Compatibility layers

While not strictly emulation per se (hence why Wine stands for "Wine Is Not an Emulator"), compatibility layers allow software written for one operating system to run on a different OS, often by translating system calls made by an application to their equivalent calls in the host operating system. In theory, this should allow for near-native performance since no processor emulation takes place, but in practice some software such as games will tend to run a bit slower due to other bottlenecks that occur as a result of replicating the correct behavior. Compatibility layers may also make use of wrappers, which translate a specific API to another because accounting for graphics APIs like Direct3D that aren't supported on non-Microsoft platforms. Additionally, compatibility layers may also use emulation in order to run software built for a different architecture, see High and low-level emulation page for more information about terms like "hypervisors", "simulators", "compatibility layers", "wrappers", "FPGA" and "software emulators".

Compatibility layers

Name	Platform(s)	Latest version	Compatibility	License	Active	Recommended	Runs the following software
PC / x86
Wine		11.0 (Dev: 11.10 ) Haiku	?	LGPLv2.1 (Copyleft)	✓	✓	Windows applications
Proton (included with Steam)		10.0-4 git	?	BSD-3-Clause LGPLv2.1	✓	✓	Windows games
WineVDM		git Dev	?	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	✓	✓	16-bit Windows applications
TeknoParrot		TPBootstrapper [https://teknoparrot.com/download This page is a candidate for deletion. The reason is: "typo in title" If you disagree with the candidate, explain why at the talk page or improve the page and remove the {{delete}} tag. Remember to check for any active links to the page and its history before deleting. ]	?	Proprietary	✓	✓	PC-based arcade games
CrossOver		22.1	?	Proprietary	✓	✓	Windows applications
WOW64		N/A	?	Proprietary	✓	✓	32-bit Windows applications
Sober		Flatpak	?	Proprietary	✓	✓	Roblox (Android version)
Janus-UAE		1.4	?	LGPLv2 (Copyleft)	✗	✓	68k Amiga applications
Rosetta		N/A	?	Proprietary	✗	✓	PowerPC OS X applications
Minecraft Bedrock Launcher		v0.15.0	?	GPLv3 (Copyleft)	✓	~	Minecraft: Bedrock Edition (Android version)
Linuxulator		Wiki Docs	?	BSD-2-Clause (Permissive)	✓	~	Linux applications
Android Translation Layer		git	?	GPLv3 (Copyleft)	✓	~ (WIP)	Android applications
Whisky		2.3.5	?	GPLv3 (Copyleft)	✗	~	Windows applications
libhoudini		1, 2, 3, 4, 5 6, 7, 8, 9	?	Proprietary	TBD	~	ARM Android applications
libndk*		1, 2	?	Proprietary	TBD	~	ARM Android applications
UEngine		git	?	GPLv3 (Copyleft)	✓	✗	Android applications
Darling		git	?	GPLv3 (Copyleft)	✓	✗ (WIP)	macOS applications
DOSEmu2		git	?	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	✓	✗	DOS applications
xDroid		11.1.51	?	Proprietary	✓	✗	Android applications
NTVDMx64		git	?	?	✓	✗	DOS applications
Windows CE Compatibility Layer		git	?	MIT (Permissive)	~	✗	Windows CE applications.
KMRE		2.4.6.8 2.4.8.7-0k0.9	?	?	~	✗	Allows openKylin/Ubuntu Kylin to run Android applications.
Wineskin		1.7	?	LGPLv2.1 (Copyleft)	✗	✗	Windows applications
WineBottler		4.0.1.1 Dev	?	LGPLv2.1 (Copyleft)	✗	✗	Windows applications
Win3mu		Source	?	GPLv3 (Copyleft)	✗	✗	Windows 3.x applications
Ardi Executor		2.1.17	?	MIT (Permissive)	✗	✗	Classic Mac OS applications up to System 6
DOSEmu		1.4.0	?	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	✗	✗	DOS applications
WoW		N/A	?	Proprietary	✗	✗	Windows 9x applications
Windows Subsystem for Linux 1		Install guide	?	?	✗	✗	Allows developers to run a Linux environment.
compat_linux		Docs Manual	?	BSD-2-Clause (Permissive)	✓	TBD	Linux applications
compat_linux		Manual	?	BSD-4-Clause (Permissive)	✓	TBD	Linux applications
nb-qemu		git bionic	?	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	✓	TBD	ARM Android applications
Boxedwine		20.1.2 git Old repo	?	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	?	TBD	16-bit and 32-bit Windows applications.
Berberis		git	?	Apache 2.0 (Permissive)	?	TBD	RISC-V Android applications
Mobile / ARM
Rosetta 2		N/A	?	Proprietary	✓	✓	x86-64 macOS applications on Apple Silicon
CrossOver		22.1	?	Proprietary	✓	✓	Windows applications
Game Porting Toolkit		Installation guide	?	Proprietary	✓	✓	Windows games
Prism		N/A	?	Proprietary	✓	✓	x86 and x86-64 Windows applications on Windows for ARM64
Box86/Box64		v0.3.8 /v0.4.2	?	MIT (Permissive)	✓	~	x86-64 Linux applications
FEX		git	?	MIT (Permissive)	✓	~	x86-64 Linux applications
Wine		Android builds ARM support	?	LGPLv2.1 (Copyleft)	✓	~	Windows applications
Android Translation Layer		git	?	GPLv3 (Copyleft)	✓	~ (WIP)	Android applications
Cygwin		3.6.4-1	?	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	✓	~	Providing POSIX compliant APIs, Linux-alike shell and tools on Windows for developers.
Winlator		11.1	?	MIT (Permissive)	✓	~ (WIP)	X86 Windows applications
MiceWine		0.5.0	?	MIT (Permissive)	✓	~ (WIP)	X86 Windows applications
GameHub		5.3.5	?	Proprietary	✓	~ (WIP)	X86 Windows applications
GameHub Lite		5.1.0 5.3.3 RC-1 (experimental)	?	?	✓	~ (WIP)	X86 Windows applications
Vita2hos		Alpha 0.3	?	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	✓	✗	PlayStation Vita applications
Hangover		git	?	LGPLv2.1 (Copyleft)	✓	✗	Windows applications
Skyline		git	See Switch page	MPL 2.0 (Copyleft)	✗	✗	Nintendo Switch games and homebrew
ExaGear-KunPeng		5.1.0	?	Proprietary	✓	✗	x86 Linux applications into Kunpeng platform instructions in real time
KMRE		3.0.0.0-0k0.15 2.5.0.2-0k0.1tablet3	?	?	~	✗	Allows openKylin/NeoKylin (with supported processors) to run Android applications.
Boxedwine		20.1.2 git Old repo	?	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	✓	TBD	16-bit and 32-bit Windows applications.
compat_linux		Docs Manual	?	BSD-2-Clause (Permissive)	✓	TBD	Linux applications
Consoles
Nintendont		git	See Gamecube page	?	✓	✓	GameCube games
nnCompat		20.1.1	98%	Proprietary	✓	✓	Nintendo Switch games
Misc
felix86		git	?	MIT (Permissive)	✓	~ (WIP)	x86-64 Linux applications on RISC-V.
LATX		1.5.3 RC1	?	Proprietary	✓	TBD	x86 Linux applications into LoongArch64 instruction set.

Comparisons

Wine

is a free and open-source compatibility layer that aims to allow computer programs (application software and computer games) developed for Microsoft Windows to run on Unix-like operating systems, primarily Linux and macOS. Since late 2017 there is also an experimental build for Android. Wine is almost as old as the Linux project, starting in the summer of 1993. Today it's widely used, very popular and sponsored by companies such as CodeWeavers and Valve, and has even received some support from Microsoft themselves who donated the Mono implementation of the .NET Framework to the Wine project. The core Wine development aims at a correct implementation of the Windows API as a whole. In this regard it's similar to the MAME project in its focus on correctness over usability. There are a lot of versions/forks of Wine which focus of different goals, such as usability, compatibility, gaming, office applications, etc. A few are listed below, Wikipedia has a more complete list.

Proton

is Valve's one-click solution to play Windows games on Linux. It's included in the Steam Linux client by default. Simply click on a whitelisted game and it will launch without any configuration, or enable it for all games in the settings. Proton is based on a fork of Wine in combination with other components such as DXVK (which is a wrapper explained below) and FAudio.

CrossOver

is a commercialized, supported version of Wine from CodeWeavers. It uses additional patches on top of Wine to make it easy to use. They contribute all of their work on CrossOvers back to Wine and make up about two thirds of the commits made to Wine. CrossOver is available on macOS, Linux and Chrome OS.

Wineskin

is an open-source compatibility layer which allows users to easily convert Windows software to macOS. The ports are in the form of Mac .app bundles with a self-contained Wine instance which are wrapped around the application to be converted.

Winlator

is an Android application that lets you to run Windows (x86_64) applications with Wine and Box86/Box64.

FEX

a lightweight compatibility layer that enables the execution of x86 and x86‑64 applications on ARM‑64 Linux devices. It supports both 32‑bit and 64‑bit binaries and can be paired with Wine or Proton to run Windows games on ARM hardware. The project began in late 2018 when Valve approached the initial developer, Ryan "Sonicadvance1" Houdek, and provided early funding and guidance to create a long‑term, open‑source solution for translating x86 code to native ARM64. Valve’s backing continued from the start, allowing FEX to mature alongside other Valve‑supported projects such as Proton. By using a dynamic binary recompiler, forwarding graphics APIs (OpenGL/Vulkan) to the host, and offering a per‑application configuration system (exposed through the FEXConfig GUI), FEX delivers broad compatibility while keeping overhead low. Its design makes it suitable for use on devices like the Snapdragon‑based Steam Frame, where Valve needs to run traditional x86 games and applications on ARM hardware.

GameHub (formerly GameFusion)

an Android application created by GameSir, a company best known for its gaming controllers. The app bundles Proton, FEX, a graphical front‑end, and the necessary drivers, providing a complete environment for installing and playing Windows games on Android. It comes with pre‑configured cloud profiles for many titles, lets you build personal game collections, and offers detailed settings for CPU translation, GPU drivers, and controller layouts. Additionally, it provides real‑time monitoring of CPU, GPU, RAM, and temperature. However, the app is proprietary, which may conflict with the open‑source licenses of the included software, and it is developed by a Chinese company that incorporates extensive telemetry and requests numerous permissions.

GameHub Lite

a community‑maintained fork of the original GameHub app that focuses on privacy and simplicity. It removes many telemetry libraries and unnecessary permissions, and eliminates the separate GameHub account requirement—users only need to log in to Steam. From a user’s perspective, GameHub Lite feels slimmer, more privacy‑friendly, and less intrusive, though it sacrifices some of the convenience features found in the official version.

Box86/Box64

Box86 and Box64 are compatibility layers that allow x86 Linux programs, including games, to run on non‑x86 Linux systems such as ARM. Box86 targets 32‑bit little‑endian hosts, while Box64 handles 64‑bit binaries.

TeknoParrot

is a compatibility layer for Windows PCs to run games originally made for Windows-based arcade systems. Has since version 1.51 also support for some games running on Linux.

Rosetta

was a compatibility layer for running PowerPC apps on x86-based Macs on OS X versions prior to 1.07. Rosetta 2 is a comptibility layer on Apple silicon Macs allowing x86-64 apps to run on ARM-based Macs. Note that Rosetta 2 is not strictly limited to MacOS apps as software such as Crossover is able to call it to emulate x86 code in Windows binaries.

Prism

is the built-in compatibility layer in Windows on ARM to run traditional x86 (also x64 in Windows 11) Windows programs.

Minecraft Bedrock Launcher

is a compatibility layer made specifically to run the Android version of Minecraft: Bedrock Edition on Linux and macOS. It is not compatible with any other Android apps.

Windows Subsystem for Linux 1

is a compatibility layer and shouldn't be confused with WSL2. WSL2 introduced important changes such as a real Linux kernel, through a subset of Hyper-V features, so it's not a compatibility layer like WSL1.

Berberis, libhoudini, libndk and nb-qemu

are Android Native Bridges used to run apps made for other architectures. libhoudini was made by Intel and Google with its most notable use being on WSA for Windows 11, libndk was made by Google to expand Android compatibility on Chromebooks, there's no official source to download them other than online reuploads or extracting them from those systems yourself.

KMRE

is a compatibility layer and it's the official solution to run Android applications on computers with Chinese homegrown Phytium/KunPeng ARM processors and NeoKylin Linux operating system, though later also available on x86-64 on Ubuntu Kylin. KMRE is not designed with third-party applications outside its app store and in fact, force installing third-party apps breaks older versions of KMRE. It's the go-to solution if you are restricted to working with these kinds of computers due to national security reasons. See KMRE section for more information.

Vita2hos

is an early compatibility layer for Nintendo Switch that runs PlayStation Vita applications natively. Only able to load simple test homebrews such as vita-8 as of December 2022. Appears to only be developed every once in a while.

Shims

Shim is a library that transparently intercepts API calls and changes the arguments passed, handles the operation itself or redirects the operation elsewhere. Shims can be used to support an old API in a newer environment, or a new API in an older environment. Shims can also be used for running programs on different software platforms than they were developed for. the EmulateHeap compatibility shim broke on Windows 11 22H2, and Win32 API changes in 24H2 have messed up games that rely on quirky behavior.

See also

• Wrappers - Translate a specific API to another.

External links

• Box64 and RISC-V in 2024 - What it takes to run The Witcher 3 on RISC-V.

---