Arm gaming Archives

Winsage

November 21, 2025

Qualcomm refines Windows on Arm gaming with broad feature release — platform gets Snapdragon Control Panel, AVX2 emulation, improved anti-cheat support

Qualcomm is enhancing its Snapdragon X and upcoming X2 series chips with new gaming features, including a control panel with four sub-menus for graphics, software, system info, and preferences, allowing customization of driver settings for individual games. The update expands anti-cheat support to include Tencent's Anti-Cheat Expert, Roblox's Hyperion, Denuvo, InProtect GameGuard, BattleEye, and Uncheater, with Epic Games improving its Easy Anti-Cheat software for Snapdragon. Additionally, Qualcomm is integrating AVX2 emulation into its Snapdragon Windows-compatible chips, with the Snapdragon X2 Elite already supporting this feature, enabling better compatibility with AVX2 applications on Windows.

Winsage

November 21, 2025

Qualcomm says 90% of top Windows games will run on Snapdragon X2 laptops — is Windows on Arm gaming finally here?

Qualcomm has introduced the Snapdragon X2 Elite and X2 Elite Extreme, which are expected to significantly enhance the performance and efficiency of Windows laptops. Initial benchmarks show that the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme performs well in single-core, multi-core, and GPU metrics, making it suitable for both productivity and gaming. Over 90% of the most played Windows games will be compatible at launch on devices using these new processors, which offer up to 2.3 times higher efficiency than previous models. Qualcomm has also launched the Snapdragon Control Panel to optimize game performance and ensure up-to-date drivers. The Snapdragon X2 Elite supports AVX2 emulation for running certain games via Microsoft's Prism Emulator, and there is ongoing development of kernel-level anti-cheat support for Windows on Snapdragon. Microsoft reports that 90% of user activity on Windows 11 on ARM involves native applications, indicating improved compatibility. New laptops featuring these Snapdragon processors are expected to debut in the first half of 2026, with previews potentially at CES in January.

Winsage

November 20, 2025

Qualcomm Overhauls Windows on Arm Gaming with Downloadable GPU Drivers and AVX2 Support

Qualcomm has decoupled GPU updates from Microsoft's OS release cycle, allowing Snapdragon X Elite owners to download graphics drivers directly, which aligns the company with industry standards set by Nvidia and AMD. The company has transitioned to a direct "Upgradable Graphics Drivers" (UGD) model, enabling immediate access to driver updates through Qualcomm’s portal. The beta "Adreno Control Panel" has been rebranded to the "Snapdragon Control Panel," which now includes game-specific profiling and optimization features. Qualcomm has also integrated support for AVX and AVX2 instruction sets, addressing compatibility issues with games like God of War and Control. Kernel-level anti-cheat support has been introduced, making multiplayer gaming more accessible on Arm-based systems. The Snapdragon X2 Elite is set to launch in the first half of 2026, promising "Day 0" driver support and the ability to run 90% of top games, with performance expectations to outperform Intel’s Lunar Lake architecture.

BetaBeacon

September 25, 2024

Valve appears to be testing ARM64 and Android gaming support for Steam on Linux

Valve is quietly expanding its gaming ecosystem to support Arm-based processors and Android. The leaked code reveals testing of an "ARM64" version of its Linux compatibility layer, Proton, with various games. This development hints at potential Arm support for desktop devices and the possibility of Steam being accessible on Android phones and tablets. Valve's interest in this area is likely due to the increasing popularity of Arm processors, with the company seeing potential for gaming on these devices.

Winsage

September 22, 2024

Steam likely coming to Arm chips with support for hundreds of Windows games — Valve testing ARM64 Proton compatibility layer | Tom’s Hardware

On September 20, Valve updated a test application on SteamDB, revealing a list of games being tested with its Proton compatibility layer, including an ARM64 version called "proton-arm64ec-4." This version is designed to enable Windows games to run on Linux and is currently being tested with hundreds of titles, including Left 4 Dead 2 and Shadows of Mordor. Valve appears to be prioritizing ARM64 support for SteamOS and aims to expand its Linux gaming audience beyond x86 hardware to include Linux ARM devices. There are indications that even Android ARM devices might benefit from Proton support. Speculation exists about Valve potentially developing its own ARM devices, but this is considered unlikely given the competitive pricing of the Steam Deck. Valve's efforts to enhance support for ARM devices align with its commitment to the Linux gaming community, especially as the ARM gaming landscape on Windows is still developing. A significant number of games confirmed to work on Windows for ARM are undergoing testing by Valve, indicating a promising future for gaming on Linux platforms.

Winsage

June 20, 2024

Microsoft Details Gaming Advances in Windows on Arm

Microsoft has introduced Snapdragon X-based Copilot+ PCs to enhance gaming on Arm-powered devices. Features like Prism emulation, Auto SR upscaling, anti-cheat compatibility, and a Linaro partnership aim to provide a seamless gaming experience on Windows 11. The new Copilot+ PCs have cutting-edge processing power from CPU, GPU, and NPU, offering improved gaming capabilities. Prism emulator, Snapdragon X processors, and Auto SR enable modern games to run smoothly on Arm-based PCs. Microsoft ensures anti-cheat compatibility for popular games and collaboration with Linaro has resulted in over 1200 PC games supporting Snapdragon X-based PCs. These advancements offer performance levels typically seen in dedicated graphics card setups, making Snapdragon X-based PCs a compelling choice for high-quality gaming experiences on the go.