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Microsoft ports the Xbox app to Arm-based Windows PCs

<p>Microsoft <a target="_blank" class="link" href="https://blogs.windows.com/windowsexperience/2026/01/21/play-more-xbox-app-is-now-available-on-arm-based-windows-11-pcs/" data-i13n="cpos:1;pos:1">has announced[/url] that the Xbox app is now available on all Arm-based Windows 11 PCs. The app's release follows <a target="_blank" class="no-affiliate-link link" href="https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/windowsosplatform/windows-on-arm-runs-more-apps-and-games-with-new-prism-update/4475631" data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:2;pos:1">an update[/url] Microsoft made to its Prism emulator in December 2025, which translates x86 and x64 apps to Arm, and now includes support for AVX and AVX2. Both extensions play a role in making games run efficiently on Windows.</p><p>Windows on Arm users will be able to use the Xbox app to purchase, download and stream PC games, and Microsoft says that &quot;more than 85 percent of the Game Pass catalog&quot; now runs on Arm PCs. Unlike Valve's SteamOS, Windows on Arm also supports anti-cheat software like Epic's Easy Anti Cheat, which means you can access a wider library of online multiplayer games in comparison to what you can get on the Steam Deck.</p><p>Microsoft has been working on getting Windows running on Arm for years at this point, and the company made a major push with its own <a target="_blank" class="link" href="https://www.engadget.com/surface-pro-copilot-review-the-best-surface-tablet-ever-made-no-thanks-to-ai-160039966.html" data-i13n="cpos:3;pos:1">Arm-based hardware[/url] and the launch of the <a target="_blank" class="link" href="https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-unveils-copilot-pcs-with-generative-ai-capabilities-baked-in-170445370.html" data-i13n="cpos:4;pos:1">Copilot+ PC program[/url] in 2024. Many Copilot+ PCs use Qualcomm's Snapdragon chips, the latest of which the company <a target="_blank" class="link" href="https://www.engadget.com/computing/qualcomm-says-its-new-snapdragon-chips-are-the-fastest-and-most-efficient-for-windows-pcs-084535090.html" data-i13n="cpos:5;pos:1">announced in September 2025[/url]. Up until this point Microsoft's handheld efforts have been focused on <a target="_blank" class="link" href="https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/asus-rog-xbox-ally-x-review-an-extra-life-for-xbox-130050224.html" data-i13n="cpos:6;pos:1">PCs running AMD chips[/url], but expanded support for Arm and <a target="_blank" class="link" href="https://www.theverge.com/tech/853851/qualcomm-snapdragon-x2-plus-elite-laptops-price-ces-2026#:~:text=Qualcomm%20won%E2%80%99t%20talk,9th%20to%2013th." data-i13n="cpos:7;pos:1">Qualcomm's own teases[/url] certainly makes it seem like an Arm-based Windows 11 handheld could be announced sooner rather than later.</p>This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/microsoft-ports-the-xbox-app-to-arm-based-windows-pcs-191049475.html?src=rss

Source: Microsoft ports the Xbox app to Arm-based Windows PCs (https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/microsoft-ports-the-xbox-app-to-arm-based-windows-pcs-191049475.html?src=rss)