Microsoft has officially begun rolling out its redesigned XBOX PC app, promising substantial performance improvements and a more streamlined interface. According to the company’s latest XBOX Wire announcement, the updated application is up to 60% faster to launch, while navigation and other everyday operations have also received significant optimizations.
This follows our previous coverage in October, when Microsoft was reportedly testing a major overhaul of its XBOX PC app, internally codenamed Garrison. Early hands-on impressions from Windows Central and The Verge’s Tom Warren suggestedsubstantially improved responsiveness, particularly when browsing large game libraries.
Microsoft has now provided official figures for the improvements, with Home, Store, and Game Pass pages loading up to 50% faster, while in-app windows reportedly open up to 65% faster. The company emphasizes that these figures are based on internal testing, and actual results willvary depending on hardware configurations, internet connectivity, and other factors.
Beyond performance, the redesigned application introduces a cleaner interface with revamped game cards, refreshed animations, and updated Home and Settings pages. Library navigation has also been simplified, with improved filtering and organization options intended to make managing large game collections less cumbersome.
Social features are now integrated directly into the main navigation, allowing users to see their friends’ activity, start conversations, and join parties more conveniently. Meanwhile, an improved unified search function encompasses games, installed titles, downloadable add-ons, and other players.
XBOX chief Asha Sharma also shared a side-by-side demonstration on X of the application’s improved responsiveness.
XBOX Cloud Gaming Is Also Receiving A Major Interface Overhaul
Alongside the PC application, Microsoft is expanding its redesigned XBOX Cloud Gaming web experience, which first entered public preview in January.
The revamped interface introduces a consolidated Library for cloud-playable games, including supported purchased titles and XBOX Game Pass offerings. Other additions include improved sorting and filtering, a desktop-optimized layout for larger screens, dark and light themes, and five high-contrast accessibility options.
Microsoft is also bringing similar navigation improvements toXBOX Cloud Gaming applications on supported televisions and VR headsets, seeking greater consistency across its gaming ecosystem.
The updated XBOX PC app began rolling out to XBOX Insiders on November 5, while the refreshed web experience is expanding to more users over the coming weeks. Microsoft has not specified a general release date for the redesigned PC application.
Although these improvements address several longstanding complaints about Microsoft’s PC gaming software, whether the redesign can meaningfully narrow the usability gap with competing storefronts such as Steam remains to be seen.
About the author: Sebastian Castellanos is a data scientist by education and training. He’s also deeply passionate about PC gaming hardware and software. He has recently started writing technical articles and guides on Wccftech about PC hardware, games and mods.
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