Microsoft has rolled out a big update for the Xbox app on PC that it says will make it faster and easier "to find their favorite games and discover great new titles to play." Alongside the update, nearly 400 games that weren't previously available through the app have been added to its lineup.
Central to the update is the new "Home experience," previously only available to Xbox Insiders, that will help players "stay up to date on game releases, new events, Game Pass content, sales, and more," Xbox general manager of content curation and programs Chris Charla wrote (via The Verge). "There are also new curated collections and recommendations, deals and discounts, and the Jump back in feature, which enables players in Compact Mode to click on any game card and jump right back into gameplay from the game’s hub."
As for the new games added as part of the update, Charla said Microsoft began working with partners in the summer "to bring all PC games with Xbox features into the Xbox app."
"We're super excited to see what Xbox games come to Windows PC from game creators in the future and to welcome nearly 400 titles that previously weren’t discoverable or purchasable in the Xbox app," he wrote. "Among this list are dozens of games from veteran Japanese studios Kemco and Kairosoft, as well as games such as Shovel Knight Treasure Trove by Yacht Club the Jackbox Party Pack, The Invincible by Double 11 and many, many more."
I can't do a before-and-after comparison because I discovered earlier today that I didn't actually have the Xbox app installed on my PC at all. I do now, and it looks perfectly serviceable (if a little sluggish, although could be my low-quality internet rearing its ugly head again), but I think that really speaks to the challenge Microsoft is facing as it looks to carve out a bigger space in PC gaming: The Xbox app is so inessential that I didn't even know I didn't have it installed.
Not everyone is going to be in that boat, of course. Game Pass subscribers in particular may like the way it sorts and highlights current and upcoming games in various ways, and among the new games added are more than 100 Xbox Play Anywhere titles, with "universal Xbox ownership"—if you buy it on PC you also get the console version, and vice versa—"as well as universal cloud saves on Xbox, and cross-play between Xbox versions on console and PC (and other platforms, at the developer’s discretion)." For players invested in that PC-console cross-compatibility, this update will be a big improvement.
But Microsoft has greater ambitions than merely making the Xbox app a more welcoming home for Game Pass subscribers: "While many players use the app to find and launch awesome titles from Game Pass, the Xbox app is also becoming a great way for players to find cool Xbox games that aren’t available with Game Pass," Charla wrote.
Microsoft will be testing additional new features for the Xbox app over the next few months, beginning with a small collection of casual games including Candy Crush Soda Saga and Angry Birds 2 later this month. "This work is always done with the goal of delivering players the best and most diverse array of games possible and providing game creators with access to new discovery surfaces and new audiences," Charla wrote.
Charla said Microsoft will share more about its plans for the future of the Xbox app at GDC, which takes place March 17-21, 2025.
