How can I get a microsoft store game to accept a controller thats being streamed?

Marcus 20 Reputation points
2026-05-26T13:29:01.1166667+00:00

Alright, this is kind of a niche issue, but let me explain.

I am using Steam to remote play on my PC. Some of my games are owned through the Microsoft Store, in this case, Forza Horizon 6. When I remote connect, my ROG Ally's controller works fine on any Steam game, but the second I get to a UWP app, it's useless. I tried apps like UWP Hook to put my Microsoft Store games into steam but the controller still is not recognized.

Hope that makes sense, the only thing I can find that might solve this issue is an app called Glossi Hook but I cant seem to get it to work since their deveploper gave up on the program.

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Gaming
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Answer accepted by question author
Ivan B 124.7K Reputation points Independent Advisor
2026-05-26T14:07:20.2766667+00:00

Hi,

Since this is a Microsoft UWP application, Steam input won't work. However, there's an alternative: you can use Apollo (a fork of Sunshine) with Moonlight on a local network. If you're using the internet, Parsec might be the best option; these options are free.

It will recognize any controller, so you won't have this problem with Xinput. The configuration is relatively simple, and it responds better compared to Steam. I can instruct you if you wish.

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  1. AI answer

    2026-05-26T13:29:14.54+00:00

    Steam Remote Play presents a virtual controller to the game. For Steam games this is handled natively, but UWP apps (like Microsoft Store versions of Forza) use the Windows.Gaming.Input stack and expect a controller that is exposed through that API. The context shows that:

    • UWP games read controllers via the Windows.Gaming.Input namespace and its Gamepad API.
    • UWP apps only receive gamepad input when the app is in focus.

    Because Steam’s virtual/streamed controller is not surfaced as a standard Windows gamepad device through Windows.Gaming.Input, UWP titles typically do not see it as an input device. That is why the controller works in Steam titles but not in Microsoft Store/UWP games when streamed.

    Given the available information, there is no supported way in the provided context to force a Microsoft Store/UWP game to accept a controller that is only exposed through Steam’s Remote Play virtualization layer. The working path in the context is to use the Microsoft Store/Xbox ecosystem directly (as in the Forza example where switching from the Steam version to the Microsoft Store version resolved Xbox Game Bar integration), rather than trying to inject UWP games into Steam.

    References:

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