It’s now easier than ever to see whether your PC is up to the task of playing the latest games. That’s because Microsoft is adding labels on the Xbox app to say whether a game will run great on your system.
Will a Game Run Great on Your PC?
As first reported by The Verge, the beta version of the Xbox app on Windows 10 and 11 now includes a performance check feature for games.
View some games and you will see a small label that says how well the game will run on your computer.
This isn’t yet available on all games. Many of them simply read, “Performance check not available yet”. However, this doesn’t replace the detailed system requirements, though Microsoft is clearly aiming for a more user-friendly way to show whether your PC is up to the task.
Microsoft has yet to officially announce this feature, so it’s unknown what this performance check is judging against—like the minimum system requirements or some other benchmark.
How to Download the Xbox App Beta
If you want to see this feature in action, you need to download the beta version of the Xbox app.
First, download the Xbox Insider Hub app. Launch it, go the Previews tab, select Windows Gaming, and click Join.
Now, launch the Xbox app as normal. It may restart itself automatically, but you will now be using the Insider version of the app.
Note that you don’t need to be a Windows Insider to use this, and you can opt out at any time.
Optimize Your PC for Gaming
Presumably, this new feature will roll out to the public version of the Xbox app in due course. It’ll mean you don’t need to waste bandwidth and time downloading a game, only to find out that your PC can’t handle it.
If you want to optimize your PC for gaming, there are some system tweaks you can make. However, the ultimate performance boost will always come from upgrading your physical components.
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