Summary
- Microsoft accidentally leaked a new "Steam" category in the Xbox App.
- It could mean Steam games on Xbox in the future.
- The Xbox App may detect Steam games on your system for easier access.
It's no secret that Microsoft really wants to go multi-platform with its gaming division. Not only has it worked hard on its cloud gaming platform to turn any device with a screen into a console, but it's also open to bringing previously exclusive games over to Sony and Nintendo's camps. However, it seems that the company may not be done spreading its influence, as it seemingly has Steam in its sights next.
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Microsoft pulls an accidental leak of a new "Steam" category in the Xbox App
As spotted by The Verge, Microsoft posted an article titled "GDC 2025: Opening a Billion Doors with Xbox." The content isn't anything too drastic, with Microsoft explaining how it's trying to get its services on as many devices and televisions as possible. Pretty much par the course.
However, one of the images it used (which has since been taken down, so don't look for it too hard) was of the Xbox app. The app showed a few categories you could pick from, and one of them was titled "Steam." Hm. Very interesting.
So, what does it mean? Well, it can either mean very little or a lot. On the boring "very little" side, one can state that it was simply a mockup using placeholder text, and the person making the graphic didn't really think about it when they added it. In such a case, Microsoft simply wouldn't be planning some sort of Steam compatibility and things go on as usual.
On the very exciting, very maybe-real "a lot" side, it could mean Steam games on Xbox. Perhaps Microsoft is working with Valve to allow people to stream (or even download and play) games from their Steam library onto their big TV. It'd kinda be like Big Picture mode but through a console you've already set up.
There's also the slightly less exciting, but still pretty big potential of the Xbox App detecting Steam games on your system. This would let you launch Steam games through the Xbox App instead of booting the client up. And if that is true, there's nothing stopping Microsoft from collating all the games you have installed from Epic Games Store, Good Old Games, etc. into one central hub. Sounds handy to me.