40 Games Headed to the Windows 8 Xbox App

A first wave of 40 Xbox games is headed to Windows 8 PCs starting October 26, which is the launch date for Windows 8.

Microsoft said the list includes titles familiar to any casual gamer from companies such as Rovio, Mindclip, Gameloft, ZeptoLab, Glu Mobile, Halfbrick Studios, and of course, Microsoft Studios.

Some of the games announced today are already available in the Windows 8 Release Preview via the Xbox Live Games app. These include Wordament and Pinball FX 2.

Microsoft has been promising Xbox would be a big part of Windows 8 ever since announcing Windows 8-Xbox integration during E3 2011. The new Xbox games in Windows 8 will feature Xbox Achievements, leaderboards, as well as some multiplayer games.

Microsoft’s Xbox announcement is the second gaming launch the company made this week. On Wednesday, the software maker announced a partnership with Atari to reboot some of the game maker’s classic games such as Asteroids, Centipede, Combat, Lunar Lander, and Missile Command.

The classic Atari games are available at Atari Arcade and feature updated graphics and a touch-friendly design. And (surprise, surprise) the games work best when you use Internet Explorer 10, especially the formerly-known-as-Metro version in the Windows 8 Release preview. When you use IE 10, you also get an ad-free experience with Atari Arcade.

In addition to games, Microsoft is also adding the Xbox SmartGlass app to Windows 8 in the coming months. SmartGlass will let you control some video games as well as feature supporting information such as current game statistics and maps.

The first 40 games headed to Xbox on Windows 8 include well known titles such as Angry Birds, Cut the Rope, and Fruit Ninja. All the games are designed for touch as well as mouse-and-keyboard PCs.

Here’s the full list:

• 4 Elements II Special Edition
• A World of Keflings
• Adera: Episode 1
• Adera: Episode 2
• Adera: Episode 3
• Angry Birds
• Angry Birds Space
• Big Buck Hunter Pro
• BlazBlue Calamity Trigger
• Collateral Damage
• Crash Course GO
• Cut the Rope
• Disney Fairies
• Dragon’s Lair
• Field & Stream Fishing
• Fruit Ninja
• Gravity Guy
• Gunstringer: Dead Man Running
• Hydro Thunder Hurricane
• IloMilo
• iStunt 2
• Jetpack Joyride
• Kinectimals Unleashed
• Microsoft Mahjong
• Microsoft Minesweeper
• Microsoft Solitaire Collection
• Monster Island
• PAC-MAN Championship Edition DX
• Pinball FX 2
• Reckless Racing Ultimate
• Rocket Riot 3D
• Shark Dash
• Shuffle Party
• Skulls of the Shogun
• Taptiles
• Team Crossword
• The Harvest HD
• Toy Soldiers Cold War
• Wordament
• Zombies!!!

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