral Achievement (Concept), Cross Platform Multiplayer (Concept), Lag (Concept)