Microsoft has suggested that the next-gen Xbox will be a Windows-based PC/console hybrid that will support third-party games storefronts like Steam and Epic Games Store. Epic Games has now said that it intends for its store to be on the next Xbox console at launch.

In an interview with Game File published last week, Epic Games Store vice president Steve Allison said that Epic's digital storefront would be on the next-gen Xbox — at least that's the plan.

“We definitely plan to be on the new hardware for Xbox, because, unless their policy or stance on it changes, they are telling us they're going to welcome that,” Allison said.

“And we're going be there, like, on day one. That will probably require us to build in whatever their requirements are, some sort of software to support that.”

Next-Gen Xbox a PC/Console Hybrid

While Microsoft has not divulged its plans for the next-gen Xbox, the company has more or less confirmed that its next home console will not be a closed ecosystem. Last year, Xbox president Sarah Bond said the next-gen Xbox experience would not be “locked to a single store or tied to one device”.

The next Xbox is believed to be a PC/console hybrid, in line with Windows-based ROG Xbox Ally handhelds, that supports third party digital storefronts and runs an Xbox interface optimised for a console-like experience.

The Asus-manufactured Xbox handhelds run on Windows, but come with the Xbox full-screen experience interface on top, that allows users to directly boot into the Xbox app on the device. The Xbox FSE interface also unifies the users' game libraries across storefronts into the Xbox app, letting them play all their PC and cloud playable titles at one place.

The Epic Games Store, however, is not available natively on Windows-based handhelds. In the interview, Allison said that that company wants its digital storefront on handhelds as well, but has been prioritising improving the user experience on the Epic launcher on PC.

“We haven't built the apps for those (handhelds) that we need to build,” he said. “I would love to see us on the handhelds.”

The Epic Games Store boss said that the company was busy adding more social features to the marketplace, improving the storefront's game launcher, and bringing it more markets this summer.

In its yearly review published last week, Epic Games announced that spending on third-party PC games on its storefront was up 57 percent in 2025, reaching a record $400 million (roughly Rs. 3,616 crore). That number does not include in-game spending in live service games like Marvel Rivals, Valorant, and GTA 5, and EA Sports FC 26. Epic Games Store also reached 78 million monthly active users on PC in 2025, the company confirmed.

This year, Epic plans to roll out stability and load time improvements to its store, enhance social features and cross-platform chat, and introduce a cross-platform library for players across PC and mobile.