Windows Store Games Won’t Download on Windows 10 – Try These Solutions
The Microsoft Store is home to some popular apps like iTunes, VLC, Spotify, Hulu, and more. It also has a dedicated Games category. Windows 10 offers a great gaming experience but not many users go to the Microsoft Store to buy a game. The titles are limited and Steam remains the superior option.
That said, there are still some games in the Microsoft Store that users enjoy and these titles are exclusive to the store. Unfortunately, the Microsoft Store app often runs into trouble with games. Specifically, users have trouble downloading them and this bug is exclusive to games. All other apps download and install without any trouble.
Windows Store Games Won’t Download
Microsoft Store games are normally larger than the average app. They can usually be installed to any drive but the drive must have sufficient space for the game. In some cases, you may not be able to install a game to a drive that isn’t the C drive.
Why Won’t My Games Download?
All this and more may be the reason you’re unable to download games from the Microsoft Store. The problem may manifest in several different ways;
- The download simply won’t start.
- You will see the Try again message after the app attempts to download.
- The download starts but never progresses.
1. Log out and log in again
The Microsoft Store may be experiencing trouble connecting to your Microsoft Account. Signing out and signing back in again will fix the problem.
- Open the Microsoft Store app.
- Click your profile icon at the top right.
- Select your account.
- In the pop-up window, click Sign Out.
- Once signed out, close the app.
- Restart the system.
- Open the Microsoft Store app.
- Click Sign In.
- Sign in with your account and download the game.
2. Download from Library
If you’re unable to purchase the game or clicking on the Get button on the game’s store page does nothing, you can add the game to your account from your browser and then download it from the library.
- Open the game’s store page in your browser.
- Click the more options button next to the Get button.
- Select Add to cart.
- Complete the purchase in your browser.
- Open the Microsoft Store app.
- Click the more options button at the top right.
- Select Library.
- Look for the game you bought.
- Click Install.
3. Save game to C drive
Make sure the game is downloaded and installed to the C drive.
- Open the Settings app (Win+I keyboard shortcut).
- Go to System.
- Select the Storage tab.
- Scroll down and click “Change where new content is saved’.
- Open the New apps will be saved to dropdown.
- Select the C drive (or your Windows drive).
- Try downloading the game.
4. Use a different connection
The Microsoft Store app sometimes has trouble downloading content over a particular network. This can happen randomly and to a network that was working perfectly fine.
Try connecting to a different network and then download the game. If you do not have another network available, use a VPN or create a hotspot on your mobile phone and connect to it from your desktop.
5. Disconnect removable storage
Download problems with the Microsoft Store are sometimes caused by removable storage. It’s odd but if you have an external drive or an SD card inserted, remove it.
- Look for the removable storage icon in the system tray.
- Click the icon.
- Select the Remove device option.
- Restart the system for good measure.
- Download the game from the Microsoft Store.
6. Disable third-party antivirus
Third-party antivirus apps may prevent a download from starting. If you’re using an antivirus app that is not Windows Defender, turn it off. Turn Windows Defender On, and then download the game from the Microsoft Store.
7. Disable Windows update blocking apps
Many users block Windows updates via specials apps. These apps suspend or block services that need to run in order for Windows 10 to fetch an update but they are also needed to download content from the Microsoft Store.
If you’re using an app that blocks Windows 10 updates undo all the changes it has made and disable it. If you have a pending restart after downloading and installing an update, restart the system and then try to download the game.
8. Restart the Windows Update service
The Windows Update service runs automatically i.e., a user doesn’t have to start it but the service may stall and cause problems with Microsoft Store downloads.
- Open Command Prompt with admin rights.
- Run the following commands, one-by-one.
net stop wuauserv net stop bits rename c:\windows\SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.old net start wuauserv net start bits
- When the last command has run, try downloading the game again.
9. Install pending updates
If you have a pending update that needs to be downloaded and installed, go ahead and install it. An update can fix problems with the Microsoft Store app.
- Open the Settings app (Win+I keyboard shortcut).
- Go to Update and Security.
- Select the Windows Updates tab.
- Click Check for updates.
- Download and install available updates.
- Restart the system.
- Download the game.
10. Reset the Microsoft Store app
The Microsoft Store app, like other UWP apps on Windows 10, can be reset when it runs into problems.
- Open the Settings app (Win+I keyboard shortcut).
- Go to Apps.
- Select the Apps and features tab.
- Scroll down to the Microsoft Store app and select it.
- Click Advanced Options.
- Click the Reset button.
- Restart your system for good measure.
- Download the game from the Microsoft Store.
11. Check time and region
If you’ve set a different time or region in the Settings app than what is actually your region, it may be blocking the download.
- Open the Settings app (Win+I keyboard shortcut).
- Go to Time & Language.
- Select the Date & Time tab.
- Turn the “Set time automatically” and “Set time zone automatically” switches on.
- Go to the Region tab.
- Open the Country or region dropdown.
- Select your country/region.
- Close and open the Microsoft Store app.
- Download the game.
12. Reregister UWP apps on Windows 10
The Microsoft Store is a UWP app and bugs with these types of apps can often be fixed by registering them.
- Open Command Prompt with admin rights.
- Run this command.
Get-AppXPackage | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"}
- Once the command has run, open the Microsoft Store app and download the game.
13. Download game in Safe mode
Try downloading the game in Safe mode.
- Open the Start menu.
- Click the power button.
- Hold down the Shift key and click Restart.
- Go to Troubleshoot>Advanced Options>Startup settings>Restart.
- Select the Safe mode with networking option.
- Once in Safe Mode, open the Microsoft Store app.
- Download the game.
14. Create a new user account
The Microsoft Store app is a core Windows 10 component and if nothing else fixes it, it may point to a problem with your user account. Create a new user account and try to download the game. If the game downloads from the new account, delete the old one and switch to the newly created account.
- Open the Settings app (Win+I keyboard shortcut).
- Go to Accounts.
- Select the Family & other users tab.
- Click Add someone else to this PC.
- Create a new account.
- Log in with the account.
- Download the game from the Microsoft Store.
Conclusion
The Microsoft Store sometimes struggles with games because they’re generally larger in size. Often the best solution to this problem is to wait. The app experiences flukes in its service from time to time and they go as mysteriously as they come. If after waiting a reasonable amount of time the issue isn’t resolved, you may need to get proactive about the solution and one of the fixes we’ve listed may help sort things out.
