Skip to main content

All Xbox home screens are getting a PS5-style makeover starting today

An Xbox home screen shows Starfield.
Microsoft

The Xbox home screen is getting a face-lift. Starting today, Microsoft will begin rolling out a freshly redesigned Xbox home interface across Xbox One, Series S, and Series X consoles.

If you’re an Xbox owner, you’re probably used to the consoles’ current design that features a row of recently used apps at the top of the screen and a list of widgets below. Microsoft says it looked at user data and feedback from the Xbox community to create a redesigned experience that’s more focused on discovery.

Recommended Videos

The biggest change is that Xboxes will now feature a quick access menu right at the top of the screen. This allows users to quickly access their apps, the Xbox store, Game Pass, and more.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

The recently used apps row is still present, but with some major changes. It’s been moved down toward the bottom of the screen, leaving a space for a gap where users’ system theme displays more prominently. Hovering over certain apps will trigger a dynamic theme for certain games like Starfield and Forza Motorsport. It’s similar to how the PlayStation 5’s home interface functions, but with the themed background displaying above apps instead of below them.

An Xbox home screen shows a favorites widget.
Microsoft

Underneath that, Xbox created a more discovery-based experience, complete with a personalized list of game recommendations, community updates, and a Watch & Listen module for new streaming app content. Users can further customize that part of the screen by pinning games and groups to the screen. It’s a sleeker redesign that should leave more room for personalization.

The new design will begin rolling out to select users today and will be available to all Xbox owners in the next few weeks.

Giovanni Colantonio
As Digital Trends' Senior Gaming Editor, Giovanni Colantonio oversees all things video games at Digital Trends. As a veteran…
Nintendo Switch’s successor must overcome one major challenge
Someone picks up a Nintendo Switch OLED Model.

The latest news on the Nintendo Switch’s successor, colloquially referred to as the Nintendo Switch 2, excites me. Unfortunately, it also demonstrates a major hurdle that Nintendo Switch 2 will have to overcome.

While Nintendo has yet to go all out in terms ofexplaining what the Switch 2 is yet (or if that’s even its name), we did learn in the company’s latest financial results that the console will be backward compatible with Nintendo Switch titles. That’s a win for not just Switch 2, but game preservation and the Nintendo Account system. Although backward compatibility is a net win for Nintendo’s next system, as it was for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, it reminds me that Nintendo must succeed where PlayStation and Xbox have struggled this generation.

Read more
Death Stranding connects to Xbox for 5th anniversary
Sam Porter Bridges and Fragile holding their foreheads together.

Kojima Productions made a surprise announcement Thursday that Death Stranding Director's Cut is now available on Xbox Series X/S, as well as Windows PC, just one day ahead of the game's five-year anniversary.

"It is my pleasure to finally announce that Death Stranding Director’s Cut will be delivered to Xbox players. I would like to thank all the fans who have stayed connected with us as well as everyone in the Xbox community who have been patiently waiting," Kojima told press (as reported by IGN)."Kojima Productions (Death Stranding) will continue to connect more and more players around the world, so please stay tuned."

Read more
Stardew Valley 1.6 has finally arrived on consoles and mobile
Special Orders board in Stardew Valley.

Stardew Valley console and mobile players will want to start a new farm soon. The long-awaited 1.6 update is finally available for all platforms on Monday, bringing with it a new farm type, more dialogue with NPCs, new events, and too many other things to count.

The 1.6 update launched for PC players on March 19, so console and mobile players have been waiting almost eight months for the release. In July, developer Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that it was taking longer than expected. The following month, he wrote in another post that the ports have been the "primary focus" for the team. He had even stopped working on the Stardew follow-up Haunted Chocolatier to get the console and mobile updates finished.

Read more