game it out —

Xbox Live games coming to Windows 8 on October 26

Solitaire and Minesweeper will have some company.

Microsoft has announced a bundle of Xbox Live games that will be available for Windows 8 on the OS's October 26 launch date. The titles will work on "any Windows 8 PC, laptop, or tablet," according to xbox.com.

Windows 8 will come with an Xbox Live app pre-installed, through which users will be able to access the 32 launch games, which include Jetpack Joyride, Fruit Ninja, Dragon's Lair, Zombies!!!, and Big Buck Hunter Pro. In addition to game access, the app will allow players to gain achievements, place on leaderboards, and play in multiplayer modes.

While the assortment of games isn't all that compelling (full list below), the crossover of mobile and console games to PCs and tablets helps Windows 8's case as a flexible platform. Kotaku notes that many of the games were available in the App Store in a recent build of Windows 8, and that they seemed to be straight ports of the mobile versions.

Compatible games include:

  • 4 Elements II Special Edition
  • A World of Keflings
  • 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
  • IloMilo
  • iStunt 2
  • Jetpack Joyride
  • Kinectimals Unleashed
  • Monster Island
  • PAC-MAN Championship DX 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
  • Zombies!!!

Channel Ars Technica