Microsoft is expanding its Xbox backward compatibility efforts today by bringing original Xbox games to PC. An early preview release will see four classic Xbox games available on PC today, as part of a bigger effort to bring more Xbox console games to PC in the future.
The first four games are Blinx: The Time Sweeper, Conker: Live and Reloaded, Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge, and Fuzion Frenzy. You’ll be able to purchase and download each of these games on PC, and they’ll also be included with all Xbox Game Pass plans. If you already own a digital copy of these games, you can now play them on PC or handhelds like the Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X.
Microsoft has also added a bunch of PC features to these games to make it easier to customize graphics settings while maintaining the original gameplay. VSync support has been added, alongside up to 4x resolution upscaling, anisotropic filtering, enhanced anti-aliasing, fullscreen and windowed modes, and more.
Achievements are also coming to these four classic Xbox games in the coming months, a highly requested addition for both console and PC. All four titles will also include customizable language and audio settings.
Most modern PCs will be able to run these Xbox games comfortably, and Microsoft’s minimum system requirements include:
You will also need Windows 11 to run these original Xbox games, and Microsoft recommends a GTX 1070 Ti or equivalent on the GPU side and a six-core CPU like the Intel Core i5-10400 or AMD Ryzen 5 3600 to get the best out of these games.
“This marks the beginning of a broader effort to preserve Xbox games from the past and bring them to PC over time,” says Jason Ronald, VP of next generation at Xbox. “Xbox Backward Compatibility on PC is another step toward preserving the games from the past and making it easier for you to enjoy and play more of the games you already own across the devices you use every day.”
Ronald first teased that classic Xbox games were coming to PC earlier this year, in a discussion about the next-generation Project Helix Xbox console. Microsoft’s next Xbox will also play PC games, and the company has been working on a disc-to-digital feature that will allow Xbox owners to digitize their existing physical game collections in preparation for future Xbox consoles.
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