Xbox PC app to get a unified game library
This kind of openness could be Xbox’s smartest play yet and may help Microsoft win the long game.
PC gaming is ahead of other ecosystems, but its Achilles' heel remains its launcher problem. For as long as I can remember, PC gamers have had to deal with a split-up system, requiring multiple applications to access games from different platforms.
Microsoft’s latest move aims to fix that, at least for Xbox users. The company is now testing an aggregated game library inside the Xbox PC app, and it could be a game-changer.
In beta now for Xbox Insiders, the new feature automatically pulls in your Steam and Battle.net games, showing them alongside your Xbox titles under “My Library” and “Most Recent.” No more hopping between launchers—everything’s viewable in one place. It’s not just about convenience; it’s a strategic signal that Xbox wants to be the central hub for all things PC gaming.
While this might sound familiar—GOG Galaxy and SteamOS have tried to unify launchers before—Microsoft brings something different to the table: its scale. It controls Windows, owns Game Pass, and is building an increasingly open gaming ecosystem. And Microsoft isn’t stopping with Steam and Battle.net.
The company says it plans to keep expanding this feature. Future support could include Epic Games, GOG, Humble Bundle, or even old-school indie platforms like Itch.io or Kongregate, bringing back a wave of long-lost flash games.
Kelechi Edeh
Strategically, this supports Microsoft's push to move Xbox past its console roots and into an agnostic gaming platform across devices. So, while PlayStation continues to guard its walled garden and exclusives, Xbox is moving the other way toward openness.
Though this feature is limited to Xbox Insiders for now, it won’t stay that way for long. Microsoft says it’ll be rolling out to everyone later this year, including as a preloaded feature on new devices like the ROG Xbox Ally and the upcoming ROG Xbox Ally X.
If Microsoft can pull this off, the Xbox app could evolve into the kind of universal launcher PC gamers have wanted for years—less clutter, more games, and one place to find them all. And in the age of platform wars, that kind of openness could be Xbox’s smartest play yet and may help Microsoft win the long game: being everywhere gamers are.
