Microsoft has announced Xbox Backward Compatibility on PC, allowing you to play classic console games on PC and handhelds such as the Xbox Ally X for the first time.
The program begins today with an early preview, containing support for four titles: Blinx: The Time Sweeper, Conker: Live and Reloaded, Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge, and Fuzion Frenzy.
Anyone who owns the games already will automatically have a license granted on PC. The four games will also be added to Xbox Game Pass, for those with a PC Game Pass (or Ultimate) subscription. And, of course, you'll be able to stream the titles via Xbox Cloud Gaming, allowing you to play them on pretty much any rig.
Fresh features for Xbox Backward Compatibility on PC games include "up to 4x resolution upscaling, VSync support, Fullscreen and Windowed display modes, anisotropic filtering, enhanced anti-aliasing, and more," Xbox hardware architect Jason Ronald wrote in an announcement blog post. "These games also include customizable language and audio settings."
Finally, while unavailable today, Microsoft will add achievements to these games and future Xbox Backward Compatibility on PC titles via an update later this year.
"Xbox Backward Compatibility on PC is another step toward preserving the games from the past and making it easier for you to enjoy and play more of the games you already own across the devices you use every day," Ronald concluded.
Today's announcement feels like a much-needed piece of positivity after a bruising month for Xbox, following its devastating layoffs of 1,600 staff, and confirmation that another 1,600 will be let go over the course of this financial year. At least four studios have also been cut loose (Double Fine, Ninja Theory, Compulsion Games and Undead Labs), while the status of Blade maker Arkane remains unclear.
Rumors abound that Microsoft is set to continue its support for older games with the announcement of a disc-to-digital-license transferal program. A report earlier this month suggested that Project Helix, the next-generation Xbox, will not feature a disc drive. No further details were provided, but the news follows the bombshell dropped by PlayStation that it will no longer be producing or supporting physical game discs starting in January 2028. This suggests that the PlayStation 6 won't come with a disc drive, and that Sony is planning to embrace an all-digital future.
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
