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Gaming·2 min read

Xbox PC App Redesign Promises Launches Up to 60% Faster

Microsoft is testing a redesigned Xbox PC app with up to 60% faster launches, simpler navigation and a refreshed library. Cloud gaming gets a matching update.

The redesigned Xbox PC app showing a game library and friends list on a Windows desktop monitor.
Image: Digital Trends
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Microsoft has opened a redesigned Xbox PC app to Xbox Insiders, promising launches that are up to 60% faster. The company announced the test on Thursday, along with a matching refresh for Xbox cloud gaming on the web, TVs and VR headsets.

Speed is the headline. Microsoft says Home, Store and Game Pass pages load up to 50% faster, and in-app windows open up to 65% faster. As always, "up to" describes the best case, not what every player will see. The numbers matter because the app competes with Steam and the Epic Games Store, and a slow launcher is easy to stop opening.

Simpler navigation and a better library

The redesign aims to work equally well with a mouse and a controller. The Library gets simpler navigation, updated filters and new ways to organize games. The friends section now sits in the main navigation, so chatting, joining a party or checking what friends are playing takes fewer steps.

Search now covers games, including installed titles and add-ons, and people from a single place. Microsoft also refreshed game cards, Home, Settings and animations to make screens easier to scan.

Cloud gaming gets the same treatment

The refreshed web version of Xbox cloud gaming, which Insiders previewed earlier this year, will reach more players automatically over the next few weeks. Anyone can try it now at play.xbox.com. It adds a Library tab listing every cloud-playable game, whether owned or on Game Pass, a desktop mode for big screens, and dark and light modes with five new high-contrast options.

Microsoft is also starting to bring the new look to cloud gaming apps on supported TVs and VR headsets, but it has not confirmed a timeline. It has not said when the redesigned PC app will reach all users either.

To test the PC app now, join the Xbox Insider Program through the Xbox Insider Hub on Windows.

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Tags:xboxxbox appwindowscloud gaminggame passxbox insider

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