Microsoft may have accidentally leaked newest additions to the Backwards Compatibility Program early, the games have since been pulled offline.

[update 3] According to Major Nelson(Larry Hyrb), “Due to an error, some of the games currently in test were accidentally made available. We have since removed access to those games, and apologize for any confusion this may have caused. We will have more information on upcoming releases soon.”

While this does not confirm or deny that these titles are coming to the Backwards Compatibility Program soon, gamers now have proof that the games work on the Xbox One, and most likely are only being held back by the publisher of the game. Red Dead Redemption continues to be one of the most popular titles on the Xbox 360, and if the recent sales spike on amazon.com is anything to go by(currently the #1 selling digital product on Xbox 360), still a big money maker for Rockstar Games.

[update 2] Appears Microsoft has decided to take the opportunity to troll users trying to download these games. Attempts to download Red Dead Redemption now result in a copy of Hexic HD being installed. According to the twitter feed for Xbox Support, users who have downloaded the unauthorized version of may be in violation of the Xbox Terms & Conditions which states do not “play a game before it has been authorized for play on the service.”

Hopefully the wait for the official release of these games to the Backwards Compatibility Program is a short one.

[update] Looks like Alan Wake: American Nightmare is among the titles available through this digital download loophole.

In a surprise move, Red Dead Redemption, Left 4 Dead 2, Tekken Tag Tournament 2, and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night have all begun appearing as a download for owners of the digital version each of the three games on the Xbox One.

Reported on NeoGAF by user LyleLanley, if you own a digital copy of these 360 games, you can download a copy on Xbox One, however there is a catch. In order to find the download page, you have to find another user who has played the game on the Xbox One, and use their recent games played list to click through to the download page. Unfortunately this does not appear to work for retail copies of the game yet, as only those with a digital license are able to download the game on their Xbox One.

If you do not have anyone on your friends list who has played Red Dead Redemption through the Backwards Compatibility Program yet, simply follow ‘Rocko Howard’ and browse his recently played games.

Other gamers have reported the same situation regarding Tekken Tag Tournament 2, Left 4 Dead 2, and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. If you own a digital copy of the game on your Xbox 360, definitely take a look as see if you can find someone who has played it on their Xbox One to download your copy early.

While this may have been an accidental leak, the fact the digital version is playable definitely indicates the games are indeed heading to the Xbox One. Hopefully the full announcement and compatibility with the retail discs will be announced in the near future.

Are you looking forward to playing Red Dead Redemption again? Have you already played the Backwards Compatible version? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below, and share your gamertag to help others find the download page to that game.