Original Xbox games on PC just jumped from 4 to 25. Microsoft added 21 classics to Xbox Backward Compatibility on PC on November 12 for Xbox’s 25th anniversary, led by Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and its sequel, The Sith Lords, plus TimeSplitters 2 and The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. Both KOTOR games also pick up Xbox achievements for the first time, on PC and on console.
Here’s the twist for PC players: 10 of the 21 already sell as native PC versions on GOG. The other 11 are where this program earns its keep.
Windows 11, the Xbox App and $9.99 a Game
Microsoft’s Xbox Wire announcement lays out the rules. You need Windows 11, each game is a separate download through the Xbox app, and the games are only offered in select countries. They also run on Windows handhelds like the ROG Xbox Ally family, and every game in the program now supports mouse and keyboard. The first four games, which arrived earlier this year, got performance and stability fixes in the same update.
You buy each game individually. The Microsoft Store listings we checked for TimeSplitters 2, TimeSplitters: Future Perfect, Secret Weapons Over Normandy and Thrillville are $9.99 each. Microsoft says “specific features vary by game,” so check each store page before you buy.
The 21 Original Xbox Games on PC, With GOG Alongside
Prices are GOG’s regular US prices on November 13.
| Original Xbox game, new on PC | Native PC version on GOG |
|---|---|
| Armed and Dangerous | No |
| Disney’s Chicken Little | No |
| The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind | Yes, GOTY Edition, $14.99 |
| Grabbed by the Ghoulies | No |
| Indiana Jones and the Emperor’s Tomb | Yes, $5.99 |
| Red Faction II | No |
| Secret Weapons Over Normandy | No |
| Star Wars Battlefront | Yes, Classic 2004, $9.99 |
| Star Wars Battlefront II | Yes, Classic 2005, $9.99 |
| Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith | No |
| Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy | Yes, $9.99 |
| Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast | Yes, $9.99 |
| Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter | No |
| Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic | Yes, $9.99 |
| Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords | Yes, $9.99 |
| Star Wars: Republic Commando | Yes, $9.99 |
| Star Wars: Starfighter Special Edition | PC Starfighter only, $5.99 |
| Star Wars: The Clone Wars | No |
| Thrillville | No (GOG sells the later Thrillville: Off the Rails) |
| TimeSplitters 2 | No |
| TimeSplitters: Future Perfect | No |
They join the four from the first wave: BLiNX: The Time Sweeper, Conker: Live and Reloaded, Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge and Fuzion Frenzy.
Achievements Decide Which KOTOR You Want
For the 10 games with a GOG listing, you’re choosing between two different things. The GOG copy is the original PC release as a DRM-free installer you keep, with no Xbox app or Windows 11 requirement. The Xbox version runs the console original through Microsoft’s backward compatibility and ties into your Xbox account.
That account tie-in now includes achievements for Knights of the Old Republic, The Sith Lords, BLiNX and Conker. Microsoft says they also work when you play those games on Xbox One and Xbox Series consoles after the latest system update, and that “in some cases, achievements may unlock based on progress you’ve already made.” If you want the Gamerscore, the Xbox version is the only route. If you want an owned PC copy, GOG has both KOTOR games at $9.99 each.
TimeSplitters 2 Is the Big Get
The games without a GOG listing are the real news for PC players. TimeSplitters 2 and TimeSplitters: Future Perfect, Free Radical’s console shooters, never had a PC release, and the same goes for Rare’s Grabbed by the Ghoulies and the console-only Star Wars games on the list: Jedi Starfighter, The Clone Wars and Revenge of the Sith. At $9.99 apiece through the Xbox app, this is the legit way to play them on a PC.
Microsoft says more original Xbox games are coming to PC and more of them will get achievements over time. If the next wave digs deeper into the console-only shelf, PC players stand to gain the most.