Fix: Gaming Services Install Error 0x80073D27 and 0x80073D26

After a Windows Update, people trying to install Gaming Services via Microsoft Store get the error 0x80073D26 or 0x80073D27 in the Xbox App. This made the PC Game Pass unusable for countless users.

Next, I will show you step-by-step how to get rid of this error by completely removing Gaming Services and reinstalling it via Windows PowerShell or the Registry Editor.

How to Fix Gaming Services Install Error 0x80073D27 via Windows PowerShell

This fix is recommended if you see the 0x80073D27 error, but you can also try it if you have other error messages when installing Gaming Services.

Here is the step-by-step:

1. Close the Xbox App (make sure it is not running in the background.)
2. Type Windows PowerShell on Windows Search, then select Run as Administrator:
   
3. On Windows Powershell, run the following commands by typing it and then pressing Enter:
   Get-AppxPackage *gamingservices* -allusers | remove-appxpackage -allusers
   
4. Now run the following command:
   Remove-Item -Path “HKLM:\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\GamingServices” -recurse
5. Then run the last command to remove Gaming Services completely:
   Remove-Item -Path “HKLM:\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\GamingServicesNet” -recurse
6. Reboot your PC.
7. Run the following command on Windows PowerShell:
   start ms-windows-store://pdp/?productid=9MWPM2CQNLHN
   

This should fix the gaming services error 0x80073D27.

If it didn’t work, make sure you closed (not minimized) the Xbox App task in step 1. Also, make sure that you reboot your PC on step 6 before reinstalling Gaming Services.

This error might reappear after a new Windows Update. In this case, redo the steps in this article, and you should be fine.

(Every Windows PC comes with Xbox Game Bar pre-installed on it, but do you really need Xbox Game Bar? I’ve written an article with the answer.)

If this doesn’t work, try the method below.

How to Fix Gaming Services Install Error 0x80073D26 via Windows PowerShell

Another solution, which is proven to work to fix the error 0x80073D26, is to remove Gaming Services registry entries on the Registry Editor and then reinstall Gaming Services.

Here is how to do this:

1. Enter Registry Editor on Windows Search, then select Run as Administrator:
   
2. In the Registry Editor, navigate to the following path:
   Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services
   
3. Expand Services, and find the GamingServices and GamingServicesNet folders. Right-click on each of them and click Delete:
   
4. Reboot your PC.
5. Now go to Microsoft Store, and click on Library.
   
6. Then click on the Get updates button to get a newer version of GamingServices.
   

(If you get the 0xc0000428 error message when trying to launch Fortnite or another game, check my article on how to fix Fortnite Bad Image 0xc0000428 error.)

Conclusion

Two methods work to fix the Gaming Services error 0x80073D26 and 0x80073D27.

The first one is to close the Xbox App, then completely remove and reinstall Gaming Services via PowerShell.

The other one is to delete the GamingServices and GamingServicesNet on the registry editor and then update Gaming Services by going to Microsoft Store -> Library -> Get updates.

If you want to free up RAM to run your games, check my article on Microsoft Teams to know how to free up memory by disabling Microsoft Teams.