Microsoft wants to make the Xbox app the home of PC gaming

Microsoft is updating the Xbox app connected Windows contiguous with hundreds of PC games that weren’t antecedently disposable and a caller location experience. It’s portion of a broader effort to marque the Xbox app the place to find PC games, careless of whether they’re portion of PC Game Pass oregon not.

“Earlier this summer, we began moving with partners to bring each PC games with Xbox features into the Xbox app,” explains Chris Charla, wide manager of contented curation and programs astatine Xbox. “We’re ace excited to spot what Xbox games travel to Windows PC from crippled creators successful the aboriginal and to invited astir 400 titles that antecedently weren’t discoverable oregon purchasable successful the Xbox app.”

The 400 caller games see titles from Japanese studios similar Kemco and Kairosoft, alongside games similar The Invincible by Double 11. More than 100 of these caller titles are besides Xbox Play Anywhere, truthful if you bargain the Xbox console mentation past you tin play the Xbox PC mentation too. “Universal Xbox ownership, arsenic good arsenic cosmopolitan unreality saves connected Xbox, and cross-play betwixt Xbox versions connected console and PC (and different platforms, astatine the developer’s discretion) are awesome features players love,” says Charla.

What’s not instantly wide from Microsoft’s blog station is precisely what “bring each PC games with Xbox features into the Xbox app,” means. Microsoft has been trying to tempt crippled developers implicit to its Windows-based store successful caller years, adjacent lowing its chopped from 30 percent to conscionable 12 percent to effort and shingle up PC gaming.

Despite these efforts, determination are plentifulness of PC games that person cross-play betwixt the Xbox and PC mentation of the crippled but aren’t portion of the Microsoft Store presently oregon the Xbox app. Microsoft present appears to beryllium moving to bring adjacent much of these games into the Xbox app, and it volition beryllium absorbing to spot whether the institution makes the bold determination of listing Steam, Epic Games Store, oregon itch.io games successful the Xbox app soon, too. Microsoft says it volition person much to stock astir its Xbox app plans astatine the crippled developers league successful March.

Microsoft is besides rolling retired a caller location UI for the Xbox app connected Windows today. The location UI present includes featured contented from PC Game Pass and the Microsoft Store, alongside collections of deals and discounts. Microsoft has besides added a “jump backmost in” conception that lets you rapidly get backmost into caller games conscionable similar you tin connected an Xbox console.