25 Original Xbox Games You Can Now Play on PC
Microsoft is bringing achievements to original Xbox games for the first time — and you can play all 25 on your PC.
A New Chapter for Xbox Backward Compatibility
In 2026, Microsoft's long-running backward compatibility program has expanded to support original Xbox titles on PC. This marks a significant shift for game preservation and gives PC players official access to a library of classics that have been difficult to play on modern hardware for years.
Why This Matters
The original Xbox, released in 2001, has one of the most challenging game libraries to preserve. Its custom NVIDIA-based architecture and proprietary hardware made emulation notoriously difficult. Official support on PC means players can now enjoy these titles with improved performance, higher resolutions, and — crucially — full achievement support.
The Full List of 25 Games
Microsoft has confirmed the following original Xbox titles are now playable on PC:
- Halo: Combat Evolved — The genre-defining FPS that launched the franchise
- Halo 2 — The sequel that defined online console multiplayer
- Fable — Lionhead's beloved action RPG
- Knights of the Old Republic — BioWare's Star Wars RPG classic
- Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords — Obsidian's divisive but ambitious sequel
- Jade Empire — BioWare's martial arts epic
- Ninja Gaiden Black — The definitive action game by Team Ninja
- Panzer Dragoon Orta — Sega's cult rail shooter
- Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge — Aerial combat arcade action
- Project Gotham Racing 2 — The premier arcade racer
- Forza Motorsport — The original turn 10 sim racer
- MechAssault — Mech-based action with destructible environments
- MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf — The multiplayer-enhanced sequel
- Brute Force — Squad-based sci-fi shooter
- Splinter Cell — Stealth action done right
- Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow — The multiplayer spy-vs-spy classic
- Rainbow Six 3 — Tactical shooter excellence
- Ghost Recon — Clancy's squad-based tactical shooter
- Psychonauts — Double Fine's creative platformer
- Beyond Good & Evil — Ubisoft's cult adventure classic
- Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time — The action-platforming reboot
- Morrowind — Elder Scrolls V — wait, actually Morrowind is The Elder Scrolls III, the open-world RPG that set a new standard
- Star Wars: Republic Commando — Squad-based tactical shooter
- Conker: Live & Reloaded — The infamous, foul-mouthed platformer (and its multiplayer mode)
- Voodoo Vince — A quirky action-platformer with attitude
- A PC running Windows 10 or Windows 11
- The Xbox app for PC
- An active Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription, or ownership of the individual titles where available
- A compatible controller (keyboard and mouse support varies by title)
Note: The exact list may vary by region and availability. Some titles may require a compatible controller.
Achievements Come to Original Xbox
For the first time, original Xbox games on PC will support Xbox achievements. This is a notable milestone — many of these games predate the achievement system entirely, meaning developers had to retroactively design achievement sets that fit each game's structure. Players can log in with their Xbox account and earn Gamerscore across titles that never had it before.
How to Play
To access these games, players need:
Microsoft has stated that performance varies by title, but most games run at higher resolutions and framerates than their original console versions, with optional enhancements like widescreen support and cloud saves.
What's Next
Microsoft has hinted that more original Xbox titles are in the pipeline, with a focus on fan-requested classics. The company has also suggested that this program could expand to other legacy platforms in the future. For now, 25 games represent a strong start for what could become a comprehensive preservation effort.
Sean Hollister is a senior editor at The Verge covering gaming and technology.
via The Verge