Summary

  • The Xbox app now runs natively on Windows 11 Arm PCs (Snapdragon X).
  • Over 85% of Game Pass titles now work on Arm. Any games that aren't currently playable are available to stream via Xbox Cloud Gaming — Microsoft is working to improve compatibility.
  • The launch of the Arm-based Xbox app arrives as Nvidia’s rumored N1 chips reportedly approach their release, potentially boosting Arm PC gaming momentum.

Windows Arm-based PCs aren’t exactly known as gaming powerhouses, but that's starting to change. Microsoft’s Xbox app is now officially available on Windows 11 PCs powered by Arm chips.

This means that if you own a Copilot+ PC that features a Snapdragon X chip, you’ll now be able to download and install the Xbox app to play Microsoft’s extensive Game Pass catalog, including games like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Forza Horizon 5, Halo Infinite, and more. According to a recent press release, over 85% of games on Game Pass now work on Arm-powered PCs, and any title that doesn’t run on Arm can be played using Xbox Cloud Gaming. Adding to this, Microsoft says that it's actively working to improve Game Pass game compatibility with Arm chips.

The Xbox app worked on Arm prior to this update, but it could only stream games from the cloud and not run titles natively on-device. Microsoft has been testing the Xbox app on Arm with its Xbox Insider program for several months, but this marks the public release of the app. According to Microsoft, Prism, the emulation software that runs x86/x64 software on Arm, now supports AVX and AVX2, making more modern games compatible with the architecture.

👁 A close up look at an HDMI cable
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Nvidia’s Arm-based N1 series of CPUs could be just around the corner

The native Xbox Arm app is arriving just in time

Credit: Microsoft

The Xbox app landing on Arm PCs comes as reports emerge that Nvidia is preparing to release its N1 CPU series, with the N1X chip being a more powerful variant aimed at gaming and business-focused laptops.

Along with the native Arm Xbox app, Microsoft has also released Game Save Sync, a new feature available across PC and handhelds that indicates when a save has been uploaded to the cloud. Given I'm often switching between gaming on my PC and my ROG Xbox Ally X, and frequently run into saves not syncing, I've been looking forward to this feature's release.

Microsoft also confirmed that the Xbox app is coming to select Hisense and V HomeOS-powered smart TVs in 2026, allowing owners to cloud stream Xbox Game Pass titles to their television.

Xbox Game Pass’ Essential Tier costs $10/month, Premium costs $15/month, and Ultimate costs $30/month. The top-level Ultimate tier includes access to Xbox and PC Game Pass games, alongside day-one releases for first-party Microsoft titles.