Valve remains undefeated: Microsoft will seemingly wear Steam like a jacket with new "aggregated gaming library" on Xbox PC app, and "this is just the beginning"

Microsoft's nšŸ¦©ew gaming library will hit the Xbox app for PCs and handheld devā™Œices like ROG Xbox Ally later this year

Photo of the new Xbox handheld, the ROG Xbox Ally X
(Image credit: Xbox)

ę¾³ę“²å¹øčæ5开儖号ē åŽ†å²ęŸ„čÆ¢:Microsoft has revealed a new "aggregated gaming library" thatšŸ„‚'s coming to PCs and handhelds this week for Xbox Insiders enrolled in PC Gaming Preview, and later this year for everyone else.

In an post, Microsoft says the new centralized library will also be available on the recently unveiled ę¾³ę“²å¹øčæ5开儖号ē åŽ†å²ęŸ„čÆ¢:ROG Xbox Ally this holiday season.

"With this new feature, your Xbox library, hundreds of Game Pass titles (membership required), and ašŸŒŒllš’€° your installed games from other PC game stores are always at your fingertips," said product manager Manisha Oza.

When this feature becomes available, it'll let you view and launch all of your games from Xbox, Game Pass (provided you have šŸØa subscription, of course), Battle.net, "and other leading PC storefronts," all from the Xbox app.

Notably, Microsoft didn't explicitly confirm Steam as being included įƒ¦in that vague group of "other leading PC storefronts," but its exclusion would be a massive, conspicuous letdown.

And for what it's worth, is reporting that Steam gamš’ŠŽes will indeed be available directly through the Xbox app with the launch of Microsoft's šŸ„ƒnew library; we just don't have anything from Microsoft itself to independently confirm that that's the case.

The updated Xbox PC app will automatically show all availšŸ…˜able games from supported storefronts when they'ršŸ§øe installed in the 'My Library' tab, and you'll be able to go into settings and hide any storefronts you don't want to include.

"And this is just the beginning," added Oza. "We'lā€l continue rolling out support for additional PC storefronts over time."

Assuming Steam is ultimately included in Microsoft's updated app, this seems like yet another victory marker for Valve in the race to become the dominant PC storefront, which Valve has been winning pretty comfortably for years. Epic allšŸ…° butšŸ¦‹ said its store kind of sucks earlier this monthšŸŒ±, and now it seems even the tech giant that is Microsoft can't keep pretending like Steam isn't the place to be on PC. If you can'tąµ² beat 'em, host 'em?

I'm not saying I regret buying a Nintendo Switch 2, but the ROG Xbox Ally X is almost everything I want from an Xbox handheld.

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Jordan Gerblick
ę¾³ę“²å¹øčæ5开儖号ē åŽ†å²ęŸ„čÆ¢:Jordan Gerblick

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as Gamź¦ÆesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.

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