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Leaked plan shows Xbox 360 games coming to PC and Helix

Leaked plan shows Xbox 360 games coming to PC and Helix

What’s in the leak: Microsoft aims to run Xbox 360 games on PC, Project Helix, and handhelds, with developers controlling pricing and Game Pass participation.

When it’s coming: Original Xbox games hit PC in October 2026; Xbox 360 titles roll out gradually across next-gen devices in 2027–2028.

Disc-to-digital shift: Physical Xbox One and Series discs could be converted to digital licenses tied to the disc and player account, transferable if the disc is sold.

NEW INTERNET THREATS ON THE WAY !

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Microsoft is bringing Xbox 360 games to PC

The disc to digital program seems like it’s close to launching, too.

Building on its recently announced plans to bring original Xbox games to PC, Microsoft is also planning to let developers bring their Xbox 360 games to PC as well, according to a leaked document, seen by The Verge, that was sent to developers recently. Xbox 360 games will be able to run on the next-gen Project Helix console, “Xbox PCs,” and handheld devices, the document says.

Microsoft has already said that Helix will play PC games, so making these older Xbox titles available on PC helps build a broader Xbox library that can travel between devices, similar to what’s already possible with Steam. Creating all these digital licenses also helps set up for a future of consoles without disc drives; Sony has already declared game discs dead, and Microsoft may follow.

With 360 games, developers can opt into making them backward compatible, and they will have control over things like a game’s price and if it’s available on Game Pass. The feature is expected to have a “gradual” rollout between 2027 and 2028 “across next-gen devices.” The “full launch” of original Xbox games on PC is also set for October 2026; the initial program announced in July included just four games.

The document also includes details about a way for players to get a digital version of a game that they already own on a physical disc, which The Verge’s Tom Warren reported on in July. The document says that if a player puts an Xbox One or Series game on disc into an Xbox One or Series X console with a disc drive, they’ll be granted a digital license that’s bound to “that disc and the player’s account.”

Xbox down: Microsoft explains bizarre outage – and prompts concerns about the future

Technical problems meant that players could not use their consoles – even if the game they were playing needed no connection to the internet

Microsoft’s technology boss has explained a bizarre outage at Xbox that prompted fears about the future of gaming.

Earlier this week, Xbox players were hit by an outage that meant their consoles were unable to connect to the internet for around 20 hours. But in addition to that frustration, users were hit by an unexpected problem: they were unable even to play games that didn’t appear to require any connection to the internet, and which they owned as a physical disc.

The problems came shortly after PlayStation announced that it would stop making games available in physical editions. That prompted fury from players, who suggested that it would remove the ability to buy and sell games second-hand or from physical stores, as well as giving parent company Sony too much control over how games are distributed.

The Xbox outage only intensified that concern, since it suggested that even when players do own a physical disc they may not actually be able to use their games as expected. What’s more, players noted that if games become digital only then they will be only more likely to be left affected by such a widespread outage.

Now, Xbox’s chief technology officer Scott Van Vliet has apologised for the problems and said that parent company Microsoft will be working to ensure it cannot happen in the future. “This is an unacceptable situation, and we must do better to support you,” he said.

Upcoming 2026 games: All the new PC games you won't want to miss, from big hits to hidden gems

New PC games in September

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Upcoming PC games in September

September 3

WheelMates (Steam)

Co-op RC car adventures

September 3

The Blood of Dawnwalker (Steam)

14th century vampire action RPG

September 3

NBA 2K27 (Steam)

New yearly basketball

September 4

Onimusha: Way of the Sword (Steam)

Capcom's next samurai action game

September 8

Halloween: The Game (Steam)

Asymmetrical horror with Mikey

September 9

BrokenLore: DON'T LIE (Steam)

Another entry to the horror series

September 9

Valheim 1.0 (Steam)

The Deep North is coming

September 15

RuneScape: Dragonwilds 1.0 (Steam)

The MMO gets a survival crafting spin-off

September 17

Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter (Steam)

Continue your save from the first Trails remake

September 17

Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War 4 (Steam)

Long desired sequel to the RTS

September 17

Endless Legend 2 (Steam)

4X strategy with alien weirdos leaves early access

September 22

Rivage (Steam)

Sci-fi puzzle adventure

September 23

Wind Runners (Steam)

Bullet hell flight combat

September 24

Dragon Shelter (Steam)

Cooking and farm sim with dragons

September 24

Silent Hill: Townfall (Steam)

The fog rolls into Scotland

September 24

Control Resonant (Steam)

Trippy Remedy sequel with Dylan as the protagonist

September 24

Cozy Game Restoration (Steam)

Cartridge cleaning job sim

September 29

Minecraft Dungeons 2 (Steam)

Action-RPG spinoff sequel

September 29

Nivalis Nights (Steam)

Cyberpunk slice-of-life

September ??

The Guild - Europa 1410 (early access) (Steam)

Medieval dynasty sim

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