The holidays are here, and so are incredible new games that you can play on Windows 11 with PC Game Pass, including Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle™. In addition to an unparalleled library of supported games, accessories and hardware, Windows 11 also offers players an exciting array of gaming features that can help enhance your fun on the latest titles, as well as the games you’re already playing. Here’s a quick recap of a few of those features, many of which are exclusive to Windows 11:
Auto HDR: Breathing new life into your games
High Dynamic Range (HDR) revolutionized visual experiences by offering a wider range of colors and brightness levels. Windows 11 brings Auto HDR, a feature that automatically upgrades Standard Dynamic Range (SDR) games to HDR. The result is richer colors, deeper contrasts and a more immersive gaming environment that brings your favorite titles to life.
DirectStorage: Lightning-fast load times
Say goodbye to long loading screens. DirectStorage is a feature that leverages the speed of NVMe solid-state drives to reduce load times dramatically for cutting-edge game titles in select supported titles. By optimizing how game data is loaded and processed, DirectStorage allows games to render expansive worlds with intricate details almost instantaneously. This not only enhances gameplay but also reduces central processing unit (CPU) overhead, freeing up resources for other tasks and ensuring a smoother gaming experience.
Game Bar Compact Mode: Easy access to your games and Game Bar widgets
We recently announced Compact Mode for Game Bar, making it easier to navigate on Windows handhelds, small screens and when playing with a controller. This feature demonstrates our commitment to providing a streamlined Windows 11 experience, especially for players who use handheld devices and prefer a minimalist interface.
Compact Mode provides a controller-friendly interface that gives you quick access to your recently played games and game launchers, as well as your Game Bar widgets, allowing you to add overlays that show performance, audio adjustment and more! Whether you’re gaming on the go or at home, Compact Mode ensures you have all the essential tools at your fingertips.
To use Compact Mode, open Game Bar by pressing Win-G, go to Settings > General and enable the Compact Mode toggle. When you open Game Bar, a single-widget view will be presented where you can access your Xbox gaming activities in one place. It’s a small addition that makes a big difference in usability, especially for those who prefer using a gamepad over a keyboard and mouse.
Dynamic Lighting: Unified RGB control
Customization is key for many players, and Dynamic Lighting in Windows 11 offers an integrated solution for controlling RGB lighting across different devices. With Dynamic Lighting, you can synchronize lighting effects, adjust brightness and apply custom effects directly from Windows Settings. This creates a cohesive aesthetic for your gaming setup, enhancing personalization.
Optimizations for Windowed Games: Exclusive performance boost
Optimizations for Windowed Games improves latency for thousands of games when played in windowed and borderless windowed gaming modes. This feature also brings VRR (Variable Rate Refresh) to many windowed games, helping to reduce screen tearing and stuttering by synchronizing the refresh rate of the display with the frame rate of the game. Best of all, using this feature requires no extra work from either gamers or game developers. Just fire up your game and enjoy the reduced latency as part of your gaming experience!
Bonus features
In addition to the above standout features, Windows 11 also offers the following enhancements that contribute to a great gaming experience:
- Advanced Hybrid (CASO)/UMA: Optimize performance on hybrid laptops with integrated and discrete graphics processing units (GPUs). This technology reduces latency and improves frames per second (FPS) without the need for specialized hardware solutions.
- Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 support: Experience faster speeds and lower latency with Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 compatibility, making online gaming and streaming smoother. The expanded 6 GHz band reduces interference and congestion, providing a more stable connection.
- Color filters for colorblind players: Color filters applies a filter for colorblind players to better differentiate colors on their device. This feature is now applied in the GPU, allowing for faster frame rates in full screen mode when the device has color filters enabled. Players also have control over the intensity and color boost of the filter.
- Automatic Super Resolution for Arm Copilot+ PCs: Elevate your gaming visuals effortlessly with AutoSR, which uses machine learning and the neural processing unit (NPU) on Copilot+ PCs to upscale lower-resolution content in real-time. Enjoy crisper images and enhanced detail across a wide range of games without the need for developer integration or specialized hardware.
- Xbox app on Windows PC: The Xbox app on Windows PC allows people to manage and play PC gaming content, whether you’re a Game Pass member or you purchased titles from the Microsoft Store. Discover and download new PC games with Game Pass, play console games on your Windows PC with cloud gaming, and chat with friends across PC, mobile and console.
So gear up and unlock gaming with Windows 11!
Note: Some of these features will require the latest versions of Windows 11, the latest drivers and/or required hardware.
