Universal update inbound: Exclusive Xbox One games appearing in Windows Store

By Imad Khan May 16, 2016

universal update leak xbox one windows store 25755671135 c02249b14f k — https://www.flickr.com/photos/99664461@N04/25755671135/in/photolist-FeWxHr-eKUiTa-daQzMS-fzFF4a-wX4ibj-rG9oCz-qKn5ae-gdtHDF-wFk6E4-bqH7U4-eKeBiF-GCJyfx-eS5bo9-eS5dVN-CdipgQ-6efaeT-eKej3P-8MjrJB-eKUiE6-tXEGq-h25gfR-Cdij6E-D8uHaY-D1fmWY-qKmoTZ-53dkTM-s1ybGW-qKa6bh-9Qbdna-eRRVDt-qK9awo-kXFVp-rnQtnR-eS5cWN-wX5uZY-x8QQza-fzW5Lj-hNHKDS-5A9Dk-rG3h1V-DaP7Ke-h96rD2-x7uLKd-nkSP5s-5A9Da-5A72NX-h4GM5j-4XiJv-qKm4Mn-feyqzQ

It’s been known for some time that Microsoft wants Windows 10 to run across all of its devices, and new evidence points to good news for PC gamers.

Ahead of the Anniversary Update for Windows 10 and Xbox One, which will merge the Windows and Xbox stores, certain titles are showing up for Insider Preview members.

According to Russian Windows enthusiast website Onetile, as reported by MSPoweruser, Xbox One games like Halo: The Master Chief Collection, Overwatch, and the Metro Redux Bundle are appearing for Windows Insider Preview members. Not only games, but apps such as the EA Access Vault are also up. Because only Insider Preview members can see it, these apps are hidden from the public.

The Anniversary Update is expected to launch later this summer, and it will allow developers to release universal apps for Xbox One. Gamers are already seeing glimpses of this within the current Windows Store. Games such as Forza Motorsport 6: Apex, Killer Instinct, Gears of War Ultimate Edition, Quantum Break, Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition, and Rise of the Tomb Raider are already available to download.

Being able to run universal apps on Xbox is a big deal, and will bring the gaming console even closer to becoming a PC. With it, users, for example, could install Word, Powerpoint, or Facebook Messenger. In essence, the Xbox One could become a lite PC, working as a great secondary machine or dorm room device.

The merged store will most likely go into beta by the end of this month or early next month. This will work as a testing ground before the universal store’s official launch. Its announcement is expected to occur later this summer, hopefully with a full consumer release date not too far off.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Imad has been a gamer all his life. He started blogging about games in college and quickly started moving up to various…

Gaming

Try one of gaming’s best trilogies before it leaves Xbox Game Pass next week

Hitman 3 Dubai level.

Xbox Game Pass might not be losing a lot of games at the end of January, but the most significant loss is a big one. On January 31, the subscription service is losing Hitman: World of Assassination, which is one of the best stealth gaming experiences out there. Technically, it is a collection of three games’ worth of content, plus an excellent roguelike mode.

Few games can make you feel as clever or as idiotic as IO Interactive’s Hitman games, so World of Assassination is a must-play if you enjoy stealth gameplay and want to see those mechanics explored to their fullest. While the base games are short enough to blaze through in a few sittings, there's way more content here than you could reasonably get through in a week. You better get cracking if you want to try it without paying for the full package.

Gaming

Persona 3 Reload leads a surprisingly strong batch of Xbox Game Pass additions

A character uses a bow and arrow in Persona 3 Reload.

Microsoft unveiled the next batch of new Xbox Game Pass titles, which are dropping between January 18 and February 8. Of the seven new titles coming to the video game subscription service over that time span, four are new games being added on the day of their release. The most noteworthy of those games is Persona 3 Reload, Atlus' highly anticipated remake of an RPG classic.

Persona 3 was first released for the PlayStation 2 in Japan in 2006 and came to North America just a year later. While its sequels would go on to garner a bit more immediate acclaim, Persona 3 provided the solid foundation that they all built on. It is darker than those future entries, though, as you'll go from living your life as a Japanese teenager to shooting a gun at your own head to summon a Persona in stylish turn-based battles. Persona 3 is considered one of the best RPGs of its generation, and this remake brings the experience to modern platforms with a visual overhaul that makes it look more like Persona 5.

Gaming

These Activision Blizzard games need to come to Xbox Game Pass this year

Sekiro easy mode mod FromSoftware Souls games gameplay difficulty

In October 2023, Microsoft completed its acquisition of Activision Blizzard, and by the end of the year, the latter company's CEO had departed. Now, this will be the year where we’ll see how Activision Blizzard functions when fully integrated into Microsoft. The most immediate change for those who play games will likely be Activision Blizzard titles coming to Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft’s subscription service.

Microsoft and Activision have explained that because of the tribulations the acquisition encountered, it was impossible to have Xbox Game Pass additions prepared almost immediately after the acquisition, as it did with ZeniMax Media. In the coming months, I expect we’ll finally start to see Activision Blizzard games trickle onto the service, even if we shouldn't expect it from this week's Developer_Direct. As Activision Blizzard is one of the oldest game publishers out there, having released hundreds of games, there are plenty of titles to choose from. I’ve cherry-picked the ones I want to see most.
Diablo IV