Project Helix, the next-gen Xbox, is a gaming PC with a console frontend, allowing you to utilize other storefronts and their decades-old libraries, such as Steam, GOG, and EGS. However, there is one hitch in this plan, as we saw with the ROG Xbox Ally — Windows 11 does not support backwards compatible titles right now, leaving dozens of classics on the table. Thankfully, Microsoft might have a solution.
It has long been rumored that Xbox is working to bring its backwards compatibility program to PC, and during its keynote at GDC 2026 (via Windows Central), the team hinted that it will be "rolling out new ways to play some of the most iconic games from our past" later this year, presumably hinting at PC support. With rumors that Project Helix may launch in 2028, now is the perfect time to begin testing the waters for classic Xbox and Xbox 360 games on Windows 11, much as the ROG Xbox Ally was used as a testing ground for the frontend UI and compatibility.
"We're committed to keeping games from four generations of Xbox playable for years to come," VP of next generation Jason Ronald wrote in his summary. "As part of our 25th anniversary later this year, we'll be rolling out new ways to play some of the most iconic games from our past."
Microsoft Is Also Launching An "Xbox Mode" For Windows 11 Next Month
Furthering this idea that Xbox is testing the waters for Project Helix, it announced that an "Xbox mode" (the same fullscreen Xbox experience that the Ally handhelds use) is coming to Windows 11 PCs next month, presumably giving you an early taste of what the next-gen console will look like in action. Indeed, as the next-gen hardware is essentially a gaming PC with a more intuitive user interface, anything it can do, Windows 11 users will likely benefit from, too. Backwards compatibility may well be one of those features.
Microsoft also surveyed gamers earlier this month, asking them to list the games they want to see made backwards compatible.
None of this has been outright confirmed, only that "new ways to play" are coming, and that Xbox wants to keep its classic games playable "for years to come," but that sure sounds like backwards compatibility on Windows 11, likely using a more advanced version of the emulator that Xbox One and Series X/S supports. With the original Xbox celebrating its 25th anniversary in November, we don't have long left to wait before we find out what exactly these "new ways" are.
Xbox Is Quietly Removing Any Sign Of Its 'This Is An Xbox' Marketing Campaign
Mentions of the campaign have been removed from Xbox Wire.