Introducing Handheld Compatibility

At Xbox, we believe great games should play great—no matter where you are. That’s why we’re excited to introduce the Handheld Compatibility Program, designed by Xbox to make more games ready to play on supported Windows handhelds.

What Is Handheld Compatibility?

The Handheld Compatibility Program is a new initiative that evaluates how PC games will scale to a handheld. Handheld compatibility is just one piece to the puzzle, we believe it is important that a player understands how a game will perform so we will be highlighting Performance Fit to help give the full picture:

• Handheld Compatibility: Focuses on how well a game supports the handheld form factor—covering controller input, iconography, text input, display resolution, and legibility.
• Windows Performance Fit: Uses real-world data to assess how well a game performs on your specific device, based on framerate benchmarks across similar hardware.

Together, these checks help players know what to expect before launching a game—and help developers deliver a polished experience on handheld PCs.

• Handheld Compatibility Program, designed by Xbox to give players the confidence that games will play well on their handheld. We have worked with game studios to test, optimize, and verify 1000s of games for handheld compatibility, allowing you to jump into the game without having to tweak settings or requiring only minor adjustments.
  • At launch, you’ll be able to see handheld compatibility directly in the Xbox app- look for the “Handheld Optimized” or “Mostly Compatible” badges to quickly find titles that are ready to play. Games labeled as “Handheld Optimized” are ready to go – with default controller inputs, accurate iconography and in-game warnings, an intuitive text input method, appropriate resolution in full-screen mode, and clear text legibility. “Mostly Compatible” games may require minor in-game setting changes for an optimal experience on handheld. This feature will be available across all supported Windows 11 handhelds.
  • We’re continuing to work with developers to expand the library of Handheld Compatible games – testing both new and existing titles for handheld compatibility.
  • Games also feature a Windows Performance Fit indicator to reflect expected performance on your supported device. Games that carry the “Should play great” designation should average 60FPS or better on this device.  Games that carry “Should play well” label should average 30FPS or better on this device.
  • When a game is both “Handheld Optimized” and carries a Windows Performance Fit "Should play great” or “Should play well” badge, it signals compatibility and performance fit—giving you added assurance before you play.

How It Works for Players

Starting at launch, you’ll be able to see a Hero Channel  “Discover handheld optimized games” on the Home page of handhelds. This allows you to jump quickly into the games that are tested to be Handheld Optimized.

You can read more about the details of a game’s handheld compatibility status on the Product Description Page. This helps you make an informed decision before you install, purchase or play a game on cloud. This feature will be available across all Windows handhelds.

Empowering Game Creators

For developers, Handheld Compatibility is more than a badge—it’s a toolkit for success. Xbox provides clear criteria and APIs to help studios validate their games for handheld play. Studios can submit existing or upcoming titles for compatibility testing, and we’ll continue to run test passes to grow the Handheld Optimized library over time.

What’s Next?

The Handheld Compatibility Program is launching this holiday alongside the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X, and will be available on supported Windows 11 handhelds.