The Xbox App and Game Pass used to be quite good value for money, but those days are long gone. One thing that still remains loyal, though, is all the problems that you will come across while using the Xbox app to play games on PC. In this guide, we'll show you how to fix the problem that causes some games to get stuck using integrated graphics rather than dedicated graphics. There are a few reasons this might be happening, so don't skip anything in this guide.

Takeaways:

  1. What is causing games to get stuck using Integrated Graphics rather than Dedicated Graphics?
  2. Learn how to fix games stuck using integrated graphics when playing from the Xbox App and Game Pass

Why This Happens

Most Xbox Game Pass and Microsoft Store titles use the UWP or MSIX packaging model. These apps are installed inside protected and encrypted system folders. Unlike traditional desktop games that use standard Win32 executables, these protected applications cannot be freely accessed or modified by users. This design improves security, but it also prevents Windows from exposing the real executable file in the Graphics settings menu.

Because of these restrictions, Windows may refuse to let you manually force the game to use a dedicated GPU. This is a platform limitation rather than a fault with your hardware or the game itself. Although Microsoft has transitioned some games back to a more open format, many titles still behave like locked applications.

How to Fix Game Pass PC Not Letting You Assign a GPU to a Game

This is a fairly easy problem to solve. First, make sure that your computer is connected to the power supply. If it is running on battery, it will almost always default to integrated graphics to save on power, with the exception of some instances or if you have your PC set to high-performance mode, then it uses dedicated graphics. You can find a full guide on Windows Power settings here. Since you'll have a lot of other issues with Game Pass and the Xbox app, you should bookmark our guide list here.

Select the Game from the Microsoft Store Apps

Recent versions of Windows allow you to choose Microsoft Store applications directly instead of relying on desktop executables.

  • Open Settings using Win + I
  • Go to System, then Display, then Graphics
  • Select Add Microsoft Store app
  • Search for your game and add it to the list
  • Set the GPU preference to High performance and test the game

Fix Game Pass PC Not Letting You Assign a GPU to a Game

Modify the Game Configuration File

Some Game Pass titles store graphics preferences in user accessible configuration files that are created when the game runs for the first time. You can force the game to use a specific GPU by editing this file.

  • Close the Xbox app and the game using Task Manager
  • Open the game’s documents folder, for example:

C:\Users\YourUsername\Documents\GameName\Configs

  • Open the engine_config.txt file with a text editor
  • Find the line that reads graphics_adapter = 0
  • Change the value to 1 or 2, save the file, and restart the game

Set a System Wide GPU Preference

You can configure Windows to favor the dedicated GPU for all applications, including protected ones.

  • Open Settings
  • Go to System and then Display
  • Open Graphics and select Default graphics settings
  • Set the Graphics performance preference to the dedicated GPU

Temporarily Disable the Integrated GPU

If Windows cannot detect the integrated GPU, it will automatically route all workloads through the dedicated GPU.

  • Open Device Manager
  • Expand Display adapters
  • Right click the integrated graphics device and select Disable
  • Restart your computer and launch the game