According to Android Authority, Microsoft, following a report from The Verge’s Tom Warren, is now testing a fully-featured Xbox store directly within the Xbox Beta app for Android. The new storefront is accessible via a dedicated Store tab marked with a shopping bag icon. Here, users can browse, purchase, and wishlist games, DLC, and bundles just like on a console, complete with filters for top paid games, coming soon titles, and deals. This move eliminates the previous, clunky workflow where the app would simply redirect users to a Microsoft Store webpage to complete a transaction. While the ability to make in-app purchases was added earlier this year, this is the first time a proper, browsable store has been integrated into the mobile experience.
Why this took so long
Here’s the thing: this feels like a feature that should have existed years ago. And that’s probably because of the complicated, often antagonistic relationship between platform holders like Google and Apple and companies trying to sell digital goods. For the longest time, the rules around in-app purchases and storefronts within apps were a minefield, designed to protect the 30% cut the platform owners take. Microsoft adding a simple purchase link earlier this year was likely their toe in the water, testing the compliance waters. Building a whole store is a bigger commitment, suggesting they’ve found a workable path forward—or that the regulatory pressure on Apple and Google has created just enough space to make it viable.
More than just convenience
So why does this matter beyond not having to switch apps? It’s about ecosystem lock-in and impulse buys. A seamless, pleasant store experience keeps you in the Xbox universe. You’re browsing Game Pass titles, see a deal on a new release, and with two taps it’s bought and queued for download on your console at home. That frictionless loop is incredibly powerful. The wishlist feature is another quiet killer. Seeing a game you want, tapping a heart icon, and getting a notification when it’s on sale? That’s a proven sales driver. This isn’t just a mobile store; it’s a remote control for your entire Xbox library and spending.
The bigger picture for Microsoft
Look, this is a small piece of a much larger puzzle. Microsoft’s gaming strategy is increasingly platform-agnostic—think Xbox consoles, PC Game Pass, and cloud streaming. The mobile app is the connective tissue for all of it. Turning it into a robust storefront makes it a true hub, not just a companion app for chatting or remote play. It subtly reinforces the idea that your gaming identity is with Xbox, not any single device. The next logical step? Pushing this store experience to their own cloud gaming streams, creating a completely closed loop where you discover, purchase, and play without ever touching a dedicated gaming machine. This Android store test is a foundational step toward that future.
