Two PC launchers announced rebuilds on the same day. On November 5 Microsoft opened a new Xbox PC app to Xbox Insiders and says it launches up to 60 percent faster. GOG used its first GOG Showcase to promise a new GOG Galaxy in 2027, and this time it runs on Linux as well as Windows and Mac.
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The Xbox PC app: up to 60 percent faster to launch
The numbers come from Jason Beaumont, Xbox VP of experiences, on Xbox Wire. The app launches up to 60 percent faster, Home, Store and Game Pass load up to 50 percent faster, and in-app windows open up to 65 percent faster. A footnote says these are Microsoft's own tests and results vary by device and connection. Nobody has measured it independently yet, so treat it as a promise for now.
The layout changed too. The Library is simpler, with new filters and ways to sort. Friends, chats and parties now live in the main sidebar, where you can see what people are playing. Search covers games, including installed titles and add-ons, and people.
For now it's Insiders only, and Microsoft gave no date for everyone else. The cloud side moves faster: the refreshed play.xbox.com reaches all players over the next few weeks, and you can open it today. It adds a Library tab with every cloud-playable game you own or get through Game Pass, a desktop mode that fills bigger screens, light and dark themes and five high-contrast ones.
GOG Galaxy: a new client and Linux support in 2027
GOG laid this out at the showcase for the store's 18th birthday. Its anniversary page calls the next Galaxy "faster, fully customizable, with a modern interface, and finally on Linux". The client is being rebuilt for every platform, Windows and Mac included. There's a year and nothing more: no speed figures, no beta date. You can join the closed beta on gog.com/en/anniversary, which also has a sign-up for GOG Social, a new space for game discussions.
GOG repeats that Galaxy stays optional and the DRM-free offline installers aren't going anywhere. If you play on Linux or a Steam Deck, this is the most useful news of the week. Until 2027 the answer for GOG games there is still Heroic Games Launcher or Lutris, and Heroic already handles it pretty well.
Sources
Xbox Wire: A Faster, Simpler Xbox Experience Is Coming to PC, Web and Cloud (Jason Beaumont, November 5, 2026; speed figures from Microsoft testing).
GOG: 18th anniversary page (GOG Galaxy and GOG Social in 2027, beta sign-ups).
GamingOnLinux: A new GOG Galaxy is coming in 2027 with full Linux support (November 5, 2026, GOG Showcase announcement).
Xbox app screenshots: Microsoft, Xbox Wire. GOG image background: GOG anniversary page.
