What you need to know
- Several mobile games are now available for Windows Insiders, including PUBG Mobile, Honor of Kings, and REDnote.
- Unfortunately, the games are only available for Insiders who are in China.
- Microsoft announced the end of Windows Subsystem for Android on Windows 11 earlier this year, and the subsystem will be deprecated on March 5, 2025.
Windows 11 is only a few months away from losing its ability to run Android apps. Microsoft announced the end of Windows Subsystem for Android on Windows 11 earlier this year, marking the end of Android apps and games in the Microsoft Store. There are some other options available, such as BlueStacks and other emulators, but the end of WSA is a blow to those who enjoy mobile gaming on PC. A lucky group of users won't have to worry about the death of WSA, however. Microsoft and Tencent have partnered to bring several mobile games to Windows 11 and the games are now available to Insiders in China.
"I am thrilled to announce our partnership with Tencent," said Microsoft General Manager of Apps Giorgio Sardo. "Windows Insiders in China can now head to the Microsoft Store and enjoy top mobile apps and games like PUBG Mobile, Honor of Kings, REDnote, Kuaishou and many more on their PCs, thanks to the integration with Tencent MyApp, a leading mobile marketplace. This collaboration opens up exciting growth opportunities for mobile developers in China to expand their reach and engagement on Windows."
Unfortunately for anyone outside of China, the partnership between Microsoft and Tencent will not keep Android apps and games on Windows 11. Windows Subsystem for Android is still set to be deprecated on March 5, 2025.
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Why did Microsoft kill Windows Subsystem for Android?
When Microsoft announced the death of Windows Subsystem for Android, the news came as a bit of a surprise. While Android apps on Windows 11 never really took off, Microsoft's plan to end WSA came abruptly.
The tech giant announced its plans to end support for Android apps on Windows 11 on March 5, 2024. Microsoft gave people a full year of notice, since WSA will not be deprecated until March 5, 2025. But despite that year of leeway, Amazon announced that the Amazon Appstore would no longer be available as of March 6, 2024, just a single day after Microsoft shared plans to end WSA.
We later found out why Microsoft ended Windows Subsystem for Android from a 29-year Microsoft veteran. The long story made short is that Microsoft did not make money through WSA.
"Store revenue pays the bills and salaries of the wsa team," explained Andrew Clinick, who worked for Microsoft for over 29 years. "WSL [accrues] to azure and vs so has a profit center. WSA without a store is awesome but doesn't help windows financially."
WSA did have the Amazon Appstore, but that store was lackluster compared to the Google Play Store. Clinick went as far to say that "when Google walk away the nails were in the coffin."
Without Google Play services, many Android apps did not work on Windows 11, even if you tried to sideload them. And even if they did work, making users install multiple stores and sideload apps is a terrible user experience.
Ultimately, WSA did not have a path to monetization, so it fell to the chopping block. It will be interesting to see if Tencent's partnership with Microsoft or similar partnerships ever make their way to markets other than China. I've reached out to Microsoft to see if the Tencent partnership will extend to other regions. I'll update this piece if more information becomes available.
