Are games downloaded from Microsoft Store blocked from running on Windows on ARM devices?

While Copilot+ PCs are made for AI tasks, like the controversial all-knowing Recall, some users do games. Bad luck for them is that Microsoft has reportedly blocked games downloaded from Microsoft Store from being installed on ARM devices after the latest update.

A post on the r/Surface subreddit, which has now garnered 43 upvotes and 32 interactions, details more on this. The original poster, using a Surface Pro 11, reports that games which run well on ARM devices through other platforms like GoG or Steam are being blocked by the Microsoft Store due to recent updates.

“I was able to trick the Store into installing the game about a month ago but Microsoft has since patched the workaround so it’s no longer possible to install on ARM devices. Why? The game clearly runs fine,” complains the poster, who tries to run Minecraft Dungeons (which has only been complied for x86, not ARM64)

They suggest that rather than blocking these games entirely, Microsoft should allow installations with a compatibility warning, as the games can run fine with proper emulation.

That’s a pity, especially if you have a lot of Game Pass titles that could run well should the restriction does not take place.

But is it Microsoft’s fault, though? Well, maybe yes, maybe no. The restriction may come from the developers themselves as they may restrict ARM compatibility due to a lack of testing or support. Microsoft Store’s policies might just be enforcing these restrictions, following the devs.

Microsoft has been heavily promoting Windows on ARM, especially with the arrival of Copilot+ PCs. Even more so now that a cheaper version of it with the 8-core Snapdragon X Plus has been officially announced and a lot of OEMs have announced their entry-level AI laptops, pushing the price all the way down to $700 by 2025.