Wine 11.16 brings VA-API hardware video decoding, improved ARM64 support, and 35 bug fixes

Wine 11.16 is now available for Linux, macOS, and BSD, reinforcing its role as a compatibility layer for running Windows applications and games on POSIX-compliant systems. This release stands out by introducing hardware video decoding through the Video Acceleration API (VA-API). This enhancement enables smoother and more efficient video playback for supported applications, a notable improvement for users demanding high-performance media support.

Following the video decoding upgrade, Wine 11.16 updates its Mono engine to version 11.3.0. The new engine brings support for ARM64 devices, enhancing .NET compatibility and broadening the architecture reach for developers and users working with managed code. Alongside this, improved exception handling for ARM64EC devices is introduced, providing added stability for applications targeting these environments.

Building on these functional updates, Wine 11.16 delivers 35 bug fixes that address issues in a diverse selection of software and games. Notable titles improved by these fixes include Orly's Draw-A-Story, Odell Down Under, Adobe Creative Cloud, Command and Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars, Total Commander, Acrobat Reader DC, Steam, and many others.