Microsoft's Windows Store launched with Windows 8 in 2012 offering only apps and games. Windows 10 in 2015 added music, movies, and TV shows, and April's Creators Update added books. But how can you shop at the Windows Store and what will you find? Let's check it out.

First, you'll need Windows 10 to shop for the full array of items in the Windows Store. And if you're looking for a good book to read, you'll need the Creators Update. To check your version of Windows 10, right-click the Start button. If you see the Settings command in the menu, you have the Creators Update. If you see Control Panel in the menu, you're still running the prior flavor of Windows and need to install the Creators Update, which you can do from the Windows Update screen in Settings.

Best Hidden Object Games for Windows 10. And challenging hidden object game for passing the time. Download The Blacklist: Conspiracy from the Windows Store. Your favorite Hidden Object game. With Windows 10, Microsoft is particularly keen for you to use a Microsoft Account. But if you decide to download apps from the Store, you'll be prompted to switch this to a Microsoft Account.

To open the Windows Store, click on its icon on the Taskbar, or click on the Start button and scroll down the list to the shortcut for Store and click on it.

The Windows Store opens. At the top of the window are the various product categories – Apps, Games, Music, Movies & TV, and Books.

The store's home page opens, flashing the latest promotions and other highlights. Scroll down the home page, and you'll find daily deals, special picks, and most popular items, among other content. Be sure to scroll all the way down the home page to see all the latest lists and promotions.

Shopping for Apps

Let's say you want to shop a specific category. Let's start with apps. Click on the Apps menu. You'll see the latest promoted apps.

Scroll down to see top, featured, top paid, and top free apps, and more.

For any list, you can click on the 'Show all' button.

The store then displays the complete list of matching items.

Click on the left arrow before the word Store to return to the previous page. Scroll all the way down to the bottom of the Apps page to see a list of app categories that you can click on and browse.

At the specific category page, you can click on each of the headings at the top to narrow or change the list of items.

If you find a free app you want to download, like Hulu, click on it and select 'Get.' The app will start downloading, before giving you the option to Launch or Pin to Start.

If you want a paid app, click Get, which will ask you to sign into your Microsoft account if you're not already signed in.

If you've never purchased an app, you'll be asked to add a way to pay: credit card or debit; PayPal; mobile phone; or gift card.

Shopping for Games

Now, click on the Games menu. The Games page pops up, highlighting a certain game or games.

Scroll down the page to see best-selling games, top paid games, top free games, and other lists. Again, scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page, and you'll see a list of game categories that you can browse.

If you find a particular app or game that interests you, click on its entry to view its full page.

If you see an Install button, the game is free for the taking. Click on Install, and the app or game is downloaded and installed. If you see a price tag and Buy button, then the app or game will cost you some cash. Click on the Buy button to download it.

If you've already set up a payment method with Microsoft, Windows asks for your PIN or password to authenticate your identity and asks you to confirm the purchase. If not, you'll be asked to set up a means of payment.

Shopping for Music

Now let's segue to the Music category by clicking on its menu. The Music page pops up highlighting certain artists or albums.

Scroll down the page to see a list of recommended and popular artists and albums. At the bottom of the page you'll find a list of genres. If a particular album or song strikes your fancy, click on its link to see its full page. Click on the price tag if you wish to purchase the album. That music will then be available in the Groove Music app, which will be discontinued as of Dec. 31 and merged with Spotify.

Shopping for Movies & TV

Next, click on the menu for Movies & TV. Scroll down the page to see all the featured movies and TV shows. Click on a specific movie or TV show if you wish to purchase it. It will then be accessible via the Movies & TV app.

Shopping for Books

Then click on the menu for Books. Scroll down the page to see all the book titles. Click on a specific book that you want to purchase. You can read those selections on any Windows 10 device with the Windows Creator update via Microsoft Edge.

Shopping for Specific Items

Maybe you're looking for a specific app, game, album, song, movie, TV show, or book. Instead of browsing the different categories, search for an item by title or other criteria. Type a keyword in the Search field. The store displays a list of potential matches. You can click on one of the suggested matches or click on the Search icon to look for your item.

If you search for your item, the store then displays results across all the product categories.

You can narrow the results to a specific category. Click on the Type menu and then choose a category, such as albums, and the results are refreshed to match your selection.

These games challenge your skills at concentration and observation to find objects that are hidden in plain sight, often with a picturesque scene. Many of these games have accompanying storylines in which solving the picture puzzle unlocks a clue to a larger mystery, expanding the challenge of gameplay. There are also titles that have a series of mini-games to provide a little variety to the overall package.

While there are plenty quality hidden object games in the Windows Store, these are some of the best the Store has to offer.

Update 4 March, 2017 We have made a few changes to this article based on new releases, reader's input, and staff debate. There may be some new titles in the mix, as well as those that we continue to view as the best from the Windows Store.

The Blacklist: Conspiracy is a hidden object puzzle game for Windows 10 that takes on a crime fighting twist. Available for Windows 10 PC and Mobile, the free game is based on the hit television series The Blacklist and features many of the series' main characters.

Raymond Reddington, a master criminal turned crime fighter, leads you through a series of hidden object puzzles full of clues needed to hunt down criminals and solve the game's mysteries. Clues are rushed off to the F.B.I. lab for analysis with a few mini-games tossed into the mix to offer a little variety to this hidden object game.

You even get to interrogate suspects and witnesses to detect lies and point out contradictions in their stories. There are several crossroads with The Blacklist: Conspiracy that impacts not only character's actions but also the storyline. Should you find yourself struggling to locate items in the puzzles, there are plenty of hints and power-ups available to get you headed in the right direction.

The Blacklist: Conspiracy is a from the creative gaming minds at Gameloft and offers plenty of twists and turns to the storyline. It is an entertaining and challenging hidden object game for passing the time.

Deadly Puzzles: Toymaker

Artifex Mundi offers a fantastic range of hidden object games in the Windows Store. Deadly Puzzles: Toymaker is a murder mystery game in which you hunt for clues amongst hidden object puzzles to track down a murderer known as the Toymaker.

Deadly Puzzles: Toymaker has two game modes, both with a fair amount of challenge. There is the Casual mode where the hint and skip buttons recharge quickly, and hidden object areas glisten from time to time. The Casual mode also has no penalties for tapping on the incorrect item.

The Expert mode is a tad more intense with longer delays for the hint and skip features, and active zones do not periodically glisten. There are also penalties for tapping too many incorrect items.

Deadly Puzzles: Toymaker includes a wide range of scenes where you must find a list of hidden objects. When successful, clues to the murder mystery are revealed, and you move a step closer to solving the Who Done It. You can zoom into scenes to reveal the finer details, and some objects can be opened to reveal objects.

If you are a hidden object game aficionado, the Artifex Mundi series is a must. Deadly Puzzles is just one of the many entertaining titles the developer offers, and it's available for Windows 10 PC and Mobile. Deadly Puzzles: Toymaker has a free trial version, with the full game currently running at $3.99.

Mirrors of Albion

Mirrors of Albion is a Windows 10 hidden object game that sends you Victorian-era London to solve a series of crimes and eventually defeat the efforts of the evil Queen of Hearts.

As you first launch the game, an extensive tutorial will greet you which covers the basics of gameplay and the vast assortment of power-ups. You find yourself traveling across London to a variety of venues to hunt down clues that help solve the game's mysteries.

Puzzle scenes are full of detail and can also be enhanced with pinch zooming. Hidden objects are listed either by name or silhouette along the bottom of the display with your hints and power-ups. Power-ups include a magnifying glass that causes the hidden objects to glisten and a tesla wand that causes the items to glow with an electric field.

As you progress and gain experience, additional venues become available that tests your skills at observation and concentration. Available for Windows 10 PC and Mobile, Mirrors of Albion is a free game with an addictive pull. Mirrors of Albion does a good job of balancing visual puzzles with story, as you progress through the mystery.

Zootopia: Crime Files Hidden Object

Zootopia: Crime Files Hidden Object is a Windows 10 game from Disney based on the Academy Award winning motion picture, Zootopia. Available for Windows 10 PC and Mobile, the free game has you partnering up with Zootopia Police Officers Judy Hopps and Nicke Wilde to solve a range of crimes plaguing the city.

Solve hidden object puzzles for clues, take them to the crime lab for analysis and eventually, nab the crook. The graphics are colorful and full of detail, the puzzles increase in difficulty at a nice pace, and there are plenty of Zootopia characters to meet and interact with such as Hurriet the Sloth, Clawhouser, Rhinowhitz and more.

Zootopia: Crime Files Hidden Object includes six cases to solve, each with multiple puzzles filled with clues. As with most hidden object games, should you need a little help finding items, Zootopia has a few hints and power-ups to get you on the right track.

All said and done, Zootopia: Crime Files Hidden Object is a fun game to pass the time with and a great addition from Disney to the hidden object puzzle genre.

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If you have tried out any of these Windows 10 games, let us know what you think of things in the comments. There are plenty more quality Hidden Object games in the Windows Store, such as Disney's Find 'n Seek and Adera.Should we have overlooked your favorite Hidden Object game in the Windows Store, feel free to toss out your recommendation in the comments as well!