The Xbox PC app is now rolling out publicly for Windows Arm PCs — Microsoft Prism now supports “85%” of Xbox Game Pass titles

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Microsoft has made a significant advancement in bringing Xbox games to PC, particularly those with Arm processors. Their Prism technology now offers a lot more features, making it easier to play games on these devices.

I’ve been watching the competition between Microsoft and Apple as they both try to get their operating systems working well on Arm-based devices. The big advantage with Arm processors is that they can be much more energy-efficient than the traditional Intel and AMD chips. That makes them perfect for devices like laptops, tablets, and, of course, phones – almost all modern smartphones actually use Arm processors. Apple has really led the way here, designing their own Arm-based systems for Mac laptops and, as a result, often getting better performance for the amount of power used compared to Windows laptops.

Windows excels because it can run so many older programs and services – often those created decades ago. It’s designed to work with software from the past, and this is a huge benefit, especially for gamers. They can play a vast library of games, some dating back to the 1970s, with minimal problems.

As an analyst, I’ve been watching Microsoft’s journey with Arm technology closely. For a long time, maintaining compatibility with older Windows programs and services held them back from fully embracing the efficiency of Arm processors. However, we’re now seeing a real push to make Windows work seamlessly with Arm. In fact, their latest Surface devices are ditching traditional Intel and AMD processors entirely in favor of Snapdragon Arm chips from Qualcomm. One significant challenge has been gaming – many game features simply haven’t functioned on Windows on Arm. But things are starting to improve, and I’m optimistic about the future.

Microsoft first previewed the Xbox PC app on Windows Arm devices last August through its Insider Program. Now, the app is officially launching to the public.

The Xbox app is now available on all Windows 11 devices powered by Arm processors, letting players download and play a variety of games from the Xbox PC app catalog.

Microsoft reports that over 85% of games available through Xbox Game Pass now work on devices like the newest Surface models, as well as laptops from companies like ASUS and Dell. Microsoft is continuing to improve compatibility between Windows on Arm devices and PC games, using a technology called Prism that they’ve been developing specifically for this.

Prism allows Windows computers with Arm processors to run applications designed for traditional Intel/AMD processors (x86 and x64). It’s becoming increasingly reliable, and now includes support for advanced processing instructions (AVX and AVX2) as well as anti-cheat software from Epic Games, meaning popular games like Fortnite can now be played on these devices.

The blog post suggests Microsoft intends to add more games with each Windows update for these devices.

As a researcher, I’ve been following the development of Prism, and it’s exciting because it significantly reduces the effort needed for developers to get their games running on Windows on Arm devices. While this platform is still relatively small right now, it has huge potential. We’re already seeing talk of Arm being used for more affordable and power-efficient handheld gaming consoles, and it could even pave the way for a return to Windows-based tablets – and maybe even phones – in the future. It’s a really interesting space to watch.

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2026-01-21 19:42