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

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: 

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

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.