Do I Need to Repurchase Destiny 2 Expansions?

If you‘re a devoted Destiny 2 player switching gaming platforms, you may be wondering: "Do I really need to buy all the expansions again?"

The short answer is no—at least not all of them. But Destiny 2‘s cross-save system and expansion ownership rules can be confusing. As a Destiny expert and guide writer, let me break it down for you.

You Don‘t Need to Rebuy Season Passes

First and foremost, you do not need to repurchase Destiny 2 season passes when switching platforms. Season passes and their premium seasonal content carry across all of your Cross Saved platforms.

So if you unlock the Season of Defiance pass on Xbox, you can access all that seasonal content on Playstation or PC too through Cross Save without paying again. This makes it easy to continue pursuing seasonal activities, exotics, and progression no matter where you play.

See the table below for an example:

This means seasonal content should never be a factor when deciding whether to rebuy expansions after switching platforms. But unfortunately, the same cross-platform entitlement does not apply to expansions.

Expansion Access Does Not Carry Across Platforms

While season passes bridge platforms via Cross Save, expansion ownership and licenses remain isolated to the platform they were purchased on.

For example, if you owned Beyond Light on Xbox but lack the Playstation license, you‘d lose access to key Beyond Light activities like:

• Stasis subclass
• Europa destination
• Deep Stone Crypt raid
• Cloudstrike, Salvation‘s Grip exotics
• More

To regain access, you‘d have to repurchase the Beyond Light expansion on Playstation. This also applies to Shadowkeep, The Witch Queen, and all future expansions.

So if you want to play expansion content on a new platform, you need to buy each expansion again individually. Bungie‘s cross-platform model gives you flexibility to take your Guardian anywhere, but not free reign to all their Destiny 2 content.

Which Expansions Should You Actually Buy Again?

Dropping another $40-50 USD to regain access to expansion content you already "own" isn‘t always appealing. Which expansions are worth repurchasing?

Based on playtime statistics, player sentiment, and retention of aspirational content, I recommend buying these expansions again if switching main platforms:

• The Witch Queen – Most recent expansion with an excellent campaign, weapon crafting, and the Vow of the Disciple raid
• Beyond Light – Unlocks Stasis subclasses, provides the Deep Stone Crypt raid
• Shadowkeep – Unlocks garden of Salvation raid, nightmare hunts, upgrades Lectern of Enchantment

However the older Forsaken Pack is harder to justify at $25 USD. Since it‘s campaign and the Tangled Shore destination entered the Destiny Content Vault (DCV), there‘s limited aspirational content left compared to other expansions.

Use the visual below to help decide which expansions are "must buys" if you switch platforms:

With smart selective purchases, you can access Destiny 2‘s best expansion content on a new platform without breaking the bank all over again.

Why Can‘t All Content Cross Save?

I‘m sure many Guardians are wondering—if season passes work across all platforms, why don‘t expansion licenses?

The reasoning comes down to Bungie‘s partnership agreements and revenue sharing models with platform holders. For example:

• Sony financially contributes to certain Destiny 2 expansion content drops in exchange for timed exclusivity
• Microsoft pays to have expansions launch day-and-date on GamePass to drive subscriptions
• Steam takes 30% of all expansion revenue from sales on its platform

By isolating expansion licenses per-platform, Bungie can customize partnership deals while platforms retain their expected revenue share.

And remember—Bungie is an independent studio now, so they need to extract the maximum revenue possible from Destiny 2‘s existing content rather than make pure customer-friendly choices.

So while buying expansions again isn‘t convenient for us players, Bungie is acting logically within the constraints of a complex content partnership landscape between various platform holders.

Will Expansions Be Removed From the Game?

In Destiny 2‘s past, purchased expansions didn‘t always stay accessible permanently. Both the Red War campaign and Forsaken were later "vaulted" and removed from the game.

However, Bungie has reversed course on content vaulting. In a August 2022 showcase, they announced all major expansions and locations will now remain available going forward rather than enter the Destiny Content Vault (DCV).

This means The Witch Queen, Lightfall and future expansions will never be removed from the game. Players who purchase that content will retain access indefinitely. Only seasonal content will now enter the DCV on an annual basis.

So purchasing expansions again on new platforms remains a safe long-term investment. Their campaigns, raids, destinations and exotics will stay accessible as part of Guardian‘s permanent Destiny 2 journey.

Key Takeaways

Switching between Playstation, Xbox and PC is seamless for your Guardian thanks to Cross Save. But purchasing expansions again on new platforms poses an inconvenient yet unavoidable cost for dedicated players.

To recap:

✅ Season passes offer content access across all Cross Saved platforms

❌ Expansion licenses remain isolated per platform and must be rebought

💰 Prioritize rebuying newer expansions with aspirational content

This video provides a quick visual summary:

Do Destiny 2 Expansions Transfer Between Platforms

I hope this guide gave you more clarity on what transfers over between platforms and which expansions are worth repurchasing if you make the switch. Let me know if you have any other Destiny 2 platform questions!