Xbox PC app gets a faster redesign, with web and cloud apps next in line

Microsoft is giving the Xbox app on Windows a long-requested tune-up. A new version, available first to members of the Xbox Insider program, is said to start up to 60% faster than the current one, and the company plans to carry the same design over to its cloud gaming apps.

What changes on PC

Speed is the headline. According to Xbox, the Home, Store and Game Pass pages now load up to 50% faster, while windows inside the app pop up as much as 65% faster. Microsoft adds that these figures come from its own testing and depend on the device, connection and setup.

• The library has new filters and sorting, so large collections are easier to browse.
• Friends, chat and parties have moved into the main side menu instead of sitting in a separate panel.
• One search bar now covers games, installed titles, add-ons and people.
• Game cards, the Home screen, Settings and animations have been refreshed.

Web, TVs and headsets

The redesigned web version of Xbox Cloud Gaming will reach more players automatically over the coming weeks. It adds a Library tab that gathers every cloud-playable game a player owns or gets through Game Pass, a desktop mode for big screens, light and dark themes and five high-contrast options. The refreshed look is also starting to appear in the cloud gaming apps for supported TVs and VR headsets.

For years the Xbox app has been the weak spot of PC gaming on Windows: many players open it only for Game Pass titles and do everything else in Steam. As PC Gamer notes, putting friends and parties up front addresses one of the most common complaints, since joining friends used to take far more clicks than on rival launchers. Microsoft says this is only one step and that Insider feedback will shape what comes next. It has not said when the new app will reach all Windows users.

Reported by Xbox Wire, PC Gamer. Compiled with AI tools.