An Xbox insider suggests that Xbox could potentially have plans in place that would allow the company to leave a popular platform in the future.
A new insider report suggests that Xbox could put itself in a position to pull out of Steam as part of greater changes to the company’s PC strategy. The Microsoft gaming brand has been pushing its intent to make significant changes to Xbox in recent months.
The new leadership at Xbox is looking to bring sweeping overhauls to the popular Microsoft gaming brand. Xbox officially named Asha Sharma as its new CEO in early 2026 after two years as president of Microsoft’s CoreAI division, following the departure of longtime Xbox head Phil Spencer. Sharma has already addressed fervent fan feedback about Xbox’s shift to multiplatform releases, suggesting that the company may be returning to more console exclusives and putting a bigger focus on the Xbox community. Now, Xbox may have a strategy in place for the company to make an exit from Steam.
Xbox Could Potentially Have Plans in Place to Leave Steam
In a recent episode of the Xbox Two podcast, insider Jez Corden recently shared that Microsoft could be working on a move to leave Steam. According to Corden, Microsoft is planning to make significant changes to Xbox’s presence on PC, considering options that would give the company an opportunity to leave Steam. Corden was quick to stress that Microsoft’s plans are not certain, and the company has not shared any direct intentions to stop bringing games to Steam, saying that Microsoft “could go either way” on the move. The interview also could not confirm whether Microsoft would simply stop bringing new games to Steam, or remove its older games as well.
Microsoft leaving Steam would see one of gaming’s biggest brands shedding its support for PC’s biggest platform. Many of Microsoft’s most notable new releases have come to Steam either alongside their Xbox launch or shortly after, including games like Halo: Campaign Evolved and Forza Horizon 6. The 2019 release of Halo: The Master Chief Collection also brought many of the older, previously Xbox-exclusive games to the PC for the first time, including classics like Halo 3 and Halo: Reach. Microsoft has not made a public statement about any intent to leave Steam in the future.
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