Downloads

Get Winhanced

Download the latest release below. Early access builds are available to Patreon supporters. If you run into any issues, report them in our community Discord.

Early Access

Winhanced Early Access

The bleeding edge. First access to new features before public release. Available to Patreon and Discord supporters.

Build 0.9.5.5
Released May 4, 2026
Access Patreon / Discord
Download via Patreon
Free

Winhanced

The stable public release. Free to download and use by everyone. No account required.

Build 0.9.5.5
Released May 4, 2026
Access Everyone
Download Now

Patch Notes

6 releases
0.9.5.5 Latest May 4, 2026

✦ For Everyone

Redesigned First-Run Onboarder

  • The first-run setup got a full visual rewrite. Five focused steps: Welcome, Device, Libraries, Customize, Done
  • New dynamic backdrop tinted by your Windows accent color, real device renders for every supported device, and controller-driven navigation throughout
  • Per-step micro-interactions make first-run setup feel smoother and more seamless

System Accent Theme & In-App Color Picker

  • Backdrop and accent highlights retint live to match your Windows accent color
  • The Customize step in the onboarder and Settings → General both include a 48-color picker that overrides just within Winhanced
  • Pick a color and the entire UI follows, generating a dynamic 3-color theme backdrop based on your selection

Adaptive Display Scaling

  • Big rewrite under the hood. The launcher now scales as a single canvas with one root transform instead of compensating per-element
  • UI fills any aspect ratio (16:9, 16:10, 21:9 ultrawide) without letterboxing or weird text sizing bugs
  • Game details panel respects the footer and sizes canvas-relative
  • Seven of the widest dialogs (game options, batch import, Steam QR, etc.) got proper width caps so they never stretch off-screen

Per-Game Executable Path & Launch Arguments

  • Game Options on any tile now exposes two new fields: an Executable Path override and Custom Launch Arguments
  • Point a game at a modded .exe, alt build, or custom launcher, with per-game command line support
  • Hidden for Xbox UWP titles where the package family drives launch
  • Steam shows a heads-up if your override would break overlay injection

✦ Early Access

Friends Hub

  • Live presence from Steam, Xbox, PlayStation, and Discord shows who's online, what they're playing, and whether you own the same game (the new "Ready to Play" tile)
  • Friend Details panel surfaces Games in Common
  • Party invites are wired through the Discord Social SDK with native invite cards
  • Voice-call foundations are in place, with full controller navigation throughout
  • Discord Rich Presence broadcasts "Playing X via Winhanced" the moment a game launches, independent of Friends Hub itself
  • Note: non-Early-Access users will still see the existing Discord tab in the same slot. The Friends tab swaps in live the moment your entitlement updates, no app restart required

⬡ Bug Fixes

Library

  • Steam was re-downloading entire language packs (~24 GB on multi-language titles) every update. Depot enumeration now filters by your selected language to match the Steam client's actual behavior
  • PlayStation token refresh occasionally lost the AccountId field. Refresh path now heals missing account info by re-querying after token exchange
  • Game Pass catalog now flags entries that require Battle.net / Ubisoft Connect / EA / Riot / HoYoverse with an "Unsupported" badge, so the install button gates correctly instead of failing silently. Steam, native Xbox, and standalone Game Pass titles are unaffected

Performance

  • App hanging on game exit. New 15-second exit-grace period in the game monitor clears the stuck "Exiting game…" state if the launcher chain never reports a final exit
  • Game detection now latches onto titles that launch through nested launchers (Ubisoft Connect, EAC bootstrap, Steam to EA Desktop chains)
  • Game-exit dedup was holding stale events across session rotations and suppressing legitimate new exits. Now time-bound and cleared on session change
0.9.5.0 Public April 17, 2026

✦ New Features

GOG Library Support

  • After debuting in Early Access with 0.9.4, GOG support is now available to all users
  • Sign in from the onboarder's Connect Your Libraries screen, browse your owned catalog, and direct-install DRM-free titles, no GOG Galaxy required
  • Cloud saves sync on launch and upload on exit
  • DRM-free dependencies like DOSBox and ScummVM are handled automatically

Game Pass Catalog Browsing & Direct Install

  • After debuting in Early Access with 0.9.4, the full Game Pass PC library is now open to everyone
  • Browse ~540 titles, filter by category, and install or stream in one click with full controller navigation throughout
  • Note: Ubisoft Connect and EA Play titles through Game Pass will let you download but won't launch cleanly yet, they need more integration work. Steam, native Xbox, and standalone Game Pass titles are unaffected. Hopefully we'll have a solution for Ubi/EA in the next patch

⬡ Improvements & Fixes

Library

  • Fixed an issue where non-early-access users could see GOG entries sneak into their library
  • Game Pass catalog pivot is now preserved when closing the game details panel

Performance

  • TDP: ZDDeviceManager facade is now wired early so PerformanceManager captures the real device. Fixes TDP control on affected configs
  • RTSS: overlay and helper processes are now filtered from smart-hook candidates

UI

  • Fixed Pro Tips text clipping on the onboarder's final screen
0.9.4.0 Public April 1, 2026

✦ New Features

Native xCloud Streaming

  • Stream Xbox Cloud Gaming titles directly inside Winhanced, no browser required
  • Direct launch URLs resolved automatically for instant game entry
  • One-time authentication on first use, full controller support throughout

Lossless Scaling: Now Public

  • Toggle LS and adjust settings directly from the Winhanced HUD
  • Controls appear automatically for users who own Lossless Scaling on Steam

Instant Library Load

  • Library loading rebuilt from the ground up. All games appear at once

⬡ Bug Fixes

  • Fixed OEM button remapping resetting after sleep on Modern Standby devices including Legion Go
  • Fixed Steam direct mode depot access errors affecting titles such as Hades II
  • Fixed Xbox Mode bridge and widget home button not functioning correctly
  • Fixed duplicate Xbox game entries for Play Anywhere titles and demo/trial editions
  • Fixed HowLongToBeat integration following an API endpoint change
  • Fixed code signing to eliminate Windows Defender warnings on Lenovo and other OEM devices
  • Resolved multiple memory leaks and improved general stability
0.9.3.6 Public March 23, 2026

✦ New Features

FSE Home App Registration

  • Winhanced now appears in Windows Settings → Gaming → Full Screen Experience
  • Fully replaces the Xbox app as the FSE home. Registered automatically on first launch after update

Direct Library Management

  • Steam, Xbox, and Epic Games all support direct install management from within Winhanced
  • Install up to 4 games simultaneously, with the rest queuing automatically

Suspend Game Button

  • New button under Game Options in the HUD. Suspend the current game and return to home instantly

GOG.com: Full Integration (Early Access)

  • Browse, download, install, launch, and uninstall GOG titles without opening GOG Galaxy
0.9.2.1 Public January 24, 2026

✦ New Features

AutoPilot: Smart Profiles

  • Auto, Performance, and Quality modes. Intelligently balances performance and visual fidelity
  • Games with Smart Profile support display the "SP" badge in your library

Quick Resume

  • Run multiple games simultaneously with intelligent suspension and instant switching
  • Smart RAM management ensures system stability during suspension

The Status Pill

  • Dynamic hub replacing legacy power/minimize icons. Active sessions, universal search, system controls
  • Per-app volume mixer, battery monitor with usage graphs, Bluetooth and WiFi management

External Game Detection

  • Session tracking and Quick Resume work even when games are launched from Steam, Xbox, or Epic directly

⬡ Bug Fixes

  • Fixed game freezing when system enters sleep mode
  • Fixed memory leaks during alt-tabbing. Artwork and images now release correctly
  • Fixed crash on rapid Back button presses
  • Fixed incorrect game counts when switching library filters
  • Fixed AutoPilot Dynamic stopping under certain conditions
  • Added Legion Go 2 detection with full TDP and power profile support
0.9.1.2 Public December 24, 2025

✦ New Features

Animated Game Art

  • Animated backgrounds pulled from SteamGridDB for supported titles
  • Displayed behind the frosted glass layer. Independently toggleable

Winhanced Watchdog

  • Companion service that saves app state during crashes and recovers gracefully

Native TDP Management

  • Reversed Armoury Crate's TDP handling. Armoury Crate no longer required on ASUS devices

Sleep Engine 1.0

  • ML-based engine that logs sleep cycles, identifies bad wake sources, and learns your device's behavior over time

⬡ Bug Fixes

  • Fixed AutoPilot stopping after wake from sleep
  • AutoPilot battery mode now correctly ignores plugged-in state

FAQ

What is Winhanced?

Winhanced is a controller-first gaming shell for Windows. It unifies your entire game library across Steam, Xbox, Epic, GOG, and PlayStation into one beautifully designed interface, fixes Windows sleep and resume behavior, and provides intelligent performance management, all without replacing Windows itself.

Why Winhanced instead of Armoury Crate, Legion Space, or Playnite?

OEM tools like Armoury Crate and Legion Space are single-device utilities. They manage hardware settings but don't unify your game libraries or fix sleep behavior. Playnite is a powerful launcher but it's community-assembled without a focused vision. Winhanced is the only app that handles all three: unified library, reliable sleep contract, and intelligent performance, in a single opinionated experience built specifically for controller-first gaming.

Is early access safe to install?

Yes. Early access builds are tested by the development team and active community members before release. That said, they may contain bugs that haven't yet made it to the public release. If you encounter anything unexpected, report it in our Discord. Your feedback directly shapes the next release.

Where do I get support if something goes wrong?

The Winhanced Discord is the fastest way to get help. The development team and community are active there daily. When reporting an issue, include your device model, Winhanced build number, and a brief description of what happened. Logs from the app are even better if you have them.

Is Winhanced open source?

Winhanced is not currently open source. It's a free product supported by the community through Patreon. Supporters get early access to new features and help shape the direction of the app.