2000s-Era Xbox Games Are Coming to Windows 11: Here Are the First 4
Microsoft is breathing new life into old-school Xbox games by porting them to Windows 11 and making them playable on PCs and gaming handhelds , including the Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X .
On Wednesday, the company debuted its Xbox Backward Compatibility on PC program, which is starting with four titles originally released between 2001 and 2005. "This marks the beginning of a broader effort to preserve Xbox games from the past and bring them to PC over time," it says.
Although it's still at an early release stage, the program is rolling out now for these games:
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BLiNX: The Time Sweeper (2002)
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Conker: Live and Reloaded (2005)
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Fuzion Frenzy (2001)
The titles will be available for free with an Xbox Game Pass subscription. Otherwise, customers can buy them from the Microsoft Store for $9.99 each, though Fuzion Frenzy is discounted to $2.49. If you already own the digital game on the Xbox console, good news: "That license now carries over to your PC or handheld," the company says.
It also appears that each game can run natively on a PC, rather than the cloud. The minimum system requirements list Windows 11 and an Nvidia GTX 950 (which was released in 2015), AMD Radeon RX 550, Intel UHD 770, or Intel Arc A310. You'll also need at least a four-core CPU, with a minimum of Intel's Core i3-8100, AMD Ryzen 3 1200, or an AMD Ryzen Z2 A Processor, which is used in handhelds.
Microsoft says some modern enhancements to the titles can be toggled on. "Players can customize graphics settings, including up to 4x resolution upscaling, VSync support, Fullscreen and Windowed display modes, anisotropic filtering, enhanced anti-aliasing, and more. These games also include customizable language and audio settings," the company says.
Later this year, Achievements—a much-requested feature—will also be added. "The first four games releasing in preview today will be updated to include Achievements in the coming months," Microsoft says.
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