Xbox Fans Have Voted For Their Most Wanted Backwards Compatibility Games

Xbox fans have now submitted more than 750,000 votes for the original Xbox and Xbox 360 games they most want to see supported through backwards compatibility or relisted on the Xbox Store. The votes come from the unofficial Xbox Game Preservation website, which has previously been acknowledged by Xbox leadership as a place where fans can make their requests known.

The list is not a promise from Microsoft, and no game on it is guaranteed to return. Still, it gives a useful look at what players are asking for as Xbox prepares to revisit backwards compatibility and game preservation later in 2026.

At the time of the latest count, the site had received 778,683 total votes from 83,112 voters. That means some fans are returning often and voting across several categories, so the totals should not be treated as a perfect public survey. Even so, the list shows clear demand for licensed classics, delisted games, and older titles that remain difficult to play on modern Xbox consoles.

Original Xbox requests are led by The Simpsons and Sonic

The original Xbox list still includes many familiar names. The Simpsons: Hit & Run remains one of the biggest requests, followed by Sonic Heroes, Jet Set Radio Future, Need for Speed: Underground 2, and Shadow the Hedgehog.

Several of these games would likely be complicated to bring back because of licensing. The Simpsons, Spider Man, Def Jam, and some racing games may involve rights tied to characters, music, cars, or old publishing agreements. That does not make them impossible, but it can make preservation harder than simply flipping a switch.

Xbox 360 voting is now dominated by Skylanders

The Xbox 360 list has changed more noticeably. Earlier voting was heavily focused on Transformers games, but the latest top 10 is now filled with Skylanders titles. Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure, Giants, Swap Force, Trap Team, SuperChargers, and Imaginators all appear near the top.

That shows how strongly fan campaigns can affect community voting sites. Skylanders fans have also been active elsewhere, asking for the series to return in some form. The challenge is that Skylanders was built around physical toys and portals, so bringing those games forward may need more work than a standard backwards compatibility update.

Transformers: War for Cybertron and Transformers: Fall of Cybertron are still on the list, along with Spider Man: Shattered Dimensions and Need for Speed: Most Wanted from 2005.

Delisted games are also a major part of the request list

The delisted category may be the most important one for preservation. These are games that fans want to see relisted or made available again through the Xbox Store.

The top requests include Left 4 Dead 2, Left 4 Dead, Batman: Arkham Origins, Sonic CD, Mortal Kombat, The Orange Box, Forza Horizon, Sonic and Knuckles, Jet Set Radio, and LEGO: The Lord of the Rings.

Some of these are easier to understand than others. The Orange Box and Left 4 Dead games remain beloved multiplayer and single player classics. Forza Horizon is more complicated because racing games often lose digital availability due to car and music licenses.

Backwards compatibility still matters for Xbox

Xbox backwards compatibility has long been one of the brand’s strongest features. It gives players a way to keep older purchases useful and helps preserve games that might otherwise be locked to aging hardware.

The voting list does not confirm what Microsoft will do next, but it shows that demand is still there. Fans want more than new releases. They also want access to the games that shaped earlier Xbox generations.

With Xbox expected to say more about game preservation later in 2026, these requests could help show which titles matter most to the community. The hard part will be turning fan demand into actual releases, especially when licensing, publishing rights, and technical issues stand in the way.