Can the Xbox App Ever Beat Steam?

When every person and their dog is still defaulting to Steam for all their PC gaming needs, what chance does a little guy like Microsoft have to capture an ounce of that audience? Xbox imagines that a little extra spice plus a long-awaited speed update to the Xbox app will make you consider plugging in to the alternative game browser and store. © Microsoft Simply put, the new version is faster than before. Jason Beaumont, Xbox’s VP of experiences, writes that the new build of the Xbox app loads up 60% faster. You can see that example in a video posted by Xbox CEO Asha Sharma on X. Individual pages, like the Home tab, Game Pass, and the Xbox Store should load up 50% faster than before. The app could often feel sluggish, especially if you were beholden to it like you are on modern handheld PCs such as the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X20 and MSI Claw 8 EX AI+. We’re making XBOX on Windows faster and more responsive. Starting today, we’re rolling out updates that make our app up to 60% faster. A meaningful improvement, with plenty more to do. pic.twitter.com/h5kzHSpR8H — ASHA (@asha_shar) November 5, 2026 Perhaps the most significant incoming change is the new look of the app. What was previously a dull gray void is now more console-like, with giant billboard ads displaying popular games or “Picks for you.” Users will finally have a choice between a dark and light mode. That, along with a revised library with added filters and game organization options, should make it an easier app to use. This is a controller-first kind of user interface, and while Steam can often feel cluttered, it packs a lot more information into a smaller footprint. Handheld users will find this new UX may feel more bespoke. The current iteration of the Xbox app on the Windows FSE (full-screen experience) often feels like a slog that acts as an impediment to accessing your games. © Microsoft There are several things I like about the new design. For instance, it places your friends list front and center. Along with being faster, the new app should help alleviate some of the rubber-banding users could feel when using handheld PCs. The new version of the app is only currently available to Xbox Insider beta testers, but that means it won’t be long before it comes out in an official capacity. In addition, you’ll see some of these same UI improvements come to the Xbox Cloud Gaming app on TVs and VR headsets as well. We’re making XBOX on Windows faster and more responsive. Starting today, we’re rolling out updates that make our app up to 60% faster. A meaningful improvement, with plenty more to do. pic.twitter.com/h5kzHSpR8H — ASHA (@asha_shar) November 5, 2026 These changes won’t necessarily entice more PC users over to Microsoft’s side of the fence, especially if you’re not actively using Game Pass or Xbox Cloud Gaming. Steam, which claims the vast majority of the market for PC gaming, still has better community tools that include in-app mod support, community tooling, and customization options, and the list goes on and on. Xbox does have a secret weapon with its Xbox Play Anywhere titles, where you buy a game that works across both consoles and PC. That’s where its next hardware initiatives come into play. Xbox can’t actually beat Steam unless it can claim a platform that invites players in. For instance, Xbox is reportedly working on a handheld separate from the Xbox Ally. While those Asus-made handhelds run Windows, this new device would supposedly run its own bespoke software according to a report last month from Fortune. We can expect the Xbox app UI to match whatever may come from Xbox next. If Microsoft’s gaming arm wants to sit alongside Steam, it needs the kind of hardware that drives players’ imaginations. Let’s hope, for both our and Xbox’s sake, that we don’t have to wait long.