What 3DMark Windows-on-ARM Support Really Means
3DMark Windows-on-ARM support is the addition of native ARM compatibility to 3DMark’s top PC gaming benchmarks, allowing developers, reviewers, and hardware makers to measure graphics and CPU performance of Windows-on-ARM devices using the same tests that define mainstream PC gaming performance today. UL Benchmarks has updated 3DMark Port Royal and Speed Way, along with several DirectX 12 feature tests, so they now run natively on ARM-based Windows systems instead of relying only on x64 emulation. This gives handheld gaming performance on ARM equal footing with x86 PCs for ray tracing, mesh shaders, sampler feedback, and other modern APIs. For developers, that change turns ARM gaming benchmarks from improvised, device-specific experiments into standardized, comparable metrics that can guide optimization and product strategy.
Nvidia RTX Spark and the Push Toward ARM Gaming Benchmarks
UL Benchmarks shipped Windows-on-ARM support for 3DMark Port Royal, Speed Way, and DirectX 12 feature tests on June 3rd, closely following Nvidia’s RTX Spark announcement. These Spark processors combine ARM-based CPUs with Blackwell graphics, and 3DMark’s update gives Nvidia a third-party way to show gaming performance on Windows-on-ARM. As UL Benchmarks notes in its changelog, the update adds not only ARM-native runs, but also an indicator that flags whether a test is running natively or via x64 emulation. For 3DMark for Enterprise and Reviewers’ licenses, there is now an option to choose between native ARM and emulated x64 custom runs. This is a practical foundation for ARM gaming benchmarks that capture both translation overhead and pure ARM capability on the same device, using tests the PC industry already trusts.
Handheld ARM Devices Are Already Running Big PC Games
While 3DMark formalizes testing, devices like the Red Magic 11S Pro show what ARM-based handheld gaming performance looks like in practice. The phone uses a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 Leading Version, overclocked up to 4.74 GHz, and pairs it with an aggressive cooling setup: liquid metal thermal compound, a physical fan spinning up to 24,000 RPM, and a micropump-driven liquid cooling system. In tests documented by ETA PRIME, the device “can consistently reach 60fps while running Genshin Impact and 120fps while running Fortnite,” and run PUBG and Call of Duty Mobile at maximum graphics settings. Through GameHub 6, a Proton- and Wine-based translation layer, it also runs demanding PC titles, delivering around 47fps in Ghost of Tsushima at 720p low with FSR balanced and 33fps in Forza Horizon 6 at 720p low without frame generation.
From Translation Layers to Standardized Mobile Gaming Testing
GameHub 6 on the Red Magic 11S Pro highlights how translation layers and cooling make PC gaming possible on ARM, but performance data is still fragmented. Ghost of Tsushima, Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart, and Forza Horizon 6 all run via Proton and Wine-based translation, with frame generation pushing Ratchet & Clank from 30fps at 720p medium up into the 60–70fps range at the cost of visible artifacts and reduced image clarity. Without a standard ARM gaming benchmark, these results are hard to compare with other handhelds or mobile processors. 3DMark Windows-on-ARM changes that. By offering identical test content, and clearly marking native versus x64-emulated runs, it enables mobile gaming testing that can separate translation overhead from raw silicon capability and lets developers target meaningful performance tiers instead of device-specific quirks.
What Developers Should Do Next for ARM and Handheld Performance
For game and engine developers, 3DMark’s ARM support is a signal to treat Windows-on-ARM and handheld gaming performance as first-class targets. ARM gaming benchmarks using 3DMark Port Royal or Speed Way can serve as regression checks for ray tracing, shader complexity, and memory bandwidth on emerging ARM platforms, including devices that rely on translation layers like Proton, Wine, or x64 emulation. Teams can run both native and emulated 3DMark profiles where available to understand how CPU dispatch, shader compilation, and asset streaming behave across execution modes. Combined with real-world tests on devices such as the Red Magic 11S Pro through GameHub 6, this gives a fuller picture of how console-quality experiences scale down to portable ARM hardware, and helps studios plan settings presets, FSR usage, and frame generation strategies that match each performance tier.
