Gaming > Consoles & PCs How to Play Xbox 360 Games on Your PC Replay your favorite games even if you don't have your old console By Patrick Shawn Hearn Patrick Shawn Hearn Twitter Writer Columbus State University Patrick Hearn has been a freelance technology writer for 6+ years. He has written for CBSi, GameSpot, Xfinity, and many others. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on January 23, 2021 Reviewed by Lisa Mildon Reviewed by Lisa Mildon Facebook Twitter Southern New Hampshire University Lisa Mildon is a Lifewire writer and an IT professional with 30 years of experience. Her writing has appeared in Geekisphere and other publications. lifewire's editorial guidelines Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Consoles & PCs Xbox Buyer's Guide What to Know You can download games from the Microsoft Store.Alternatively, you can install an emulator to run Xbox 360 games on your PC. Exact numbers vary, but well over 900 Xbox 360 titles came out between November 2015 and today. If there's a game you missed, or you just have the urge to catch up on some older titles, here's how you can play Xbox 360 games on your PC instead of setting up the console again. Junko Kimura / Getty Images Download Xbox 360 Games From the Microsoft Store There are a limited number of titles available to gamers through the Microsoft Store. While the number of Xbox One games far outweigh the number of Xbox 360 games, you'll still find a selection of titles to play. To search for these games, you'll first want to open the Microsoft Store. Look for and select the Microsoft Store icon in your toolbar. Alternatively, type "Microsoft Store" into the Windows search bar, then select Microsoft Store. In the search bar, type the name of the game you want to find. If it's available on the Microsoft Store, you should find it. Select the game to enter its store page. Select Get to purchase the game. Play Xbox 360 Games on PC Using an Emulator If you can't find the game you want on the Microsoft Store, you can install an emulator to run Xbox 360 games on your PC. Although there are multiple options for emulators available for download, not all emulators are safe or reliable. The one with the best reviews and most reports of reliable service is Xenia, the Xbox 360 Research Emulator. Hardware Considerations The Xbox 360 sported impressive technical specifications for its time. To run an emulator, you'll need a PC with specs and hardware exceeding these parameters: 3.2 GHz CPU4GB DDR3 RAM250GB HD64 Bit X86 Processor Most modern computers can easily meet this requirement, but if you haven't upgraded your PC in a while, make sure you can handle an emulator. The 360 had a custom-made GPU, but a Radeon RX 570 or its Nvidia equivalent will be more than enough to handle any emulator you find. How to Download and Install the Emulator Some of the options for emulators have turned out to be scams or malware. Xenia is designed as a research tool and has a strict stance against illegal activity, so make sure any games you play through the emulator are obtained legally. One good thing about the Xenia emulator is if you have insufficient hardware or it's incompatible with your system, it will tell you right away. There's no need to guess whether it's compatible or not — start the software and give it a shot. Go to https://xenia.jp. Select Download on the left side of the screen. On the following page, select the file to download. Only download from the official Xenia site. Other websites may contain malware and additional files that can harm your computer. After you have downloaded the file, extract it to your drive using either the built-in Windows ZIP manager or a third-party program like WinRar. If you have Xbox 360 game files saved to your hard drive, put the games folder next to the Xenia folder. Drag the game you want to play onto the Xenia.exe file, and the game should automatically start. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit