Microsoft announces Xbox Backward Compatibility for PC — will let gamers play classic console games on PCs and handhelds
Xbox has announced a new Xbox Backward Compatibility for PC program, which will let gamers play a selection of classic Xbox titles on PCs and handhelds, a move the company says marks the beginning of a bigger push into Xbox game preservation. The announcement begins with four titles that can now be played on PCs and handhelds, including the ROG Xbox Ally and Ally X.
“This marks the beginning of a broader effort to preserve XBOX games from the past and bring them to PC over time,” the company said in a blog post authored by Xbox “VP next generation” Jason Ronald. Alongside backward compatibility, the company says games will also include new features. The four titles in the announcement are:
You can now buy all of these games on PC, and they’re also included in all Xbox Game Pass plans. Anyone who already owns these titles digitally on console can also now play them on PC or handheld, with support for Xbox Play Anywhere and Xbox Cloud Gaming. Crucially, this appears to be a digital-only preservation effort, so it won’t help anyone who only owns physical copies of these games. Xbox has reportedly been testing a way to digitize physical games as far back as Xbox One, but that hasn’t yet materialized yet.
Alongside the preserved original gameplay, Xbox claims these games will let users customize graphics settings, with up to 4x resolution scaling, VSync support, Fullscreen and Windowed modes, anisotropic filtering, and enhanced anti-aliasing, with more features to come in the future. Notably, Xbox will add achievements to select original Xbox games on console and PC.
Users who want to play these titles will need to meet the following system requirements:
|
Spec: |
Minimum requirements |
Recommended specs |
|
GPU |
Nvidia GTX 950 or AMD Radeon RX 550 or Intel UHD 770 or Intel Arc A310 |
Radeon RX 68005 or Nvidia GTX 1070 Ti or Intel Arc A770 |
|
CPU |
Min 4 Cores Intel Core i3-8100 or AMD Ryzen 3 1200 or AMD Ryzen Z2 A Processor |
6 cores and 12 threads Intel Core i5-10400 or AMD Ryzen 5 3600 or AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme |
|
RAM |
8GB |
8GB |
|
DirectX |
N/A |
DirectX12 API, Hardware Feature Level 11 |
|
OS |
Windows 11 |
Windows 11 |
|
Drivers |
Latest Version as of January 2026 |
Latest Version as of January 2026 |
Microsoft‘s emphasis on preserving older games is particularly noteworthy given recent backlash against Sony over its decision to end physical games with its next console generation, and the shuttering of some of its online stores. While Xbox’s digital emphasis on game preservation still can’t match the solidarity of physical media preservation, the timing of this announcement seems like more than just a coincidence.
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