Microsoft has just revealed many new updates, tweaks, and improvements to its Xbox platforms, including consoles, mobile app, and cloud gaming.
Announcing on Xbox Wire, Xbox has confirmed new features that will be available. This includes:
- Being able to make purchases within the Xbox App.
- Streaming selected owned games on the console without having to install them.
- Access Xbox Remote Play from any device with a web browser.
- Removing the Xbox Remote Play ability from the Xbox App.
- Updated ways to free up and manage storage space on Xbox consoles.
- Introduction of ‘Game Hubs’.
Read below for more details.
Purchasing Power on the Xbox App
Microsoft have confirmed that one of the communities’ ‘most requested features’ will soon be available. Soon gamers will be able to buy games, add-on content, game pass subscriptions and redeem perks from within the app. This means you can purchase and pre-install directly from the app, improving usability. It was a bit of a faff having to purchase on the webpage and then go to the app to install. More streamlined is nice.
Also, redemption of Game Pass perks within the app is a win win for me, much happier doing that when I’m in the bath or faffing about waiting somewhere.
Stream Your Own Game on Console
As of today (16 April 2025), players will be able to stream some owned games directly from their console, in the same way they can Game Pass games. This follows on from the previous announcement, where they announced a range of devices, such as TVs, Meta Quest, and other browser-supported devices that could stream owned content. This allows players to stream without needing to install, therefore saving hard drive space, and time.
You can do this by filtering your ‘full library’ in the ‘My Games & apps’ section of the console and filtering to ‘Owned Games’. A ‘cloud badge’ on the game tile will indicate that it is streamable.
Microsoft confirmed that there are now over 100 games that you can stream if you own them, on top of the Xbox Game Pass titles that are also streamable.
New games that will be added soon include:
- Agatha Christie Murder on the Orient Express
- Amerzone: The Explorer's Legacy
- Barton Lynch Pro Surfing
- Bratz Flaunt your fashion
- Construction Simulator
- Empire of the Ants
- Mandragora
- PAW Patrol Grand Prix
- Paw Patrol World
- Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds Ultimate
- Predator: Hunting Grounds
- SpiderHeck
- Starship Troopers: Extermination
- Steep
- Teardown
- The Game of Life 2
- Undisputed
- Way of the Hunter
- Wizard of Legend II
Xbox Remote Play in More Places
Microsoft confirmed that you can play ant game that is installed on your console on any device with a web browser. You can do this by visiting xbox.com/remoteplay. In doing this, Microsoft confirmed that the ability to stream directly from within the Xbox app has been removed.
They also confirmed that more devices will be able to remot eplay soon, including Samsung Smart TVs, Amazon Fire TVs, and Meta Quest headsets.
Starting soon, backward-compatible Xbox 360 and original Xbox games will also be streamable using remote play.
Manage Your Storage Differently
The new updates bring a new way to manage your storage on all Xbox consoles. You can choose to display unused add-ons and ‘shrinkable games’. There will also be recommendations for removing duplicate copies of games, and games that you no longer have access to (perhaps such as timed demos, betas or delisted titles).
Go to Free Up Space in ‘Manage’ in the ‘My Games & Apps’ section of the console.
Game Hubs Have Arrived
Game hubs are now available on Xbox consoles. They bring a summary of key game information into one place as you go to launch a game. This includes:
- Players statistics
- Achievements
- Friends currently playing the game
- Recent captures
- Available add-ons
- Events
When you click on a game tile it will open the Game Hub before launching the game. You can double-tab a game tile to immediately launch the game, skipping the hub. You can also deactivate game hubs in the ‘personalisation’ settings menu or ‘Games & Apps’ via ‘Manage’ in the ‘My Games & Apps’ section of the console.
And that’s your lot. A pretty good update from what I can tell. Love some good quality of life improvements to the menus. Though I am disappointed about the removal of the streaming directly in the app, but that’s only minor. Providing the web browser remote play works the same.
There any updates you’d like to see come to Xbox? Personally, I want to see the achievements system get an overhaul. Feels long overdue,
