Bottles 67.4 Extends Windows Compatibility to ARM64 Linux Systems
The Windows-on-Linux compatibility layer Bottles has released an experimental ARM64 build, bringing support for running Windows software on ARM-based devices through a new cpak package format.
Bottles, a tool that abstracts away Wine's configuration complexity to run Windows applications on Linux, has expanded its reach beyond x86_64 architecture. The software simplifies access to common Windows dependencies—such as .NET and Visual C++ runtimes—through a single-click installation, and allows users to maintain multiple Wine and Proton runners within individual bottles.
Version 67.4 marks the first major step toward ARM64 support on Linux systems. The release comes as an experimental cpak package, following closely on version 67.3, which introduced the initial ARM64 build of the cpak package. The two releases, delivered just hours apart on September 7, represent a rapid development cycle driven by community demand.
What's New in ARM64 Support
On ARM64 hardware, the cpak package now automatically retrieves the correct build for the target platform. Soda, Bottles' Wine-based runner, now includes native ARM64 and ARM64EC support. The release also bundles FEX, enabling execution of x86 and x86_64 Windows software on ARM systems. Together, these components make Bottles functional on ARM64 Linux devices, from single-board computers to Arm-powered laptops.
The speed of implementation proved remarkable. A request for ARM64 builds appeared just one week before the test release. Within three days, a test candidate existed, the original requester (TCB13) had confirmed the software ran on their ARM64 hardware, and the issue was marked complete. Mirko Bromhin from the Bottles team explained the choice of cpak for testing:
Cpak is being used for this test because it is the first packaging path where the application, Wine base and native ARM CI are available together.
Mirko Bromhin, Bottles team
Soda 11.0-10 Updates
The 67.4 release also introduces Soda 11.0-10, which addresses several issues affecting Windows game compatibility. A crash affecting Battle.net at startup has been resolved; the underlying cause was XInput initializing without a Steam game ID present.
For virtual reality workloads, 64-bit Windows OpenXR applications can now connect directly to host runtimes such as Monado or WiVRn without requiring Steam or SteamVR to remain active.
Installation and Packaging
The ARM64 test build is currently available only as a cpak package, an OCI-based format from the Containerpak project. Work is underway to prepare a Flatpak release for ARM64 systems. Users can install the test release on ARM64 devices with this command:
cpak install github.com/bottlesdevs/bottles
Cpak treats applications as OCI container images, each paired with a manifest specifying permissions and dependencies. Unlike Flatpak, cpak does not depend on runtimes and portals; instead, the cpak runtime mounts the OCI image directly, the manifest controls what the application can access, and packages install from Git origins rather than a central repository.