Remember the golden era of Xbox 360 games? We got some of the best titles back then, including Halo 3, Gears of War, Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, Forza Motorsport 4, and many more. Now, what if we told you that you could play all those games on your PC? Yep, you read that right. According to a new report, Microsoft is reportedly working on a major expansion of its backward compatibility programme that could let developers bring Xbox 360 games to PCs, future Xbox consoles, the rumoured Project Helix device, and even upcoming handhelds. Even though the company has not officially confirmed anything of the sort, the idea is surely exciting. Read on to know all that we know about it.
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According to a report by The Verge, Microsoft is planning to give developers the freedom to bring their Xbox 360 games to a wider range of devices instead of limiting them to consoles. This reportedly includes Xbox PCs, the upcoming Project Helix gaming device, future Xbox handhelds, and next generation Xbox consoles.
The report adds that developers, rather than Microsoft, will decide whether to make their games backward compatible. They will also have control over how the games are priced and whether they are made available through Xbox Game Pass.
However, you can’t really expect this to happen anytime soon. The report also added that the rollout is currently planned for sometime between 2027 and 2028, meaning it is still a year or two away.
The leaked document also hints at another interesting feature. According to the report, if you insert an Xbox One or Xbox Series X game disc into your console, Microsoft could give you a digital copy of that game. The digital licence would be linked to both your Microsoft account and the physical disc.
The report also claims that if you sell or give that disc to someone else, the digital licence could move to the new owner as well. This means players may still be able to buy, sell and exchange physical games, just like they do today, while also getting the convenience of having a digital version. Now the timing of this move is interesting as the PS5 just announced its decision to move towards digital-only games in 2028. That said, it is important to note that this information hasn’t officially been confirmed yet and must be taken with a pinch of salt.
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