A lot has happened at Xbox since appointing new CEO Asha Sharma early this year. Much of it hasn’t been very positive lately, given all the mass layoffs and restructuring, but we finally have some good news coming our way. Microsoft is seriously upgrading the Xbox PC app, with the changes reportedly coming soon to Xbox Insiders (potentially before the end of the year).

The guys over at Windows Central have already had hands-on experience with an early build. It will ship with a new-look interface and come with some impressive performance improvements. Jez Corden of Windows Central says the new version is more streamlined and already “a lot faster than the previous app” – noticeably so while loading his “large 1400+ library of Xbox titles”.

New redesign for Xbox PC app on the way

Xbox’s PC app should be familiar to any PC gamer with an Xbox Game Pass subscription. It’s an all-encompassing app where you can discover and download new games, as well as stream console games to your Windows PC over the cloud. It also hosts cross-platform messaging between PC, Xbox console, and mobile.

Tom Warren of The Verge has also seemingly been testing out the early build, confirming that the performance is “definitely” better than the existing version of the software. The experience is described as being similar to the web browser experience (directly on the Xbox website), but within a dedicated app without the added performance demands of an entire browser.

Xbox has been pushing to make gaming on Windows less of a chore lately – and the “number one platform for gaming” – especially when it comes to Windows-based handheld devices, such as the ASUS ROG Xbox Ally series last year (and the upcoming ROG Xbox Ally X20). Based on early testing, users will be able to boot straight into the new Xbox PC app thanks to a ‘Game Mode’ setting, which defaults to the controller-focused scaling that’s ideal for handhelds.

About the Author

Jack Goodall

At PC Guide, Jack is mostly responsible for reporting on hardware deals. He also specializes in monitors, TVs, and headsets and can be found putting his findings together in a review or best-of guide.