Microsoft has brought 21 more original Xbox games to PC, taking the Xbox Backward Compatibility on PC library to 25 titles, according to a post published on 12 November on Xbox Wire by Jason Ronald, vice-president of next generation. The same update adds achievements to a short list of original Xbox games, among them both Knights of the Old Republic titles.

The first four original Xbox games reached PC earlier this year, including handhelds such as the ROG Xbox Ally family. The 21 added on 12 November are available to players in supported countries starting that day. “Today, 21 more original XBOX games are coming to PC, bringing the XBOX Backward Compatibility on PC library to 25 games as we celebrate 25 years of XBOX,” Ronald wrote.

The release sits inside the company’s 25th anniversary run. Make Tech Easier has covered the anniversary hardware separately, including the numbered Xbox Series X25 console and a later restock of that console.

The 21 games added on 12 November

Eleven of the 21 are Star Wars titles. The full line-up given on Xbox Wire is:

  • Armed and Dangerous
  • Disney’s Chicken Little
  • The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (also available with Xbox Game Pass)
  • Grabbed by the Ghoulies (also available with Xbox Game Pass)
  • Indiana Jones and the Emperor’s Tomb
  • Red Faction II
  • Secret Weapons Over Normandy
  • Star Wars Battlefront
  • Star Wars Battlefront II
  • Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
  • Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
  • Star Wars Jedi Knight II Jedi Outcast
  • Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter
  • Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
  • Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II – The Sith Lords
  • Star Wars: Republic Commando
  • Star Wars: Starfighter – Special Edition
  • Star Wars: The Clone Wars
  • Thrillville
  • TimeSplitters 2
  • TimeSplitters: Future Perfect

Those join the four games already on PC: BLiNX: The Time Sweeper, Conker: Live and Reloaded, Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge and Fuzion Frenzy, each listed as also available with Xbox Game Pass. Performance and stability have been improved for those first four, Ronald wrote, and every game now supports mouse and keyboard.

Windows Central, which also reported the expansion on 12 November, said players had hoped for titles such as Singularity and Skylanders, which are not in this batch, and that the Xbox Game Preservation website has tens of thousands of votes for games. The site added that the anniversary run continues through the week with smaller announcements, including the Playback feature.

Achievements arrive in both KOTOR games

Four games gained achievements on the same day. “For the first time ever, players can now earn achievements in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II – The Sith Lords, BLiNX: The Time Sweeper, and Conker: Live and Reloaded,” the Xbox Wire post says.

Only the two Knights of the Old Republic games come from the batch of 21. BLiNX and Conker were already in the library as two of the first four games brought to PC earlier in the year, so the achievement list spans both the older additions and the new ones rather than four of the games added on 12 November.

The achievements are not limited to PC. They also apply when the games are played on Xbox One and Xbox Series consoles, and players are told to take the latest system update before trying to earn them. In some cases, achievements may unlock based on progress a player has already made.

Microsoft said it worked closely with each game’s developers and publishers as the achievements were designed, “to make sure they fit the spirit of each title”, and that it plans to bring achievements to more original Xbox games over time. Ronald described achievements as one of the top requested features from the Xbox community.

What players need to run them

The small print on the Xbox Wire post sets out the conditions. The games require Windows 11, a download is required, and specific features vary by game. Availability is limited to select markets, and a game purchase or an Xbox Game Pass subscription may be required. Microsoft points players to xbox.com/game-compatibility for per-game details.

The titles run through the Xbox Backward Compatibility program, the same route used when the first four games arrived. Windows Central said that earlier batch was ported and emulated to Windows 11 via the Xbox PC app. Several of the 25 are flagged as available with Xbox Game Pass, among them Morrowind and Grabbed by the Ghoulies from the new list.

The program has previously brought hundreds of original Xbox and Xbox 360 games natively to modern consoles, according to Windows Central, which said that history has made Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S the only place to play many classics. Moving part of that catalog to Windows 11 extends it to PCs, with mouse and keyboard support now applied across the PC library.

More is planned on both fronts. Ronald wrote that further original Xbox games will come to PC in the future, and that achievements will reach more of the classics over time.

The same 12 November Xbox 25th anniversary announcements also confirmed that Wolfenstein 3 is in production at MachineGames, a sequel to 2017’s Wolfenstein II with Brian Bloom and Debra Wilson returning.