This new mode could make Microsoft Edge more of a gamer's browser

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Microsoft is doubling down on efforts to engage the gaming community with a new feature called “Edge for Gamers”, a mode that promises to elevate user experience inside and outside gaming.

According to a report from Bleeping Computer, the new mode will enable a range of enhancements, including a gaming-focused home page and new sidebar apps aimed at gamers.

Spotted by Twitter user Leopeva64 on Twitter it looks like the “Edge for Gamers” setting is being tested right now in the Canary channel of Microsoft Edge, though it may not be available for everyone within the Canary channel.

There is a new 'Edge for Gamers' toggle on the Appearance page (Canary), after enabling it you are automatically redirected to the themes section of the Add-ons Store and the Discord and Twitch apps are also automatically added to the Sidebar: pic.twitter.com/6KWdpk2hPQMay 13, 2023

The potential update also adds a gaming efficiency mode which presumably reduces browser resource usage to provide the best in-game experience. Users who enable the Edge for Gamers mode will be able to choose from a range of customization options that align with familiar gaming aesthetics, including dark mode (we’re incredibly happy about this, dark mode is everything) and game-specific themes.

The new mode is still in the early stages of development. Once live, though, users can go to the Appearance section of their settings and enable “Edge for Gamers” under the Customize browser section.

Activating the mode doesn’t change the browser experience in any significant way, according to Bleeping Computer. Once the mode is enabled, however, users are automatically redirected to the themes section of the Edge Add-ons Store, and popular gaming platforms like Discord and Twitch are added to the sidebar.

Muskaan is TechRadar’s UK-based Computing writer. She has always been a passionate writer and has had her creative work published in several literary journals and magazines. Her debut into the writing world was a poem published in The Times of Zambia, on the subject of sunflowers and the insignificance of human existence in comparison. Growing up in Zambia, Muskaan was fascinated with technology, especially computers, and she's joined TechRadar to write about the latest GPUs, laptops and recently anything AI related. If you've got questions, moral concerns or just an interest in anything ChatGPT or general AI, you're in the right place. Muskaan also somehow managed to install a game on her work MacBook's Touch Bar, without the IT department finding out (yet).