Microsoft is Bringing More Games to its Xbox App for PC

Microsoft is making changes to its Xbox app for PC to better surface PC games that aren’t available with PC Game Pass. The company is also working with game developers to make all PC games with Xbox features available on its Xbox app for PC.

A common source of confusion regarding Microsoft’s approach to PC gaming is that there are two places to find PC games on Windows 10 and Windows 11, the Microsoft Store and the Xbox app for PC. And both storefronts offer a different selection of games: The Microsoft Store usually hides PC Game Pass games in search, while the Xbox app for PC hides casual games and some PC games with Xbox features that never came to PC Game Pass.

Chris Charla, General Manager of Content Curation and Programs at Xbox explained on the Microsoft Game Dev blog yesterday that the company wants its Xbox app for PC to become the best place to find “Xbox games”… which is a confusing way to describe PC games with Xbox features.

“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 explained.” Earlier this summer, we began working with partners 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.”

The new PC games with Xbox features that are now available via the Xbox app for PC includes “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.” Charla also mentioned that more than 100 of these 400 titles support Xbox Play Anywhere, which means players only need to buy a game once to play it on Xbox and Windows with cross-saves support.

This month, Microsoft also plans to bring a couple of casual PC games to the Xbox app such as Candy Crush Soda Saga and Angry Birds 2. Microsoft now owns the Candy Crush IP following its acquisition of Activision Blizzard King, but it will be interesting to see if these games will eventually get some Xbox features such as support for Xbox accounts and achievements. “Over the next few months, we’ll be piloting and testing a variety of new features,” Charla also said yesterday.

The new Home experience for the Xbox app for PC that Microsoft has been testing with Xbox Insiders is also rolling to all Windows users this week. It brings a new Featured content section at the top, curated collections and recommendations, a Deals and discounts section, and a new “Jump back in” feature in Compact mode. The latter will put recently played games at the top of the Home page so that players can launch them even faster.