Xbox backward compatibility adds Max Payne and FEAR in final catalog update

Xbox backward compatibility
(Image credit: Microsoft)

Xbox backward compatibility has received its last infusion of new titles, which also includes frame rate boosts for 26 already included games.

Microsoft laid out the full list of more than 70 new backward compatibility games in a post to the official Major Nelson blog while calling out the new features some of those games and others can enjoy in a post to the Xbox Wire. The list of all-new games includes the complete Max Payne and FEAR franchises, while the games receiving a new FPS boost option include all of the Gears of War games, Fallout: New Vegas, and Fallout 3.

The update from Xbox compatibility program lead Peggy Lo also reveals that this will be the final addition of new titles to the backward compatibility library.

"Your constant requests for specific titles and enhancements encouraged the Backwards Compatibility team to partner with the original creators to preserve thousands of games from over four generations of Xbox," Lo said. "While we continue to stay focused on preserving and enhancing the art form of games, we have reached the limit of our ability to bring new games to the catalog from the past due to licensing, legal and technical constraints. Thank you for being part of this journey with us."

Lo added that Xbox will "explore new ways to preserve our history" from here. It will also work to bring the finished catalog of backward compatible titles to new platforms such as Xbox Cloud Gaming and beyond.

This last set of backward compatible games was announced at the same Xbox 20th anniversary celebration which also kicked off the Halo Infinite multiplayer early release.

Connor Sheridan

I got a BA in journalism from Central Michigan University - though the best education I received there was from CM Life, its student-run newspaper. Long before that, I started pursuing my degree in video games by bugging my older brother to let me play Zelda on the Super Nintendo. I've previously been a news intern for GameSpot, a news writer for CVG, and now I'm a staff writer here at GamesRadar.

Read more
Best Xbox Game Pass games - Hellblade 2 photo mode screenshot of protagonist Senua, with war paint and runes painted on her face.
The 25 best games on Game Pass for Xbox and PC
Last Spartan Standing
With Concord in the rearview, Halo Infinite dev is glad it's still kicking "in a climate where games can be shut down with little notice"
An image of the twins from Far Cry New Dawn
6 years later, Far Cry New Dawn is getting a 60 FPS update on Xbox Series X and PS5, and the way it was revealed is sending me: "Well… this wasn’t how we planned to announce this"
Xbox exclusives: Two cars driving on a mountain in the game Forza Horizon 4.
Best Xbox exclusives you need to own
Upcoming Xbox Series X games header image featuring State of Decay 3, Fable 4, The Outer Worlds 2, and South of Midnight
Upcoming Xbox Series X games for 2025 and beyond
Avowed screenshot showing hammer swinging at skeleton
Upcoming PC Game Pass games you need on your radar for 2025
Latest in Games
Assassin's Creed Shadows screenshot of an enemy falling backwards through the air away from Yasuke who's just performed a War Kick
Forget the hidden blade: if you're not yeeting enemies in Assassin's Creed Shadows, you're missing out
"I didn’t have a single ally": Tekken 4's negative reception put series boss Katsuhiro Harada under so much stress that he left Namco for a year
Quacks: All-In Edition box art
Fellow witchcore weirdos, prepare your cauldrons for a classic potion-making board game refresh with Quacks: All-In Edition
Assassin's Creed Shadows Naoe looking at map
Assassin's Creed Shadows map size and all regions
The Witcher 4 cinematic screenshot showing a closeup of Ciri, protagonist of the new adventure
"We slept under our desks and lived in chaos": Before the Witcher 3 became an RPG phenomenon, CDPR's CEOs had a tough time making the original game
WOTLK
Following a high-profile guild quitting WoW Classic Hardcore, Blizzard makes the unprecedented decision to revive MMO characters that die during DDoS attacks "at our sole discretion"
Latest in News
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Freedom
My Hero Academia and Gundam animator explains the issues behind anime shows getting shorter: "There is a shortage of professional staff in all sections"
Saw X
Billy the Puppet gives Saw fans some hope on the future of the horror franchise by updating his LinkedIn profile to "employed"
Bella Ramsey as Ellie and Pedro Pascal as Joel in The Last of Us
The Last of Us showrunner Craig Mazin praises Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal for "spectacular" take on one of Part 2's most iconic scenes in season 2
"I didn’t have a single ally": Tekken 4's negative reception put series boss Katsuhiro Harada under so much stress that he left Namco for a year
Kaitlyn Dever as Abby in The Last of Us
The Last of Us showrunner praises Abby actor's "physically tremendous" performance ahead of season 2: "We just haven't f**ked up in casting"
Quacks: All-In Edition box art
Fellow witchcore weirdos, prepare your cauldrons for a classic potion-making board game refresh with Quacks: All-In Edition