Skip to main content

Xbox performance indicator tells you if your PC is good enough to run games

Worried about how your favorite Xbox game would fare on your PC? Microsoft has put your mind at ease by rolling out a new game performance indicator on the Xbox app on Windows.

Dubbed the Game Performance Fit Indicator, the new feature was released in the latest update on Thursday, giving you an idea of how certain Xbox games perform on your computer compared to other ones with similar specs before you download them. For example, if you want to play Sea of Thieves but want to know if it’s suitable for your computer, you’ll see a label that reads “Plays well on similar PCs,” which predicts that the game will run perfectly on your computer as well. Other games may give you a different label that indicates otherwise because some features call for different spec requirements.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

“If your PC isn’t up to the task of running a graphically demanding game, you’ll be able to view the game’s system requirements to get more details on what you need to run the game,” Tila Nguyen, senior product manager lead on Xbox experiences, explained.

Get your weekly teardown of the tech behind PC gaming
Check your inbox!

Nguyen was quick to add that not every game will run against a performance check, especially games that have recently been added to Xbox Game Pass, like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge and Assassin’s Creed Origins. As such, the Game Performance Fit Indicator won’t show up on every game on the PC Xbox App until Microsoft has more information to recommend what games go well with your PC and which ones require more specs, or even a PC upgrade, to play them well.

Until that update comes, you may have to run games without a performance indicator against other performance checking and system recommendation sites, such as Can You Run It.

Cristina Alexander
Cristina Alexander has been writing since 2014, from opining about pop culture on her personal blog in college to reporting…
Xbox Games Showcase coming this summer alongside mysterious game reveal
Indiana jones buried in the sand.

Microsoft has set the date for its Xbox Games Showcase this June. It's also teasing a Direct that will immediately follow the showcase, but won't say what that's for just yet.

The Xbox Games Showcase will return at 10 a.m. PT on June 9. Like all of its showcases, Microsoft plans to stream this presentation across its YouTube, Twitch, and Facebook, although it will also give away tickets to see the show in person via Xbox FanFest. According to the Xbox Wire post announcing the livestream, this is Microsoft's "first Showcase featuring games from our portfolio of studios across Activision, Blizzard, Bethesda, and Xbox Game Studios, in addition to titles from our third-party partners."

Read more
3 great Xbox Game Pass titles you should try this weekend (April 26-28)
The current gen version of Fallout 4.

This has been a pretty busy week for new releases, with the likes of Another Crab’s Treasure, Stellar Blade, Sand Land, and more coming out. Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft’s video game subscription service, has also had quite a busy week. Three games in particular stand out as must-plays this weekend for those who want to delve a bit further into the service rather than spend money on a new game.

One is an excellent single-player Star Wars game from 2023 that you might have missed because of how busy last year was for big releases. Another is a new real-time strategy game that earned buzz on Steam in the lead-up to its release. Finally, there’s a Bethesda Game Studios classic that just received an Xbox Series X update that you can experience free of charge via Game Pass. If you're looking for a new game to start this weekend, but don't feel like buying something new, give any of these a try.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

Read more
If you love Amazon’s Fallout, play the series’ best games on Game Pass and PS Plus next
Two characters in power armor in Fallout 4.

The Fallout TV series just released on Amazon Prime, and it's one of the best video game adaptations out there. It perfectly captures the tense, humorous feel of the postapocalyptic video game series while telling a new story with original characters. If you've just watched the show, you're probably itching to play a Fallout title again or check out one of the games the series is based on for the first time. Thankfully, if you're subscribed to one of the major video game subscription services, that's very easy to do.

Fallout, Fallout 2, Fallout Tactics, Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas, Fallout 4, and Fallout 76 are all on at least one gaming subscription service. While PC and Xbox players will be looking to Xbox Game Pass, PlayStation owners can get in on the fun with PS Plus Extra's game catalog. We've combed through what's available on PC Game Pass, Xbox Game Pass, and PS Plus Extra, and there's no shortage of options. Here are the best starting points on each service.
PC Game Pass

Read more