Xbox Is Seemingly Hard At Work On Backwards Compatibility For The Next Xbox Consoles

Backwards compatibility has been a massive part of the Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S eras, and we’ve already heard from the likes of Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer how it’s going to remain a key part of the brand moving forward.

However, it may need to change along the way. Xbox is obviously embarking on a new strategy now where every device is essentially considered an “Xbox”, and with rumours of a planned Xbox handheld alongside a new Xbox console in 2027, we’re assuming one of the goals is to try and make console games playable on as many systems as possible.

Windows Central talked a little bit about this in a report on Xbox and Steam integration yesterday, mentioning that the “next mainline Xbox consoles” are expected to make Win32 the preferred development environment – with Microsoft working hard to “integrate Xbox and Windows game development more closely into the future.”

However, it remains to be seen how backwards compatibility will be handled as the next generation rolls around:

“Where that leaves our existing library of [Xbox One/Series X|S] ERA games remains to be seen, but it seems emulation is one avenue Microsoft is exploring for backward compatibility and game preservation.

Will that allow those games to run on Windows devices like [the rumoured 2025 Xbox handheld] and the ROG Ally, or any average gaming PC, though? It’s hard to say, because there are some legal hurdles contractually about exactly what Microsoft is allowed to do with third-party titles in its store.”

It appears that Xbox is working hard on backwards compatibility for the next Xbox consoles as we speak. Last year, it was revealed by Xbox president Sarah Bond that a new “game preservation” team had been set up internally, and Windows Central’s Jez Corden has advised that it’s focused on “compatibility” for future Xbox devices right now:

The handheld is going to be a particularly interesting case, as we’ve heard from some Xbox fans how they’re not massively interested in a device that can’t play console games natively. Xbox Play Anywhere will fill in the gaps for the time being with over 1000 supported titles, but we’re still holding out hope for native console support eventually.

Whatever ends up happening, it’s great to see that Xbox remains extremely committed to backwards compatibility and game preservation going forward, and we’re crossing our fingers for some exciting innovations and announcements around this topic over the coming years.