Microsoft has just released some great news for the Xbox community and gaming in general. Earlier today, they announced Xbox Backward compatibility on PC. In the post, Microsoft talked about how they think your library of games should move with you through the generations and that they should be accessible in different ways.

What Does This Mean For You?

Beginning today, Xbox Backward Compatibility on PC will launch in early release. This will allow gamers to play Xbox games from the past across PC and handhelds, including the ROG Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X.

This marks the beginning of a renewed push by Xbox towards game preservation, something that is incredibly important and that everyone is trying to figure out right now. It should be noted that it is highly doubtful that every Xbox game will participate in this program. More will be added over time, but I can’t see every single Xbox game ever released being available here.

Beginning today in supported regions, the first four games in this program include:

• BLiNX: The Time Sweeper
• Conker: Live and Reloaded
• Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge
• Fuzion Frenzy

Each game is now available to purchase. Even better news is that each game is also available to Game Pass members at all tiers. If you happen to already own a digital license for these games, that license carries over to PC and handheld, so you can just download and play them right away.

Top Fan Requested Feature To Be Added to Original Xbox Games

Since Microsoft introduced the achievement concept with the Xbox 360, fans have wanted to know whether or not it would be possible to add achievements to original Xbox games. Microsoft has announced that later this year they will be bringing achievements to original Xbox games, both on console and PC. The first four games listed above will be updated to include achievements in the coming months, with more to follow. So now the question remains: which game would you like to see get achievements?

New Features Added To Old Games

In addition to this program launching today and those four games being a part of the initial lineup, there are new features being implemented. Players will be able to customize the following:

• Up to 4X Resolution Upscaling
• VSync Support
• Fullscreen and Windowed Display Modes
• Anisotropic Filtering
• Enhanced Anti-Aliasing
• More To Be Announced In The Future

Will My Computer Be Able To Play These Games?

Microsoft has released the system specs for this program. I’m fairly confident in saying the majority of people shouldn’t have much of an issue playing these games. To be certain though, take a look at the requirements:

Minimum Requirements

• GPU: Nvidia GTX 950 or AMD Radeon RX 550 or Intel UHD 770 or Intel Arc A310  
• CPU: Min 4 Cores Intel Core i3-8100 or AMD Ryzen 3 1200 or AMD Ryzen™ Z2 A Processor  
• RAM: 8GB  
• OS: Windows 11   
• Drivers and Versions: Latest Version as of January 2026 

Recommended Requirements

• GPU: Radeon RX 68005 or Nvidia GTX 1070 Ti or Intel Arc A770 
• CPU: 6 cores and 12 threads Intel Core i5-10400 or AMD Ryzen 5 3600 or AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme 
• DirectX Version: DirectX12 API, Hardware Feature Level 11 
• GPU VRAM: 8GB 
• OS: Windows 11 
• Drivers and Versions: Latest Version as of January 2026 

What do you think about this announcement? Will you play some of those classic Xbox games on your PC and/or handheld? Which games do you want to see added to the program? Which game are you most excited to see potentially receive achievements? Tell us on Bluesky and Twitter.