Windows game emulation on Android takes a major blow as Winlator dev hits pause

Game emulation on smartphones has ben a big thing ever since developers started to introduce capable and polished enough emulators for Android. Winlator is one of them, and for those who are unaware, it can emulate Windows games with Wine and Box86/Box64.

This Windows games emulator for Android was first introduced in June 2023, and ever since then, Winlator has seen many updates. At the current stage, it's stable enough to emulate a good number of AAA games. Of course, a phone with a capable SoC and a physical controller (Razer Kishi Ultra curr. $99.99 on Amazon) is often required to get the best gaming experience with it.

Nonetheless, with a recent announcement on the emulator's GitHub repository, the developer, BrunoSX, shared that the development of Winlator was put on pause. This comes as a response to the accusations and attacks the dev has faced throughout the past few days.

BrunoSX shares that users have accused the developer of injecting viruses in Winlator, which the dev denied. The Winlator dev adds that before each release, the files are always checked for viruses. BrunoSX also expressed how hard the dev works to deliver a clean and quality app.

Of course, this isn't the first time a gaming emulator for Android has seen a sudden pause in development due to user attacks or accusations. For example, in 2023, AetherSX2 developer called it quits on continuing development of the PS2 emulator for Android. It was mostly due to "neverending" demands, impersonations, and complaints. The AetherSX2 developer has even received death threats.

Fortunately, AetherSX2 was replaced by NetherSX2, which is a community-led project. As for the case with Winlator, users in a Reddit thread claim that the emulator actually contains viruses. It's possible that BrunoSX may not have been fully transparent in the last announcement. There's also a possibility that this project will hit a dead end, as the emulator isn't a fully open-source project.