Xbox Adds 21 More Classic Games to PC Backward Compatibility

Microsoft has expanded its Xbox backward compatibility PC program with 21 more original Xbox games, bringing decades-old titles back to modern hardware as part of the brand’s 25th anniversary celebrations. The same batch of games also runs natively on Xbox Series consoles and Xbox One, alongside the arrival of achievement support for a handful of the earliest adopters in the scheme.

The announcement builds on a much smaller rollout from earlier in 2026, when Microsoft first revealed the Xbox Compatibility program and launched just four original Xbox games on PC. That initial batch was more of a proof of concept than a full library revival. This latest wave is considerably larger and arrives with far more fanfare, timed deliberately to coincide with Xbox turning 25 years old in November 2026.

What the Xbox backward compatibility PC expansion includes

Microsoft confirmed the news through an official post on Xbox Wire, describing the update as part of a broader push to make its back catalogue playable on current hardware without emulators or unofficial workarounds. Players who already own qualifying original Xbox titles, either digitally or on disc where supported, will be able to run them through the same Xbox app and console software they already use for modern releases.

Crucially, this isn’t a PC-only initiative. Every game added through this expansion is also playable on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and Xbox One, giving console owners the same access as PC players. That cross-platform consistency has become something of a signature move for Xbox over the past few years, as Microsoft leans further into treating its software and services as the product rather than any single piece of hardware.

Microsoft hasn’t published a definitive, permanent list of every title included in this specific wave, but the scale of the rollout, nearly two dozen games in one announcement, marks the biggest single addition to the program since it launched. It signals that Xbox intends to keep expanding the backward compatibility library at a steady clip rather than treating the original four games as a one-off experiment.

Achievements are finally coming to classic games

Alongside the new titles, Xbox has confirmed that achievement support is being added to select games within the Backwards Compatibility program, something longtime fans have been requesting since emulation efforts first made old Xbox games playable on newer hardware. For now, the list of games with working achievements on PC is short but notable: Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II, The Sith Lords, BLiNX: The Time Sweeper, and Conker: Live and Reloaded.

Microsoft has indicated that more titles in the backward compatibility program will receive achievement support over time, though it hasn’t committed to a schedule or confirmed which games are next in line. Achievement tracking has long been a point of friction for backward compatibility efforts generally, since older titles weren’t built with modern platform services in mind, so retrofitting that functionality takes genuine engineering work rather than a simple toggle.

Why this matters for PC and console players

For PC players specifically, the expansion is another sign that Microsoft is treating the Xbox app and PC ecosystem as a first-class destination rather than an afterthought to console releases. Combined with ongoing efforts to speed up the Xbox PC app itself, the backward compatibility push fits a pattern of Microsoft trying to make PC feel like a genuine extension of the Xbox brand rather than a separate platform that happens to share some games.

For console owners, particularly those who kept hold of original Xbox discs from the early 2000s, the update offers a legitimate, supported way to revisit games that would otherwise require increasingly scarce original hardware. Game preservation has become a louder topic across the industry in recent years, and official backward compatibility programs like this one are one of the few ways large publishers meaningfully participate in that conversation without relying on fan-made emulation projects.

The timing also says something about how Xbox wants to mark its anniversary. Rather than leaning solely on new releases or hardware reveals, Microsoft chose to spotlight its history, acknowledging that a meaningful chunk of its audience values access to the back catalogue as much as whatever comes next. Whether the remaining original Xbox library eventually makes it across in full remains to be seen, but this expansion is a clear signal of intent.

Frequently asked questions

How many original Xbox games are now backward compatible on PC?

Microsoft has added 21 additional original Xbox games through this expansion, on top of the four titles that launched when the Xbox Compatibility program first debuted earlier in 2026.

Which games currently support achievements on PC?

As of this announcement, only four games support achievements: Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II, The Sith Lords, BLiNX: The Time Sweeper, and Conker: Live and Reloaded. Microsoft says more will follow.

Do these games also work on Xbox consoles, or only PC?

Both. Every game included in this update is playable on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and Xbox One in addition to PC, so console owners get the same access as PC players.

Do players need to repurchase games to use backward compatibility?

Microsoft’s announcement does not describe a repurchase requirement for qualifying titles already owned on Xbox, consistent with how previous backward compatibility efforts have worked, though players should check individual game eligibility through the Xbox app.