# Wine 11.5: C++ Support in Builds and Linux Improvements
On March 20, 2026, developers released Wine 11.5—an experimental build for running Windows apps on Linux, macOS, and BSD. Since January 2025, the project has gone through Wine 10.0 and the 11.0 release on January 13, 2026. Wine 12.0 is expected in early 2027. A team of about 2000 contributors fixed 22 bug reports and implemented 196 changes, with the main contributions from 32 developers.
Wine confirms stable operation of 5400+ Windows programs without modifications. Another 4400 apps run stably with additional tweaks and external DLLs. In 4086 cases, minor issues are noted that don't affect core functionality.
Key Technical Improvements
The new version focuses on build infrastructure and compatibility. Key new features:
- C++ support in the Meson build system, simplifying compilation of complex modules with modern C++.
- Integration of built-in ICU libraries for Unicode handling and internationalization without external dependencies.
- Support for user-mode syscalls in Linux via dispatch, improving emulation performance.
- Fixes in VBScript for better compatibility with scripts from Windows apps.
These changes affect low-level components, making Wine more reliable for mid/senior developers porting legacy PC software.
Developers addressed bug reports from previous 11.x releases, focusing on Win32 API stability. Support is growing: with each release, the list of verified apps expands, minimizing junk in ratings.
Compatibility Statistics and Roadmap
The project tracks metrics for 5.4K+ apps in the Platinum category (full functionality), 4.4K in Gold (stable with tweaks), and 4K in Silver (minor issues). This allows assessing progress in emulating Windows on non-Windows platforms.
| Category | Number of Apps | Description |
|----------|----------------|-------------|
| Platinum | 5400+ | Full compatibility |
| Gold | 4400+ | Stable with tweaks |
| Silver | 4086 | Minor issues |
Roadmap includes Wine 12.0 with further ARM optimizations and improvements in DirectX/Vulkan bridging. Contributors (32 in this release) are speeding up fixes, which is critical for production use in CI/CD pipelines.
Key Takeaways
- Native C++ support added to the Meson build system to speed up Wine module development.
- Built-in ICU libraries eliminate dependencies on system packages in Linux distros.
- User-mode syscall dispatch optimizes calls to the Linux kernel, reducing emulation overhead.
- VBScript fixes improve compatibility with enterprise apps based on scripting.
- Overall progress: 196 patches, 22 bug reports closed, contributions from 32 developers.
— Editorial Team
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