In the past, I’ve chronicled a list of some of my favorite modern-style Windows 11 PC applications to grace the Microsoft Store. These apps aren’t your run-of-the-mill legacy Win32 programs — rather, they’re fresh experiences that make use of Microsoft’s Fluent Design principles, with full support for dark mode, adaptive accent color theming, and liberal use of the digital Mica material.

Of course, productivity apps aren’t the only genre of PC software that benefit greatly from Windows 11’s rejuvenated design language. Indeed, computer games too are capable of receiving a new lease on life when given much-deserved Fluent makeovers of their own. Here are three simple-yet-addictive games that look and feel so native to Windows 11, that I can’t help but install them onto every new PC I set up.

OurSweeper

Minesweeper for the rest of us

Minesweeper and personal computers share a tight-knit and decades-long relationship. The now-classic puzzle video game was bundled in with early versions of Microsoft Windows, cementing itself as an iconic part of desktop operating system history. The game itself is fairly simple to get a hand of, with a satisfying and highly addictive gameplay loop. The primary objective here is to avoid being blown up by a mine, while selecting all the squares without mines.

As of Windows 8 and newer, a modern Microsoft Studios-published version of Minesweeper can be downloaded from the official Windows storefront. However, this version of the game lacks the simplistic charm of the original, adopting mobile game sensibilities and neglecting to embrace contemporary Fluent Design UI principles.

That’s where the third-party OurSweeper app from the Microsoft Store comes into play. Without sacrificing the original charm of classic-era Microsoft Minesweeper, OurSweeper is modern, well-crafted, and built using a unique “GlowUI” that expands upon Windows 11’s design language. You can support the developer via a one-time purchase fee to unlock additional functionality, but the core experience is entirely free.

Ink Ball

Windows XP Tablet PC Edition lives on

Back during Microsoft’s Windows XP-era push into the consumer tablet market, the company released a bespoke version of its operating system called Windows XP Tablet PC Edition. To showcase stylus input technology to the public, Tablet PC Edition shipped with a game called InkBall. To advance through the game, virtual balls need to be directed into color-matched holes, with the user able to draw lines to manipulate each ball’s respective path.

Microsoft dropped InkBall from its in-box gaming library starting with Windows 7, which is a shame as the title is both unique and enjoyable. Thankfully, a third-party developer has recreated InkBall’s magic by releasing Ink Ball — a modernized version of the game that incorporates modern, Fluent design principles. The game is entirely free to download and install, and it works like a dream when paired a Microsoft Surface Slim Pen 2 or other compatible stylus.

Fluent Tic-Tac-Toe

The most aesthetic game of tic-tac-toe you’ll ever play

Who doesn’t love a good game of tic-tac-toe? Variants of this simple puzzle game date back to antiquity, and for good reason: it’s simple, addictive, and highly approachable. While most of us are probably used to playing tic-tac-toe with pen and paper, the game’s simplistic nature translates perfectly over to a digital environment. Of course, not all variants of the game are equal, with some being filled with ads and other visually distracting UI elements.

The free and open-source (FOSS) Fluent Tic-Tac-Toe is perhaps the most attractive and no-nonsense virtual version of tic-tac-toe that you’ll ever encounter. It features several customization settings for adjusting board size, opponent difficulty, and number of players, and it excels at mashing together Xs and Os with Windows 11’s design language. The full Fluent Tic-Tac-Toe codebase can be found over on GitHub.