Microsoft’s application store for Windows now includes an Arcade section, which allows you to play nearly 70 small video games for free and without installation. A good idea to have fun from time to time.
The world of video games is not limited to huge blockbusters on PC and consoles, which require ever more muscular configurations to run and occupy tens of gigabytes of storage. There are of course a myriad of independent titles, often less demanding on a technical level but sometimes much more interesting on a playful level, and a whole section of the video game landscape is occupied by what is commonly, wrongly and with a certainty, called form of misguided contempt, the “casual games“.
Very present on the smartphone market, these “casual games” constitute completely entertaining pastimes, which can be enjoyed in transport, a waiting room or, of course, on the toilet. Offering quickly accessible gameplay and often easy-to-learn controls, these titles are perfect for relaxing in a fun way in the middle of a busy work day. And in fact, the Windows application store, the Microsoft Store, has just been enriched with a new section called Arcade, which offers no less than 69 “casual games”, available for free and, above all, playable without downloading or installation.
Microsoft Store Arcade: a myriad of cool games that can be played instantly
This new Arcade category is therefore appearing in the Microsoft application store, both on Windows 10 and 11. To access it, simply launch the Microsoft Store and click on the corresponding icon in the vertical bar next to it. left (a joystick pictogram). Once on the Arcade section home page, all you have to do is scroll through the available titles, click on the thumbnail of the one of your choice then start a game by clicking on the orange button Now playing. The game starts instantly, without requiring any downloads or installations.
The titles offered are obviously not big single-player adventure blockbusters nor the latest fashionable multiplayer hits. These are mainly small games of skill, platform, racing or puzzle. Some are computer versions of great table game classics, such as Solitaire or Sudoku, others take up well-known video game concepts, such as Tetris or Candycrush, and still others offer puzzle and puzzle mechanics. , like the very nice Lines FRVR.
The Microsoft Store Arcade service is obviously not intended to replace the Game Pass catalog or your Steam library, and it is probably not in its game offering that you will find the next title on which you will spend hundreds of games. hours (still), but it offers a nice range of light and clever titles, accessible instantly and in a few clicks from your computer. In short, a very good way to take a quick and fun break to clear your mind between two tasks.