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The Xbox September update is here and it brings a range of new features and changes to the Xbox experience on PC, mobile, and console.
The most significant new addition is the ability to pre-download a game’s upcoming updates on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and Xbox One. This means that you won’t need to sit through a lengthy download on update release day and can instead jump right into the action.
This could be an absolute game changer, especially for live-service games that frequently receive lots of new content. Unfortunately, the feature is only supported in a few select titles right now. The latest Xbox Wire blog post lists Sea of Thieves, Minecraft, and Cassette Beasts among them, but says to “expect many more titles to support it soon”.
If you want to check out this feature, you can do so by making sure that your Xbox is up to date and then heading to the ‘My Games & Apps’ window. From there, hit ‘Manage’ and ‘Updates’. This will give you an overview of all the updates for your library that are available to download in advance.
Changes are also coming to the wishlist system, which will now alert you when a game that you want is released, added to Xbox Game Pass, or can be tried for free during a Free Play Day promotion. If you’re not a fan of this change, note that you can disable these notifications in your notification settings.
The mobile Xbox app is also getting an overhaul. Features from the separate Xbox Game Pass app are being integrated, with that application becoming unavailable to download from November. This means that the Xbox app will finally let you manage your Xbox Game Pass membership, plus browse the Xbox Game Pass catalog all in one place.
Finally, Game Bar Compact Mode is now rolling out for PC players. This mode is optimized specifically for smaller displays and handhelds, which is great news if you own something like the Asus Rog Ally X.
Some enhanced game management features are also coming to the Xbox app on PC. This includes the ability to easily view and install add-ons, plus some UI changes that make it easier to keep track of everything that is installed. Given how absolutely dire the Xbox app is on the platform, small improvements like this can only be a good thing.