Feature 12 Xbox Game Pass Titles To Get Excited For In The Second Half Of 2025
Gears of War, Hollow Knight and so much more!
- Xbox
- Xbox Game Pass
- Features
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
News Three Games Are Available This Week With Xbox Game Pass (May 13-16)
Including a massive first-party release
- Xbox
- Xbox Game Pass
- Microsoft
- Xbox One
- Xbox Series X
Hands On The Precinct (Xbox) - An Addictive Blend Of Police Sim & GTA
Woop-woop! That's the sound of da police!
- Xbox
- The Precinct
- Hands On
- Previews
- Review In Progress
News Switch 2 Tech Specs Revealed, Here's How They Compare To Xbox Series X|S
Big differences, obviously
- Xbox
- Nintendo Switch
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
- Comparison
News 16 Ubisoft Titles Now Available On Microsoft's PC Store, Adding Fuel To The Xbox Handheld Fire
"For the first time ever..."
- Xbox
- Ubisoft
- Xbox Handheld
- Xbox PC App
- Microsoft Store
News 'Fantasy Life i' Gets Fantastic First Review Ahead Of Series Debut On Xbox
Fantasising about this one
- Xbox
- Fantasy Life I
- Level-5
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
Latest News
YesterdayWed, 14th May 2025
News Switch 2 Tech Specs Revealed, Here's How They Compare To Xbox Series X|S
Big differences, obviously
The big news of today concerns the Nintendo Switch 2 and Digital Foundry's reveal of the key tech specs for the console ahead of its launch in June, so we thought we'd take this opportunity to compare the Switch 2 alongside the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. It's not a fair fight, of course, and Nintendo isn't trying to...
- Xbox
- Nintendo Switch
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
- Comparison
News Square Enix Doubles Down On Plans To Release More Xbox Games
Come on then, it's Final Fantasy time
It was this time last year that Square Enix announced an "aggressive" new multi-platform strategy that would see more games being released on more platforms (including Xbox), and the company has doubled down on this again today. In the latest Square Enix financial report, there's once again a reference to this...
- Xbox
- Square Enix
- Industry
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
Feature 12 Xbox Game Pass Titles To Get Excited For In The Second Half Of 2025
Gears of War, Hollow Knight and so much more!
What an unbelievable year it's been for Xbox Game Pass in 2025 so far! We've seen one of the best ever months for Game Pass in April, while May and June are both stacked with some awesome-looking additions as well. Now that we've highlighted everything from January to June on Xbox Game Pass here at Pure...
- Xbox
- Xbox Game Pass
- Features
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
Feature Tomohiro Nishikado On Making 'Space Invaders' And What Makes Games Fun
Time Extension "Younger people who want to make games should play really old games"
One of the formative figures of video games is Tomohiro Nishikado. Known for creating the arcade game smash hit Space Invaders, I caught up with him about his long and storied career. “I was born in Osaka, in a place called Kishiwada, and I spent most of my young life there...
- Features
- Interviews
- Tomohiro Nishikado
News 16 Ubisoft Titles Now Available On Microsoft's PC Store, Adding Fuel To The Xbox Handheld Fire
"For the first time ever..."
Last week was stacked with yet more Xbox handheld news - first through leaked images & details of the system itself, followed by some curious preparations that Microsoft seemed to be making for the device's upcoming launch. One of those preparations was a bunch of Ubisoft PC titles being brought over to the Microsoft...
- Xbox
- Ubisoft
- Xbox Handheld
- Xbox PC App
- Microsoft Store
News All 30+ Backwards Compatible Games In Xbox's Mid-May 2025 Sales
A great selection of Xbox classics!
This week, Xbox has dropped another batch of digital deals across multiple mid-May promotions - and we actually have quite a good selection of backwards compatible offers tucked in here this time around. So, we thought we'd share with you all of the Xbox back compat deals for this week, May 13-20. Here's your...
- Xbox
- Microsoft
- Deals
- Backwards Compatible
- Xbox One
News Microsoft Discounts 'Refurbished' Xbox Series X|S Consoles In Some Countries
A way to avoid the new price increases
Back at the start of the month, Microsoft announced that it was increasing prices on Xbox consoles, accessories and games, but when it comes to consoles in particular, there are definitely ways to reduce those increases. If you haven't familarised yourself with the new Xbox console prices, we've listed them...
- Xbox
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
- Console
- Prices
News Stalker: Legends Of The Zone Trilogy Gets Free Xbox Series X|S Upgrade Next Week
The Enhanced Edition enters the zone
After landing on Xbox consoles a year ago, Stalker: Legends of the Zone Trilogy is finally getting its free Xbox Series X|S upgrade next week - bringing a host of current-gen console enhancements to the first three Stalker games on Xbox. Those console enhancements include native 4K and both 60FPS / 1
- Xbox
- Stalker: Legends Of The Zone Trilogy Enhanced Edition
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
News GSC Game World Reveals Stalker Trilogy Tech Specs For Xbox Series X And S
Loads of options on both consoles!
Earlier today, we brought the news that Stalker: Legends of the Zone Trilogy gets its proper next-gen patch next week - and now developer GSC Game World has provided some more information on how the new-gen version will run across Xbox Series X and S. We're getting loads of different performance modes on both Xbox...
- Xbox
- Stalker Legends of the Zone Trilogy Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
- GSC Game World
News 'Fantasy Life i' Gets Fantastic First Review Ahead Of Series Debut On Xbox
Fantasising about this one
Back in February, we shared the news that Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time would mark the series' first Xbox entry after almost three decades of waiting - and now the game's first review has dropped, and it's looking like the new Fantasy Life title could be a bit of a banger. Courtesy of our friends over at...
- Xbox
- Fantasy Life I
- Level-5
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
News Activision Files Lawsuit Against COD Hackers As It Aims To Clean Up Black Ops 6
Hack Ops
Xbox's Activision Blizzard team has been pursuing hackers a whole bunch since Black Ops 6 launched late last year, and now the company has filed a lawsuit against two of the most prominent hacking groups in the Call of Duty scene. As seen by
- Xbox
- Call Of Duty
- Activision
- Black Ops 6
- Lergware
PSA A Minecraft Movie Is Now Available To Rent Or Buy On Digital
Chicken jockey... in your living room!
The Minecraft Movie made its debut last month and if you were holding out to watch it at home, you'll be pleased to hear the digital version is now available. This means you can rent or buy the movie right now in select locations! This version also includes some "behind-the-scenes footage". "Like grains of...
- PSA
- Minecraft
- Xbox
- Movies
News Capcom Has Made Record Profits Again, For The 8th Year In A Row
Eight times' a charm
In recent times, it feels like we've been singing Capcom's praises fairly often - and in an industry that seems intent on consistently delivering bad news, we're going to carry on doing just that. This week, as part of its most recent financial results, the Japanese game maker has announced record profits for the eighth year in...
- Xbox
- Capcom
- Financials
- Monster Hunter Wilds
Tuesday13th May 2025
News Three Games Are Available This Week With Xbox Game Pass (May 13-16)
Including a massive first-party release
Welcome to another Xbox Game Pass update! Today, we're covering all of this week's new XGP additions arriving between now and Friday, including id Software's massive new shooter DOOM: The Dark Ages. Let's take a look at the full Xbox Game Pass lineup for this week (May 13-16): Warhammer: Vermintide 2...
- Xbox
- Xbox Game Pass
- Microsoft
- Xbox One
- Xbox Series X
News 'Huge' Number Of People Cancelling DOOM Pre-Orders Over 'Botched Physical Release'
Negative feedback for the disc version
Back at the end of last week, we reported how DOOM: The Dark Ages' physical version seemingly had a tiny amount of content on the disc, and apparently that's leading to a "huge" number of people cancelling their boxed pre-orders. This comes courtesy of the game preservation-focused Twitter account "Does it...
- Xbox
- DOOM: The Dark Ages
- Physical
- Disc
- Boxed
Roundup Here's What The Reviews Are Saying About The Precinct
"I genuinely enjoyed prowling the city for procedural crimes"
There's been a fair bit of interest in today's new Xbox release of The Precinct, and the reviews have been going live to coincide with its release on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and various other platforms over the past few hours. Here at Pure Xbox, we provided our "Hands On" /...
- Xbox
- The Precinct
- Review Roundup
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
Hands On The Precinct (Xbox) - An Addictive Blend Of Police Sim & GTA
Woop-woop! That's the sound of da police!
I've had my eye on The Precinct ever since we reviewed the team about it in 2024, describing the game as "a mix of Police Simulator and old-school GTA". Now that I've had a chance to play a few hours, I think that's the best description we could have landed on - it's just like those classic GTA games, mixed...
- Xbox
- The Precinct
- Hands On
- Previews
- Review In Progress
News Xbox Seemingly Affected As Microsoft Announces Thousands More Job Cuts
"Across all levels, teams and geographies"
We always hate reporting news like this, but it's got to be done - Microsoft is announcing more job cuts today, spanning 3% of the company "across all levels, teams and geographies" according to a report by CNBC. In a statement, Microsoft said the cuts would "best position the company for success in a...
- Xbox
- Microsoft
- Industry
News Xbox Discounts Over 500 Games Across Multiple New Mid-May Sales
Including an Xbox Game Studios sale!
Welcome to Tuesday, and welcome to another batch of Xbox sales! We've got multiple new sales for the mid-May period on the Xbox Store, including for Xbox Game Studios, ID@Xbox Simulator titles and the usual Game Pass weeklies. There's actually supposed to be another Xbox sale that's just started as well (a...
- Xbox
- Deals
- Sales
- Xbox One
- Xbox Series X
News The Sinking City Remastered Out Now On Xbox, Comparison Footage Revealed
"Fully rebuilt in Unreal Engine 5"
Just over a month ago, we brought you the news that The Sinking City was getting a remastered version built in Unreal Engine 5, and the team has shadow dropped that game on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S today! It's officially called The Sinking City Remastered, and it includes all of these new features: Game...
- Xbox
- The Sinking City Remastered
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
- Remasters
News The Texas Chain Saw Massacre Becomes 'Fully Realized' As Dev Ends Support On Xbox Title
Gun Interactive takes the safety off
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre multiplayer game, which was once a day one Xbox Game Pass title, is basically being killed off this month as studio Gun Interactive moves on from development. To be clear, the game will remain playable and purchasable for the time being, but May's update will be the final one, and...
- Xbox
- The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
- Gun Interactive
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
News Fallout Gets Renewed For Season 3, Season 2 Date And Teasers Revealed
Fancy a trip to New Vegas?
Amazon Prime's highly successful live-action adaptation of the Fallout series has today confirmed it will be returning this December. This will mark the beginning of Season 2, which will reportedly pick up after the "aftermath of Season One's epic finale" and is set to take viewers on a journey across the "wasteland of...
- Xbox
- Fallout
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
News Xbox's Latest 'BOGOF' Sale Focuses On Sports & Racing Titles
But most of the deals aren't great
Alongside Microsoft's latest set of weekly deals, the team has launched another 'Buy One, Get One' Xbox sale on its digital storefront today - this time focusing on sports and racing games, alongside various bits of associated DLC. <related ids="182294"> These promotions are typically very hit-and-miss, and...
- Xbox
- Deals
- BOGOF Sale
- Buy One Get One
- Microsoft
News Marvel 1943: Rise Of Hydra Delayed Out Of 2025, Now Arriving On Xbox In 'Early 2026'
"We have an important update..."
Just over a year ago now, we marvelled (help us) at how good Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra looked when it was unveiled by Amy Hennig's studio Skydance New Media - and as it turns out, the team needs a little more time than planned to make this licensed action-adventure game become a reality. Taking to social media this...
- Xbox
- Marvel 1943: Rise Of Hydra
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
Guide DOOM: The Dark Ages - Does It Have Multiplayer?
Slaying solo tonight, is it mate?
It's finally time (if you've got early access) to jump back into the bloodstained boots of everyone's favourite space murder man, the DOOM Slayer! Yes, friends. DOOM: The Dark Ages, a shooter that this very writer (idiot that he is) called "a slightly different death-dance, but still a gloriously great one" before...
- Xbox
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Game Pass
- Bethesda
- DOOM: The Dark Ages
News Massive Xbox RPG Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Gets Even Bigger With First DLC This Week
Brushing with death
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is an absolute behemoth of an RPG - one of the biggest role playing endeavours in recent memory, and it grows even larger this week with the game's first DLC pack; Brushes and Death. Arriving for Xbox consoles on Thursday, May 15th, Brushes and Death revolves around "a skull, a secret, and a painter...
- Xbox
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
- Brushes And Death
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
News Remedy's FBC: Firebreak Getting Free Tech Test Ahead Of Xbox Game Pass Launch
And it's playable this weekend!
Last month, Control & Alan Wake developer Remedy announced a June release date for its upcoming co-op game FBC: Firebreak - and now the title is getting a closed tech test ahead of its Xbox Game Pass launch.
- Xbox
- FBC Firebreak
- Xbox Game Pass
- Remedy
Guide DOOM: The Dark Ages: All Weapons & Weapon Locations
Guns. Anyone?
As expected, DOOM: The Dark Ages is packed to the rafters with awesome weaponry, as well as a whole bunch of cool ways to augment and upgrade any and all death-bringing devices that you're packing. So, and in the interest of making sure you're armed to the teeth for some premium-grade rippin' and/or tearin', let's take a look at all...
- Xbox
- Xbox Series X
- DOOM: The Dark Ages
- Xbox Game Pass
- Bethesda
Monday12th May 2025
News DOOM: The Dark Ages Comparison Shows Difference Between Xbox Series X And Series S
Here's how both Xbox versions stack up
We've already given you our review of DOOM: The Dark Ages here at Pure Xbox, where we mentioned how the Xbox Series X version looks and performs great - but how does it stack up against the Xbox Series S version? There are loads of ways to compare this, and we'll start with Digital Foundry's analysis. The...
- Xbox
- DOOM: The Dark Ages
- Comparison
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
News DOOM: The Dark Ages Is Locking A Timed Exclusive Skin Behind A Pizza
"A special delivery from Hell"
Fancy getting a timed exclusive DOOM: The Dark Ages skin with your pizza this month? That's exactly what Prince St. Pizza is giving away from May 12th to June 15th at every location in the US (and Toronto, Canada). Specifically, those who buy a certain pizza from Prince St. Pizza will receive a Ranger DOOM Slayer Skin...
- Xbox
- DOOM: The Dark Ages
- Random
Guide Xbox Game Pass Perks: Everything You Can Claim In May 2025
Free Perks with your Game Pass Ultimate membership
The Xbox Game Pass Perks program has continued to add a bunch of freebies for Game Pass Ultimate members throughout May 2025, including for the likes of Sea Of Thieves, UFL, Call of Duty: Warzone and many others! So,
- Xbox
- Perks
- Xbox Game Pass Perks
- May 2025
- Guides
News Oblivion Remastered's Performance 'Degrades' Over Time, Digital Foundry Discovers
"Profound problems have yet to be addressed"
Shortly after launch, the folks over at Digital Foundry took a good look at Oblivion Remastered and came away impressed with the Unreal Engine 5 tech powering this remake, even if issues were present - particularly on Xbox Series S. Since then,
- Xbox
- Oblivion Remastered
- Microsoft
- Bethesda
- Xbox Series X
Rumour Rockstar Is Working On A GTA 4 Port For Xbox Series X|S
"We may end up seeing it drop later this year"
There's disappointment in the air surrounding Rockstar's recent GTA 6 delay, for sure, but a new rumour doing the rounds suggests that the developer may well have something else GTA-related up its sleeve in the meantime. According to Tez2, the well-known Rockstar leaker, a new current-gen port for...
- Xbox
- Rumours
- GTA 4
- Grand Theft Auto
- Rockstar Games
News Xbox's Hellblade 2 Studio Shares Blurred-Out Tease Of New Game
"Always great to come together at the studio"
Incredibly, it's been almost a year since Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 was released for Xbox and PC, and developer Ninja Theory is busy working on whatever's next - as shown off in a blurred-out image via social media recently. You can see this in the tweet below, where the team have gathered together to...
- Xbox
- Hellblade 2
- Ninja Theory
- Xbox Game Studios
Guide How To Unlock Forza Horizon 5's New Xbox / PS5 Lamborghini For Free
"A powerful symbol of unity"
To celebrate Forza Horizon 5 arriving on PS5, Xbox has teamed up with Lamborghini to give away a special "first-of-its-kind livery" for the Lamborghini Revuelto that celebrates both brands with a green and blue colour scheme. The team behind Forza Horizon 5 describes this livery as "a call to race side by side",...
- Xbox
- Forza Horizon 5
- Guides
- PS5
- Free
Talking Point Xbox Fans, How Many Of You Are Buying A Switch 2?
Is it in the plans?
Amazingly, we're less than one month away from the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2. It's not a big deal for us here at Pure Xbox for obvious reasons, but it's still a big deal for the industry at large - a pretty major deal, in fact! And you know what? It is still going to affect us in multiple ways. We recently put together a...
- Xbox
- Switch 2
- Talking Point
- Features
News 2K Studio Says Next Game 'Might' Be $80 Due To Doubled Development Budget
"I think it's going to be fine, it's worth it"
Recently, both Nintendo and Microsoft have announced their moves into $80 game territory with Mario Kart World and future AAA Xbox titles, respectively - and now it sounds like other companies could be considering following suit. In a new chat at PAX East this past weekend, Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford...
- Xbox
- 2K Games
- Gearbox
- Borderlands 4
- Xbox Series X
News Eight Xbox First-Party Games Heavily Discounted By Humble Bundle (PC)
"Must-play games by Xbox Game Studios"
Over the weekend, you may have noticed a new Xbox Game Studios promotion going live on the Humble Bundle website, and it's a fantastic offer that provides some heavy discounts - but it's also not targeted at console owners. It's known as the Xbox Game Studios Publisher Bundle, and it features these eight...
- Xbox
- Xbox Game Studios
- Humble Bundle
- Discounts
- PC
Talking Point It's Been 20 Years Since Xbox 360 Was Revealed Live On MTV
"A console that's about to change digital entertainment forever"
2025 marks the 20-year anniversary of Xbox 360, with the seminal Xbox console launching way back in November 2005; kicking off the seventh generation of consoles. To this day, the system is still revered and played by many - and we've been reminded today that it's 20 years on the dot...
- Xbox
- Microsoft
- Xbox 360
- Features
- Talking Point
News Warner Bros Games Revenue Declines By Almost 50% At The Start Of 2025
Suicide Squad still struggling
At the tail end of last year, Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League developer Rocksteady announced the game's impending offline mode as it prepared to sunset the live service title - and publisher Warner Bros. continues to suffer as a result of the game's disappointing performance. As shared by
- Xbox
- Warner Bros Games
- Suicide Squad Kill the Justice League
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
Sunday11th May 2025
News Surprise! SEGA Is Bringing Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. To Xbox Series X|S
Including rollback netcode and crossplay support
To end a weekend of fighting game action at EVO Japan, SEGA hosted a special Virtua Fighter 2025 Spring broadcast and it included one particular bit of exciting news for Xbox fans. Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio (Yakuza) and AM2 will be bringing Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. to the Xbox Series X|S at some point in...
- Xbox
- Virtua Fighter
- SEGA
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
Saturday10th May 2025
News Four Games Are Confirmed For Xbox Game Pass In June 2025 So Far
An early look at what's ahead
As we always do around this time of the month, we're taking a look today at what's ahead for June 2025's Xbox Game Pass selection, with four games having been confirmed for Game Pass next month at the time of writing. All of these are brand-new Xbox releases as well, including Remedy Entertainment's FBC: Firebreak and...
- Xbox
- Xbox Game Pass
- June 2025
- Xbox One
- Xbox Series X
Feature These 30+ Games Are Coming To Xbox Next Week (May 12-16)
Including three new Xbox Game Pass titles!
Welcome to your Xbox games roundup for May 12-16! We've got a very busy week ahead of us, highlighted by the massive Xbox first-party release of DOOM: The Dark Ages! Elsewhere, keep an eye on the likes of The Precinct, Palia, Capcom Fighting Collection 2, Kulebra and the Souls of Limbo, and various other...
- Xbox
- Features
- Weekly Roundup
- Xbox One
- Xbox Series X
Poll Which Is Your Favourite Gears Of War Game On Xbox?
Gears is about to get Reloaded
The cat is out of the bag, Gears is back later this summer when Gears of War: Reloaded makes its debut on Xbox, PlayStation and PC - but which is your favourite game in the entire series? Of course, we recently touched on Gears making its PS5 debut and why we have mixed feelings on that - but as Xbox fans, we can say...
- Xbox
- Features
- Polls
- Gears of War
- Microsoft
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (May 10-11)
Still tackling the Game Pass backlog?
Another weekend is upon us! After yet another busy week for Xbox Game Pass, we've got plenty to be getting stuck into this weekend - including new library additions like DREDGE and Revenge of the Savage Planet. With that being said, here's what we're playing this weekend: Ben Kerry, Staff Writer: Well, I...
- Xbox
- Features
- Talking Point
- What Are You Playing
Friday9th May 2025
News Minecraft's New Graphics Upgrade Is Now Available On Xbox
Vibrant Visuals arrives as an experimental update
Mojang this week rolled out a new update for Minecraft and while it put all the focus on its new "flat world presets" it's also quietly released one rather big and highly anticipated experimental feature. It's tied to the previous 'Vibrant Visuals' graphics upgrade announcement that plans to...
- Xbox
- Minecraft
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
- Xbox One
News Surprise! Classic MMORPG 'Wizard101' Has Released For Free On Xbox
Blast from the past
If you were big into your MMORPGs back in the 2000s, you probably came across a game called Wizard101 - a turn-based deckbuilding title that still lives on today, and it's just released on Xbox consoles for the very first time. As mentioned elsewhere on Pure Xbox, Wizard101 is one of a few betas that have just launched on Xbox,...
- Xbox
- Wizard101
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
News New Sales Data Highlights How Xbox Is 'Dominating' PS5 Right Now
It's actually quite ridiculous
We've already heard a lot over the past few weeks about how Xbox is dominating PS5 as a publisher at the moment, but the extent of Microsoft's success has largely remained a mystery in terms of copies sold. The company rarely provides sales data like this, but thanks to Alinea Analytics, we now have a much clearer...
- Xbox
- Sales
- PS5
- Microsoft
- Industry
News Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Update 1.2.3 Now Live On Xbox, Here Are The Full Patch Notes
Here's what's new
Yesterday, the team behind Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 announced that it was going to make a major balance change in its first patch this week - and now that update is live on Xbox and Game Pass! Yep, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 patch 1.2.3 is available now, and down below are the full patch notes across all pl
- Xbox
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Xbox Game Pass
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
Review DOOM: The Dark Ages (Xbox) - Puts The Finishing Touches On A Masterful Trilogy
Glorious Game Pass Gibbings!
Id Software's new trilogy of DOOM games, now that I've had the chance to sit down and play them all and a have a bit of a think (I can think, you know), comes across as a rather dazzling package when taken as a whole. It's almost, in hindsight, as though the devs have had a plan all along. And it's a plan that 100%...
- Reviews
- Xbox
- DOOM: The Dark Ages
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
