Xbox 20th Anniversary announcements including backward compatible games, FPS Boost and updates on popular games

Xbox has recently just reached its 20 year anniversary, with the original Xbox console being released in the US on November 15th 2001.

As part of its 20 year anniversary, Xbox has announced some new additions to the platform, starting with new games as part of the Xbox backward compatibility program and also FPS Boosts to games on the Xbox Series X / S and Xbox Cloud Gaming.

Backward Compatible Games

As part of Xbox’s celebration of its 20th anniversary, over 70 Xbox 360 and Original Xbox games have been added to the platform as part of the Xbox backward compatibility program and will be available on both Xbox One and Xbox Series X / S.

All of the backward compatible games which have been added this time include support for Auto HDR (where supported on displays) and Original Xbox games will receive a resolution increase on Xbox One and Xbox Series X / S consoles (on supported displays).

The following games have been added:

• 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand
• Aces of the Galaxy
• Advent Rising
• Adventure Time: The Secret of the Nameless Kingdom
• Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? Make the Grade
• Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Burning Earth
• Bankshot Billiards 2
• Beautiful Katamari
• Binary Domain
• Black College Football Xperience: Doug Williams Ed
• Cloning Clyde
• Conan
• Darwinia+
• Dead or Alive Ultimate
• Dead or Alive 3
• Dead or Alive 4
• Death by Cube
• Disney Universe
• Disney’s Chicken Little
• Elements of Destruction
• F.E.A.R.
• F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin
• F.E.A.R. 3
• F.E.A.R. Files
• The First Templar
• Gladius
• Gunvalkyrie
• Islands of Wakfu
• Lego The Lord of the Rings
• Manhunt
• Max Payne
• Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne
• Max Payne 3
• Mini Ninjas
• Mortal Kombat
• Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe
• MX vs. ATV Alive
• MX vs. ATV Untamed
• NIER
• Novadrome
• Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee
• Onechanbara: Bikini Samurai Squad
• Otogi: Myth of Demons
• Otogi 2: Immortal Warriors
• The Outfit
• Outpost Kaloki X
• Quake Arena Arcade
• R.A.W. – Realms of Ancient War
• Red Dead Revolver
• Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City
• Ridge Racer 6
• Rio
• sen
• isen 2: Dark Waters
• Rock of Ages
• Sacred 2: Fallen Angel
• Scramble
• Screwjumper!
• Secret Weapons Over Normandy
• Skate 2
• SpongeBob SquarePants Underpants Slam!
• SpongeBob’s Truth or Square
• Star Wars Starfighter: Special Edition
• Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars
• Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast
• Switchball
• Thrillville
• Thrillville: Off the Rails
• Time Pilot
• TimeSplitters 2
• TimeSplitters: Future Perfect
• Toy Story Mania!
• Vandal Hearts: Flames of Judgment
• Viva Piñata: Party Animals
• Warlords

Despite the additional 76 games which have now been added, this was the final addition to the Xbox backward compatibility library. Xbox has said:

“This latest and final addition of 70+ titles to the backwards compatibility program was only possible through the passion and feedback from the community.”

FPS Boost Not only did Xbox add 76 new backward compatible games, but also 37 games have received the FPS Boost feature and for the first time Xbox Cloud Gaming is getting the FPS Boost feature, starting with 33 games.

Some of the games receiving FPS Boost are games which have just been added as part of the 20th anniversary but the majority were already on the platform. The 37 games receiving FPS Boost are:

• Alan Wake
• Assassin’s Creed
• Binary Domain
• Black College Football Xperience: Doug Williams Ed
• Darksiders
• Dead Space 2
• Dead Space 3
• Disney’s Chicken Little
• Dragon Age: Origins
• Dragon Age II
• The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
• F.E.A.R.
• F.E.A.R. 3
• Fable Anniversary
• Fable III
• Fallout 3
• Fallout: New Vegas
• Far Cry 3
• Final Fantasy XIII-2
• Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII
• Gears of War
• Gears of War 2
• Gears of War 3
• Gears of War: Judgment
• Gears of War: Ultimate Edition
• Kameo: Elements of Power
• Lego The Lord of the Rings
• Medal of Honor: Airborne
• Mirror’s Edge
• Nier
• Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City
• Rock of Ages
• Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed
• Sonic Generations
• Sonic Unleashed
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars
• Vandal Hearts: Flames of Judgment

The first 33 games to receive FPS Boost on Xbox Cloud Gaming are:

• Battlefield 4
• Beholder Complete Edition
• Dishonored Definitive Edition
• Dishonored: Death of the Outsider
• Dragon Age: Inquisition
• Dragon Age: Origins
• The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
• The Evil Within 2
• Fable Anniversary
• Fable III
• Fallout 3
• Fallout 4
• Fallout 76
• Fallout: New Vegas
• The Gardens Between
• Gears of War 2
• Gears of War 3
• Gears of War 4
• Gears of War: Judgment
• Gears of War: Ultimate Edition
• Halo Wars 2
• Kameo: Elements of Power
• MotoGP 20
• My Friend Pedro
• My Time at Portia
• Prey
• ReCore
• Shadow Warrior 2
• Steep
• Titanfall 2
• Two Point Hospital
• Wasteland 3
• Yakuza 6: The Song of Life

Halo Infinite Multiplayer and Elder Scrolls 6 announcements

Ahead of the December 8th 2021 release of Halo Infinite, 343 Industries have launched a free to play Halo Infinite Multiplayer Beta with season 1. It is available to all players on Xbox Series X / S, Xbox One, Windows PC and also via Xbox Cloud Gaming.

Since Microsoft completed its acquisition of Bethesda for $7.5 billion it has previously been expected that Elder Scrolls 6 may be exclusive to Xbox platforms. It has now been confirmed that the game will only be available on Xbox and Windows. Another Bethesda game titled ‘Starfield’ expected to launch next year has also been confirmed to be exclusive to Xbox and Windows.

Written By

Jake Bywater