News Phil Spencer Announces That He's Retiring From Xbox
A massive shakeup for Microsoft Gaming
- Xbox
- Phil Spencer
- Microsoft Gaming
- Industry
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (February 21-22)
We've had some big Game Pass additions this week!
- Xbox
- Features
- Talking Point
- What Are You Playing
News New Xbox Boss Makes Official Statement As She Takes Over From Phil Spencer
"I feel two things at once: humility and urgency."
- Xbox
- Microsoft Gaming
- Asha Sharma
- Phil Spencer
- Industry
Feature Who Is Asha Sharma? A Look Back At The Career Of The New Xbox Boss
Phil Spencer's successor!
- Xbox
- Asha Sharma
- Xbox Boss
- Features
News Xbox President Sarah Bond Is Also Leaving The Company, Microsoft Confirms
"Sarah Bond has decided to leave Microsoft..."
- Xbox
- Microsoft
- Sarah Bond
- Xbox President
- Phil Spencer
News 'We Have Good Reasons To Believe In What's Ahead', Insists New Xbox Chief Content Officer
Matt Booty says navigating change is nothing new for Microsoft
- Xbox
- Matt Booty
Latest News
TodaySat, 21st Feb 2026
News 'We Have Good Reasons To Believe In What's Ahead', Insists New Xbox Chief Content Officer
Matt Booty says navigating change is nothing new for Microsoft
We've already covered the statements from Phil Spencer, Asha Sharma and Satya Nadella following last night's major leadership shakeup at Xbox, but what about
- Xbox
- Matt Booty
Feature Who Is Asha Sharma? A Look Back At The Career Of The New Xbox Boss
Phil Spencer's successor!
Whenever Phil Spencer eventually decided to retire from his position as Xbox boss and Microsoft Gaming CEO, we naturally assumed that position would go to Xbox president Sarah Bond — but with Sarah leaving the company following Phil Spencer's retirement last night, it's ended up going to the relatively unknown Asha Sharma...
- Xbox
- Asha Sharma
- Xbox Boss
- Features
Feature These 30+ Games Are Coming To Xbox Next Week (February 23-27)
Including another three Game Pass titles!
Welcome to your Xbox games roundup for February 23-27! We've got plenty of exciting games on the way over the next few days, including the big release of Resident Evil Requiem! Don't forget about the three Game Pass titles as well — we're particularly interested in the day one release of TCG Card Shop...
- Xbox
- Features
- Weekly Roundup
- Xbox One
- Xbox Series X
News New Xbox Head Suggests Bringing Back The Blades Dashboard In First Social Media Posts
She's already been active on X
Following the announcement of Asha Sharma as the new Xbox boss last night, she immediately took to social media and began replying to various fans and Xbox-related accounts with suggestions and acknowledgements. The one that's getting all the attention relates to her suggestion to "bring the blade dashboard", which...
- Xbox
- Blades Dashboard
- Xbox 360
- Asha Sharma
- Xbox Series X
News Microsoft CEO Shares His Thoughts On The Major Leadership Changes At Xbox
Satya Nadella is "excited for how we will capture the opportunity ahead"
Last night, we received some of the most important news in Xbox history — Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer is leaving the company after 38 years, Xbox president Sarah Bond is leaving too, and the new boss is Asha Sharma (the former President of Microsoft CoreAI), to be...
- Xbox
- Microsoft
- Satya Nadella
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (February 21-22)
We've had some big Game Pass additions this week!
Another weekend is upon us! It's been quite a busy week in terms of XGP additions so we've got plenty to be going at here; Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, The Witcher 3 and more have entered the library over the past few days. With that being said, here's what we're playing this weekend: Ben Kerry,...
- Xbox
- Features
- Talking Point
- What Are You Playing
YesterdayFri, 20th Feb 2026
News New Xbox Boss Makes Official Statement As She Takes Over From Phil Spencer
"I feel two things at once: humility and urgency."
In a seismic bit of news today, Phil Spencer announced that he's retiring as Xbox boss - which means that naturally, someone else has to assume that position over at Xbox HQ. The person taking over is Microsoft's Asha Sharma, who has just shared her first statement as she begins her role as CEO of...
- Xbox
- Microsoft Gaming
- Asha Sharma
- Phil Spencer
- Industry
News Phil Spencer Announces That He's Retiring From Xbox
A massive shakeup for Microsoft Gaming
Posting out to his personal LinkedIn account today, Phil Spencer has announced that he's retiring from Xbox, with the current President of Microsoft's CoreAI product Asha Sharma taking over from the long-time chief of Microsoft's gaming division. Phil
- Xbox
- Phil Spencer
- Microsoft Gaming
- Industry
News Xbox President Sarah Bond Is Also Leaving The Company, Microsoft Confirms
"Sarah Bond has decided to leave Microsoft..."
Much of the spotlight has been on Phil Spencer and new Xbox boss Asha Sharma in relation to today's huge shakeup over at Microsoft Gaming - but thanks to a departing statement from Phil himself, we now know for sure that Xbox Preside
- Xbox
- Microsoft
- Sarah Bond
- Xbox President
- Phil Spencer
News God Of War Creator Suggests Xbox Should Get Involved In Bluepoint Games Situation
"Do NOT let this amazing team splinter"
We covered the news last night about how Sony had decided to shut down Bluepoint Games, and in the hours since the announcement was made, there's been plenty of chatter about whether Xbox could potentially step in at all. Mostly notably, the God of War creator David Jaffe took to social media to suggest that...
- Xbox
- God of War
- Bluepoint Games
- Sony
- Phil Spencer
News Xbox Had The Best-Selling Multiplatform Game Of January 2026 In The US
Bet you can't guess what it was
Circana's Mat Piscatella has today shared a bunch of industry figures and statistics from January 2026 — including a top-20 list of the best-selling games in the US last month — and Microsoft has taken the top spot. Yep, you guessed it, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is the best-selling game of January 2026 in the US...
- Xbox
- Microsoft
- Call Of Duty: Black Ops 7
- Activision
- Xbox Series X
Roundup All The Xbox Reveals From The Indie Fan Fest & Convergence Games Showcase 2026
Lots of indie goodness on the way to Xbox!
Last night was a busy one for indie showcases! With the Steam Next Fest taking place in just a few days' time, we've been seeing all sorts of developers and publishers trying to plug their free demos as part of the promotion, and there are two particularly notable events to mention from an Xbox perspective...
- Xbox
- Round Up
- Indie Fan Fest
- Convergence Games Showcase
- Xbox Series X
News TCG: Card Shop Simulator Sounds Like A Fun & Addictive Time Sink For Xbox Game Pass
It's got "Overwhelmingly Positive" reviews on Steam
A few days ago, it was revealed that TCG: Card Shop Simulator would be launching on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and Xbox Game Pass on February 24th, and it feels like this could be a really fun time sink for the service. The idea is to run your own card shop, of course, featuring the ability to...
- Xbox
- TCG: Card Shop Simulator
- Xbox Game Pass
News Soulslinger: Envoy Of Death Is Out Now On Xbox, And Here Are The First Console Reviews
"Become the ultimate Soulslinger"
When we did our "Games Coming to Xbox Next Week" roundup last Saturday, the image we used for the thumbnail was taken from Soulslinger: Envoy of Death — and that game is officially out now on Xbox at a pretty budget price! In this single-player roguelite FPS, you'll unleash your powers and upgrade your abilities...
- Xbox
- Soulslinger: Envoy of Death
- Round Up
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
News Four 2026 Game Pass Titles Get New Gameplay Showcases Ahead Of Landing On The Service
All arriving in the coming months!
Four Xbox Game Pass titles planned for 2026 — one of them coming next month and three simply scheduled for later this year — have just gotten new gameplay showcases ahead of their arrival on Microsoft's subscription service. The four games in question are Aphelion from Don't Nod, Awaysis, Denshattack! and
- Xbox
- Xbox Game Pass
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
- PC
Talking Point What Are The Best 'Hidden Gem' Xbox Games You've Played In Recent Years?
We can think of a bunch
These days, it's easier than ever to discover hidden gems on Xbox — partly thanks to how many titles are being curated by the ID@Xbox program, but also due to how many of them are also included as part of Xbox Game Pass. In the past year alone, we've been treated to so many amazing lesser-known titles that many of us...
- Xbox
- Talking Point
- Hidden Gem
Thursday19th Feb 2026
News Bethesda Says Starfield's Next Update Will 'Change The Game' But 'It's Not Starfield 2.0'
Todd Howard talks the future of this sci-fi RPG
In recent months, we've heard a lot about Starfield and its next Xbox update, which has been rumoured for a while now to coincide with a PS5 release of the Bethesda RPG. Very little of that information has come directly from the team though, but this week, Todd Howard has been speaking with Kinda Funny...
- Xbox
- Starfield
- Bethesda
- PS5
- Xbox Series X
Poll As Things Stand, Will You Be Buying GTA 6 On Xbox This November?
Are you planning to be there day one?
We're still well over six months away from the release of GTA 6 in November (assuming it doesn't get delayed again, of course), but considering how busy things are about to get with Forza Horizon 6, Fable, Gears of War: E-Day, Halo: Campaign Evolved and whatever else releasing on Xbox over the coming months,...
- Xbox
- GTA 6
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
- Polls
The company has been axed today
As you may have seen already today, it's been revealed that Sony is shutting down Bluepoint Games — the studio behind the likes of the Shadow of the Colossus remake, the Demon's Souls remake and various other projects. From an Xbox perspective, there's not a whole lot to talk about, but the company did do some...
- Xbox
- Sony
- PlayStation
- Bluepoint Games
- Titanfall
News Three Games Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (February 19)
Including a new EA Play addition
Welcome to your latest Xbox Game Pass update! Today, we have three titles joining the service, including a new EA Play drop and a major addition from the folks over at CD Projekt RED. Without further ado, here are your new Xbox Game Pass titles for February 19: Death Howl (Series X|S, PC, Cloud) - Ultimate,...
- Xbox
- Xbox Game Pass
- Microsoft
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
News Xbox Free Play Days: Try These Five Games For Free, Including Battlefield 6 (February 19-22)
All BF6 content available to Xbox Game Pass subscribers
Xbox Free Play Days has returned for yet another week, and the highlight of the bunch is definitely Battlefield 6 this time around, with Xbox Game Pass subscribers able to access all content in the game until late on Sunday night. Specifically, members of the Essential, Premium and Ultimate...
- Xbox
- Free Play Days
- Xbox Game Pass
- Microsoft
- Xbox Series X
Lots of plates spinning over at Bethesda Game Studios
It's been eons at this point since The Elder Scrolls 6 was first announced (all the way back in 2018, if you're keeping score), and to this day, we actually know very little about what to expect from the next TES game. While those details remain elusive for the time being, Bethesda's Todd Howard...
- Xbox
- The Elder Scrolls 6
- Bethesda
- Microsoft
- Todd Howard
News Popular Xbox Games Drop To Their 'Lowest Price Ever' In New ID@Xbox Multiplayer Sale
Don't overlook this STACKED new ID@Xbox sale!
Xbox isn't slowing down with the new sales at the moment! In addition to the massive Xbox Lunar New Year Sale that's continuing until late next week, we've also got a new ID@Xbox Multiplayer Sale filled with over 300 games! We've noticed plenty of "lowest price ever" discounts in this sale featuring...
- Xbox
- Deals
- ID@Xbox
- Lowest Price Ever
News Five New Games Added To Retro Classics On Xbox Game Pass In February 2026
Including a couple of DOS adventure titles
Xbox and the folks at Antstream Arcade have treated us to our second batch of new Xbox Retro Classics titles of the year today, with five new games being added to the retro streaming service here in February 2026. Here are those new additions to Xbox Retro Classics this month: Stampede (1981) (Atari...
- Xbox
- Xbox Retro Classics
- Xbox Game Pass
- Microsoft
- Activision
Wednesday18th Feb 2026
News One Of March's Most-Promising Xbox Game Pass Titles Has Been Delayed
Now launching in April
Sad Cat Studios, the team behind the long-awaited cyberpunk platformer Replaced, has today announced that its upcoming Xbox and Game Pass release has been delayed. Yep, the game's prior release date was set at March 12th (a date that had already been pushed back numerous times), and we now have roughly another month to wai
- Xbox
- Replaced
- Xbox Game Pass
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
News Digital Foundry Delivers Its Verdict On Avowed For PS5, And How It Compares To Xbox Series X|S
Series X visuals are comparable to PS5 Pro!
As we shared earlier today, Avowed's big anniversary update is now live on Xbox and PC, bringing huge changes and additions to the Obsidian RPG on existing platforms. However,
- Xbox
- Avowed
- PS5
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
News Avowed Xbox Anniversary Update Now Live, Here's Everything Included In Patch 2.0
Playable with Game Pass Premium and Ultimate!
Avowed is now a year old on Xbox Series X|S and PC, and to celebrate the game's one-year anniversary, the team at Obsidian Entertainment has dropped its big 2.0 patch - featuring New Game+, new playable species', custom difficulty options and more. So, we're going to throw all of patch notes for this...
- Xbox
- Avowed
- Anniversary Patch
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
Deals DOOM: The Dark Ages Premium Upgrade DLC Has An Incredible Xbox Offer Right Now
Live for the next week!
DOOM: The Dark Ages' still-in-development campaign DLC hasn't even been revealed by Bethesda yet - but you can pre-purchase it at a pretty huge discount on the Xbox Store right now. Yep, over on the Microsoft Store for the next seven days or so, DOOM: The Dark Ages Premium Upgrade is 67% off. That brings the DLC pack down to...
- Xbox
- Deals
- DOOM: The Dark Ages
- Bethesda
- id Software
News Highguard Website Goes Offline Following Mass Layoffs At The Game's Studio
Is this the beginning of the end?
Last week, we found out that a "core group" of developers are left working on Highguard following mass layoffs at Wildlight Entertainment - and it's now been discovered that the game's official website has gone offline, sparking further fears for the game's future. Indeed, if you head over to the Highguard website...
- Xbox
- Highguard
- Wildlight Entertainment
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
News The Crew Motorfest's New Hot Wheels-Style Island Is Free On Xbox & Game Pass Next Month
Ubisoft's open-world racer gets another free map expansion
The Crew Motorfest Season 09 arrives next month, and this latest update to the Ubisoft open-world racer adds a new island to the mix that's channelling some serious Forza Horizon Hot Wheels energy here. Ironically named 'Playground Island', the team says that "loops, magnetic roads and pure...
- Xbox
- The Crew Motorfest
- Forza Horizon
- Hot Wheels
- Ubisoft
Tuesday17th Feb 2026
News Three Games Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (February 17)
Update: we have a third surprise addition!
Welcome to your latest Xbox Game Pass roundup! Today, three games are entering the service across multiple tiers, including the pictured Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora for Ultimate and PC subscribers later today. Here's a breakdown of your two new Xbox Game Pass additions (February 17): Aerial_Knight’s...
- Xbox
- Xbox Game Pass
- Microsoft
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
News Microsoft Rewards Quietly Increases Its Prices For Xbox Gift Cards
Seemingly in multiple regions
Microsoft Rewards has changed quite a bit in recent months, with nerfs to points earn rates and cost increases for reward redemptions - and it looks as though another MS Rewards price bump has happened again this week. We first came across this revelation on Reddit, where one user questioned if the redemption values...
- Xbox
- Microsoft Rewards
- Xbox Gift Cards
- Auto Redeem
News ROG Xbox Ally X Gets Its First Price Increase, Limited To One Region For Now
Uh oh...
Right at the turn of the year, ASUS sparked fear of potential ROG Xbox Ally price increases due to the ongoing RAM crisis, and it now looks like that's starting to play out over in Japan. As spotted by Automaton Media, the more expensive ROG Xbox Ally X model has suddenly shot up in price in the Asian nation. On launch, the ROG Xbox Ally...
- Xbox
- ROG Xbox Ally
- Asus
- Microsoft
News These Eight Games Are Coming To Xbox Game Pass (February 19 - March 3)
Microsoft reveals the next batch of XGP titles
Microsoft has today revealed the next official roundup of Xbox Game Pass titles for February and March 2026, with eight games joining the service from February 19 - March 3 - including the absolutely massive addition of Kingdom Come Deliverance 2. Don't forget that three games hav
- Xbox
- Xbox Game Pass
- Microsoft
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
News Xbox Showcases Five Unique Biomes With 'Breathtaking Landscapes' In Forza Horizon 6
Playable on Xbox Game Pass this May!
Forza Horizon 6 is roughly three months away at this stage, and as the teams at Xbox and Playground Games build towards the game's upcoming launch, they've shown off a bunch of Horizon Japan's biomes and locations in all of their current-gen glory. Indeed, Horizon heads to the famous Asian nation this year, and...
- Xbox
- Forza Horizon 6
- Playground Games
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
News Konami Delists Backwards Compatible MGS Title Ahead Of Master Collection Vol. 2 On Xbox
No longer available to buy without warning
With the announcement of Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2 last week and its upcoming release this August, Konami has decided to pull the digital listings for multiple old MGS games, including one that's backwards compatible on Xbox. That backwards compatible Xbox 360 classic is Metal Gear Solid...
- Xbox
- Konami
- Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol. 2
- Peace Walker
- MGS
Monday16th Feb 2026
News Insomniac Shares Cold-Hearted Response To The Chances Of Spider-Man 2 Coming To Xbox
Don't get your hopes up
With the likes of Helldivers 2 now out and thriving on Xbox platforms, some fans may have gotten their hopes up at other big PlayStation games potentially moving over - but it's probably best not to expect Sony's big story-driven titles to head to Xbox anytime soon. In fact, one X user posed that very question to the
- Xbox
- Spider-Man 2
- Insomniac Games
- Microsoft
- Sony
News Four Games Are Leaving Xbox Game Pass In Late February 2026
Here's what's leaving soon
Microsoft has revealed the next four games leaving Xbox Game Pass in late February 2026, with all of these being highlighted as "leaving soon" on the official Xbox mobile app. We have a couple of biggies in here including Injustice 2 and Middle-earth: Shadow of War - so although the list is quite short this time around,...
- Xbox
- Xbox Game Pass
- Microsoft
- Leaving Soon
- February 2026
News Ubisoft Says Rayman 30th Anniversary Edition Support Is Planned, Physical Version Skips Xbox
"Support for Rayman 30th Anniversay Edition has not ended"
Rayman: 30th Anniversary Edition was announced last week as part of Sony's State of Play conference for February 2026 - and despite a positive reaction to the game's reveal, save bugs and soundtrack concerns have dampened the release somewhat. Well, despite prior reports pointing towards the...
- Xbox
- Rayman 30th Anniversary
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
- Ubisoft
News New Report On PS6 Delay Throws Next-Gen Timing Into Doubt
Because of, you guessed it, RAM and SSD shortages
It's a bit of a whirlwind right now in terms of next-gen news, isn't it? We've heard directly from AMD that the next Xbox is "progressing well" to release in 2027, while other reports have suggested that component shortages and price increases could delay next-gen consoles into 2028 or even later...
- Xbox
- Microsoft
- PS6
- Sony
- Next-Gen
Poll What Are Your First Impressions Of High On Life 2 On Xbox & Game Pass?
Liking it so far?
With High on Life 2 being live on Xbox and Game Pass for a full weekend now, we thought we'd check in with you fine folks on how you're getting on with Squanch Games' sequel so far. Once critics' impressions had arrived and settled late last week, the aggregate review score ended up be
- Xbox
- Polls
- Features
- Xbox Game Pass
- High On Life 2
News Silent Hill 2 Dev Announces Layers Of Fear 3 To Celebrate Series' 10-Year Anniversary
Says to "stay tuned" for updates
As part of a "special showcase" to celebrate 10 years of Layers of Fear, developer Bloober Team has announced Layers of Fear 3 - with a request for fans to "stay tuned" for further information on the title. Yep, this was a sort of 'tone piece' type trailer — with LOF3 seemingly being a while away from releasing...
- Xbox
- Layers Of Fear 3
- Bloober Team
- Silent Hill 2
- Xbox Series X
Sunday15th Feb 2026
News 50+ Games Are Reduced By 90-95% In The Xbox Lunar New Year Sale 2026
HUGE discounts for great games!
Looking for some cheap Xbox games during the Xbox Lunar New Year Sale 2026? We've got well over 900 titles discounted as part of the big February sale this year, and over 50 of those have dropped by 90% or even as much as 95% for the next two weeks. In fact, there are so many individual discounts that we're not...
- Xbox
- Deals
- Discounts
- Xbox Lunar New Year Sale
News Xbox's Thomas The Tank Engine Trailer Is Getting A Ton Of Views, Set To Release In 2026
Wonders of Sodor is "coming soon" to the platform
Just over a week ago, it was quietly revealed that a Thomas the Tank Engine game would be "coming soon" to Xbox consoles, and the reaction has been significant from fans over on the official Xbox YouTube channel. The game is specifically called "Thomas & Friends: Wonders of Sodor", and it's being...
- Xbox
- Thomas The Tank Engine: Wonders of Sodor
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
Review Want A PS5 Controller For Xbox? Hyperkin's 'The Competitor' Is Good And Affordable
There's a lot to like about this budget option
There was a time when I never would have suggested that I'd enjoy using a PlayStation controller on Xbox. It was all about the analog stick placement — as soon as those sticks started to overtake d-pads as the main control method in the PS2/PS3 generations, Xbox's layout just made more sense and felt...
- Xbox
- Reviews
- Hyperkin
- The Competitor
- Controllers
Retro Recap All The Classic Gaming News From The Past Week (February 15th 2026)
Time Extension Space Channel 5! PaRappa the Rapper! Minecraft on Saturn!
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. Rare Footage Of Space Channel 5's MTV Crossover Has Finally Resurfaced Online: Rare footage of a promotional crossover...
- Retro Recap
- Features
Saturday14th Feb 2026
Feature These 10+ Games Are Coming To Xbox Next Week (February 16-20)
Including at least three Game Pass titles!
Welcome to your Xbox games roundup for February 16-20! We've got a lot of interesting indies on the way over the next few days, including the likes of Showgunners and Soulslinger: Envoy of Death, while Xbox Game Pass is treating us to at least three additions — the highlight of which is definitely...
- Xbox
- Features
- Weekly Roundup
- Xbox One
- Xbox Series X
News Three Games Are Confirmed For Xbox Game Pass In March 2026 So Far
An early look at next month's lineup
As we always do around this time of the month, we're taking an early look today at what's ahead for March 2026's Xbox Game Pass selection, with three titles having been confirmed for the service next month already. Planet of Lana 2 and Replaced are definitely standing out next month so far,
- Xbox
- Xbox Game Pass
- March 2026
- Microsoft
News 'I Felt Incredibly Emotional' - Peter Molyneux Shares His Reaction To Xbox's Fable Reveal
"I just felt myself tearing up"
Fable has a historical place in Xbox's history, particularly the first game with Peter Molyneux and Lionhead Studios at the helm back on the OG Xbox. Of course, Forza Horizon developer Playground Games is making this year's reboot - and following the team's big reveal at Developer Direct, Molyneux has shared his...
- Xbox
- Fable
- Peter Molyneux
- Playground Games
- Lionhead
Deals All 120+ Backwards Compatible Games In The Xbox Lunar New Year Sale 2026
Original Xbox and Xbox 360 classics
This week marked the arrival of the Xbox Lunar New Year Sale 2026, and as always, we've got loads of backwards compatible games (over 120 of them!) from the original Xbox and Xbox 360 eras that have been discounted. So, in the table below, we've picked out every single backwards compatible deal from those...
- Xbox
- Deals
- Xbox Lunar New Year Sale
- Backwards Compatibility
