[Feature Required] Windows 10/11 on Arm64 support is needed.

[E4a]

Hello! Steam on Windows is an x86 version that is compatible with translation in the Windows on arm system. However, the current experience is not good, mainly due to 3 points:

1. The x86 Steam client does not run natively, which means performance loss and a few incompatibilities.
   
2. The Steam client is unable to identify the processor architecture and download games or softwares corresponding to the architecture.
   
3. The Steam hardware survey identified my processor as a virtual processor, which is inaccurate.

I hope that the Steam client on Windows can release the arm64 version and correctly download games/software with the corresponding architecture, just like macOS supports both x64 and Arm64 architectures, which can let more game to release arm64 versions and let my arm64 computer to run games better

[xazax.hun]

Początkowo opublikowane przez Crashed:

Currently the Hardware & Software Survey has it at about 0.04% of Steam users. It's the MicrosoftXTA processor at https://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey/processormfg/

I am not sure whether looking at those survey results is indicative of anything. This is a chicken and egg problem; you won't get steam users on windows on arm64 unless it provides an OK experience, which is not the case now. Moreover, companies should look at future trends to adopt rather than the state of things now. With AMD and Nvidia entering the ARM64 cpu market for Windows PCs, it is clear that something is coming: https://www.tomshardware.com/news/amd-and-nvidia-to-develop-arm-cpus-for-client-pcs-report

The only question is whether Valve will be on the top of it. Note that game devs are already really familiar with ARM in general, many popular platforms like the Nintendo Switch are based on the ARM architecture.

[ladislav.zima]

Początkowo opublikowane przez Crashed:

Currently the Hardware & Software Survey has it at about 0.04% of Steam users. It's the MicrosoftXTA processor at https://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey/processormfg/

Actually everybody using Parallels on their Apple Silicon Mac has a "Windows on ARM" device. Probably orders of magnitude larger marketshare than bare metal devices. Also faster and more stable (Qualcomm doesn't release new drivers, a bad habit from Android). Some games don't run well in CrossOver/WINE and you need a real Windows OS. And the general emulation of x86/x64 in Windows drops the perfomance down to 1/8 (Rosetta 2 uses hardware support in Apple Silicon).

[初音ミク]

Początkowo opublikowane przez Cathulhu:

I'm not aware of a single game on Steam natively supporting Windows on ARM.
Do you have examples of such games?

While there are a few Mac OS games that support Apple ARM silicon, the Steam client itself does not.

i know im a year late, but wasnt WoW supported on ARM64 windows like 4 years ago?

[Crashed]

Początkowo opublikowane przez __________:

Początkowo opublikowane przez Cathulhu:

I'm not aware of a single game on Steam natively supporting Windows on ARM.
Do you have examples of such games?

While there are a few Mac OS games that support Apple ARM silicon, the Steam client itself does not.

i know im a year late, but wasnt WoW supported on ARM64 windows like 4 years ago?

ARM64 Windows 10 supports emulating 32-bit x86, and ARM64 Windows 11 supports emulating 32-bit x86 and 64-bit x64.

[Blaquesmith]

I think that since they're already using a compatibility layer for SteamOS in games that are not native for Linux, it might be possible to make a native Arm64 compatibility layer and let them run. But I guess they won't until they see that Windows on ARM have enough users to justify the move.

Apple's case is different because when Apple says they move to ARM, all the new devices are ARM-based, there's no other option. In this case, the PC fragmentation is a problem.

Steam started to support Linux when it saw that the Linux adoption was growing in percentage, and that their hardware devices could deliver better performance running a minimalistic linux-based OS, even if they needed the compatibility layer for those games that did not have native version.

[nullable]

Początkowo opublikowane przez Blaquesmith:

Steam started to support Linux when it saw that the Linux adoption was growing in percentage, and that their hardware devices could deliver better performance running a minimalistic linux-based OS, even if they needed the compatibility layer for those games that did not have native version.

I think you've got your own version of history there. https://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey linux support is under 2%. It would have been less a decade ago, are at least stagnant. I think the reality was Steam Machines ran Valve's SteamOS which was linux based, otherwise it would have been just another Windows PC and the cost of OEM Windows licenses would add to the price.

Steam machines didn't really succeed and regardless of how large you think the linux userbase had become doesn't seem like we've seen significant growth over the last decade. I think Valve continues to support linux because they want to provide that option and there's some utility for them, see Steam Deck. Not because the demand was so high it's the driving force behind the support.

At any rate I don't think it has much to do with ARM support or that Valve's reasons for supporting linux apply to any other decisions of when and how to support other hardware or systems. I do think ARM support will come, but the driving force behind that support may be different when it comes.

[ChesterX]

Hopefully this is about to change! https://youtu.be/aZbHd4suAnQ?si=WsOcvbV_K6WZ5Yjq

[Crashed]

Początkowo opublikowane przez ChesterX:

Hopefully this is about to change! https://youtu.be/aZbHd4suAnQ?si=WsOcvbV_K6WZ5Yjq

Or they just tell those developing ARM64 games to use the ARM64EC ABI to be compatible with the x64 Steamworks DLL.

This may be just a gimmick, and could end up getting driver support on x86 platforms with AI accelerators.

[victorwads]

Początkowo opublikowane przez Crashed:

Do 64-bit games install properly on Windows 11 ARM64 or does it not detect the 64-bit emulator? It is normal for them to not install on 10 because it only emulates 32-bit x86.

Windows ARM64 went up from 0.03% to 0.05% in the most recent hardware survey - check the "MicrosoftXTA" vendor string at https://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey/processormfg/

It will change very soon, 2024 almost all windows notebook brands are launching quallcoms ARM versions of Windows.. This are very capable notebooks that can run a lot of games and still use a minium usage of battery

[Iron Knights]

I want Linux on Arm64 not windows, not Gulag/Android Linux either.

[gc_time]

At least providing a x64 version would be more performant on arm64 devices than x86 version. Arm64 version can come even later.

[onlysublime]

I would love for the Steam client to be ported to ARM64! it would still help even if the games aren't ARM because the client itself consumes more battery. even if you aren't actively playing a game, Steam uses more battery than it should.

[melikescheese]

Początkowo opublikowane przez victorwads:

It will change very soon, 2024 almost all windows notebook brands are launching quallcoms ARM versions of Windows.. This are very capable notebooks that can run a lot of games and still use a minium usage of battery

+1 to this thread and this comment - I've been a pretty casual gamer on my x64 laptops (recently several XPS 15's) - have taken the plunge and gone for an arm64 Surface Laptop and would love a WoA version of the Steam Client.

Even better if sth like https://www.worksonwoa.com/ can be integrated into the store / library

[martinsuchan]

I bought a new laptop recently - it's a Microsoft Copilot+ PC Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x with the new ARM64 Snapdragon X Elite CPU and Windows 11 ARM.
Having native ARM64 Steam client would be really nice. Right now I run the steam.exe and steamservice.exe in x86 emulated mode, and steamwebhelper.exe in x64 emulation.

[Crashed]

Początkowo opublikowane przez martinsuchan:

I bought a new laptop recently - it's a Microsoft Copilot+ PC Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x with the new ARM64 Snapdragon X Elite CPU and Windows 11 ARM.
Having native ARM64 Steam client would be really nice. Right now I run the steam.exe and steamservice.exe in x86 emulated mode, and steamwebhelper.exe in x64 emulation.

Don't hold your breath on the steam.exe and steamservice.exe processes; I suspect Valve keeps them 32-bit x86 for backwards compatibility reasons. Since WebHelper is its own process that is perhaps what Valve should consider porting if ARM64 systems become more popular.
With that said, while that Denuvo Discord says their DRM is compatible with ARM64 the project manager admits he doesn't have a solution for ARM64 native executables, only that it doesn't break compatibility with the emulation layer.