Android handheld gaming devices are slowly moving beyond retro emulation. With better hardware and smarter software, many of these devices can now run PC games locally. A new update to the GameNative app makes this even more interesting by adding support for the Epic Games Store.
GameNative is an open source Android app that allows users to run PC games without streaming. It already supported platforms like Steam, but the latest update expands its reach further. Version 0.7.1 of GameNative now lets users access their Epic Games Store library directly from Android devices.
The Epic Games Store support was added by a contributor known as phobos665 on GitHub. This change allows compatible Android handhelds, such as the Retroid Pocket 5, to display and manage Epic Games titles inside the app. For users who regularly claim Epic’s weekly free games, this update unlocks a large existing game collection.
The setup process is simple. After installing GameNative version 0.7.1, users need to open their profile inside the app and go to Settings. From there, the Epic Games integration option opens a browser login page. Once signed in, Epic provides an authorization code. Entering this code back into GameNative completes the login and syncs the Epic library.
Along with Epic Games support, the update also brings several technical improvements. New Turnip GPU drivers have been added for devices running Snapdragon 8 Elite chips. Dual screen support is now available. The app also makes it easier to properly close games and allows users to add custom drives.
GameNative joins tools like GameHub and Winlator, which are helping Android devices run PC games natively instead of relying on cloud streaming. While not every game works perfectly yet, progress is happening fast.
