Sea of Thieves does not need to be purchased again if it was previously bought on the same Microsoft account. It should be recoverable and reinstallable through the Microsoft Store/Xbox ecosystem as long as the original purchase is tied to the account currently in use.
Steps to find and reinstall it on Windows 10/11:
- Open Microsoft Store on the PC.
- Select the profile icon in the top-right and make sure the correct Microsoft account (the one used when Sea of Thieves was first purchased) is signed in.
- Go to My Library:
- Either select the Microsoft Store icon on the taskbar, then More info (next to the account picture) → My Library, or
- Use the library link: Open.
- In My Library, look for Sea of Thieves. Any item with a Download icon next to it is owned but not installed. Select the Download icon to install it.
If the game is missing from My Library, check the following:
- Verify purchase under Order history:
- Go to Order history while signed in with the same Microsoft account used originally.
- If Sea of Thieves appears there, select it and use the Install option if available.
- Confirm the correct region and account:
- If the game was bought while using a different country/region or a different Microsoft account, it will not appear under the current one.
- Check if the PC is authorized and signed in correctly:
- Ensure the device is added to the Microsoft account and that the Store is using that account.
If the game still cannot be found or installed, the most common reasons (from Microsoft Store behavior) are:
- The game is associated with a different Microsoft account than the one currently in use.
- The PC is not signed in or authorized correctly for Microsoft Store apps.
Sea of Thieves itself has not been removed from the ecosystem, so if the purchase exists in the account’s Order history, it remains available to reinstall without repurchasing.
References: