Xbox Series X backward compatibility gets a huge boost with 76 new games

an image of max payne 3 one of the new backward-compatible games on Xbox Series X
(Image credit: Rockstar)

In celebration of 20 years of Xbox, Microsoft unveiled a list of 76 new backwards compatible games from the original Xbox and Xbox 360 eras for the Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and Xbox One. 

And 37 of these games will benefit from FPS Boost, where frame rates and performance is improved without developer intervention. 

There are some big hitters in both lists. All of the Max Payne and FEAR games are playable on Xbox One and Series X/S for the first time, as are classics like TimeSplitters 2, Red Dead Revolver and Manhunt. All of these will benefit from Auto HDR, and original Xbox titles will get a 4x resolution boost on Series X and Xbox One X systems, a 3x bump on Series S and a 2x enhancement on One S and One consoles. 

FPS Boost, meanwhile, will allow titles like Alan Wake, Sonic Generations, Oblivion and all of the Gears of War games to hit 60 frames per second. 

But while the initiative should absolutely be applauded given there was no obligation for Microsoft to return to these old games, you do get the impression that some titles in the list were included simply because they worked rather than any great public clamoring for a revival. No disrespect intended to Chicken Little (Metacritic rating: 68%) or movie tie-in party game Rio (60%), but they’re hardly Alpha Protocol, Blur or Silent Hill which all remain omitted. 

Regardless, here is the full list of newly compatible games that you can put into your Xbox, hopefully the flagship console if you've been lucky with Xbox Series X restocks, without it throwing up an error: 

Swipe to scroll horizontally

50 Cent: Blood on the Sand

Nier

Aces of the Galaxy

Novadrome

Advent Rising

Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee

Adventure Time: The Secret of the Nameless Kingdom

Onechanbara: Bikini Samurai Squad

Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? Make the Grade

Otogi: Myth of Demons

Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Burning Earth

Otogi 2: Immortal Warriors

Bankshot Billiards 2

The Outfit

Beautiful Katamari

Outpost Kaloki X

Binary Domain

Quake Arena Arcade

Black College Football Xperience: Doug Williams Ed

RAW - Realms of Ancient War

Cloning Clyde

Red Dead Revolver

Conan

Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City

Darwinia+

Ridge Racer 6

Dead or Alive Ultimate

Rio

Dead or Alive 3

Risen

Dead or Alive 4

Risen 2: Dark Waters

Death by Cube

Rock of Ages

Disney Universe

Sacred 2: Fallen Angel

Disney's Chicken Little

Scramble

Elements of Destruction

Screwjumper!

FEAR

Secret Weapons Over Normandy

FEAR 2: Project Origin

Skate 2

FEAR 3

SpongeBob SquarePants Underpants Slam!

FEAR Files

SpongeBob's Truth or Square

The First Templar

Star Wars Starfighter Special Edition

Gladius

Star Wars Episode 3 Revenge of the Sith

Gunvalkyrie

Star Wars The Clone Wars

Islands of Wakfu

Star Wars Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast

Lego Lord of the Rings

Switchball

Manhunt

Thrillville

Max Payne

Thrillville: Off the Rails

Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne

Time Pilot

Max Payne 3

TimeSplitters 2

Mini Ninjas

TimeSplitters: Future Perfect

Mortal Kombat

Toy Story Mania

Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe

Vandal Hearts: Flames of Judgment

MX vs ATV Alive

Viva Pinata: Party Animals

MX vs ATV Untamed

Warlords

...and here are the games that now benefit from FPS Boost.

Swipe to scroll horizontally

Alan Wake

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

Assassin’s Creed

Gears of War

Binary Domain

Gears of War 2

Black College Football Xperience: Doug Williams Ed

Gears of War 3

Darksiders

Gears of War: Judgment

Dead Space 2

Gears of War: Ultimate Edition

Dead Space 3

Kameo: Elements of Power

Disney’s Chicken Little

Lego The Lord of the Rings

Dragon Age: Origins

Medal of Honor: Airborne

Dragon Age II

Mirror’s Edge

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

Nier

F.E.A.R.

Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City

F.E.A.R. 3

Rock of Ages

Fable Anniversary

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed

Fable III

Sonic Generations

Fallout 3

Sonic Unleashed

Fallout: New Vegas

Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Far Cry 3

Vandal Hearts: Flames of Judgment

Final Fantasy XIII-2

Phew. With the backwards compatible list now standing at close to 700 titles, is there any hope of more coming? Probably not: in the blog post announcing the additions, this batch was referred to as the “latest and final” drop.

Then again, the June 2019 additions were also described as “final," so maybe we can hold out a little hope for the 25th anniversary of Xbox in 2026.

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Alan Martin

Freelance contributor Alan has been writing about tech for over a decade, covering phones, drones and everything in between. Previously Deputy Editor of tech site Alphr, his words are found all over the web and in the occasional magazine too. When not weighing up the pros and cons of the latest smartwatch, you'll probably find him tackling his ever-growing games backlog. Or, more likely, playing Spelunky for the millionth time.

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