Feature: Three Classic ‘Monolith’ Games That Are Backwards Compatible On Xbox

This week, Warner Bros. closed down esteemed game studio Monolith Productions as it aims to slim down on development costs, and while this sort of news has become all too common in recent years, this particular shutdown really hurts.

Monolith had been around for more than three decades, and the team produced some absolute classics over the years. Of course, in recent times the studio has been very highly regarded for its Middle-Earth games, featuring the incredible ‘Nemesis System’ that’s been the envy of many other developers and publishers since it was first introduced in Shadow of Mordor.

However, today, we want to focus on three Xbox backwards compatible games that came out of Monolith Productions in the mid-to-late 2000s. This was a prolific time for the studio, and we still think these are absolutely worth playing in 2025. It helps that they all work well on modern hardware – and Xbox Series X|S is the best place to play these Monolith classics on console.

F.E.A.R. (Xbox 360)
The original FEAR is a classic of the FPS genre, and remains one of Monolith’s most-famous outings to date. The team’s 2005 shooter blends atmospheric environments inspired by Japanese horror with super-solid shooting mechanics and incredibly impressive AI, especially for the time. FEAR’s Max Payne-esque ‘bullet time’ mechanic is also a great addition to the experience, contributing to a very memorable FPS overall.

Despite the game’s muted colour palette and military themes, FEAR’s overall story and style holds up rather nicely as well. Exploring paranormal themes and putting story at the forefront, FEAR feels different — especially for a shooter of this era — and we can absolutely recommend going back and giving this one a whirl in 2025. Better yet – the game runs at 60 frames per-second on Xbox Series X and S thanks to FPS Boost!

Condemned: Criminal Origins (Xbox 360)
Condemned: Criminal Origins is one of the most underrated horror games on Xbox 360 – seriously, this game is so overlooked it’s almost criminal. Terrible gags aside, this backwards compatible title explores what exactly turns an average citizen into a full-blown serial killer – and just like FEAR before it, Monolith gets the game’s spooky atmosphere and melee-based combat down to a tee.

Unfortunately this one didnt get any modern console enhancements on backwards compatibility, but the console version still runs best on Xbox Series X and S, and the gameplay experience holds up very well to this day. The first Condemned is quite barebones in many ways, but that’s part of the game’s appeal – you really do feel isolated and alone uncovering the city’s dark secrets. Close the curtains and throw this one on at night – you’ll have a great time condemning your enemies to a grisly end!

F.E.A.R. 2 (Xbox 360)
Our final Monolith backwards compatible title here returns to the FEAR franchise with FEAR 2 – the series’ 2009 sequel builds on the original and in many ways is the more complete experience. Improved level design, graphics and a more involved story – FEAR 2 picks up right where the first game left off, and this entry really solidified FEAR as a mainstay Xbox 360 series for us.

Although FEAR went in a slightly different direction with the third entry from a different developer, the first two FEAR games are great, and we’re so happy they made their way to the Xbox back compat library just before Microsoft started winding down the program. And, with Monolith now taken from us, we can always revisit and remember some of their most memorable games thanks to the fantastic Xbox feature.

Well, that’s all, folks! It’s a real shame to be losing Monolith Productions after such a long time in the industry – but they had a fantastic run, and these games are a testament to their work on Xbox 360. Of course, as we mentioned at the top, the team’s Middle-Earth games are also some fantastic demonstrations of this studio’s talent – and we highly recommend Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War on Xbox as well. Whichever game you pick, we hope you have a good time revisiting some Monolith classics!

Let us know what you think of these Monolith titles down below.