Microsoft Bans Xbox, Windows 10 Game Emulators From Its Download Shops

Microsoft updated its Windows Store policies on March 29. The policy change had a small rider, which had gone unnoticed until now — the company has banned game emulators from its stores, which means that you will no longer be able to use them on your devices.

“Apps that emulate a game system are not allowed on any device family,” the company’s new policy states.

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The policy change entails that users of Microsoft devices, including the Xbox, Windows 10 PCs and Windows 10 Mobiles, will no longer be able to download emulators from the company’s stores, which would have let them play old games on new hardware.

This is not the first time the company has taken a stance against emulators. In September 2016, it banned the N64 Emulator, which let users play Nintendo 64 titles on their Xbox One consoles, but until now there had not been a complete crackdown on emulators. The company also unpublished the popular Universal Emulator, which let users play old Nintendo and Sega games on their consoles.

The company is yet to offer any reason for the ban, but, according to WinBuzzer, one reason could be the Xbox Live Creators Program, which would allow developers to easily submit games for Xbox.

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The ban on emulators might not affect Windows 10 PCs or Xbox as much as it would affect Windows 10 Mobiles. The unavailability of emulators will add to the lack of games and apps available for the platform and could possibly push users toward Android.

That being said, the fact that some gamers will not have the rush of playing old games on new Xbox hardware does make the console lose its charm a bit, and might be a point in the favor of Sony's PlayStation.