Microsoft Announces Retro Classics With Game Pass, Kicks Things Off With Over 50 Activision Games From the 80s and 90s

Microsoft has unveiled an exciting new feature for Game Pass members: Retro Classics with Game Pass. This initiative is a collaboration with Antstream Arcade, bringing a nostalgic collection of over 50 classic Activision games from the 80s and 90s directly to your gaming experience. Iconic titles like Commando, Grand Prix, Kaboom!, Mech Warrior 2: 31st Century Combat, and Pitfall! are part of this lineup, with some games dating back an impressive 45 years. A notable addition to these classics is the ability to save your progress and continue your gaming journey later, a feature that many of these games never had before.

Microsoft emphasizes that Retro Classics with Game Pass is "a step in our commitment to game preservation and backwards compatibility." This feature will be accessible to all Game Pass members across regions where the service is available. Over time, Microsoft plans to expand the Retro Classics collection to over 100 games, continuously adding more classic titles from Activision and Blizzard's extensive back catalog on a monthly basis.

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Here's the launch lineup for Retro Classics with Game Pass:

• Activision prototype #1
• Atlantis
• Atlantis II
• Barnstorming
• Baseball
• Beamrider
• Bloody Human Freeway
• Boxing
• Bridge
• Caesar II
• Checkers
• Chopper Command
• Commando
• Conquests of the Longbow: The Legend of Robin Hood
• Cosmic Ark
• Crackpots
• Decathlon
• Demon Attack
• Dolphin
• Dragster
• Enduro
• Fathom
• Fire Fighter
• Fishing Derby
• Freddy Pharkas: Frontier Pharmacist
• Freeway
• Grand Prix
• H.E.R.O.
• Kaboom!
• Laser Blast
• MechWarrior
• MechWarrior 2: 31st Century Combat
• Megamania
• Pitfall II: Lost Caverns
• Pitfall!
• Police Quest 1
• Pressure Cooker
• Riddle of the Sphinx
• River Raid
• River Raid II
• Robot Tank
• Sky Jinks
• Space Quest 2
• Space Quest 6
• Space Treat Deluxe
• Spider Fighter
• Star Voyager
• Tennis
• The Adventures of Willy Beamish
• The Dagger of Amon Ra
• Thwocker
• Title Match Pro Wrestling
• Torin's Passage
• Trick Shot
• Vault Assault
• Venetian Blinds
• Zork I
• Zork Zero
• Frostbite
• Quest for Glory 1

Microsoft's official statement highlights the seamless gaming experience that Retro Classics offers across multiple platforms. Whether you're playing on an Xbox console, through the Xbox app on PC, or streaming on supported devices like LG and Samsung Smart TVs, Amazon Fire TV devices, and Meta Quest headsets, you'll find the Retro Classics accessible and enjoyable. Game Pass members can easily access Retro Classics through their membership by searching and installing the feature on their console or via the Xbox app on PC.

Additionally, players can engage in friendly competitions, challenge rivals, or take on the world with unique challenges. For those passionate about achievements, there are new ones to collect. And for newer players, the ability to save and reload progress is a groundbreaking feature for many of these classic titles.

This announcement follows closely on the heels of the confirmation of Wave 2 of Xbox Game Pass' May 2025 lineup, as well as the exciting news that Hellblade 2 will be coming to PS5 this summer.