Microsoft Store updated to stop showing incompatible apps and games on ARM devices

Surface Pro X open on table
Surface Pro X open on table (Image credit: Daniel Rubino/Windows Central)

What you need to know

  • An update to the Microsoft Store stops incompatible apps and games from appearing in the store on ARM devices.
  • Many apps need to be recompiled or updated to work on Windows 10 on ARM.
  • Some incompatible games still manage to appear.

Before the update, apps such as Affinity Photo and games like Broforce would appear in searches and within the Microsoft Store even though they can't be installed on Windows 10 on ARM devices. Several apps and games have not been recompiled for ARM64 and are uninstallable on Windows 10 on ARM devices. Now, the store won't show incompatible apps and games. The update hides incompatible apps and games from both searches and from when people browse the Microsoft Store.

Some titles managed to slip through the update process and continue to show up on devices running Windows 10 on ARM. For example, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas still shows up as being able to be purchased. There don't seem to be any incompatible apps that still appear.

There's a chance that the reason some incompatible games still show up is that they are Game Pass featured, such as Guacamelle! 2, which will show in a search (but not while browsing). But that's likely because you can remote install games to other systems in the Microsoft Store.

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Sean Endicott
News Writer and apps editor

Sean Endicott is a news writer and apps editor for Windows Central with 11+ years of experience. A Nottingham Trent journalism graduate, Sean has covered the industry’s arc from the Lumia era to the launch of Windows 11 and generative AI. Having started at Thrifter, he uses his expertise in price tracking to help readers find genuine hardware value.

Beyond tech news, Sean is a UK sports media pioneer. In 2017, he became one of the first to stream via smartphone and is an expert in AP Capture systems. A tech-forward coach, he was named 2024 BAFA Youth Coach of the Year. He is focused on using technology—from AI to Clipchamp—to gain a practical edge.