25 original Xbox games arrive on PC, with first achievements
Microsoft's paid "next-gen game preservation" promise now has more behind it. Starting today, 25 original Xbox games can be played on a Windows PC, up from four in July.
A catalogue built around Star Wars
Players need a digital copy of each game, either one they already own or one they pay for. The list runs from Conker: Live and Reloaded, Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge and The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind to Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb, Secret Weapons Over Normandy and TimeSplitters: Future Perfect. Star Wars takes up the biggest share, with Knights of the Old Republic and its sequel, Republic Commando, Jedi Academy, Jedi Outcast, Jedi Starfighter, The Clone Wars and more. Most of those already have PC versions, and few of the 25 were exclusive to Xbox when they came out.
According to Microsoft, just six games are in Xbox Game Pass right now: Blinx, Conker, Crimson Skies, Fusion Frenzy, Morrowind and Grabbed by the Ghoulies.
Achievements arrive for four titles
Original Xbox games get achievements for the first time, starting with Knights of the Old Republic and its sequel, Blinx: The Time Sweeper and Conker: Live and Reloaded. After a system update, players on Xbox One and Xbox Series consoles can unlock them as well. Microsoft says more games should get achievements in the future.
What leaked documents said about the plan
Leaked Microsoft documents had pointed to October 2026 as the "full launch" of original Xbox games on PC. The same documents described a gradual rollout of Xbox 360 games to next-gen consoles between 2027 and 2028. Those are the years when Microsoft is expected to bring out a handheld and a Helix box. If those plans hold, Helix is expected to run games from every Xbox generation, though it may turn out to be a Windows PC underneath.
Why discs do not help
Pulling an original Xbox disc out of a drawer will not unlock any of this. Original Xbox and Xbox 360 discs sit outside Microsoft's disc-to-digital program, which relies on the unique serial number Microsoft embedded into Xbox One discs, and the older discs came first. The PC backward compatibility also appears to run on an emulator.
Source: The Verge