Why there are so few touchscreen games on Windows? No incentive, apparently

Ten years ago, I’ve had a lot of fun with an iPad 2, with hundreds of games from the App Store. Now, I’m fiddling with a Microsoft Surface tablet and the old kid in me wants to play, but there’s literally nothing in the store to enjoy.

Yes, I know that the Surface tablets were mainly created for business and productivity, but what do I do in the few breaks I take? There are just a few touchscreen games to enjoy, and the most notable of them is Civilization. The others are just simple arcade or match games. Why aren’t there more?

Why are there so few touchscreen games for Windows?

Apparently, it all comes down to sheer numbers. First of all, Windows is installed on less than 3% of touchscreen devices. Developers wouldn’t move a muscle on that kind of market, and the result is obvious.

Furthermore, Windows gamers are much more competitive; they want something other than the touchscreen interaction. They want precision mice for that perfect shot, a high-quality display with 60 FPS and over 120 Hz refresh and mechanical keyboards with programmable keys, not unreliable capacitive contact.

Gamers have been incentivized to play in professional competitions, even televised and watched by millions. And the prizes offered in these competitions have also become huge. Touchscreen gaming is the definition of casual gaming, defined by short bursts of fun, and there’s no competition around them, except those with friends, of course.

Lastly, you can still enjoy tablet games on Microsoft Surface thanks to the Windows Subsystem for Android. And that’s what I did. I installed the app available in the Microsoft Store and played my favorite Android titles happily on my touchscreen.

So, to sum it all up, gamers don’t want tablet games, so the developers don’t create them. There is no trend for them, therefore, no one cares.

Handheld gaming consoles? That’s a different story because they combine a great screen with powerful processing and reliable gamepad controls. Microsoft is preparing a new handheld gaming console and we can’t wait to see what is like.

In the meantime, Surface tablets are for productivity. Get the gaming fun to the tablet from Android!

Would you like more touchscreen games for Windows? What games would those be? Tell us all about that in the comments section below.