Xbox has confirmed that it will be adding achievements to classic games that were released on the original Xbox. Microsoft entered the console market with the OG Xbox all the way back in 2001, positioning the machine as a competitor to Sony’s PlayStation 2 and Nintendo’s GameCube, and effectively filling the void left by Sega and its Dreamcast. The OG Xbox was a success, establishing the company’s flagship Halo franchise and offering significant innovation in the online multiplayer space.
When Microsoft released the Xbox 360 in 2005, it found even greater success. The Xbox 360 introduced all kinds of exciting new features, including achievements, which have been a mainstay ever since and would go on to be adopted by other gaming platforms (like PlayStation with its trophies). All Xbox games from the 360 on have supported achievements, but sadly, OG Xbox games have been left out. That will change later in 2026, 21 years after achievements were first introduced.
Classic Xbox Games Are Finally Getting Achievements
- Blinx: The Time Sweeper
- Conker: Live and Reloaded
- Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge
- Fuzion Frenzy
Microsoft has confirmed that it is bringing achievements to some original Xbox games later this year. The four OG Xbox games made playable on PC are the only games confirmed so far, with those titles being Blinx: The Time Sweeper, Conker: Live and Reloaded, Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge, and Fuzion Frenzy. The existing console versions will also be getting achievements. Unfortunately, the achievements will not be retroactive, so achievement hunters will want to hold off before diving back into these old-school games on PC or modern Xbox consoles.
What’s That Weapon?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Easy (7.5s)Medium (5.0s)Hard (2.5s)Permadeath (2.5s)
For those unfamiliar with the games, Blinx: The Time Sweeper is a 3D platformer where players control an anthropomorphic cat armed with a vacuum that has time control powers. Fuzion Frenzy is a party game that was actually a launch title for the OG Xbox, while Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge is a flight combat game that earned high scores at the time of its original release. Finally, Conker: Live and Reloaded is a remake of the cult classic Conker’s Bad Fur Day, with significantly improved graphics and a revamped multiplayer mode, but it is notoriously more censored than the N64 game for some reason.
Backward compatibility has long been a focus of the Xbox brand. Many original Xbox games are playable on the Xbox 360, and a bunch of OG Xbox and 360 games are also playable on Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S consoles. Xbox Series X/S consoles are more or less 100% backward compatible with Xbox One, and it’s expected that will continue with the Project Helix console whenever it releases. We’re still waiting for official word when it comes to Project Helix’s release date, but the latest reports suggest that Microsoft’s next-gen console will release in 2027 or 2028.
It will be interesting to see how achievements work on Project Helix. It’s safe to say that many fans would love to see Xbox add a platinum trophy equivalent, as a longtime criticism of Xbox achievements is how one’s 100% completion can be taken away by DLC and expansion packs. It remains to be seen if a platinum trophy equivalent will ever come to Xbox, but achievements being added to OG Xbox games does show that the company is still willing to shake things up with the feature.
- Released
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November 15, 2001
- ESRB
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e
- Engine
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game engine
- Multiplayer
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Local Multiplayer
