It seems Xbox gamers have been having a hard time playing their Xbox 360 games, as some Series X owners haven't been able to launch their seventh-gen favorites for weeks or even months. The Xbox Backward Compatibility program has been a mostly flawless experience for users throughout the years; however, this most recent bump in the road for one of Xbox's most popular features has led to multiple upset customers.
The Backward Compatibility initiative at Xbox launched in 2015 for the Xbox One after outcry from fans that the console had no proper last-gen support. It originally launched with 104 games, including some Xbox heavy hitters like Gears of War and Mass Effect, with a promise to continue growing the program over time. Since then, the number of games in the program has grown to a massive 632 games for the Xbox 360 and 63 for the original Xbox. Unfortunately, the Xbox Backward Compatibility program ended in 2021, citing licensing issues as the major hurdle preventing the team from doing more. However, at GDC 2026, Microsoft announced that it would bring back Xbox's Backward Compatibility program in some capacity later this year.
Xbox's Project Helix may not be...
