Xbox One Backwards Compatibility Feature Boasts Over 1 Billion Hours of Game Play Time

With close to 500 titles available in Xbox's backwards compatibility program, including original [...]

By Liana 'LiLi' Ruppert

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With close to 500 titles available in Xbox's backwards compatibility program, including original Xbox games, it's no wonder that many on the Microsoft platform have put in their due diligence with play time. What we didn't know, however, was how much nor how impressive that time spent actually was.

"We're seeing tremendous engagement of mega-hits like Fortnite and Far Cry 5, both of which play best in 4K Ultra HD on Xbox One X, joining the more than 200 games that now feature Xbox One X enhancements," said Microsoft about their overall player base. But was interesting was their numbers pulled for both backwards compatibility and ID@Xbox.

"But we're also seeing fantastic engagement with Xbox One console exclusives like Sea of Thieves, the fastest-selling Microsoft Studios new IP of this console generation, and PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, whose new desert-themed map is now available to play on a dedicated test server ahead of its launch in Xbox Game Preview later in May.

We also reached a couple milestones recently with players having enjoyed over 4 billion hours on games released through our ID@Xbox program and nearly 1 billion hours on games in our Xbox One Backward Compatibility library."

It's incredible to see that level of time invested, especially when the backwards program was initially met with low levels of enthusiasm and skepticism. Now, almost 500 titles later including both Xbox 360 and OG games, it's proving to be an intricate way to indulge in those older favourites without being tied to older hardware.

In edition to the Xbox games that have been brought over into this generation, some backwards compatible titles saw complete overhauls to their graphics and mechanics through the Xbox One X enhancements. Since this feature is relatively newer and obviously requires some tinkering, the list for those enhanced is significantly smaller yet continues to grow each month! Most recently The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind received a huge bump in performance, giving the beloved RPG experience a way to age a bit more gracefully onto newer platforms.

We can't wait to see what else they have in store, especially with the "biggest E3 yet" planned for this year. What are you hoping to see from Microsoft in the coming months? Join the conversation and sound off with your thoughts in the comment section below!

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