Microsoft is rolling out a new Xbox home screen to all users

Microsoft has announced that it’s rolling out a new home screen for all Xbox users.

Billed as a “new Home experience”, the redesigned layout has been available to Alpha users of the Xbox Insider programme since early May, and is now rolling out to every Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One console.

According to Xbox, the new design was created after receiving feedback from the Xbox community and Xbox Insider members, and studying what players were using most on their home screen.

The company has listed seven features it believes best sum up the new home screen’s benefits:

• The movement of the Library, Microsoft Store, Game Pass, Search and Settings options to a quick access menu at the top of the screen
• Putting recently played games and other content and apps towards the bottom of the screen, creating more space for a personalised background
• The addition of an option to change the background to match the game being highlighted in the recently played list
• The improvement of game discovery by introducing personalised lists of games curated for the player
• Allowing players to pin favourite games, curated groups and system groups (like Quick Resume) to Home
• An updated Friends & Community Updates row which helps players find what’s going on in their community
• A Watch & Listen spotlight showing which media apps and content are available

“When we first showed Xbox Insiders what we were working on we heard your feedback clearly – you wanted more room to show off custom backgrounds or game art, quicker navigation options, and more personalisation,” said Xbox experiences senior product manager lead Ivy Krislov.

“Over the last 8 months since initial release, we’ve implemented changes to meet those requests and have a new Home that feels fresh, puts the focus on your games and apps, and creates space for beautiful backgrounds.”