A list of every supported Xbox game, from Alan Wake to Zuma, on Xbox One and Xbox Series. Xbox backwards compatibility of Xbox 360 games was Microsoft's big surprise back at E3 2015, and since debuting the feature later that year, the publisher rolled out new releases on a month-by-month basis. Though Microsoft wound down its original Xbox and Xbox 360 back compatible efforts in mid-2019 in favour of Xbox One support for Xbox Series X - which also supports a range of improvements - there was one final update in November 2021 as part of Xbox's 20th anniversary celebrations, adding another 76 games and adding additional enhancements to existing ones. While both downloadable and disc-based Xbox 360 and original Xbox games work on Xbox One and Xbox Series X, only selected games are supported on a case-by-case basis. From fan-favourite Xbox Live Arcade games to some of the biggest Xbox 360 exclusives such as Gears of War 3 and Halo: Reach, the roster represents a wide selection of some of Xbox's greatest hits. On this page: In November 2021 as part of Xbox's 20th anniversary celebrations, Xbox added another 70 games to its backwards compatible roster - and introduced additional enhancements to existing ones. First, let's go through the existing games given FPS Boost when played on Xbox Series X or S: Here are the 18 new original Xbox backwards compatible games: Here are the 58 new Xbox 360 backwards compatible games: Here is every backwards compatible Xbox 360 game playable on Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S: First introduced on October 24th 2017, here is every Xbox original game backwards compatible on Xbox One and Xbox Series: As well as the above lists of supported Xbox One and original Xbox games, the Xbox Series consoles also offers backwards compatibility to Xbox One games and peripherals (including the Xbox Elite Controller and Xbox Adaptive Controller) in what Microsoft describes as "our most powerful and compatible console ever". In a blog post in July 2020, Microsoft said: "It's our intent for all Xbox One games that do not require Kinect to play on Xbox Series X at the launch of the console."
Backwards compatible supported games on Xbox Series will benefit from several system-wide features:
- Backwards compatible games will run natively on Xbox Series X hardware, offering potentially higher framerates and resolutions, plus "significant reductions" in load times using the SSD. In early Digital Foundry tests, it offers "up to double the performance in the most demanding games".
- "Select titles" can have framerate doubled, going from 30fps to 60fps, or 60fps to 120fps.
- HDR will be supported across backwards compatible games thanks to a "reconstruction technique", even going back to original Xbox and Xbox 360 games.
- All titles will support Quick Resume, a system-wide feature which allows you to stop progress of multiple games and continue playing them later.
- Xbox Series S will offer Xbox One S-level backwards compatibility, whereas the Xbox Series X will offer Xbox One X-level backwards compatibility. In a nutshell, this means X will run up to 4K, whereas the S will run up to 1440p - just like other Xbox Series games.
- Xbox Series S will also introduce "improved texture filtering, higher and more consistent frame rates, faster load times and Auto HDR", according to Microsoft.
As well as broad backwards compatibility support for Xbox One games, select Xbox One games will also see specific Xbox Series versions for free as part of the Xbox Smart Delivery system.
In November 2021, as part of Xbox's 20th anniversary celebrations, over 70 new titles were added from the original Xbox and Xbox 360. These were confirmed to be the last backwards compatible games to be introduced on later Xbox consoles "due to licensing, legal and technical constraints".
The experience varies from game to game. According to Digital Foundry's report, all titles receive some baseline improvements - such as the elimination of screen tear "completely on every title" - through to any disc access operations tending to "have less of an impact on performance", meaning Mass Effect's elevator load times and Fallout 3's hitches are reduced.
However, while less demanding games such as Braid and N+ perform flawlessly, the more CPU-heavy titles do struggle, with Halo: Reach and Gears of War: Judgement singled out as games that suffer in the emulation process.
In terms of features, Xbox 360 backwards compatibility on Xbox One supports:
- Digital and disc-based games at no additional cost
- Support for existing saves (through the Cloud), DLC, Achievement progress, and the original dashboard
- Multiplayer between those playing on Xbox 360 and Xbox One
- Select Xbox One system features, including Game DVR, Windows 10 streaming and screenshots
Many Xbox 360 games are also currently available on Microsoft's Netflix-style Xbox Game Pass subscription service.