Feature 20 Of The Best Backwards Compatible Games You Can Play On Xbox
An essential list for Xbox backwards compatibility
- Xbox
- Backwards Compatibility
- Xbox 360
- Xbox One
- Xbox Series X
Caution's nothing without charisma
- Previews
- Xbox
- Hands On
- Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii
News These Three Games Are Coming To Xbox Game Pass (February 20-25)
Your latest roundup of new titles
- Xbox
- Xbox Game Pass
- Microsoft
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
News Here's A Look At The Updated Xbox Studios Roadmap For 2025 & Beyond
An incredible first-party year ahead
- Xbox
- Xbox Game Studios
- Xbox One
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
News Xbox Is Running A Strange Buy One, Get Two Free Sale Right Now
There's a few OK deals to be had
- Xbox
- Deals
- Microsoft
- Xbox One
- Xbox Series X
Rumour Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4 Remaster To Shadow Drop At Xbox Games Showcase 2025
A big surprise on the way?
- Xbox
- Tony Hawk
- Remasters
- Activision
Latest News
TodayWed, 19th Feb 2025
News Assassin's Creed Shadows Won't See Another Delay From Ubisoft, Says Report
The team is "confident" in its release
At this point, Assassin's Creed Shadows has been delayed multiple times and often quite close to the planned launch date - but the game is reportedly "pretty much done" and will not see another delay. This information is coming from Insider Gaming, which exclusively reports that Ubisoft is "confident" of its...
- Xbox
- Assassin's Creed Shadows
- Ubisoft
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
Rumour Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4 Remaster To Shadow Drop At Xbox Games Showcase 2025
A big surprise on the way?
[Update: Feb 19th, 2pm] Following on from yesterday's speculation about a new Tony Hawk release, we've got additional reporting from well-known insider eXtas1s that adds lots of extra detail to this rumour. According to the often-accurate Xbox leaker, Microsoft will announce Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4 at the Xbox Games...
- Xbox
- Tony Hawk
- Remasters
- Activision
Feature 20 Of The Best Backwards Compatible Games You Can Play On Xbox
An essential list for Xbox backwards compatibility
Microsoft's backwards compatibility program is one of the best features available for modern Xbox consoles, with an array of original Xbox and Xbox 360 titles easily playable on modern Xbox hardware. That program includes hundreds of Xbox 360 titles — including some real classics spread across...
- Xbox
- Backwards Compatibility
- Xbox 360
- Xbox One
- Xbox Series X
News Xbox Exec Thanks Fans For Helping Avowed Go Number 1 On Steam
It's a top seller in multiple regions
Avowed is finally available outside of early access this week, and as a result of the game's standard edition becoming available to purchase, the Xbox RPG has rocketed up the charts on PC platform Steam. At the time of writing, the Obsidian title is number one in Steam's US sales charts - and here in the UK...
- Xbox
- Avowed
- Microsoft
- Steam
- Obsidian Entertainment
News Marvel Rivals Publisher Confirms Mass US Layoffs In New Company Statement
A tough one to read
Following developer accounts of layoffs at the Marvel Rivals studio, publisher NetEase has today confirmed those job losses, while providing some clarity on the situation in a new company statement (thanks, PC Gamer). In that statement, Chinese game maker NetEase formally announced that a Seattle-based studio that helpe
- Xbox
- Marvel Rivals
- NetEase
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
News Avowed Launch Update Now Live For Xbox, Here Are The Full Patch Notes
Improved shadow quality for XSX and more!
In case you somehow missed it, Obisdian's new RPG Avowed is now available. As part of this, a new launch patch has been rolled out. This patch includes a bunch of community-requested fixes, addressing missing NPCs, comes with all sorts of fixes for quests, resolves some crashes and other major issues, and...
- Xbox
- Avowed
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
- Xbox Game Pass
YesterdayTue, 18th Feb 2025
News Xbox Is Running A Strange Buy One, Get Two Free Sale Right Now
There's a few OK deals to be had
Alongside Xbox's usual set of weekly deals, which we've covered and highlighted our top picks from already, Microsoft is running another 'Buy One, Get Two Free' promotion right now - and this one includes a strange selection of games. <related ids="178353"> We'll be honest, most of the offers in this...
- Xbox
- Deals
- Microsoft
- Xbox One
- Xbox Series X
News Nine Games Will Leave Xbox Game Pass In Late February 2025
Including this awesome Team NINJA release from 2023
The next games set to leave Xbox Game Pass in February 2025 have been revealed today, and there are eight of them in all - including some fan favourites such as Maneater, Warhammer 40K: Boltgun and Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty. Six of the eight have been dated for the end of the month (February 28th),...
- Xbox
- Xbox Game Pass
- Leaving Soon
- Microsoft
- February 2025
News Avowed Is Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (February 18)
A massive Xbox RPG hits the library
Today we have a major Xbox Game Pass update for you all! After years of anticipation, Obsidian's Avowed hits the library later today - playable for all Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members thanks to Microsoft's acquisition of the studio. We're sure that most of you have seen plenty of online chatter about this game...
- Xbox
- Xbox Game Pass
- Avowed
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
News These Three Games Are Coming To Xbox Game Pass (February 20-25)
Your latest roundup of new titles
Beyond Avowed's addition to Xbox Game Pass today, it's been looking pretty quiet for the rest of the month - but Microsoft has just added a batch of new titles to the XGP lineup. While today's refresh only contains three games, Microsoft has also announced that "even more Game Pass announcements" will be revealed...
- Xbox
- Xbox Game Pass
- Microsoft
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
Deals Our Top 10 Picks From This Week's New Xbox Sales (February 18-25)
We're loving the new Plaion Publisher Sale!
It's Tuesday, so that means we've got some new sales on the Xbox Store! In addition to the ongoing Anime Month Sale, which has recently refreshed its lineup, there's also a new Plaion Publisher Sale along with the usual Xbox Game Pass exclusive discounts. It's the Plaion Publisher Sale that's definitely...
- Xbox
- Deals
- Round Up
News Here's What The Reviews Are Saying About Lost Records: Bloom & Rage
Tape 1 goes live today on Xbox
Today's the day for Lost Records: Bloom & Rage, which is a brand-new narrative adventure from the team behind Life is Strange (Don't Nod), and it's being released in two separate parts - 'Tape 1' is today, while 'Tape 2' arrives on April 15th. It's just 'Tape 1' that the reviewers have been checking out so far,...
- Xbox
- Lost Records: Bloom & Rage
- Round Up
Roundup Here's What The Reviews Are Saying About Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii
Ahead of its Xbox launch this week
Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii hits Xbox consoles later this week on February 20th, meaning reviews for this upcoming SEGA spin-off are starting to hit the web as we speak. Here at Pure Xbox, we've managed to throw together an early 'hands on' feature for this one, but plenty of full scored reviews are now...
- Xbox
- Round Up
- Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
Caution's nothing without charisma
You know, ask any of my mates, and they'll tell you that back in whatever year it was that Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag released, I was constantly telling them, "this is great, yeah, but what it really needs is cheesy karaoke rhythm games, customisable mopeds, Japanese gangsters and 200% more sequins. Oh and a...
- Previews
- Xbox
- Hands On
- Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii
Random Elder Scrolls 6 Giving 'Lucky Fan' The Chance To Create An NPC
As part of a silent auction for charity
There's still no release date for The Elder Scrolls VI, but it seems Bethesda is ever so slowly turning more attention to this anticipated project. This week it's announced a new promotion - where it's offering "one lucky winner" the chance to create an NPC for the next major entry in the series that will...
- Random
- Xbox
- The Elder Scrolls
- Bethesda
- Xbox Series X
Talking Point Five Years On, Would You Want To See A Gears Tactics 2?
It's really been that long!
Pure Xbox had only just relaunched when Gears Tactics made its debut on PC back in April 2020 - it's been (nearly) five long years since then, and we still haven't seen a new Gears game since... although E-Day seemingly isn't far away. The Coalition's focus is obviously on that mainline origin story right now, but is a...
- Xbox
- Gears Tactics 2
- Talking Point
- Features
Monday17th Feb 2025
News Here's A Look At The Updated Xbox Studios Roadmap For 2025 & Beyond
An incredible first-party year ahead
With all the drama and debate that's gone on in regards to Xbox's multiplatform push lately, it's easy to forget that the first-party portfolio for 2025 is arguably looking better than ever - and it's already got off to a great start in recent weeks! So, following the awesome Xbox Developer Direct back in...
- Xbox
- Xbox Game Studios
- Xbox One
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
Guide Avowed: Release Date, Release Times, Early Access Details For Xbox & PC
It's almost time for Xbox Game Pass members!
Avowed is the first Xbox first-party game of 2025, and we're kicking things off in a big way! This is an epic fantasy RPG from the geniuses at Obsidian, evidenced by our "Great" 8/10 review that we published here at Pure Xbox recently. As is often the case with Xbox first-party titles, we're getting both...
- Xbox
- Guides
- Avowed
- Release Dates
- Release Times
News Xbox Cloud Gaming Adds Three More 'Owned' Titles To Streaming Library
Including a very recent release
At the tail end of last year, Microsoft finally starting rolling out cloud gaming functionality to titles outside of the Xbox Game Pass library, and that's expanding again this week with three more additions. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members can now permanently stream three more titles, including last week's
- Xbox
- Xbox Cloud Gaming
- Xbox Game Pass
- Microsoft
News Phil Spencer Says Xbox Is Done Trying To Convince PS5 & Switch Players To Move Over
"I’m not trying to move them all over"
Over the weekend, a fresh Phil Spencer interview dropped where the Xbox boss talked lots about the future of Microsoft's gaming business - including what's next for the team and its desire to release games wherever players want to play. When asked about 'becoming SEGA' and effectively going third-party, Phil...
- Xbox
- Microsoft
- Phil Spencer
- Industry
- PS5
News MachineGames Is 'Working On Some Pretty Cool Things' After Indiana Jones And The Great Circle
"Join us in this next chapter of ours!"
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle bookended Microsoft's 2024 for big game releases, and it sounds like Bethesda developer MachineGames is already hard at work on the next thing over at Xbox HQ. In a new LinkedIn post from MachineGames' Nicole Åkerlid, the Swedish studio is said to be "working on some pretty...
- Xbox
- MachineGames
- Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
- Microsoft
- Bethesda
Talking Point If GTA 6 Releases This Year, What Does Xbox Do With Fable?
Delay it? Go at the same time?!
Today, we've been putting a spotlight on the incredible 2025 roadmap for Xbox Game Studios, Bethesda, Activision and others, and while there are loads of amazing releases on the way, Fable is one that absolutely stands out at first glance. It was all the way back in July of 2020 that Playground Games' new Fable...
- Xbox
- Fable
- GTA 6
- Talking Point
- Features
News Xbox's New Strategy Is 'Right' For The Business And Needs To Be Embraced, Says Former Exec
"Play on what you enjoy playing on"
Former Blizzard president and Xbox exec Mike Ybarra has been weighing in on the brand's new multiplatform strategy over the past few days, advising in a string of social media comments that he feels it's ultimately the right move. Ybarra acknowledged that Xbox has taken a while to be clear on the strategy, but...
- Xbox
- Industry
- PlayStation
- Nintendo
News Xbox Will Be 'Honest & Transparent' About Platforms In Future Showcases, Says Phil Spencer
"I just want to be transparent with people"
So far, Xbox's move towards putting games out on other platforms has felt hesitant at times, but that should change in future - according to Microsoft Gaming's CEO. In a recent interview with Phil Spencer himself, the Xbox boss mentioned that Team Green will be "honest and transparent" about the platforms...
- Xbox
- Phil Spencer
- PS5
- Nintendo Switch
- Xbox Showcase
News N64 Classic 'Glover' Is Officially Making Its Way To Xbox Next Week
"It's time for an adventure like no other!"
It was announced all the way back in 2022 that the Nintendo 64 cult classic Glover would be heading to Xbox at some point in the future, and it's now been confirmed that the release date (finally) is February 27th, 2025! Based on what's shown off in the trailer above, it doesn't appear that QUByte...
- Xbox
- Glover
- Nintendo
News After 27 Years, 'Fantasy Life' Developer Prepares To Publish First Ever Xbox Game
"Enjoy a carefree life in a fantasy world"
It's crazy to think that the developer behind Fantasy Life, Yo-kai Watch, Inazuma Eleven, Professor Layton, and even the likes of Ni No Kuni and Dragon Quest VIII has never published a game on Xbox before, but it's been true until now! Yes, even though Level-5 has had its games published by other companies...
- Xbox
- Fantasy Life
- RPGs
Saturday15th Feb 2025
News Just One Game Is Confirmed For Xbox Game Pass In March 2025 So Far
An early look at what's ahead
It's always around this time of the month that we look ahead at what's coming to Xbox Game Pass next month, but it's become a trend so far in 2025 that everything seems to be getting dated at the last minute - which makes this difficult! As things stand, there's just one game confirmed for Xbox Game Pass in March 2025...
- Xbox
- Xbox Game Pass
- March 2025
Feature These 20+ Games Are Coming To Xbox Next Week (February 17-21)
Another big week ahead, especially for Game Pass!
Welcome to your Xbox games roundup for February 17-21! The highlight for many over the next few days will undoubtedly be the Xbox Game Pass release of Avowed, but there's plenty of other good stuff on the way - including the highly-anticipated Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii and Don't Nod's
- Xbox
- Features
- Weekly Roundup
- Xbox One
- Xbox Series X
Talking Point When Did You First Get Introduced To The World Of Xbox?
Was back in 2001, or much later than that?
It's scary to think that we've now just entered the 24th year of Xbox's existence, but it's true - the original console first launched all the way back in November of 2001. It won't be long until it's been around for a quarter of a century! Everyone's got a different starting point though, of course. Some...
- Xbox
- Talking Point
- Features
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (February 15-16)
Did you pick up Avowed's early access?
The weekend begins! In addition to Avowed's early access release which is already live, there's plenty to discover on Xbox right now including a bunch of Free Play Days titles, loads of great deals, and a new
- Xbox
- Features
- Talking Point
- What Are You Playing
Friday14th Feb 2025
News 'Tides Of Annihilation' Accidentally Goes Live On Xbox Without A Release Date
Hold your horses, Microsoft
There were loads of highlights from an Xbox perspective at the PlayStation State of Play event the other day, and one of them was Tides of Annihilation - an upcoming fantasy action-adventure game that looked stunning in its trailer. Well, a bunch of Xbox fans thought Christmas had come early today when Tides of...
- Xbox
- Tides of Annihilation
- Random
News Xbox Reporter Says Series X|S Successor Has Been 'Fully Approved' By Microsoft
"Now moved past its early pitch stages"
Roughly a year ago, Xbox president Sarah Bond suggested that Microsoft was building an all-powerful next-gen console, and it's now reported that the project has been fully greenlit and approved by the company in recent times. That's coming from
- Xbox
- Microsoft
- Next-Gen Console
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
News Xbox's Avowed Is 'One Of The Best' Unreal Engine 5 Games So Far, Says Digital Foundry
"Avowed surprised me"
Yesterday, we covered an early look at how new Xbox title Avowed is running on both Series X and S - having been surprised by the inclusion of a 40FPS mode on Xbox Series S. Now though, the tech experts over at Digital Foundry have dug a little deeper - and they're claiming that
- Xbox
- Avowed
- Unreal Engine 5
- Microsoft
- Obsidian Entertainment
Roundup Here's What The Critics Think Of Tomb Raider 4-6 Remastered
Out now on Xbox!
Another three old school Tomb Raider titles land on Xbox today for the very first time - with The Last Revelation, Chronicles and The Angel of Darkness making up the new Tomb Raider 4-6 Remastered collection from Aspyr and Crystal Dynamics. As you may have seen, we delivered our Pure Xbox verdict earlier today - noting that these...
- Xbox
- Round Up
- Tomb Raider 4-6 Remastered
- Xbox One
- Xbox Series X
News Two More Free Demos Have Arrived On Xbox For The Weekend
Including the next Lost in Random game!
What's going on with the free demos on Xbox at the moment? We've seen some great ones recently — PGA Tour 2K25, Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, The First Berserker: Khazan — and now we've got two more for the weekend! <related ids="178153"> The first of today's batch is the next game in the
- Xbox
- Free Games
- Demos
- Lost in Random
A welcome revelation
A year ago to the day, Crystal Dynamics and Aspyr launched what felt like a bit of a no-brainer in Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered - a modern Xbox collection containing some of gaming's most iconic adventures. One year later, they've returned with the next phase of the Lara Croft saga, and whilst Tomb Raider 4-6 Remastered doesn't...
- Reviews
- Xbox
- Tomb Raider 4-6 Remastered
- Xbox One
- Xbox Series X
Reminder Seven Games Are Leaving Xbox Game Pass This Weekend (February 15)
You've got just under 48 hours left to enjoy them
As we get ready for yet another weekend in the world of Xbox, we've unfortunately got to remind you about seven games that are leaving Xbox Game Pass this Saturday, one of which is particularly notable in the form of Tales of Arise. You've got just under 48 hours left if you want to try any of these...
- Xbox
- Xbox Game Pass
- Reminders
Guide Xbox Game Pass Perks: Everything You Can Claim In February 2025
Including all EA Play Member Rewards
The Xbox Game Pass Perks program has continued to add a bunch of freebies for Game Pass Ultimate members throughout February 2025 already, including for the likes of Minecraft, Apex Legends and many other popular titles! So, just like we did last month, we're picking out every single Perk you can claim right now...
- Xbox
- Perks
- February 2025
- Guides
News Xbox Studio Obsidian Says 'Not Trying To Grow Aggressively' Will Keep It Going For Decades
It hopes to stick around for 100(!) years
Obsidian Entertainment is in and amongst the headlines right now for its stellar work on Avowed, but it isn't stopping there. The Xbox studio plans to be around for 100 years or more, by sticking to what it knows and staying true to itself. In a new talk at DICE 2025 (thanks, PC Gamer), Obsidia
- Xbox
- Obsidian Entertainment
- Microsoft
- Avowed
- The Outer Worlds 2
News Xbox Game Pass Hit Indiana Jones Scoops Up Multiple DICE Awards
An "outstanding achievement"
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle was one of the major Xbox releases of last year, and while it missed out on certain end-of-year award shows in 2024, it has made the shortlist for multiple events taking place in early 2025. This includes the DICE Awards - with the action-adventure Game Pass title by MachineGames...
- Xbox
- Xbox Game Pass
- Indiana Jones
- Microsoft
- Awards
Guide Avowed: Dawnshore - All Pagrun Cache, Ancient Memory, Strangled Adra & Party Camp Locations
I beg your Pagrun
Dawnshore is the very first location in Obsidian's superb Avowed and, in order to get you started on the right foot, we've put together this quick guide to all of its most important collectibles and where exactly to find them. We also have collectibles guides to all the other locations in Avowed on the way, including Emerald...
- Xbox
- Avowed
- Dawnshore
- Collectibles
- Locations
Thursday13th Feb 2025
News Two Games Announced For Xbox Game Pass Following PlayStation's State Of Play Event
Both arriving this year!
It's not usually the case that we get games announced for Xbox Game Pass as a result of a PlayStation State of Play event, but it happened last night - just after the show, two titles were revealed to be heading to Xbox's service. The first of these is the survival crafting game Abiotic Factor, which has an "Overwhelmin
- Xbox
- Xbox Game Pass
- PlayStation
News Two Xbox Game Pass Titles Have Received Significant Delays This Week
One's been pushed back all the way to 2026
We're often updating you fine folks on what's coming to Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass service in the near future, but every now and then we have to deliver some not-so-great news about the Game Pass library - and this week we've been slapped with two huge XGP-related delays. Yep, in the last few days, both...
- Xbox
- Xbox Game Pass
- Replaced
- The Alters
News Free Play Days: Try These Xbox Games For Free (February 13-16)
Included with Xbox Game Pass
Xbox Free Play Days has been revealed for this week, and we're looking at four additions to the program for the coming weekend. Pictured above, Dying Light is a big one this time around - with two 2024 releases also being notable inclusions this week. Here's your full Xbox Free Play Days selection: Dying Light EA...
- Xbox
- Free Play Days
- Xbox Game Pass
- Xbox One
- Xbox Series X
So, Eora into action RPGs?
Have we ever told you how much we love The Outer Worlds? There was a little pushback when it launched; some folk thought it was too short, too lightweight and wishy-washy, but we loved everything about it. Obsidian seemed to actively decide to remove itself from what felt like bit of a race circa 2019, to make the most...
- Reviews
- Xbox
- Avowed
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
Roundup All The Xbox Reveals From February 2025's State Of Play
Don't worry, they're not all PS5 exclusives!
Today's PlayStation State of Play event for February 2025 included a bunch of games that are also coming to Xbox, including the likes of Sonic Racing: Crossworlds, Borderlands 4, Shinobi: Art of Vengeance and a whole lot more! If any other games get Xbox confirmations in the near future, we'll update...
- Xbox
- PlayStation
- State Of Play
- February 2025
- Xbox One
News Avowed Review Roundup: Here's What The Critics Think So Far
How has Obsidian's new RPG fared?
The Avowed reviews have landed! Xbox's huge first-party release arrives in early access form today, so a whole bunch of critics have been sharing their impressions of the full game - the majority of which have been very positive! Below, we've gathered up some of these early reviews to give you an idea of what to...
- Xbox
- Avowed
- Round Up
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
News Stalker 2 Patch 1.2 Marks First Major Update Of 2025 For Xbox Game Pass FPS
An absolute shed load of fixes & changes
Ukrainian developer GSC Game World has today announced its latest update for Stalker 2 - Patch 1.2. The team's new and absolutely massive update is now live on Xbox & PC, including on Game Pass, and it contains more than 1,700 fixes across lots of different areas of the game. The title's 'A-Life 2.0'...
- Xbox
- Stalker 2 Patch 1.2
- Updates
- Xbox Game Pass
- GSC Game World
News Avowed Performance Modes Tested, Including 40FPS Option On Xbox Series S
Here's a quick look at how the game is shaping up
Avowed launches in early access later today, and while developer Obsidian has detailed how Xbox Series X should perform, it hasn't really showcased that in gameplay - or given us proper details on the Xbox Series S version. Well, we've now got a bunch of early gameplay rolling in from both machines,...
- Xbox
- Avowed
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
- Xbox Game Pass
Talking Point Avowed Premium Owners, What Are Your First Impressions?
A chance to share your initial feedback on the game
Avowed is officially out now! Well, if you're willing to fork over a bit of money for it at least - it's available in early access form for both Premium Edition and Premium Upgrade owners ahead of its full release on February 18th. With that in mind, we wanted to provide a platform for the Pure...
- Xbox
- Avowed
- Talking Point
- Features