Can you play Xbox 360 games on Xbox One? The console's backwards compatibility explained

UPDATE: Even more games added to the MASSIVE list of Xbox One backwards compatible games.

Can you play Xbox 360 games on Xbox One? YES. Well, a heck of a lot of them anyway.

Since November last year, everyone has been able to play over 100 Xbox 360 games on their Xbox One. The long-awaited, fan-requested feature allows gamers to dust off their back catalogue of Xbox 360 games and despatch their last-gen console to the attic along with their PSP and the ghost of a Sega Megadrive that quietly moans in the corner.

You can even play Red Dead Redemption on Xbox One now, just to stave off the pangs of hunger for a sequel.

So here's everything you need to know about Xbox One backwards compatibility, including the MASSIVE list of backwards compatible Xbox 360 games.

How does Xbox One backwards compatibility work?

The beauty of Xbox One backwards compatibility is in its simplicity. If you own any supported Xbox 360 games either on a physical disc or digitally, you can play them again on your Xbox One.

For physical discs, just push them straight in and wait for them to boot up. Digital Xbox 360 games will appear in the 'My Games and Apps' section of your UI and you can simply download them again.

With the upcoming Xbox One update, you'll also be able to buy Xbox 360 games and download them directly from your Xbox One, which wasn't possible before.

Microsoft has built an Xbox 360 emulator within the software of the Xbox One. That means, essentially, you've got an Xbox 360 within your Xbox One that springs into life when you insert those old discs or boot up a last-gen game.

You'll notice that any backwards-compatible games within your library have an Xbox 360 logo strip down the left-hand side, so you can see what's what at a glance.

The only caveat is how many games are actually backwards-compatible. There are currently nearly 150 games supported by the service, but we're waiting for some of our favourites to arrive - including Red Dead Redemption.

How much does it cost?

Nothing. It's completely free. Microsoft's thinking is that no-one should have to pay for what they already own. Damn skippy they shouldn't.

That applies to all your games' associated DLC, add-ons and other things like Gamerscore and Achievements.

You'll only need to pay for any Xbox 360 games you don't already own, but do want to play.

Can I use my Xbox One features with Xbox 360 games?

Well, the good news is that you can. That includes Game DVR, snapping a screenshot and streaming to your Windows 10 PC, laptop or tablet.

There are some games on which you can't use Game DVR, but that's a very, very small minority.

How does multiplayer work?

With Xbox One backwards compatibility, you can play online with your mates regardless of console. So if you're playing Gears of War Judgment on your Xbox One, and your pal is still on Xbox 360 (poor thing), then it's not an issue. The same goes the other way too, although this time it's poor you.

Why aren't my favourite Xbox 360 games supported?

Microsoft has shed some light on why some of your favourite Xbox 360 games currently aren't supported by the Xbox One backwards compatibility service.

"[It's a long process] especially when you're working with third-party games," explained Xbox boss Phil Spencer.

"If you put out something and it's not running well, it will reflect negatively on the publisher. So we want to get approval from the third-parties before we release them.

"You also have to make sure it runs well in backwards compatibility mode. We have one of our testing team run through every level of the game, just to make sure that there is nothing not working exactly the way we expect."

The fact that it's one chap going through all the levels checking for bugs means those big games we're hankering to play (again) on Xbox One might take a little longer.

"Some of these games are big - you can imagine going through some of these games and making sure they run," Spencer continued. "It's the publisher's right to be sure the game plays as well, if not better."

Where's the full Xbox One backwards compatibility list?

We'll add any new titles to our long, long list below. But bear in mind you get two new Xbox One backwards-compatible games every month thanks to Games with Gold.