Xbox adds over 1,400 classic games as part of new service

Xbox players now have access to over 1,400 classic and retro video games, all thanks to a new subscription service called Antstream Arcade.

If you’re a fan of retro gaming, or just fancy owning some arcade hits and classics, Antstream Arcade will likely be of interest, and it’s available right now on the Xbox, as well as PC.

Check out the trailer for Antstream Arcade below

The service features over 1,400 titles, covering a variety of different consoles like the Nintendo Entertainment System, ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, PlayStation 1, and many, many more. Players can either play the full, emulated, games or play hundreds of bite-size challenges spanning the game library. These range from finishing a level with one life, or going for the best high scores.

Standout titles include Pac-Man, Mortal Kombat, Super Star Wars and plenty more that’ll likely pique your interest.

Two options are available when enrolling into the service, allowing you to buy 12 months of access for £29.99, or a lifetime supply of access for £79.99, which isn’t cheap, but if you can see yourself playing through the game list for a while it’s likely worth it.

Emulation quality is very good, with the old graphics looking quite clean on a modern display, and you can even connect a second controller for some cooperative fun if that’s a selling point for you. The main critique is the controls aren’t always suitable for the game you’re playing, and you can’t change what your inputs are.

Additionally, games that originally needed a keyboard now used a digital keyboard, which is fine but a bit clunky to navigate at times. Overall though I’d argue the collection is great value, and all the titles feel right at home on the service.

This collection is a shining example of gaming preservation too. Recent studies have shown around 87% of retro games are being lost to time, largely due to physical copies disappearing or breaking, as well as a lack of current-gen ports for more obscure titles. To have many games that many won’t have even heard of available on modern platforms is a win for anyone who cares about keeping the classics alive for new audiences.

Antstream Arcade is currently available on the Xbox Store, as well as PC.