Why Can't Windows 10 Play Windows Phone Games?

[Joshua Jackson]

Can someone explain why, after all the Windows Phone emulators and Xbox Backwards Compatibility stuff, we still can't play Windows Phone games on Windows 10?
It can't be that hard to have an built-in emulation layer and just run the game in a window.
So it wouldn't be full-screen (although that shouldn't be hard, either).
Who cares?

All the Windows Phone games are in the Windows 10 Store (and it is very annoying to have two versions of AlphaJax (and others).
Then click it and it says it's not for this platform and you have to scroll until you find the other one.
If you look up games published by Microsoft Studios, there is no way to filter.
Why not just let me install it?
JJ

 

[ven07]

Maybe the developers haven't used the UWP option? maybe the games were coded to run on 8.0/8.1 but never fully updated to take advantage of the uwp possibilities?

 

[Joshua Jackson]

That's not really an answer to the question.
The operating system should be able to handle it.

Let's face it, Windows isn't winning the app war.
Segmenting the Store and frustrating people by showing a bunch of things that they can't use doesn't help.

Any apps I make are UWP.
But Square Enix, for instance, has two Final Fantasy games for Windows Phone.
I doubt they will ever update them to UWP.
Android and iOS have many Final Fantasy games.
Windows 10 users get jack squat.
Millions and millions of people that could have access to more things don't.

Sure, it's supposed to be up to the developers.
If the developers don't do it, then the operating system should.
JJ

 

[ven07]

If the developers don't do it, then the operating system should.

I fully understand your frustration, but MS isn't going to do this. Most developers don't believe in MS anyways. Until sth solid is presented on the mobile front devs won't put in the effort

 

[TechFreak1]

There are many cross play games available which you game play on the phone and Windows 10, such as the games developed by Game Insights and Age of Empires: Castle Siege is another example.

 

[techiez]

That's not really an answer to the question.
The operating system should be able to handle it.

Let's face it, Windows isn't winning the app war.
Segmenting the Store and frustrating people by showing a bunch of things that they can't use doesn't help.

Any apps I make are UWP.
But Square Enix, for instance, has two Final Fantasy games for Windows Phone.
I doubt they will ever update them to UWP.
Android and iOS have many Final Fantasy games.
Windows 10 users get jack squat.
Millions and millions of people that could have access to more things don't.

Sure, it's supposed to be up to the developers.
If the developers don't do it, then the operating system should.
JJ

But MS doesnt care and hence MS doesnt do it.

 

[Greywolf1967]

That's not really an answer to the question.
The operating system should be able to handle it.

In fact ven answered your question........Microsoft put the ability to use UWP apps across devices, it is the "The Developer" who picks where an app goes.......that is if a developer even bothered to make a Windows 10 app, as so many phone only apps are Windows 8.0/8.1.

So it is not the fault of the O/S but the developer you need to place a prickle bush under !!!!

 

[Ryujingt3]

What game from Windows Phone do you actually want to play? It isn't known for having AAA games. It isn't Xbox.

 

[Wig Shire]

Can someone explain why, after all the Windows Phone emulators and Xbox Backwards Compatibility stuff, we still can't play Windows Phone games on Windows 10?
JJ

Is it really worth the effort!?

Most games that are worth it usually can be played elsewhere and if not, just download the Visual Studio phone emulator and play it through that?

MS's assignment of resources is questionable enough atm!

 

[michael rau]

Just use blue stacks millions of mobile apps on windows. Wish it was native but windows will never be open and supportive of all app packages. They keep saying uwp but there are very few apps to use so we are forced to emulate android.

 

[missionsparta]

The games that are available are generally garbage. almost pointless. I know there are a few good ones, but it is a whole lot of crap.

 

[TechaDatum]

If this option was there, what incentive would exist to update the game to take advantage of the desktop features? None, we'd just have phone games on a PC. I got ahold of HP's tablet that ran Palm OS apps on it. Those were terrible on a tablet! It would be worse on a desktop.

 

[white_Shadoww]

Don't want to offend anyone.. but it sounds plain silly to me. Most if not all of the quality mobile games are ports of the PC games or console games. That means, they are already there on PCs, so why would you want to emulate the mobile games on a PC?

 

[wpcautobot]

What WP games do you want to play on W10 desktop?

 

[dlls]

I'm afraid I'd have to say that this makes no sense whatsoever. If you have a PC then you can run real games.

 

[dan16]

I find it a good idea, since the situation of the store is a bit critical after all that mess around the mobile non-strategy in Microsoft. The store search should be smarter, UWP APIs extended and - I agree - every old windows phone app should be ported: it's no more time to incentivate developers, it's time to barely try to be considered as an option by them. Xbox wasn't dying when they decided backward-compatibility. It was simply way behind Sony, the main competitor, and, well, they invested a lot to meet gamers desires and to be loved more. Well, the state of windows apps appears definitely more urgent, but they seem to realize it always late, when they too often happen to give up, just pretending "it wasn't the target". I hope Phil Spencer will lead something wider one day.

 

[naddy6969]

“Nobody wants to play phone games on a PC, and if you do you are in a big minority.”

Huh? A big minority? Some would say that’s a contradiction.

 

[Joshua Jackson]

Originally posted by Ryujingt3
What game from Windows Phone do you actually want to play? It isn't known for having AAA games. It isn't Xbox.

Final Fantasy 3 is a great example.
It's a Windows Phone port of a Nintendo DS port of a great game.
JJ

 

[Joshua Jackson]

Originally posted by Wig Shire
Most games that are worth it usually can be played elsewhere and if not, just download the Visual Studio phone emulator and play it through that?

But why should I have to pay for it, twice?

I never thought about the phone emulator, but that is more effort than most would want.
JJ

 

[Joshua Jackson]

Originally posted by TechaDatum
If this option was there, what incentive would exist to update the game to take advantage of the desktop features? None, we'd just have phone games on a PC. I got ahold of HP's tablet that ran Palm OS apps on it. Those were terrible on a tablet! It would be worse on a desktop.

There would be no incentive for developers to update.
But, they already aren't.
If the developer hasn't already updated it to UWP, they never will.
Maybe they will release a new game, maybe even a Play Anywhere game, but that doesn't change what is already available.

Also, Windows 10 doesn't only mean desktop.
I have an 8" tablet that I use every day.
Guess what I use it for.
I play games on it.
I also use it for reading, but mostly games.
JJ