Desktop games (and applications) cannot
run on Windows RT. They are designed only for Windows 8 (and perhaps
older versions of Windows, too).
Oddly enough, Microsoft does allow
developers to advertise legacy desktop games and applications in
Windows Store alongside Metro-style games and apps. These games do not
necessarily offer any of the formal capabilities provided through true
Metro-style games, and, because of this, Microsoft doesn’t let you
download those games from the Store. Instead, you’ll be directed to
visit the developer’s web site.
Let’s quickly see how this works.
When browsing through Windows Store, you’ll come
across some game and app tiles that include the notation “desktop app,”
as seen in Figure 1.
This indicates that the game (or application) is for the desktop, and
not the Metro environment, so you will not see a rating or price, as
with Metro-style apps and games.
View the game’s landing page, as in the example in Figure 2,
and you’ll see that desktop games and applications cannot be downloaded
from Windows Store. Instead, you can click the link, Get app from
developer, to visit a website and proceed from there.
