Microsoft recently revealed the long awaited backwards compatibility feature for Xbox One. This feature allows gamers to play their Xbox 360 games on an Xbox One console, when either purchased digitally, or on a disc. The program is exclusively available to those who are part of the Xbox One Preview Program at this point in time, and will release to the public in fall 2015. This guide will get you started, and playing your old games in an instant.
Currently, a limited selection of titles are backwards compatible, however the library is rapidly expanding. Games to be added in the future are selected based on a large number of community requests, sorted through the Xbox Feedback page, here. Make sure to go vote!
The following games are currently compatible on Xbox One, however is expected to change often. This list is correct as of 19th June 2015:
• A Kingdom for Keflings
• A World of Keflings
• Alien Hominid HD
• Banjo-Kazooie
• Banjo-Tooie
• BattleBlock Theater
• Defense Grid
• Geometry Wars Evolved
• Hexic HD
• Jetpac Refuelled
• Kameo
• Mass Effect
• N+
• Perfect Dark
• Perfect Dark Zero
• Small Arms
• Super Meat Boy
• Toy Soldiers
• Toy Soldiers: Cold War
• Viva Piñata
• Viva Piñata: TIP
• Zuma
Want to get started with backwards compatibility? Here is what to do:
For digitally purchased games:
1. Go to the ‘My games & apps’ application on the Xbox One dashboard.
2. Scroll to the far right, past all your game installs. If you have any Xbox 360 games compatible with the feature, they will be listed under the ‘Ready to Install’ section.
3. Select the game you wish to install, and follow through the steps. The game will now download from the Xbox Store, and install to your Xbox One console.
For disc based games:
Place the Xbox 360 game disc into your Xbox One disc tray. You will be prompted to install the game to your hard drive, and will be the same experience as a digital game. The disc has to be in the tray to play.
When the game starts:
When you start a game, your Xbox 360 information will be downloaded from the cloud.
Within the game, you can open the guide by pressing the ‘Menu’ and ‘View’ buttons simultaneously. This emulated Xbox 360 guide allows you to access Xbox 360 achievements, invite and add friends, and use other Xbox 360 services. Xbox 360 Party and Chat can be also used, with the accessories you use on Xbox One. This completely emulates the Xbox 360 game experience, allowing you to connect to multiplayer lobbies with users on Xbox 360, and Xbox One compatibility mode.
When playing games using backwards compatibility, you may also use Xbox One services. You can talk to friends in Xbox One party chat, snap apps, and watch TV. You can also use Game DVR and screenshots and share them on the Xbox One network.
The Xbox One and Xbox 360 use differing hardware architecture, and therefore emulation has been extremely hard previously. After dedicated effort, it has been possible to emulate games on the console, and bypass this barrier between generations of hardware. When you launch a game, the Xbox 360 emulator is started, and the game runs in a separate environment. This is some great engineering, and should be greatly applauded.
Have you tried Xbox One backwards compatibility? Let us know in the comments!
Matt was a regular ICXM contributor in 2015, publishing 110 articles across game reviews, Windows and PC, and Xbox news. Their work focused on hands-on reviews, platform commentary, and breaking-news reporting during the Xbox One’s first full year of post-launch coverage, including the early days of Backwards Compatibility and Windows 10 gaming. They post on X as @RTEnvi.