Crackdown 2 is now backwards compatible on Xbox One, and it's free

Crackdown 3 has been out for around a month now, and if you’ve been enjoying the antics of the third installment, you’ll be happy to know it’s predecessor Crackdown 2 is now backwards compatible and free to download on Xbox One.

Larry ‘Major Nelson’ Hryb confirmed the announcement that Microsoft was adding the second game in the series to the backwards compatible library on Twitter.

Crackdown 2 was originally released on Xbox 360 almost a decade ago in 2010. Scottish studio Ruffian Games were behind the open-world sequel which put more emphasis on co-op play, but didn’t stray too far from the first game’s offering in 2007.

The news comes after a recent Crackdown 3 patch on March 8 that added some slight tweaks to the Crime Map, and balanced out boss fights. The dev update for the patch also revealed we’ll be seeing the return of a ‘Keys to the City’ mode in the latest game.

The mode was an update in both Crackdown and Crackdown 2 and is easily one of the best modes to mess around with. It’s essentially a cheat mode that unlocks developer tools, and gives players access to everything on the map so you blow things up and shoot to your heart's content.

Many Crackdown players have been calling for the mode to make a return on Crackdown’s forums, and the devs say they’ve been paying close attention to what players loved about that particular mode for the update.

It’s great to see Crackdown 2 join the backwards compatible world along with the first, and with its free price tag you can’t go wrong.

Looking to be the best Agent you can be in Crackdown 3? Then be sure to check out our 12 essential tips before you get stuck in.

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Heather Wald is the Evergreen Editor, Games at GamesRadar+. Her writing career began on a student-led magazine at Bath Spa University, where she earned a BA (Hons) in English literature. Heather landed her first role writing about tech and games for Stuff Magazine shortly after graduating with an MA in magazine journalism at Cardiff University. Now with almost seven years of experience working with GamesRadar+ on the features team, Heather helps to develop, maintain, and expand the evergreen features that exist on the site for games, as well as spearhead the Indie Spotlight series. You'll also see her contribute op-eds, interview-led features, and more. In her spare time, you'll likely find Heather tucking into RPGs and indie games, reading romance novels, and drinking lots of tea.