Blizzard’s golden-age lineup just powered up Xbox Retro Classics, pushing the collection to 95 games and delivering a nostalgia hit for every Xbox Game Pass tier—even entry-level subscribers. Seven classics from the studio’s Silicon & Synapse days have arrived, including multiple versions of beloved hits and the long-missing PlayStation release of The Lost Vikings 2.
The standout is The Lost Vikings 2 on the original PlayStation, finally making its comeback after skipping past compilations. The SNES version is included too, so you can compare the original 2D look with the PlayStation port’s pre-rendered, 3D-style sprites. The first The Lost Vikings from 1993 is also part of the drop, bringing back Erik, Baleog, and Olaf for clever, character-swapping puzzle-platforming that helped shape the blueprint for modern co-op puzzlers.
Action-platformer fans get a double dose of Blackthorne, the atmospheric, rotoscoped classic often mentioned alongside cinematic adventures of the era. Both the 1993 Sega Genesis and 1994 SNES versions are here, letting you step into Kyle “Blackthorne” Vlaros’ boots for a deliberate, tactical trek through a gritty sci-fantasy world.
Racers are covered too. RPM Racing on SNES (1991) serves up isometric action, car upgrades, and a whopping 128 tracks. Its louder, more attitude-packed successor, Rock n’ Roll Racing (SNES, 1993), brings combat racing and crunchy chiptune covers of rock anthems like Paranoid and Born to Be Wild. It still plays great today.
This wave is a love letter to Blizzard’s scrappy beginnings. Back when the team went by Silicon & Synapse, it built ambitious ports and inventive originals that laid the groundwork for the studio’s later giants, from Diablo to StarCraft and World of Warcraft. It’s a curated slice of gaming history that shows where those genre-defining ideas were forged.
You can dive into Xbox Retro Classics via Game Pass on Xbox consoles and the Xbox app on PC, or stream through the cloud on supported LG and Samsung smart TVs and Meta Quest headsets. No extra upgrade is required.
Even better, there’s more to come. The team behind the service has already teased additional retro revivals in the months ahead, keeping the “100+ titles over time” promise firmly on track—especially with Activision Blizzard’s back catalog adding fuel.
New to the collection:
– The Lost Vikings (SNES, 1993)
– The Lost Vikings 2: Norse by Norsewest (SNES, 1997)
– The Lost Vikings 2: Norse by Norsewest (PlayStation, 1997)
– Blackthorne (Sega Genesis, 1993)
– Blackthorne (SNES, 1994)
– RPM Racing (SNES, 1991)
– Rock n’ Roll Racing (SNES, 1993)
Whether you’re replaying these classics or jumping in for the first time, this is one of the strongest retro updates to hit Game Pass. Which one are you queuing up first?
