Microsoft’s Xbox PC app adds Steam games and access to other stores

Microsoft is rolling out a new aggregated gaming library inside its Xbox PC app today on Windows. The updated app will now list games from Steam, Battle.net, and other PC storefronts — making it a launcher for games you have installed on your PC. Microsoft has been testing this aggregated library in recent months with Xbox Insiders, but it’s now available to all Xbox PC app users. It’s designed primarily for the new fullscreen Xbox experience that will ship on the Xbox Ally devices, but it’s also part of Microsoft’s efforts to make the Xbox app on Windows the home of PC gaming. “When you install a game from a supported PC storefront, it automatically appears in ‘My Library’ within the Xbox PC app, as well as the ‘Most Recent’ list of titles in the sidebar, so you can jump back into your favorite games with just a click,” explains Jason Beaumont, vice president of experiences at Xbox. Alongside the library integration, Microsoft is also rolling out a new My Apps section in the Xbox PC app that allows PC gamers to quickly install and launch third-party apps like browsers, gaming utilities, and rival storefronts. This new feature is also designed primarily for handhelds, to help people download and launch games from multiple stores. Later this month, Microsoft will also add cloud-playable games and game history to the Xbox app that syncs your recent games list on Xbox consoles, PC, or handheld. Microsoft already started rolling this out on Xbox consoles last month. “Once this feature is released, look for the ‘Jump back in’ list on the Home screen of your console, PC, or handheld to find your recent play history and pick up where you left off,” says Beaumont.