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Microsoft clarifies which games work on Xbox Series S and X on day one

Every game that runs on Xbox One makes the cut, except for ones that need Kinect.

Microsoft has given a bit more clarity on how backwards compatibility will work on Xbox Series X and Series S. Nearly every game that runs on Xbox One — including Xbox and Xbox 360 titles — will work on the new consoles on launch day, Xbox’s director of program management Jason Ronald wrote in a tweet.

The only exceptions are titles that require Kinect. Those games were always going to be on the chopping block as the motion-sensing peripheral, which debuted 10 years ago next week, won’t work with Series X and S.

Xbox chief Phil Spencer wrote back in July that his team planned for “all Xbox One games that do not require Kinect to play on Xbox Series X at the launch of the console” — he said as much before Microsoft confirmed it had a second new console up its sleeve. The company plowed more than 500,000 hours into playtesting to make sure older games will run on the upcoming systems.

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So, while Ronald’s confirmation about backward compatibility isn’t massively surprising, it’s good to know that Xbox Series X and S owners can carry forward all of their Xbox One games as soon as they get their new consoles. As such, players will have access to thousands of games, old and new, at the jump.

For extra transparency, Microsoft has published a list of the titles that will be backward compatible on Series X and S. All of the older games should run better on Series X and S too.