Windows 10 Anniversary Update and newer required to play

Mar 13, 2018 07:37 GMT  ·  By

Another Windows 10-exclusive game published in the Microsoft Store has been cracked, proving that UWP titles aren’t entirely safeguarded against piracy despite the tighter control that Microsoft has over them.

CODEX managed to crack Gears of War 4 after it bypassed Microsoft and Arxan protections, and the game can now be downloaded and played without a Microsoft Account connected to the Store and obviously, without paying for it. The same group managed to crack the first UWP game nearly a month ago and announced at that point that more titles were in the queue.

Gears of War 4, which is a Windows 10-exclusive title not available elsewhere, can be purchased from the Microsoft Store for $39.99 and is offered as a 100+ GB download. It can be downloaded on both PC and Xbox One as a UWP title, and integrates Xbox Play Anywhere to play on both Xbox One gaming console and Windows 10 PCs without paying any extra fee.

Forza 7 next?

The cracked version, however, needs to be blocked from connecting to the Internet, and CODEX recommends gamers to block the game’s executable file in the firewall in order to prevent it from going online. It comes packed in an ISO file, just like cracked Win32 games, and can be played on Windows 10 version 1607 (Anniversary Update) or newer.

CODEX claims there’s no limitation when comparing the legit version with the cracked one, and the group notes that Gears of War 4 continues to be very buggy, though this isn’t something caused by the crack.

While the list of games whose protections have been bypassed is growing, not all titles have been cracked, though right now this appears to be just a matter of time. Forza 7 seems to be one super-popular request, along with several other titles like Halo Wars 2.

We’ve contacted Microsoft for some comments on this increased focus on cracking UWP titles and will update the article when an answer is offered. The company, however, is unlikely to be pleased with this whole new trend, so future updates are very likely to include tougher protections and blocks for these cracks.