The new Microsoft emulator could increase the number of games available for Windows on Arm devices.

Microsoft is conducting tests on a significant Windows update for Arm, designed to facilitate the running of more x64 software and video games through Prism emulation on PCs with Copilot Plus that use Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite or X Plus processors. This functionality will be introduced in the Windows 11 Insider Build 27744 preview, which is being rolled out to testers in the Canary Channel.

With this update, Qualcomm's new chips will be able to run a wider variety of applications that do not have native ARM64 versions and that, until now, were not compatible with emulation. This could allow games requiring AVX2, such as Starfield and Helldivers 2, to be playable on Windows on Arm.

Additionally, Microsoft's emulator will pave the way for compatibility with x86 64-bit software, allowing the use of processor extensions such as AVX, AVX2, BMI, FMA, and F16C. However, it is noted that 32-bit software is unlikely to recognize the emulator's new support, which may continue to cause problems with certain programs.

While various applications like Photoshop, Hulu, and Chrome already have native ARM64 versions for Windows, there are others that still require emulation, and some that do not work at all. Microsoft has indicated that the new emulator is already enabled "in limited use" on commercial PCs, which has allowed Premiere Pro 25 to function on Arm, despite initially being blocked. Adobe, on its part, is working on a native version.

Correction, November 6: A previous version of the article incorrectly stated that Blender needed to be emulated; in reality, it now has an ARM64 version.