You may be familiar with projects like Winlator, which allow you to run Windows x86 and x64 software on Android devices. Now, Xiaomi has announced that it is developing its own Windows support for Android devices as well.
The WinPlay Engine is focused specifically on gaming, which tends to be the most resource-intensive type of Windows software. Xiaomi claims that GPU performance loss is minimal, only about 2.9%. This solution runs entirely on-device and does not require an internet connection to function. Notably, WinPlay supports Steam, one of the largest platforms for PC gaming, and if Steam is supported, other game stores could likely be compatible too. However, it’s important to note that this doesn’t guarantee full compatibility, as even on Windows PCs, some games may still face issues.
Xiaomi is currently recruiting testers for WinPlay, with owners of the Xiaomi Pad 6S Pro 12.4 in China invited to apply. This tablet is quite powerful, featuring a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset and options for 8/12/16GB of RAM (though the required amount of RAM can vary depending on the game).
More details about WinPlay and the Xiaomi HyperCore system that powers it can be found in a post by Zhang Guoquan, Director of Xiaomi’s Mobile System Software Department. He mentions that the Tomb Raider Game of the Year Edition runs at an average of 45fps with a total power consumption of 8.3W.
Given that smartphones are generally much more powerful, they likely have even greater potential for running WinPlay, though Xiaomi hasn’t yet specified which HyperOS devices will support it. For tablets, HyperOS 2 includes a “Workstation Mode” that offers desktop-like multitasking with resizable windows, a feature not yet available on phones. However, let’s not get ahead of ourselves—first, we’ll need to see how the WinPlay tests perform on the Pad 6S.
A short demo video shared by Digital Chat Station shows Need for Speed Most Wanted (Limited Edition) running smoothly on the tablet with an Xbox controller, and support for keyboards and mice is also available.
