Games for Windows - Live

By Microsoft
Free
User Rating

Key Details of Games for Windows - Live

Get the PC client for the online gaming service.
Last updated on February 21, 2024
There have been 2 updates
Virus scan status:
Clean (it’s extremely likely that this software program is clean)

Developer’s Description

Get the PC client for the online gaming service.

Games for Windows - Live program lets you discover and download new content for your games, from videos and demos to game add-ons like new levels and maps. The client lets you access this content quickly and easily, without dealing with multiple websites for each game and various download managers. Be sure to check your client regularly for new content and new features.

Games for Windows - Live

By Microsoft
Free
User Rating

Explore More

Full Specifications

GENERAL

Release: February 12, 2010

Latest update: February 21, 2024

Version: 3.5.89.0

OPERATING SYSTEMS

Platform: Windows

Operating System

Windows 8
Windows 7
Windows Vista
Windows XP

POPULARITY

Total Downloads: 235,408

Downloads Last Week: 144

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Descargar Games for Windows - Live

Last Updated

User Reviews

1.3/5

52 User Votes

Bullcrap of sh****
downstroy2September 29, 2014
Pros
- easy to uninstall, well not close.
Cons
- everythings else
Summary
That's a utter pile of rubbish. Even now that its dead and gone, I can't play games that uses it because they still try to access to my online profile, and OF COURSE there is no more servers up. I mean come on guys, you are developers right? Can't you just let an url up that will accept every requests? I don't know do something. Instead I have to unistall about anything on my computer, restart at least 2 times to hope that it will work. That's NOT ACCEPTABLE. I have PAID for theses games. And I can't play them. Are you right in your minds?
GFWL - Go F*ck Windows Live
agiaramJuly 16, 2014
Pros
- Great for learning how to troubleshoot your pc - because that's the only thing you' ll be doing with this. - Perfect way for Satan to communicate with us - Makes you love steam because it actually does work
Cons
ERROR: INFORMATION OVERLOAD. SELF DESTRUCT IMMINENT.
Summary
Games For Windows Live is Satan's greatest masterpiece to date. It will rape friendships, destroy computer screens and keyboards alike and make you feel like an idiot because you bought a game that uses it. The service denies me from accessing my games completely. I cannot stress this enough: I DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO GAMES I HAVE PAID FOR. Just let that sink into your mind for a minute. Games that are my legitimate property, I have spent hard earned cash on are now utterly useless, I do not have access to them whatsoever. Games For Windows Live has absolutely NO reason to exist and this piece of satanic software should be destroyed, buried and forgotten about ASAP. Now if you'll excuse me I am going to get some psychiatric help to deal with my post traumatic stress syndrome.
What failure.
Gabe_IskoJune 10, 2014
Pros
I have never had a positive experience with this software.
Cons
I am boggled by the description for games for windows live: I have never used this piece of software to check out videos, download demos, game add-ons, and wouldn't even know how I could.Although it promises to make sure you don't have to go do different websites for each game, I have never started a game on this service and not had to go to some Microsoft account management site. This service pretty much just exists to give you a head ache. My current experience involves Microsoft not being able to recover my windows live account, and me not being able to save my progress in a game without one. Then after going through account creation, I had to restart the game and wait as GFWL updated. It is stuff like this that makes you just want to download the game and crack and not deal with this.
Summary
It is no wonder that Microsoft is discontinuing this awful service, although it is a shame that it is leaving so many games that were bought on to depend on it. It really only existed to hamper the PC game experience in the hopes that you would just give up and buy an XBOX. If any devs or publishers see this, do yourselves a favor and don't fall for this garbage, whatever it inevitably is in it's next incarnation. Build a stronger relationship with the people who play your games, not the people trying to gouge you for money.
So you finally bought the game for once and...
llamaarmyackbarJanuary 6, 2014
Pros
It will be gone soon.
Cons
-Made me immediately regret my Dark Souls purchase on steam -Tainted my Fallout 3 purchase years ago when I didn't know any better. -Lost money due to its inability to configure itself correctly whatsoever -No support -Yup.. still no support
Summary
This has got to be a nightmare. I purchased Dark Souls on steam (reluctantly) and now I'm realizing I'm out ten freaking dollars. I don't give two monkey turds about the loss of money, its the inability to (after it worked for about a day initially) retrieve my original live account or get it to sign in. Typed in my live account and the password I'd been using "We're sorry this key has already been used on another live account," - OH REALLY? ARE YOU SURE? GOSH. What a load of crap. I can't even just get the marketplace to come up anymore, and no support or help pages ever load. I'll just wait until Dark Souls 2 comes out, but even now I could by a Playstation 3 and a copy of the game and be having a freaking blast not dealing with games for windows live. This has got to be the worst purchase I've ever made. I try to legally own the game and I'm immediately punished for it. What a deal breaker. If you have any plans to purchase anything on steam, you better make sure it doesn't utilize GFWL at all.
I buy my games but..
YimjimNovember 29, 2013
Pros
None at all
Cons
Too many to list
Summary
I buy my games but I've had this software stop me from playing my games to often. From now on I'll be pirating all games with this included.
Everything wrong with modern gaming
dejvogNovember 27, 2013
Pros
Made me realize that DRMs are what's killing the gaming industry.
Cons
-punishes the player for buying legal software -buggy -non-functional updates -prevents you from playing -horrible support -frustrating setup -zero compatibility with basically anything
Summary
GFWL breaks your game. Even if, after a couple of days, you manage to set it up, get it working with your router, firewall, tunngle/hamachi etc and it successfully downloads and install all updates (and that will most likely NOT happen), it will bide its time and break one day. You download an update or a driver, and bam! You can not play anymore. Avoid any game with GFWL. Be careful though, even some games on Steam and Origin require it. If you really want the game, buy it, but don't install! Pirate and crack it instead. It will save you time, frustration and sanity.
Should've won awards for being so terrible.
VeryUniqueUsername90July 28, 2013
Pros
I was going to say good looking, but I can't actually load half of it.
Cons
It crashes your game. It's a miracle if it doesn't take away from a game. Hasn't been updated for the current century.
Summary
I downloaded this thing for GTA 4 and Bioshock 2, the best thing I can say is that I didn't notice its existence for GTA 4. I can't even play Bioshock for longer than it takes to load the title screen before it crashes. I've fully updated the game and it still tells me I'm missing something. When they say it downloads the updates then weren't lying, that's all it does. It would seem Microsoft doesn't know how to actually install anything. Anyone who says they liked this never played a steam only game.
Horrible, Buggy, and Outdated
thatguyphilipJuly 25, 2013
Pros
it actually makes you pay closer attention to the drm packaged with the games you buy in the future
Cons
buggy frustrating nonfriendly user interface intrusive noticeable restrictive the list goes on and on games for windows live is that stepmother you hate.
Summary
microsoft's attempt at creating a successful drm resulted in what is probably the most massively embarrassing sorry excuse for software i have ever seen in my entire life.
Ruining games on PC.
MarioFearedJuly 12, 2013
Pros
At least it makes you think ahead on future purchases to check if it is there or not. Other than that, I see no pros for this at all.
Cons
Another useless login needed to get in the game, Regardless if you're playing offline or not. It punishes honest paying players. Some games take away the saving feature, some take away the online multiplayer and others it fails the game to load because it needs the confirmation of Games for Windows live before it can start. EVEN IF THE FAULT IS WITH THE PROGRAM AND NOT YOURS. Update failed? I'm sorry bud but this Steam game wont work as you want. The first time setup is ALWAYS a pain. It always needs updating and its almost certain it will fail a few times before it can run.
Summary
I have never encountered something that can turn me off a game as hard as GFWL does. It makes me regret my purchase immediately. I tend to have small gaming sessions during my (1h) lunch break and there isn't a worst sensation when you just installed a brand new game and it greets you with the GFWL login screen. Then I know my gaming session is ruined because it will either take a 20-45 min chunk off my game time or I wont be able to play it at all because my works router blocks GFWL and I cant do anything about it. I always thought Steam already in itself was a form of DRM. You buy games off Steam and I would assume it does an authentication with Steam to confirm the game is yours and you paid for it. But with GFWL it forces you to do another login. One that doesn't care you just bought the game and its legit. One that forces you to insert the game key once again. One that if your works router denies access online, it will cripple your game even if you just want to play the single player story mode. So there you have it. PLEASE check if your next purchase has it. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE! All games I bought from Steam that has them, I am not able to play them, or if I do, some of them are unplayable. In Dark Souls: Prepare to die edition, if you don't login, it takes away the saving feature, rendering your game useless. Many get it to work though. I am not saying its impossible, but it should either work from the get go or the player should be able to turn it off. Forcing me to fiddle with the router to get this to work when the router hasnt given me any trouble before is a sign that many will also give up on it.
Not even Origin is this bad
RyanBurnsRedJuly 12, 2013
Pros
None. It's complete garbage.
Cons
The marketplace tab on the client doesn't even show anything, instead it has a link that takes you to the xbox live site where you can buy games. The downloads are painfully slow. I've been waiting for 15 minutes to download a 934 MB DLC, meanwhile on Steam I cover that same amount in 2 minutes or less.
Summary
Slow download speeds, with obvious signs of the PC crowd being an after thought. Not only this, but the GFWL client in games as well.