Qualcomm is developing a GPU driver for running Windows PC games on Android devices, according to the tech video channel Geekerwan. Geekerwan tested Cyberpunk 2077 and Black Myth: Wukong on a reference device with a new Snapdragon chip, and says both games ran in a DirectX 12 mode via a translation layer.
However, Qualcomm has not officially announced the driver, and it has not disclosed when it will be available or which devices will support it. A PC game launching is not the same thing as Android gaining direct DirectX 12 support.
What does it mean that two PC games ran?
The description of the video Geekerwan published on September 23 (Japan time) states that initial testing was done on Qualcomm's development device, the "QRD," equipped with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6.
According to reports from Android Authority and VideoCardz based on the video, Geekerwan ran Cyberpunk 2077 and Black Myth: Wukong in DirectX 12 mode. However, the scenes measured and the graphics settings used were not disclosed. Neither how long the games ran nor what frame rates they achieved can be confirmed from public information.
Geekerwan says it was told by a Qualcomm source that the company has begun developing a driver with PC game compatibility in mind. It also said the company is considering a mechanism for handling DirectX 12 more directly on Android.
However, a source saying development has "begun" and a concept that is "under consideration for the future" are at different stages. Android Authority asked Qualcomm for comment, but no response from the company appears in the published article. What can be confirmed directly from Geekerwan's video description is limited to the device used and an outline of the initial testing; the source's remarks are based on what multiple reports agree on.
What Qualcomm officially announced on September 22 were two smartphone SoCs, the "Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6" and the "Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6."
The announcement materials introduce a new rendering technology called "Adreno Neural Fusion," among other things, but do not mention a dedicated driver for running Windows games on Android. The graphics APIs listed on the flagship model's product page are Vulkan 1.4, OpenGL ES 3.2, and OpenCL 3.0 FP.
From the currently available information alone, it cannot be determined that a new DirectX 12 driver will be provided, or what its specifications would be.
"Runs in DirectX 12 mode" is not the same as "Android supports DirectX 12"
Even if a Windows game runs in "DirectX 12 mode," that does not necessarily mean Android's GPU driver is receiving DirectX 12 commands directly. Several translation steps sit between the game and what is actually drawn by the GPU.
For example, Winlator on Android combines Wine with Box86/Box64 and other components to run Windows x86_64 applications on Android devices. It converts x86_64 CPU instructions into a form that can run on Arm, while Wine handles compatibility with Windows APIs. Beyond that, the graphics commands issued by the game must also be converted into a form usable on the Android side.
One mechanism for translating Direct3D 12 rendering commands to Vulkan is the open-source "vkd3d-proton." The project explains that, for practical use, the GPU driver must support Vulkan 1.3 and related features.
Mesa's "Turnip," meanwhile, is an open-source Vulkan driver developed for Qualcomm's Adreno GPUs.
In other words, even if a game appears to be running on DirectX 12, Direct3D 12 commands may be getting translated to Vulkan underneath and executed through the GPU driver on Android.
That said, the applications, translation layers, and versions Geekerwan used in this test have not been disclosed. It therefore cannot be asserted that this general mechanism was used as-is in this demo.
If Qualcomm strengthens Vulkan support in its official GPU driver, compatibility with such translation layers could improve and rendering problems could decrease.
On the other hand, it is unclear whether the reported phrase "handling DirectX 12 more directly" refers to a new mechanism that would replace the translation layers now in use, or to optimizing existing execution via Vulkan. Treating the two as the same could lead to a misunderstanding of what Qualcomm is actually developing.
How do Qualcomm's official drivers differ from Turnip?
Qualcomm already has mechanisms for updating game-oriented GPU drivers. But looking at what they target, the reported effort cannot be considered a simple extension of existing features.
| Qualcomm's announced initiative | Target | Distribution / update method | Use described in the materials |
|---|---|---|---|
| Game Ready Drivers | Android devices with Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 | Delivered via Google Play | Device-specific optimization, mainly for mobile games |
| Updatable Adreno drivers | Windows PCs with Snapdragon X series | Updated via Snapdragon Control Panel and other means | Fixing PC game issues and improving stability |
Qualcomm's announced initiatives so far fall into two groups: Game Ready Drivers for mobile games on Android, and updatable Adreno drivers for Windows-based Snapdragon X PCs.
The former is for Android, but Qualcomm's materials target mobile games designed for Android. The latter targets PC games, but the operating system it runs on is Windows.
This table organizes their uses and is not a comparison of their performance or release timing. Neither set of materials indicates availability conditions for running Windows PC games with compatibility layers on Android.
Turnip, by contrast, is a Vulkan driver for Adreno developed by the Mesa community, separate from the drivers Qualcomm officially provides. Winlator's public documentation also lists Turnip as one of its components.
If Qualcomm's official driver can improve compatibility with a wide range of Windows games, users may no longer need to swap Turnip versions depending on the game.
However, at present there are no test results comparing the official driver with Turnip, and the distribution method for Qualcomm's new driver has not been disclosed. It is not yet possible to conclude that "Turnip will become unnecessary."
There is a gap between "the game launched" and a consumer-ready feature
Improving a GPU driver alone does not replace the entire system for running Windows PC games on Android.
Running x86_64 CPU instructions on Arm devices, the Windows API compatibility handled by Wine, and the conversion from Direct3D to Vulkan may each still require separate technologies.
In addition, per-game DRM, anti-cheat systems, device memory capacity, and cooling performance all affect whether a game actually runs.
So even if Qualcomm's official driver fixes rendering problems in specific titles, that alone does not mean every Windows PC game will launch or run at a comfortable speed.
To properly evaluate the two games reported to be running, it would be necessary to disclose not only the device and OS but also the runtime environment, translation layers, and GPU driver version used.
Beyond that, it would be desirable to check not just average frame rate but also frame times and performance drops due to heat, using the same scenes and graphics settings.
Whether similar improvements can be obtained with other games and with older-generation Snapdragon devices would also need to be verified separately. That a game launched on a development device with a new SoC does not mean the same driver will be provided for existing smartphones.
If Qualcomm officially announces supported devices, the distribution method, and compatible games, and presents results compared with Turnip and others under the same conditions, it will be easier for users to judge the merits of choosing the official driver.
What is known at present is limited to a source's statement that Qualcomm is interested in technology for running Windows PC games on Android, and a report that two titles ran on a development device with the new Snapdragon.
What will matter in judging its real value is which devices the officially distributed driver ends up supporting, and how far it can improve compatibility and performance in which games.