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Xbox Game Pass Makes Classic Games From the '80s and '90s Available Now

Subscribers can access classic Activision games -- like Commando and Pitfall! -- on all four tiers.

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Xbox Game Pass offers a catalog of modern games across consoles, PC and other devices. On Wednesday, Xbox announced a partnership with retro games library Antstream Arcade and launched Retro Classics, a collection of more than 50 classic Activision games from the '80s and '90s, that all subscribers can play now. 

Available games include Commando, Mech Warrior 2: 31st Century Combat and Pitfall! 

"This initiative is a step in our commitment to game preservation and backwards compatibility, allowing players to experience many timeless games on modern devices," Xbox posted online. 

Xbox is also bringing a new feature to many of the games in the Retro Classics collection: saving. Many games included in the collection didn't have a save function at the time of their release, meaning you had to restart your progress each time you started the game. Now, you can save and reload these games so you don't have to fight your way back to a location every time.

Some of the games included in Retro Classics in Xbox Game Pass.
Microsoft

According to Xbox, Game Pass subscribers need to search for Retro Classics on their console, PC or Game Pass app and download the feature to their device. 

Microsoft bought Activision Blizzard in 2023, and the company has been adding games from the developer behemoth to Game Pass ever since. The Diablo and Call of Duty franchises are represented on the service, and Xbox added a collection of classic games from Blizzard in March, called Blizzard Arcade Collection. Those games include Lost Vikings and RPM racing. 

Xbox said Wednesday that it plans to continue to add classic games from Activision and Blizzard to the Retro Classics collection.

Subscribe to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for $20 a month See at Xbox

Microsoft offers four tiers to Xbox Game Pass: Core, Standard, PC Game Pass and Ultimate. These tiers range in price from $10 to $20 a month, and each tier offers subscribers perks like deals on non-Game Pass games and online multiplayer. Retro Classics is available on all four Game Pass tiers in the US, but only Game Pass Standard, PC Game Pass and Game Pass Ultimate in Japan.

For more Xbox news, here's what to know about Game Pass Ultimate and the latest games on Game Pass. You can also check out how your mobile device will likely be the only gaming console you'll need soon.

Watch this: Xbox Announces Serious Price Hikes | Obvious Skill Issue Ep 3