Xbox has expanded its original-console backward-compatibility program on PC from four games to 25, adding 21 titles on November 12. The achievement announcement is much smaller: Microsoft names four games, including both Knights of the Old Republic entries. Those numbers describe different things. Mixing them up is an easy way to buy the right classic for the wrong reason.
Windows players now have more console editions to choose from through this program. It does not establish that every game is making its first appearance on PC, that every old purchase transfers, or that the entire catalog now has achievements. This is a reported access analysis based on Microsoft’s announcement, store observations and the earlier rollout, not an installation or performance test.
What the 21 additions actually change
Jason Ronald’s November 12 Xbox Wire post names additions including TimeSplitters 2, TimeSplitters: Future Perfect, Morrowind, Indiana Jones and the Emperor’s Tomb, Red Faction II and a substantial Star Wars group. KOTOR and its sequel, Republic Commando and both original Battlefront games are among that group. The complete 21-title list is in the announcement.
They join BLiNX: The Time Sweeper, Conker: Live and Reloaded, Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge and Fuzion Frenzy, the initial four. Our July preservation analysis covered that smaller release. November’s expansion changes the breadth of the program; July’s four-game catalog is no longer the whole offer.
The edition matters as much as the title. A familiar title appearing here is not enough to make it a new PC game. Equally, owning a different PC edition does not establish entitlement to this one. Check the exact product and account before treating the announcement as either a free upgrade or a reason to purchase again.
Four achievement games, not 25
Microsoft names this specific set:
| New to the PC program | Already in the PC program |
|---|---|
| Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic | BLiNX: The Time Sweeper |
| Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II – The Sith Lords | Conker: Live and Reloaded |
The company says achievements also apply on Xbox One and Xbox Series consoles after the latest system update. Some may unlock from existing progress, according to Microsoft. That is a stated possibility, not a promise that a particular old save will award a particular achievement. We have not tested unlocks or save behavior.
GameGuideDog editorial graphic, based on Xbox Wire’s November 12 announcement. This maps the named rollout; it is not a game screenshot or a tested achievement result.
Crimson Skies and Fuzion Frenzy belong to the original four-game PC wave, but they are not in November’s named achievement set. Nor is Morrowind. Microsoft plans more achievement support over time; that does not supply a release date for an unnamed game. If achievements are the reason you are returning, the four names matter more than the headline library total.
What the store shows, and what it cannot settle
At our November 12 evening U.S. check, the TimeSplitters 2 product page displayed $9.99, a BUY button, PC among its platforms and Xbox Play Anywhere. Earlier checks that evening also found $9.99 BUY listings with PC and Play Anywhere for KOTOR and Indiana Jones and the Emperor’s Tomb. These are U.S. observations, not a price or availability guarantee for another market.
The labels help you find the right listing. They do not settle what your account owns: no checkout, download or installation was performed. Neither a disc on your shelf nor a Steam or GOG purchase should be assumed to become a license through this program on that evidence. Check the signed-in listing before spending anything.
Our dated launch-thread sample also shows why timing matters. One named participant, Abject_Apple_2777, initially reported missing listings and later edited the comment to say they were available. That single account cannot establish a universal outage or its resolution. A later U.S. BUY button does not settle an earlier reader’s regional or account-specific problem either.
GameGuideDog editorial graphic using the Xbox announcement and the dated U.S. TimeSplitters 2 listing. Store observations are not completed purchases.
Before installing or buying
Microsoft requires Windows 11, a download and a supported market, and says features vary by game. It also claims mouse-and-keyboard support across the 25 games and performance and stability improvements for the initial four. None of that is our benchmark or a handheld-quality verdict.
Game Pass is another separate check. The announcement marks Morrowind and Grabbed by the Ghoulies, along with the original four, as available with Game Pass. It does not say all 25 are included. Generic multiplayer capability labels likewise do not prove that classic online services have been restored or that a particular mode works on PC.
For readers following our PC gaming coverage, the buying order is straightforward: identify the edition you want, check your account’s access and local price, then check the feature that actually matters to you. The expansion gives this PC program a substantially broader library. It leaves achievements, ownership and online play as questions to answer title by title.
