This New Xbox Feature Targets Steam – But What Does It Mean for the PS5?

• Xbox on Windows has launched built-in mod support.
• This could make it a viable Steam competitor.
• Could mod support extend to the Xbox Series X as well?

Xbox Game Pass has been available on Windows for some time. It’s accessible via the Xbox PC application and has essentially served as a decent alternative to the awful Windows 10 Store.

It’s often assumed this platform will compete against Steam, considering it has games, achievements, friends lists, and integrated streamer support.

Now, Xbox looks to be adding mod support too. This could legitimize its place in PC gaming, bringing players a feature even the Epic Games Store barely offers.

But what if Xbox has more than just the PC gaming crown in mind?

Built-In Mod Support on the Xbox Store

This launch shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise, considering Microsoft announced it would bring mods on PC a while back. But proof of this claim is certainly nice to see.

A report from Windows Central reveals mod support for one game so far: Into the Breach. Selecting “Enable Mods” provides you with a path to easily add mods to the game. Even then, there’s no browser for this beta feature.

At the very least, this is Microsoft’s first step in taking aim at Valve’s ubiquitous Steam storefront.

Steam has a massive advantage over other PC gaming platforms thanks to its built-in mod support via the Workshop. The Workshop acts as any other game browser, only it houses and installs mods for games like Portal 2 or Skyrim. Players can easily subscribe to different mods and keep up to date with any related news.

Next-Gen Mods for Xbox Series X and PS5?

The timing of this launch raises some questions. If Microsoft is getting in on mods now, could this mean we’ll see support on the Xbox Series X? And if so, what does that mean for the PlayStation 5?

We’ve already seen limited mod support on the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 with games like Fallout 4. But the platform has remained relatively bare since.

Considering the future of Xbox and PC appears to be a unanimous one via Play Anywhere, there’s reason to believe we’ll see an explosion of mod support come next-gen.

Assuming Microsoft is planning ahead for robust console mod support, they could have a significant advantage over Sony and the PlayStation 5.

We can only speculate on what the future holds, but Microsoft very well may take the lead on this potential new frontier.

Maybe there’s already a mod feature in the Xbox Series X storefront.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of CCN.com.