We usually talk about Android emulators for Windows as a way to easily transfer games from the small screen to the monitor, although the reverse process also exists. One of them is Winlator, a Windows emulator based on Wine perfectly suited to start Windows apps and games on Android smartphone. Winlator is open source and does not cost much to install. Its implementation is another story.
With the power of current Android mobile processors, and the gradual adaptation of Windows to the ARM architecture, the boundaries which separate the two operating systems are increasingly blurred for applications. It will probably never be possible to share them between the two environments, but there are tools that they act like a bridge. Because if there is a way to transfer your PC games to your mobile, why not try it?
Winlator is a first step towards a complete Windows emulator for Android
It’s true that mobile processors are becoming more and more powerful and that a premium Android can chew up graphically intensive games like they were candy, but There will always be an obstacle to performance in emulation; There’s a reason why apps and games running on Android will need more power than those running on Windows. This is precisely one of the disadvantages of Winlator.
The application we are talking about is open source and can be downloaded from the developers’ GitHub. It is a port of Android based on Wine and uses Box86 and Box64 to emulate the architecture of Intel and AMD (the former for 32-bit software and the latter for 64-bit software). In itself, it is an APK that installs directly on the phone. It weighs 253 MB and is currently in version 6.1.
Once on the phone, you need to run the emulator and create a sort of virtual machine in Wine, what we call a “Container”. Once the hardware conditions to be emulated have been selected (the higher they are, the slower the emulation can be), you must open the machine with “Execute” and Winlator will load a basic Windows environment (which is very reminiscent of 3.1) where you will see the different folders of the phone.
The applications must be added to the mobile on a PC: from an exe or by loading the game files previously installed on a PC into Winlator. There’s no guarantee they’ll work properly, but it’s a good first step to playing regular games without needing to lug around an extra machine like a Steam Deck. Furthermore, Winlator control is not touch sensitive, so an additional controller is required for gaming (or a keyboard and mouse). It allows you to drag a touch cursor across the screen.
Winlator running
Perfect for experimenting and extending the use of games and applications purchased under Windows: Winlator is free and developed in open source. The latest version is 6.1, from a few months ago.
Cover image | Ivan Linares
More information | Winlator GitHub
By | XDA Developers
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