The Xbox store on PC still fails to live up to its promise of playing anywhere

Microsoft needs to seriously improve its application if it wants the concept "Everything is an Xbox" to make real sense.

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For years, Microsoft has been committed to an ambitious vision: that Xbox is not just a console, but a unified platform where you can play wherever, whenever you want. Console, cloud, mobile, or PC, everything is connected under the same account. However, this vision, although promising, still finds its biggest obstacle in the Xbox store for PC.

The Xbox app for computers, despite multiple redesigns, still drags the same old problems: slow loading times, errors when downloading games, failures in achievement synchronization, and, above all, a serious lack of well-integrated content. Games that should be available simply don’t appear, and that undermines the idea that any PC can be “an Xbox”.

Xbox on PC needs a solid store for the experience to make sense

Cases like System Shock 2: Remastered, from Nightdive Studios, exemplify this shortage. It’s a lightweight title, compatible with almost any modern or even old equipment, and yet, it’s not available in the Xbox store for PC. The same happens with other retro games from the same studio, like Killing Time or Triad. If Microsoft wants even low-end laptops to become portable consoles thanks to their app, they need to take that step and facilitate access to this type of catalog.

Moreover, the lack of consistency with the rest of their historical library is also striking. DOOM 1, 2, and 3 are available and work correctly, which proves that it’s not a technical issue but a matter of will. So, why not adapt titles like Wolfenstein 3D or Return to Castle Wolfenstein, especially since they’re licenses already under the Xbox umbrella?

Meanwhile, the “Xbox Play Anywhere” feature barely receives attention, when in reality it could be a differentiating argument against the competition. Microsoft has the opportunity to turn any old office laptop into a console with hundreds of accessible games. But for that, their store needs to match that ambition.

Many of us still use Xbox for the achievements, the comfort of the ecosystem, or our gaming history, but it’s hard to understand how such a powerful idea is not being taken care of as it deserves. If “Everything is an Xbox” is true, the PC store needs to be the center of that strategy, not the weak point.