Your ARM Windows laptop just became a gaming machine - Digital Trends
After years of limited gaming support on Windows 11 ARM devices, Microsoft has officially expanded the Xbox app to be fully available on all ARM-based Windows 11 PCs. That means laptops and tablets powered by ARM chips can now dive into much of the Xbox PC experience with native support for hundreds of titles from the Xbox PC app catalog.
The announcement comes as part of Microsoft’s January 2026 Xbox update, which also includes several other improvements, like a game-save sync indicator and broader cloud support. But the most significant change for ARM users is straightforward: you can now download, play, and manage Xbox games directly through the Xbox app on ARM-based Windows 11 devices, just like on traditional x86 PCs.
What This Means for ARM Gaming
Microsoft says that more than 85% of the Xbox Game Pass catalog is already compatible with these ARM devices, meaning a large swath of games can run locally without workarounds. Additionally, titles that are not yet supported for native play can still be accessed through Xbox Cloud Gaming, giving users another way to enjoy their favorite games as compatibility continues to grow.
A key part of this expansion is Prism, Microsoft’s emulator that allows traditional x86 and x64 games to run on ARM hardware. Recent updates to Prism have added support for modern instruction sets like AVX and AVX2, which are used by many new games, significantly improving compatibility on ARM devices. What’s more, is that Microsoft also mentions support for anti-cheat systems like Epic’s Easy Anti-Cheat. This means that multiplayer titles such as Fortnite and Gears of War: Reloaded are playable as intended on ARM hardware.
For players and creators alike, this update removes a key barrier that previously kept ARM machines, which are often valued for battery life and thin designs, from seriously competing as gaming devices. Whether you use a Snapdragon-powered laptop, an upcoming NVIDIA ARM-based laptop, or a pocket-sized handheld running Windows 11, the Xbox app’s arrival means those platforms can now pull from the same PC Game Pass library many gamers already enjoy
