Microsoft Brings XBOX Backward Compatibility to PC

The day we’ve long dreamed of has arrived: Microsoft is bringing XBOX Backward Compatibility to Windows 11 PCs.

“XBOX Backward Compatibility on PC makes it easier to play classic XBOX games from the past across PC and handhelds, including the ROG XBOX Ally and XBOX Ally X,” XBOX vice president Jason Ronald explains. “XBOX Backward Compatibility on PC launches today in early release, starting with four classic original XBOX games, now playable on PC and handhelds for the first time ever.”

XBOX Backward Compatibility is one of the key strengths of the XBOX ecosystem, the feature that lets console users run games that were originally designed for all previous generation hardware. The list of games you can run through Backward Compatibility on console is staggering, but Microsoft is starting small on PC for some reason. And each of the first four games date back to the OG Xbox console released in 2001: BLiNX: The Time Sweeper, Conker: Live and Reloaded, Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge, and Fuzion Frenzy.

That OG Xbox console was an x86 platform, as were all subsequent Xbox consoles save the Xbox 360, which ran on PowerPC chips. It will be interesting to see how many games come to XBOX Backward Compatibility in time, but of even more interest is how well Xbox 360 titles will work, as they will be emulated. And how well (or if) Windows 11 on Arm will handle these games, regardless of the original platform. The minimum system requirements are x86-only, at least for now: A four-core Intel Core i3-8100, AMD Ryzen 3 1200, or AMD Ryzen Z2 A processor or newer; Nvidia GTX 950, AMD Radeon RX 550, Intel UHD 770, or Intel Arc A310 graphics; and 8 GB of RAM.

Each of the games has customizable graphics settings and supports up to 4K resolution, VSync support, full-screen and windowed display modes, anisotropic filtering, enhanced anti-aliasing, customizable language and audio settings, and other new features. Missing, for now, is Achievements, though XBOX plans to release that and other new features in the future.

In any event, if you own any of those titles in digital form or have an XBOX Game Pass subscription of any kind, you can download, install, and play them now on Windows 11; they’re playable through Cloud Gaming as well. Otherwise, you can buy each of them online today using the links above.

Bravo, XBOX. Bravo.