Microsoft expands original Xbox games on Windows PC to 25 titles

Microsoft is broadening its original Xbox backward-compatibility effort on Windows PCs. At the time of The Verge's report, the company said 25 original Xbox games can be played on Windows PCs, up from four when the program began in July. Players need digital copies—either already owned or newly purchased—and Microsoft says the titles support keyboard and mouse input.

The expansion is tied to Xbox's 25th anniversary and to Microsoft's paid game-preservation initiative. The Verge notes that the selection includes many Star Wars titles, several of which already had PC versions, and relatively few games that were once Xbox-only. The supplied excerpt refers to a full list but does not reproduce it, so this brief does not enumerate titles beyond those named in the report.

Achievements are also arriving for original Xbox games for the first time, according to Microsoft. The initial group is Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and its sequel, Blinx: The Time Sweeper, and Conker: Live and Reloaded. Those achievements can also be unlocked on Xbox One and Xbox Series consoles after a system update. Microsoft says more games should receive achievement support later.

There are limits. Original Xbox discs cannot be used to unlock these PC versions, The Verge reports, because original Xbox and Xbox 360 discs fall outside Microsoft's disc-to-digital program; they predate the serial-number scheme used for Xbox One discs. The Verge also describes the PC compatibility as appearing to rely on emulation, which is an interpretation rather than a Microsoft-confirmed technical detail in the excerpt.

Game Pass coverage is partial. Microsoft told The Verge that most of the newly added titles are not currently included with Xbox Game Pass. The exceptions named are Blinx, Conker, Crimson Skies, Fusion Frenzy, Morrowind, and Grabbed by the Ghoulies.

Looking ahead, The Verge cites previously leaked Microsoft documents that pointed to an October 2026 full launch for original Xbox games on PC and a gradual rollout of Xbox 360 titles to next-generation consoles in 2027-2028. Those documents also tied that window to an expected handheld device and an Xbox Helix box. The report says Helix should play games from every Xbox generation, even if it ultimately amounts to a Windows PC. These are reported plans, not confirmed shipping commitments in the source.

For players, the immediate change is practical: a larger catalog of older Xbox titles is available on PC with modern input support, but ownership remains digital-only and Game Pass access is uneven. The achievement rollout is narrower still, beginning with four games. The larger preservation and hardware roadmap remains based on leaked material and should be treated as provisional.