DroidDeck vs Winlator

Winlator is the long-running Android app for running Windows programs with Wine and Box64. DroidDeck is a newer app that runs Valve's Steam client and Proton. They overlap on "Windows games on Android", but they are built for different people.

At a glance

Sources: DroidDeck README · Winlator source. Checked 2026-10-15.

Two different jobs

Winlator is a general Windows compatibility tool. Its README describes it as running Windows (x86_64) applications with Wine and Box86/Box64. You create a container, choose a graphics driver and DirectX wrapper, install a program or point it at a game's files, and tune settings such as the Box64 preset when something misbehaves. It does not care where the game came from, and it has no built-in store.

DroidDeck is a Steam machine. It runs Valve's ARM64 Steam client in Big Picture mode and Valve's ARM64 Proton, so the workflow is the Steam Deck one: sign in, install a game from your library, press play, and change the Proton version in the game's properties if needed. Since 0.4.0 it can also bring in games from GOG, Epic Games and Amazon Games and add them to Steam as non-Steam games.

Setup effort

With Winlator, setup is per game. Guides recommend different graphics drivers and DirectX wrappers depending on the GPU and the game, and its README suggests changing the Box64 preset in the container's advanced settings if an app is unstable. That flexibility is the point for tinkerers, and it is also why Winlator has a learning curve.

DroidDeck's setup is mostly one-time: install the APK, install the runtime, handle the Android child-process setting, and sign in to Steam. The DroidDeck install guide walks through it. After that, there is little to configure per game beyond Proton versions and a few options such as Wine sync modes.

Devices

Winlator's README credits Mesa's Turnip, Zink and VirGL. Turnip is the open Vulkan driver for Adreno GPUs and gives the best results; on Mali and other GPUs, users fall back to VirGL or experimental renderers, with weaker performance. So Winlator at least starts on many more phones. DroidDeck draws a hard line: Adreno 730 or newer, or Adreno 8xx, with Adreno 6xx experimental and Mali, Xclipse and PowerVR unsupported. If your phone is a Pixel, an Exynos Galaxy or a MediaTek model, Winlator is an option and DroidDeck is not. Check yours on the DroidDeck compatible devices page.

Where your games come from

This difference is easy to miss. Winlator runs files you put in a container: installers, portable games, or a Windows launcher you install yourself. DroidDeck works from your Steam library (and, since 0.4.0, your GOG, Epic and Amazon libraries), downloading games the same way a Steam Deck does. If most of your games are on Steam, DroidDeck saves a lot of manual work. If you have DRM-free games and installers on hand, Winlator handles them directly.

Which should you use?

• DroidDeck if you have a supported Snapdragon device and a Steam library, and you want a console-like experience with little setup.
• Winlator if your GPU is not supported by DroidDeck, if you want to run Windows programs that are not games, or if you enjoy tuning each title.
• Many people keep both: DroidDeck for Steam games, Winlator for everything else.

Get each one from its official GitHub releases page. For DroidDeck, see the DroidDeck APK download guide, and if Steam closes right after launching, the troubleshooting page has the fix.

DroidDeck vs Winlator FAQ