Roundup Here's What The Reviews Are Saying About Highguard, Out Now On Xbox
A massive free-to-play release from former Titanfall devs!
- Xbox
- Highguard
- Round Up
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
Feature 30 Upcoming Games That Will Support Xbox Play Anywhere In 2026
Not the full list by any means, but a sneak peek!
- Xbox
- Xbox Play Anywhere
- Features
Feature Fable Could Finally Be Xbox's Big 'Game Of The Year' Contender, But There's One Problem
Hey, hey I wanna be a rockstar
- Xbox
- Fable
- Game Of The Year
- 2026
- GTA 6
Feature Why Is Nobody Talking About One Of The Best Xbox Exclusives Of 2025?
This deserves to be a chart-topper
- Xbox
- Features
- Rhythm Doctor
- Xbox Exclusives
News Xbox Studios Boss Talks GTA 6 And The Need To 'Space Out' New Releases In 2026
It's going to be a challenge!
- Xbox
- Xbox Game Studios
- GTA 6
News In The US, 66% Of Xbox Series X|S Sales Were Digital-Only In 2025
PS5 was at almost 50% too
- Xbox
- Microsoft
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
- Console Sales
Latest News
YesterdayMon, 26th Jan 2026
News Highguard Comparison Shows Difference Between Xbox Series X And Xbox Series S
Here's how both Xbox versions stack up
Today's big Xbox release is that of Highguard - a new free-to-play title developed by people who worked on the Titanfall and Apex Legends games, and one that's been getting a ton of attention since being unveiled at The Game Awards. We've already talked about the reviews for Highguard — they range from...
- Xbox
- Highguard
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
- Comparison
News Xbox Studios Boss Talks GTA 6 And The Need To 'Space Out' New Releases In 2026
It's going to be a challenge!
2026 is set to be a major year for Xbox Game Studios, with multiple tentpole franchises receiving new releases over the next 12 months, and studios boss Craig Duncan is hyper-aware of how important it is to schedule these correctly. In an interview with GamesRadar, Duncan admitted that releasing Keeper,
- Xbox
- Xbox Game Studios
- GTA 6
Roundup Here's What The Reviews Are Saying About Highguard, Out Now On Xbox
A massive free-to-play release from former Titanfall devs!
There's been speculation over whether it would launch on time, but the free-to-play release of Highguard has officially arrived on Xbox today, and the first reviews have just started going live across the web! For those who aren't aware, this is a PvP raid shooter made by developers behind...
- Xbox
- Highguard
- Round Up
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
News Xbox's Blizzard Team Announces Multiple Showcases Laying Out The Company's Future
Diablo, Overwatch, WoW & more to feature
Blizzard has today announced four upcoming showcases detailing the future of Diablo, Hearthstone, Overwatch and World of Warcraft - as it hones in on a big year of 35th anniversary celebrations. Yep, Blizzard turns 35 in 2026, and it's going to announce news regarding these big f
- Xbox
- Blizzard
- Activision
- Diablo
- Overwatch
News Fable Likely To Be A Huge Hit On PS5 As Sony-Hosted Trailer Hits 1 Million Views
Doubling Xbox's number already
Following Xbox and Playground's latest look at Fable, we learned that the upcoming RPG is launching day one on PS5 - and if the first Sony-hosted trailer is anything to go by, that could be a pretty shrewd move by Microsoft. In the wake of Fable showing up at Xbox Developer Direct, PlayStation uploaded the title's new...
- Xbox
- Fable
- PS5
- Microsoft
- Playground Games
Feature 30 Upcoming Games That Will Support Xbox Play Anywhere In 2026
Not the full list by any means, but a sneak peek!
One of the big topics of last week here at Pure Xbox was the excellent Xbox Play Anywhere program, and we hope you won't mind if we gush over it just once more — we wanted to bring you a list of upcoming games for it! So, Xbox Play Anywhere is very much an ever-changing thing, with games randomly...
- Xbox
- Xbox Play Anywhere
- Features
News Fantastic Far Cry Upgrades Could Be Followed Up By More 60FPS Patches From Ubisoft
Strength through unity
Ubisoft has been at it with its back catalogue recently, upgrading the likes of Far Cry 3, The Division and more to play at 60FPS on modern consoles. It doesn't sound like the team is planning to stop there either, as Insider Gaming's Tom Henderson suggests that more of the company's classics could get performance boosts in...
- Xbox
- Far Cry
- Ubisoft
- Assassins Creed
- 60FPS
Rumour Xbox Might Be Planning A Second Developer Direct Showcase For 2026
We're up for it!
Over the past few years, the Xbox Developer Direct showcase has always taken place at around the same time in mid-late January, and the 2026 version of the event was no exception. However, with this year marking the 25th anniversary of Xbox, and so many exciting first-party games on the horizon for Microsoft, it's been rumoured...
- Xbox
- Xbox Developer Direct
- Showcase
- Rumours
News In The US, 66% Of Xbox Series X|S Sales Were Digital-Only In 2025
PS5 was at almost 50% too
With Microsoft's continued console price hikes over the last few years, the team's all-digital offerings have become a more enticing proposition for consumers, and that appears to have reflected in the 2025 console sales split for Xbox Series X|S in the US. Circana's Mat Piscatella has recently shared some "fun facts"...
- Xbox
- Microsoft
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
- Console Sales
Time Extension A new native port
Rare's classic N64 title, Banjo-Kazooie, has been recompiled for a new native PC port which brings a host of improvements to the game. Banjo: Recompiled makes use of the N64: Recompiled project to statically recompile the beloved 1998 title into a native PC port. The venture has been spearheaded by Mr-Wiseguy, creator of
- Nintendo
- N64
- Recompilation
- Banjo-Kazooie
Sunday25th Jan 2026
News Six New Demos Have Been Added To Xbox In 2026 So Far, Including Three Major Ones
Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Tides is one of the latest
At some point over the past few months, Xbox has changed how it orders the "Game Demos" section on the Microsoft Store — instead of being sorted by new additions, it's now prioritising the most popular demos at any one time. That's all well and good, and it means a lot of the AAA titles rise to...
- Xbox
- Demos
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
Feature Why Is Nobody Talking About One Of The Best Xbox Exclusives Of 2025?
This deserves to be a chart-topper
It's becoming rarer than ever to see new Xbox exclusives these days, with Microsoft employing a multiplatform strategy for some of its new releases, but there are still plenty of examples if you go looking for them hard enough. For example, we talked about a game back in December called
- Xbox
- Features
- Rhythm Doctor
- Xbox Exclusives
Feature Fable Could Finally Be Xbox's Big 'Game Of The Year' Contender, But There's One Problem
Hey, hey I wanna be a rockstar
There's been a long-running narrative for some time now that Xbox never quite seems to make the Game of the Year cut, particularly at The Game Awards showcase that happens each and every December. There's no doubt that Microsoft has produced some great games in recent years, but that big TGA award always seems to...
- Xbox
- Fable
- Game Of The Year
- 2026
- GTA 6
Retro Recap All The Classic Gaming News From The Past Week (January 25th 2026)
Time Extension Sonic! Smurfs! Lara Croft! 2DS!
Welcome to Retro Recap, a regular feature we run each and every weekend which rounds up all of the best retro gaming news and content of the past week in one place. Fatboy Slim Opens Up About His Smurfs Video Game Soundtrack: One of the biggest names in the 'Big Beat' revolution that swept global music charts in...
- Retro Recap
- Features
Saturday24th Jan 2026
Feature These 20+ Games Are Coming To Xbox Next Week (January 26-30)
Including FIVE new Game Pass titles!
Welcome to your Xbox games roundup for January 26-30! We've got a few big games releasing over the next few days, with the highlights arguably being Code Vein 2 and free-to-play shooter Highguard, while Xbox Game Pass is giving us a whopping five new titles to
- Xbox
- Features
- Weekly Roundup
- Xbox One
- Xbox Series X
Deals All 40+ Backwards Compatible Games In This Weekend's Xbox Sales
Including the first three Fables!
With all the focus being on the Xbox Developer Direct showcase this week, we've not been paying an awful lot of attention to the various sales on the Microsoft Store over the past few days, but we have noticed that plenty of backwards compatible games are discounted right now! Most of these are part of the...
- Xbox
- Deals
- Xbox Countdown Sale
- Backwards Compatibility
- Discounts
News Clockwork Revolution Dev Talks Choice & Consequence In Its Upcoming Steampunk RPG
"inXile very much hangs its hat on reactivity"
Clockwork Revolution is one of the most exciting Xbox Game Studios titles being built over at Microsoft HQ right now, despite the team keeping things largely under wraps so far. Phil Spencer has expressed his personal hype for it, and we're right there with him; desperate to see more of this steampunk...
- Xbox
- Clockwork Revolution
- inXile
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (January 24-25)
Recent XGP addition? Dev Direct inspiration?
It's time for another weekend! It's been a rather busy week on Xbox with some good Game Pass additions and Microsoft's Developer Direct showcase, so it's safe to say we're ready to sit back and relax in front of our TVs over the next few days. Here's what we're playing this weekend: Ben Kerry, Staff...
- Xbox
- Features
- Talking Point
- What Are You Playing
Friday23rd Jan 2026
News Xbox Studios Boss Shares Update On Progress For State Of Decay 3
"I have done a number of visits to that studio..."
It's been a long time since we last heard anything on the upcoming Xbox first-party title State of Decay 3, but the head of Xbox Game Studios was actually questioned about it in an interview this week with GamesRadar. When asked about whether we'll see more of the game in 2026, Xbox Game Studios...
- Xbox
- State of Decay 3
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
News Playground Games Explains Fable's Open World & How It Compares To The Forza Horizon Series
"There's tons to explore..."
With this year's Fable reboot, the series is going truly open world with the backing of Forza Horizon specialists Playground Games, and that leads to questions about the size of the world and how it compares to other genre examples. In a new interview, Playground's Ralph Fulton has talked about just that - and how it all...
- Xbox
- Fable
- Forza Horizon
- Playground Games
News Forza Horizon 6 Is Tweaking Progression In The Hopes Of Addressing A Common Series Complaint
Making your way through the ranks
Xbox has finally lifted the lid on Forza Horizon 6 this week, and while lots of the focus so far has been on open-world Japan and what Playground Games is packing into the world, we've spotted a nice bit of fan service that could have a major impact on how Horizon 6 plays. Kicking off its gameplay overview at Xbox...
- Xbox
- Forza Horizon 6
- Playground Games
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
News Forza Horizon 6's Controversial Game Pass Upgrade Costs As Much As The Game Itself
Here in the UK at least
Forza Horizon 6 made a big splash at last night's Xbox Developer Direct, with an impressive showing that finally gives us a glimpse at Playground's vision for open-world Japanese racing. It's launching soon too — with a May release date on Xbox — but folks are starting to spot that the game's DLC is l
- Xbox
- Forza Horizon 6
- Xbox Game Pass
- Premium Upgrade
- Microsoft
News Xbox Exec Explains Why Some Games Are 'Day One' For PS5, And Others Aren't
"We're going to try and be more consistent"
There have been some excellent interviews with the likes of the Halo: Campaign Evolved and Gears of War: E-Day teams going live over at
- Xbox
- Xbox Game Studios
- PS5
Time Extension Audio director Dan "Toasty" Forden reflects on an incredible 37-year career
In October 2025, Dan Forden, the legendary sound designer and composer behind the Mortal Kombat series, announced his retirement from the games industry and the Midway successor Netherrealm, after 37 years in the business. For many fans of the series, the announcement...
- Interviews
- Features
- Mortal Kombat
- VGM
News Xbox Has Just Quietly Added Two Sims Classics To PC Game Pass
Via the EA Play program
We weren't expecting any Xbox Game Pass additions on the day of the Xbox Developer Direct except perhaps a shadow drop at the event itself (which didn't happen), but instead we ended up getting two surprise PC Game Pass titles! These are some absolute classics as well, with The Sims 1 and
- Xbox
- PC
- Sims
- PC Game Pass
Opinion Xbox Dev Direct 2026 Was Great, And One Game Clearly Stole The Show
We'll all be chicken chasing later this year
Xbox Developer Direct is always one of my favourite events of the year. Not only is it so much easier to cover from a Pure Xbox perspective than other showcases (!), but it also gives four games (or occasionally one or two more) a chance to breathe — a chance to escape from the rapid pace of the Xbox...
- Xbox
- Xbox Developer Direct
- Opinion
- Features
News Free Play Days: Try These Xbox Games For Free (January 22-25)
Five games, and they're all well worth playing!
In the midst of all the Xbox Developer Direct news on Thursday, we didn't get a chance to tell you about this week's Xbox Free Play Days games — and there's too much good stuff here for you to miss out on! Four games are technically included with Xbox Free Play Days this week, and they're all well...
- Xbox
- Free Play Days
- Xbox Game Pass
- Microsoft
Talking Point What Are Your Favourite Fable Memories?
Time Extension We'd love to know your favourite anecdotes from across Lionhead's classic series
Last night's Xbox Developer Direct 2026 Showcase saw Playground Games reveal the latest look at its upcoming reboot of the Fable series, and it's inevitably got me waxing all nostalgic about all of the hijinks I got up to in Lionhead's original trilogy. From the joyful...
- Talking Point
- Features
- Fable
- Xbox
Thursday22nd Jan 2026
News Fable Showcases Stunning Gameplay Deep Dive, Arrives On Xbox, PC & PS5 Later This Year
A fabled reveal
After what feels like an absolute eternity since it was first announced, Xbox and Playground Games have finally pulled back the curtain on the upcoming Fable reboot - and wow, this could be an Xbox game for the ages if all comes together in Autumn 2026. The Forza Horizon specialists are set to deliver a sprawling open world RPG with...
- Xbox
- Fable
- Developer Direct
- Playground Games
- Xbox Game Pass
Roundup Here's What Was Revealed At The Xbox Developer Direct 2026 Showcase
All the big announcements!
Weren't able to catch January 2026's Xbox Developer Direct showcase earlier today? No worries! You can always go back and watch the on-demand version for yourself, which you'll find elsewhere on Pure Xbox. If you don't want to watch it all the way through, we've also detailed all the important reveals in this article...
- Xbox
- Xbox Developer Direct
- Showcase
- Features
- Xbox Series X
News Forza Horizon 6 Officially Launches On Xbox In May, Here's Your First Look At Open-World Japan
It looks stunning!
As part of today's Xbox Developer Direct showcase, Playground Games has given us our first proper look at Forza Horizon 6 - and what a first look it's turned out to be. The team has taken us behind the scenes at its Leamington Spa studio to showcase its greatest hits rendition of open world Japan - from the dizzying mountains of...
- Xbox
- Forza Horizon 6
- Developer Direct
- Playground Games
- Xbox Game Pass
Roundup The First Reviews Are In For Final Fantasy 7 Remake On Xbox Series X
"It's officially the best version"
Today marks the long-awaited arrival of Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, and therefore we've started to see a few reviews going live at various outlets over the past 24 hours. Here at Pure Xbox, I recently shared my thoughts on playing FF7 Remake's free demo as someone who'd...
- Xbox
- Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade
- Round Up
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
News Microsoft Is Hosting A Huge 'Buy One, Get Two Free' Sale Featuring Lots Of Xbox Indies
Live for the next week on the Microsoft Store
Xbox has just set live another one of its eclectic 'Buy One, Get Two Free' sales on the Microsoft Store; this one featuring lots of different indie titles across multiple genres. There are some more well-known indies on this list such as Valheim, Untitled Goose Game, A Little To The Left, Poppy Playtime...
- Xbox
- Microsoft
- Deals
- Xbox Sale
- Xbox Series X
News Beast Of Reincarnation Continues To Impress, Releases On Xbox Game Pass In Summer 2026
"A one-person, one-dog action RPG"
It was back in June of last year that we first learned of Beast of Reincarnation — a new action RPG from the team behind the Pokémon games of all things — and it was announced at the time to be coming to Xbox Game Pass. Today's Xbox Developer Dir
- Xbox
- Beast of Reincarnation
- Xbox Game Pass
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
News Gears Of War: E-Day Will Be Packed With 'Heart & Emotion', Set In A Single War-Ravaged City
New details on the next Gears of War
Gears is going back to its roots, and we couldn't be happier about it. The Coalition has been, up to this point, light on details about the upcoming Gears of War: E-Day - but a new interview sheds a bit more light on what the team is going for, and it all has us incredibly excited to see the game in action. As...
- Xbox
- Gears of War: E-Day
- The Coalition
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
News Double Fine's 'Kiln' Revealed As The Surprise Game At Xbox Developer Direct 2026
And it's releasing on Game Pass pretty soon
We'd been hearing in the lead-up to today's Xbox Developer Direct 2026 showcase that a surprise game would be revealed during the event, and it turned out to be a new multiplayer brawler from Double Fine! The game is called Kiln, and it sees you creating your own pot through an accessible and surprisingly...
- Xbox
- Double Fine
- Kiln
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
Poll How Would You Grade 2026's Xbox Developer Direct?
Give us your verdict
The dust is now beginning to settle on 2026's Xbox Developer Direct showcase! If you haven't had a chance to watch it yet, you can catch the full thing over at our live coverage page, as well as check out our recap of everything that happened as part of the show. So, all things considered, what grade would you give the Xbox...
- Xbox
- Xbox Developer Direct
- Showcase
- Polls
- Features
Wednesday21st Jan 2026
News Xbox Reporter Says Bethesda's Fallout 3 & New Vegas Remasters 'Aren't Imminent'
We might be waiting a while to play them
Earlier this month, we heard that Xbox and Bethesda were working away on new versions of Fallout 3 and New Vegas thanks to a big report from Windows Central - but now the same source is warning us that the pair of Fallout remasters/remakes are a while away from releasing just yet. Yep, ahead of
- Xbox
- Fallout 3
- Fallout New Vegas
- Bethesda
- Microsoft
News Three Games Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (January 21)
Including a MASSIVE addition from Kojima Productions
Welcome to your latest Xbox Game Pass roundup! Following yesterday's XGP update that mapped out the rest of January, we have three big titles landing in the library today, including Kojima's once-PS4 exclusive Death Stranding. Here's some more details on tha
- Xbox
- Xbox Game Pass
- Microsoft
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
News Here's Your First Look At The 60FPS Far Cry 3 Upgrade On Xbox Series X|S
Blood Dragon and Primal get upgrades today too!
Last week, Ubisoft quietly announced that Far Cry 3 Classic Edition, Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon Classic Edition and Far Cry Primal would all be receiving native 60FPS upgrades on January 21st, and those upgrades are now live! As we've mentioned before, Far Cry 3 technically already ran at 60FPS on Xbox...
- Xbox
- Far Cry 3
- Upgrade
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
News Ubisoft Cancels Multiple Games, Closes Studios, And Unveils New Strategy For The Future
The Prince of Persia: Sands of Time remake is no more
In a shocking announcement today, Ubisoft has cancelled the Prince of Persia: Sands of Time remake along with various other games, while also closing studios and unveiling a new strategy for the company going forward. Ubisoft says it needs to "reclaim its creative leadership, regain agility and...
- Xbox
- Ubisoft
- Prince of Persia: The Sands Of Time Remake
News Prince Of Persia Remake Team Shares Final Message Following Game's Cancellation
"We want to share this with you directly"
The Prince of Persia: Sands of Time remake feels like it's been doomed from the start. After first being announced all the way back in September of 2020, the game ended up suffering numerous delays before eventually switching development teams to Ubisoft Montreal in 2023, and progress then seemed to be...
- Xbox
- Prince of Persia Remake
- Ubisoft
News Here's What's Included In The Xbox January 2026 Update
PC, handheld and cloud are the focus
The Xbox January 2026 update is now being highlighted by the folks over at Xbox Wire, and as usual with these updates in recent months, it's not really very console-focused — the updates encompass everything nowadays. Having said that, the Xbox PC app has gotten some fresh updates, Xbox Cloud Gaming is...
- Xbox
- Microsoft
- Updates
- January 2026
- Xbox Series X
News Xbox 'Developer Direct Sale' Now Live With Big Discounts On Xbox Game Studios Titles
Microsoft debuts a new Dev Direct sale
Ahead of Xbox Developer Direct airing tomorrow, January 22nd, the Microsoft Store is hosting a new Dev Direct sale - featuring a bunch of Xbox Game Studios titles at up to 80% off. This particular promo contains everything from Psychonauts and Jade Empire on the OG Xbox to South of Midnight,
- Xbox
- Deals
- Developer Direct
- Microsoft
- Xbox Series X
News Halo Studios Admits That The Series Needs A Bigger Playerbase As PS5 Community Awaits
"There are people who've never been exposed to Halo"
Halo: Campaign Evolved is set for a PS5 launch later this year, as the team at Halo Studios plots its first-ever multiplatform release. It's a big shift for the Halo series, but ultimately, it sounds like one the famous Xbox IP needs to make for it to thrive in the future. In a new interview with
- Xbox
- Halo: Campaign Evolved
- Halo Studios
- PS5
- Microsoft
Tuesday20th Jan 2026
One hellishly beautiful game
Today, Microsoft has revealed its next batch of Xbox Game Pass titles, with some huge additions coming our way including Death Stranding Director's Cut later this week. However, it's one of next week's arrivals that's caught our eye, with Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2
- Xbox
- Features
- Xbox Game Pass
- Space Marine 2
- Xbox Series X
News These 10 Games Are Coming To Xbox Game Pass, Multiple Major Additions (January 21 - February 3)
More big titles for XGP!
Microsoft has today revealed another new roundup of Xbox Game Pass titles for January 2026, with 10 games joining the service from January 21 - February 3, including multiple major additions in Space Marine 2 and Death Stranding and Ninja Gaiden Ragebound! Don't forget that
- Xbox
- Microsoft
- Xbox Game Pass
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
News Xbox Ally Owner Explains How They Added Real Game Boy Cartridges To Their Handheld
Even the Game Boy Camera works!
There are so many amazing things you can do with the ROG Xbox Ally, but here's one we'd never anticipated — adding real, working Game Boy cartridges to it! That's what one owner has been showing off on Reddit today, and it's got us inspired to try something similar ourselves. In their post a few hours ago, Reddit...
- Xbox
- ROG Xbox Ally
- Handhelds
- Game Boy
- Random
News Two Games Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (January 20)
Two big additions to XGP
Welcome to your latest Xbox Game Pass update! Today, two big additions are arriving on the service, including a well-loved survival horror title from Capcom in the form of Resident Evil Village. Here's a quick introduction to that, alongside today's other XGP arrival, which is a day one release! MIO: Memories In Orbit...
- Xbox
- Xbox Game Pass
- Microsoft
- Xbox One
- Xbox Series X
News Loads Of Leaked Fable Concept Art Shows Open World Environments, Dungeons & More
Full gameplay reveal coming this week
It's been a long time coming, but things are really kicking into gear now with Playground's Fable reboot. We've got the team's full gameplay reveal coming later this week via Xbox Developer Direct, and ahead of that showcase in a few days' time, a load of fresh Fable concept art has leaked online. Coming by way...
- Xbox
- Fable
- Playground Games
- Concept Art
- Microsoft
