Gaming Services and App Installer prevent me from downloading/playing games on the Xbox App...

Hi Griffin C,

I'm Tim, an Independent Consultant here and a Microsoft user like you. I don't work for Microsoft and do not have access to any of your data on their system.

I apologise for the inconvenience you're facing with the Xbox App on PC.

This issue with Gaming Services and App Installer could be caused by various factors. Here are some troubleshooting steps you can try below:-

1. Check Windows Updates: Make sure your Windows OS is up-to-date. Some Xbox App functionalities may require specific Windows updates.

2. Reset Microsoft Store: Try resetting the Microsoft Store app by following these steps:
- Press the Windows key + R, type "wsreset" (without quotes), and press Enter.
- This will reset the Microsoft Store cache and may help resolve installation issues.

3. Reset Xbox App: Reset the Xbox App to its default settings:
- Press the Windows key + I to open Settings.
- Go to Apps > Apps & features.
- Search for "Xbox," click on the Xbox App, and select Advanced options.
- Click the "Reset" button to reset the app.

4. Re-register Microsoft Store Apps: Open PowerShell as an administrator (right-click the Start button, select "Windows PowerShell (Admin)"), and run the following command:
```
Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_. InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"}
```

5. Check Antivirus/Firewall: Temporarily disable any third-party antivirus or firewall software and try installing Gaming Services and App Installer again.

6. Use Local Account: If you are using a Microsoft Account, try creating a local account on your PC and see if the issue persists when using the Xbox App with the local account.

Remember to reboot your PC after trying each step to ensure changes take effect.

I hope this information helps. If you have any questions, please let me know and I'll be glad to assist you further or If you find it helpful, you can mark this comment as the answer.

Kind regards

Tim

Hi,

Thanks for your time. I tried the steps and unfortunately it hasn't helped yet. I did see in the Gaming Services page of the Windows Store that a lot of other users are also having similar issues, though it all starts differently. My son tried to install Minecraft Dungeons, and it seems the accompanying Minecraft Launcher is related to the underlying issue, despite never successfully installing.

Since using the command you shared, the Xbox app says it is installing Gaming Services. In the system Notifications tray, it says that the Gaming Services app has been installed, but the Xbox app still doesn't work. In fact, it's now worse since reinstalling Gaming Services; the Installed list for games is empty, and the download queue section is entirely broken, with a message that it is checking for updates.

I did find where the Xbox app is attempting to install games, and tried backing up the folder and then deleting it. Upon restoring it, though, the Xbox app remains unchanged. The last thing I did was try to reset Gaming Services, but the option in Apps is grayed out and unavailable. That's the end of my know-how.

Long and short of it -- the app states Gaming Services is installing, but there seems to be some kind of issue preventing it from registering to the Xbox app that this has happened. Games can be played directly from Start, but not the Xbox app.

I had downloaded files on external harddisk from another computer and then copied files to xbox games in C drive....

This is likely the reason why. PC games on the Xbox App have additional protections that prevents files being used from a different install of the game on another computer. If you want to play this on your PC, you need to download the game from the Xbox App directly to your PC.

There are no reported Xbox Live service outages that could prevent you from purchasing and downloading games and other content from the Microsoft Store as per the Xbox Live Status page. https://beta.support.xbox.com/xbox-live-status

Is there any chance you could be a little more specific about the nature of the issue? I would recommend checking out the 'game or app installation' troubleshooter, and hopefully you can cross reference your issues with it and find a solution there. https://beta.support.xbox.com/help/...game-or-app-installation-problems-on-xbox-one

you get that error because gaming services is not installed or updated, gaming services can only install and launch on standard pc architecture and not arm based devices.

the xbox app requires gaming services to be installed to be able to download most xbox app games (gamepass games).