Windows Could Soon Play Xbox 360 Games, Too

Microsoft is preparing to bring Xbox 360 games to PC through its backward compatibility program. Even though the company has not officially confirmed that rollout yet, the clearest confirmed step so far is the launch of original Xbox backward compatibility on PC, which Microsoft announced in July and began with four games

• BliNX: The Time Sweeper,

• Conker: Live and Reloaded,

• Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge,

• and Fuzion Frenzy.

Microsoft has given developers internal docs about an opt-in system for Xbox 360 games. It would let publishers decide whether to make a game playable on PC, set the price, and choose whether to include it in Game Pass. Microsoft also plans support for PC, handhelds, and its next Xbox hardware, Project Helix.

The Xbox 360 rollout is expected in the next couple of years, between 2027 and 2028. This also means that Microsoft doesn’t plan to release the entire Xbox 360 catalog all at once; instead, it seems they’re working on a gradual compatibility program that will add titles as they’re approved.

Microsoft’s current PC compatibility program already gives players access through the Xbox app on Windows 11, and it includes digital license carryover for supported titles. Microsoft also lists PC and supported handhelds as supported devices for the original Xbox rollout, and it says more titles will come later.

Microsoft is using emulators for support. The new PC releases already run through an Xbox 360 emulator layer, which helps explain how Microsoft could extend the same system to 360 games later, as reported by Windows Central.

So the accurate headline is this: Microsoft has brought original Xbox games to PC, and reports suggest Xbox 360 games might be next, but there’s no official confirmation yet.