Microsoft is working on a rebuilt version of the Xbox PC app, codenamed “Garrison,” and Windows Central’s Jez Corden has gone hands-on with an early build. The current app has a reputation for being slow, especially when loading big libraries or the store, and that seems to be the main thing Microsoft is trying to fix. Corden says the new app is a lot faster, even with his library of over 1,400 Xbox titles. He did not share any load time numbers, however. The Verge’s Tom Warren also posted screenshots on X, saying the design is “coming along nicely” and that performance is definitely better.
Game listings and store listings now share a single page, although store pages aren’t fully working in this build. The app also makes it clearer which games can be installed locally and which can only be streamed through Xbox Cloud Gaming. There are layouts for both mouse and keyboard and controllers, and the app can apparently be set as the default home screen when Windows 11 boots into its gaming mode. That is probably a reference to Xbox mode, which Microsoft expanded to laptops, desktops, and tablets in April.
There isn’t much in the way of new features yet, and Steam is still ahead on community tools and user reviews. The rebuild follows the combined library with Steam and Battle.net games that Insiders began testing last year. Microsoft hasn’t announced a release date. Corden suspects the app could reach Xbox Insiders on PC in the coming weeks, since it is reportedly already being bundled into Windows 11 builds.