Do Xbox owners actually use Xbox backward compatibility? 95% of Windows Central readers say so.

Xbox back compat
(Image credit: Microsoft)

What you need to know

  • The recent announcement of GoldenEye 007 for Xbox consoles sparked a conversation about older games on modern consoles.
  • Xbox backward compatibility has allowed people to play older titles on Xbox consoles for years, including the Xbox Series X.
  • Almost 95% of voters in our recent poll said that they play at least some games through Xbox backward compatibility.

Last week when it was confirmed that GoldenEye 007 was on the way to Xbox consoles and the Nintendo Switch, the gaming world was aflutter about classic titles. Of course, Xbox owners have a large library of old games to enjoy through Xbox backward compatibility. Our question was if people actually used the feature to play games from previous generations of consoles.

The votes are in, and Windows Central readers overwhelmingly like to play games through Xbox backward compatibility.

Last week we ran a poll, and over 64% of voters said that they play a large number of games through Xbox backward compatibility. An additional 30.26% said they play a small number of games through the feature. Only 5.29% of voters said that they do not play any games through Xbox backward compatibility.

Microsoft has invested heavily in Xbox backward compatibility over the years, expanding the library of classic titles to include hundreds of games. Our list of the best Xbox backward compatible games has quite a few well-known and historic titles.

In contrast, Sony has not rolled out as robust of a support network for older titles. For example, the Xbox Series X is fully compatible with Xbox One titles and Xbox backward compatible games, while the PS5 does not have similar functionality.

If you'd like to chat about your favorite classic games, make sure to hop on over to our official Discord server. We have channels for console gaming, PC gaming, and more.

Sean Endicott
News Writer and apps editor

Sean Endicott brings nearly a decade of experience covering Microsoft and Windows news to Windows Central. He joined our team in 2017 as an app reviewer and now heads up our day-to-day news coverage. If you have a news tip or an app to review, hit him up at sean.endicott@futurenet.com.