Microsoft’s Xbox Emulator on Windows Will Soon Support Xbox 360 Games

Xbox emulator on PC

Microsoft recently started testing a new Xbox emulator on Windows 11 for running a selection of original Xbox games that includes Fuzion Frenzy, Conker: Live & Reloaded, and Crimson Skies. While the new emulator is currently available for select Xbox Insiders, The Verge is reporting today that the official launch will happen before the end of the year, with support for a selection of Xbox 360 games also coming next year.

An internal document about Xbox backwards compatibility obtained by The Verge mentions a “back compat on PC full launch” in October 2026, followed by an “Xbox 360 catalog gradual rollout across next-gen Xbox devices” in 2027-2028. Microsoft will celebrate the 25th anniversary of Xbox in November 2026, and Jason Ronald, VP of Next Generation at Xbox, also mentioned that the team is working on adding achievements to original Xbox games.

The leaked document indicates that Microsoft handles all technical aspects of emulating OG Xbox and Xbox 360 games on PC, leaving it to developers to decide if they want their old Xbox games to be playable on Windows 11. Backwards compatible games can be made available for purchase on the Microsoft Store, but game publishers can also decide to put them on Game Pass and Xbox Cloud Gaming.

The timeline on the leaked document also mentions the launch of the new disc-to-digital program that will allow Xbox console owners to get a digital copy of a game after inserting the physical disc into their console. That program was reportedly set to launch in beta in July for OG Xbox games, but that didn’t happen. With a public launch initially expected in August, we likely won’t need to wait too long before Microsoft makes the feature available for testers.

Share post

Thurrott