The Xbox Series X is big on backwards compatibility. While the system still doesn’t really have a system-selling exclusive title, Microsoft has done a ton of work to ensure that Xbox One games run better than ever before, especially when it comes to frame rate. Today (May 3), Microsoft added a whopping 70 new titles to its FPS Boost program, which lets older games run at up to 120 frames per second on Xbox Series X — and, occasionally, on Xbox Series S as well.
Information comes from Microsoft’s Major Nelson blog, where longtime Xbox spokesman Larry Hryb discussed the new additions to the FPS Boost roster. The bulk of the blog post is the same as it was back in February: namely, information on what FPS Boost is, and how to activate it. But as of today, the Xbox Series X supports 97 FPS-boosted titles, compared to 27 earlier this year.
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As detailed in the post, not all games will automatically be set to FPS Boost. This is because some titles will see a slightly resolution downgrade to accommodate the increased frames per second. But it can be easily enabled by going under Compatibility Options in the Manage game and add-ons section. Hryb made a quick YouTube video showing how to do it.
Of course, given the differences in power between the Xbox Series X and Series S, FPS boost across all titles is not equitable. Xbox Series X owners will see more games at that 60Hz or 120Hz level. Still, Xbox Series S owners will have 84 games with increased performance at their disposal.
Other new games include a plethora of Assassin’s Creed titles (including the much-underrated Unity), a handful of Far Cry games, Hollow Knight, the bulk of the Lego game series and the delightfully underrated Mad Max. Check the blog post to learn exactly what frame rates you can expect on each system, but if you have any affinity for these games, it’s worth checking out your favorites to see how much better they might look.
The full list can be found on Major Nelson's blog post, but here are some of the notable highlights from this month's update:
| Title | Xbox Series X | Xbox Series S | Off by Default? |
| Alien Isolation | 60Hz | 60Hz | Row 1 - Cell 3 |
| Assassin's Creed Unity | 60Hz | 60Hz | Row 2 - Cell 3 |
| DiRT 4 | 120Hz | Not Available | Row 3 - Cell 3 |
| Far Cry 5 | 60Hz | 60Hz | ✔ |
| Gears of War 4 | 60Hz | 60Hz | ✔ |
| Halo Wars 2 | 60Hz | 60Hz | Row 6 - Cell 3 |
| Hyperscape | 120Hz | 120Hz | ✔ |
| Life is Strange | 60Hz | 60Hz | Row 8 - Cell 3 |
| Life is Strange 2 | 60Hz | Not Available | Row 9 - Cell 3 |
| Metro 2033 Redux | 120Hz | 120Hz | Row 10 - Cell 3 |
| ReCore | 60Hz | 60Hz | Row 11 - Cell 3 |
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider | 60Hz | 60Hz | Row 12 - Cell 3 |
| Sleeping Dogs Definitive Edition | 60Hz | 60Hz | Row 13 - Cell 3 |
| Superhot | 120Hz | 120Hz | Row 14 - Cell 3 |
| Untitled Goose Game | 120Hz | 120Hz | Row 15 - Cell 3 |
| Wasteland 3 | 60Hz | 60Hz | Row 16 - Cell 3 |
| Watch Dogs | 60Hz | 60Hz | Row 17 - Cell 3 |
| Yakuza 6: The Song of Life | 60Hz | 60Hz | Row 18 - Cell 3 |
The ever-increasing library of backwards compatible titles on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S gives Microsoft another arrow in its quiver against Sony. While the PS5 does see increases in performance to at least 500 titles, as compiled by website Backwards-Compatible, it mostly features games that were compatible on the PS4. Sony still has not come forward with a solution to the large swath of games released on the original PlayStation, PlayStation 2 and PS3. Microsoft, on the other hand, has compatibility for a respectable selection of games dating back to the original Xbox.
We should see more FPS-boosted games available in the next few months. If the current schedule is any indication, the next batch should come out sometime between now and the end of the summer. Hryb plans to cover this news in more detail on his podcast later this week, so keep an ear out if you’re interested.
