At its launch in November 2013, the Xbox One did not have native backward compatibility with original
Xbox or Xbox 360 games.
Xbox Live director of programming
Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb suggested users could use the HDMI-in port on the console to pass an Xbox 360 or any other device with HDMI output through Xbox One. Senior project management and planning director Albert Penello explained that Microsoft was considering a
cloud gaming platform to enable backward compatibility, but he felt it would be "problematic" due to varying internet connection qualities.
Xbox 360 During
Microsoft's E3 2015 press conference on June 15, 2015, Microsoft announced plans to introduce Xbox 360 backward compatibility on the Xbox One at no additional cost. Games do not run directly from discs. A repackaged form of the game is downloaded automatically when a supported game is inserted, while digitally-purchased games will automatically appear for download in the user's library once available. if the game is installed using physical media, the disc is still required for validation purposes. Launch games included the
Gears of War series,
Mass Effect,
Borderlands, ''
Mirror's Edge, Assassin's Creed II'', and more. Microsoft stated that publishers will only need to provide permission to the company to allow the repackaging, and they expect the list to grow significantly over time. Unlike the emulation of
original Xbox games on the Xbox 360, the Xbox One does not require game modification, since it emulates an exact replica of its predecessor's environment – both hardware and software
operating systems. The downloaded game is a repackaged version of the original that identifies itself as an Xbox One title to the console. On December 17, 2015, Microsoft made another sixteen Xbox 360 games compatible with Xbox One, including titles such as
Halo: Reach,
Fable III, and
Deus Ex: Human Revolution. On January 21, 2016, Microsoft made another ten Xbox 360 games compatible, including
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings and
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. On May 13, 2016, Microsoft made Xbox 360 titles with multiple discs compatible, starting with ''
Deus Ex: Human Revolution Director's Cut.'' In January 2016, Microsoft announced that future titles would be added as they became available, instead of waiting until a specific day each month.
Original Xbox During
Microsoft's E3 2017 press conference on June 11, 2017, Microsoft announced that roughly 50% of Xbox One users had played an Xbox 360 game on Xbox One through the system's backward-compatibility feature. Based on popular demand,
Phil Spencer, Microsoft's Head of Xbox, announced that Xbox One consoles would be able to play 13 games made for the original Xbox console, first released in 2001. The functionality is similar to that for back-compatibility with Xbox 360 games. Users insert the Xbox game disc into their Xbox One console to install the compatible version of the game. Realizing that game discs for original Xbox consoles could be scarce, Spencer said that plans were in place to make compatible Xbox games available digitally. Spencer noted two reasons for the more limited library were the availability of content rights for the games and the technical difficulties related to the conversion. This was meant to set a fixed target for testing of backward compatibility titles for the Xbox Series X as to make sure their full library was ready in time for launch. By May 2020, as the Xbox Series X was nearing release, Microsoft announced they were seeking further requests from players of what games to expand their backward compatibility library with. The company stated, "Resurrecting titles from history often presents a complex mix of technical and licensing challenges, but the team is committed to doing everything we can to continue to preserve our collective gaming legacy." In September 2020, Microsoft announced that the
Xbox Series S will run Xbox One S versions of backward compatible games while applying improved texture, faster loading speeds, higher frame rates and auto HDR. In September 2021, seven original Xbox titles, including
Dead or Alive 3 and
Dead or Alive Ultimate, were briefly added to the Microsoft Store before being delisted, implying the return of the program. In October, two Xbox 360 titles were added. Then, in November, 11 original Xbox titles were added to the Xbox 360 Marketplace. On November 15, 2021, Microsoft released a "latest and final addition" of 76 titles to the list of backwards compatible games, stating they "have reached the limit of our ability to bring new games to the catalog from the past due to licensing, legal and technical constraints". ==Standard backwards compatibility improvements==