Games for Windows

Games for Windows is a brand owned by Microsoft and introduced in 2006 to coincide with the release of Windows Vista. The brand represents a standardized technical certification program and online service for Windows games, bringing a measure of regulation to the PC game market in much the same way that console manufacturers regulate their platforms. The branding program is open to both first-party and third-party publishers.

Games for Windows was promoted through convention kiosks and through other forums as early as 2005. The promotional push culminated in a deal with Ziff Davis Media to rename the Computer Gaming World magazine to Games for Windows: The Official Magazine. The first GFW issue was published for November 2006, and the magazine was defunct as of 2008

Packaging for games that have been certified by Microsoft feature a prominent "Games for Windows" logo stripe across the upper front. Microsoft claimed they had increased their sales of Games for Windows-branded games in stores that had been giving the games greater focus, and said they planned on increased marketing efforts of the brand