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Microsoft’s plan is to make the Xbox PC app a shared library and launch point for installed games from Xbox, Game Pass, Battle.net and other supported PC storefronts. It does not merge those stores: seeing a Battle.net game in the Xbox app does not transfer its purchase, include it in Game Pass or remove the need for Battle.net.

What the Xbox app’s aggregated library does

The Xbox app can show installed games from multiple PC storefronts in one library. Xbox first announced the feature as a preview for PC Gaming Preview members on June 23, 2025. On September 15, 2025, it said the aggregated library was rolling out to everyone on Windows PCs and handheld devices.

Games installed through a supported storefront can appear in My library and Most recent. Xbox said players could control which storefront listings appear in Settings > Library & Extensions. Its September announcement also introduced a My Apps tab for finding, downloading and launching third-party apps and storefronts. That gives players another place to access launchers; it does not make those launchers unnecessary.

Xbox VP of Experiences Jason Beaumont described the feature as bringing together installed games from Xbox, Game Pass, Battle.net and other leading PC storefronts, so players could access them in one place on a Windows PC or handheld. That was Xbox’s description of the rollout on September 15, 2025—not a claim that the storefronts or their purchases had been combined.

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What Battle.net integration means—and what it does not

Battle.net is one of the PC storefronts named in Xbox’s announcements. The documented integration is library aggregation: an installed game from a supported storefront may show up in the Xbox app, where the player can access or launch it. Xbox’s June preview announcement and September rollout announcement do not say that Battle.net purchases become Xbox purchases or that Battle.net is being replaced.

  • Seeing a game is not owning it through Xbox. The library view does not change where a title was bought or its license.
  • Game Pass is a separate entitlement. A game appearing in the app does not mean it is included in a subscription. Availability depends on the Game Pass catalog and the player’s membership.
  • Some games may still rely on their own storefront or launcher. The announcements describe access and launching, not a universal change to how every game starts or updates.

Microsoft announced Diablo IV would join Game Pass on March 28, 2024, and said it intended to bring more Activision and Blizzard games to the service. That content-and-subscription announcement preceded the aggregated library and is a separate strand of Microsoft’s PC strategy; it does not establish that every Battle.net game is part of Game Pass.

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How the plan developed

Date What Microsoft announced What it means for PC players
February 15, 2024 Xbox said Diablo IV would join Game Pass on March 28, 2024, and expressed an intention to bring more Activision and Blizzard games to Game Pass. A subscription-content plan, separate from later library aggregation.
December 11, 2024 Microsoft said nearly 400 titles that had not previously been discoverable or purchasable in the Xbox app were added. More than 100 of those newly added titles supported Xbox Play Anywhere. An expansion of games featured in the Xbox app, not a current total for its catalog.
June 23, 2025 Xbox announced an aggregated gaming library preview for PC Gaming Preview members and named the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X as handhelds planned to offer the experience. The first announced preview of a shared view for installed games across supported storefronts.
September 15, 2025 Xbox said the aggregated library was rolling out to everyone on Windows PCs and handhelds, and described the My Apps tab and storefront visibility settings. A broader rollout of the library and access features.
January 21, 2026 Microsoft said the Xbox app was available on all Arm-based Windows 11 PCs and that more than 85% of the Game Pass catalog was compatible with those PCs at that time. A dated, Game Pass-specific compatibility snapshot for Arm-based Windows 11—not a claim about every Xbox app or Battle.net game.

More games in the Xbox app, beyond aggregation

The library feature is part of a broader effort to make the Xbox app useful for PC games, but Microsoft has also expanded the games discoverable or purchasable through the app itself. In a December 11, 2024 update, Microsoft reported adding nearly 400 previously unavailable-to-discover-or-purchase Xbox-featured titles. More than 100 of those additions supported Xbox Play Anywhere, which lets a supported game purchase on Xbox include its Xbox PC version, and vice versa.

Those figures describe that specific 2024 update. They should not be read as today’s catalog total, nor as evidence that all games listed from other storefronts can be purchased in the Xbox app.

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What this means for Windows handhelds and Arm PCs

Handhelds are an option, not a requirement

Xbox’s announcements positioned the shared library for Windows PCs and handhelds, including the planned ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X experience. A handheld can make the library useful for portable PC play, but the feature is not limited to handhelds; the September 2025 rollout also covered Windows PCs.

Arm compatibility depends on the game

On January 21, 2026, Microsoft said the Xbox app was available on all Arm-based Windows 11 PCs and reported that more than 85% of the Game Pass catalog was compatible with those devices. The percentage applies to Game Pass titles on Arm-based Windows 11 PCs at that date. It does not establish compatibility for every title in the Xbox app, Battle.net games generally, or every device. Microsoft pointed to Xbox Cloud Gaming as an option for some titles not yet supported for local play.

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Why Microsoft is doing this

Microsoft’s 2024 annual report described a strategy of bringing gaming experiences to players on any device and identified Windows as a way to grow PC market share and engagement with services such as Xbox Game Pass. Aggregating installed games fits that direction: it makes the Xbox app more useful as a starting point even when a player’s PC collection spans multiple storefronts.

The annual report is company strategy context, not proof that the app’s features will produce a particular market outcome. The practical change for players is narrower and clearer: more of an installed collection can be visible and accessible from the Xbox app, while storefront ownership, subscriptions and game-specific behavior remain distinct.

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