Microsoft News Articles
Monday18th May 2026
News Five Games Are Leaving Xbox Game Pass In Late May 2026
Here's what's leaving soon
Microsoft has revealed the next five games leaving Xbox Game Pass in late May 2026, with all of these being highlighted as "leaving soon" on the official Xbox mobile app. The most notable departure here is definitely Metaphor: ReFantazio; the very-well received Atlus RPG departs the service later this month - alongside...
Saturday16th May 2026
News Five Games Are Confirmed For Xbox Game Pass In June 2026 So Far
An early look at what's to come
As we always do around this time of the month, we're taking an early look today at what's ahead for June 2026's Xbox Game Pass selection, with five games currently scheduled to arrive next month. Now, a few of these titles currently don't have a nailed-on release date, but they're scheduled for some point in June, so...
Friday15th May 2026
News 'Dear Asha...' - Xbox Fan Desperately Wants New CEO To Remove Irrelevant Ads From Dashboard
"Please remove these types of ads off my screen."
Xbox's dashboard ads have long been a bit of a sore point amongst the fanbase. We see complaints about them crop up in waves — especially if a particularly annoying advert keeps appearing for various folks — and today, one particular fan has begun pleading to new boss Asha Sharma to be rid of...
News Forza Horizon 6 Is Immensely Popular Already, Even In Early Access
Worth paying a premium for?
It's well-documented at this point that Microsoft first-party games such as Forza Horizon 6 launch day one for Game Pass on Xbox and PC - yet despite that, some releases still perform very well outside of the subscription service. And, well, that seems to be happening with Playground's new open-world racer, and we're not...
Wednesday13th May 2026
News New Console Start-Up Animation Rolling Out To Xbox Insiders, Gamerscore Badges Also Detailed
Say hello to a new Series X|S boot animation!
After Asha Sharma first teased the news last week, Microsoft has revealed that the new console start-up animation is rolling out to Xbox Insiders today, with a full rollout to come to all Series X|S players in the coming weeks. The 'new boot up experience', as the team calls it, features "a new...
News The Top Two Best-Selling Games On Steam Right Now Are Upcoming Xbox Game Pass Titles
Making bank on Steam too
You'd be forgiven for thinking that whenever a game launches into Xbox Game Pass on day one, it probably doesn't sell too well outside of the service - and while that certainly can happen, it's not always the case. Sometimes games are just so popular that they shift plenty of standalone units too, and that seems to be the...
News Forza Horizon 6 Progression Methods Detailed, Including A New 'Horizon Play' Feature
Three main ways to progress
In the build up to Forza Horizon 6, much has been said about the game's progression after concerns about campaign structure following Forza Horizon 5 - and just ahead of launch, the team at Playground Games has gone into more specifics about how you'll progress at Horizon Japan. The studio has split progression into...
Tuesday12th May 2026
News Three Games Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (May 12)
Including two day one releases!
Welcome to your latest Xbox Game Pass update! Today, we've got three games entering the library; two day one releases and one older title that's joining both Game Pass Premium and Ultimate. Here's a closer look at your three new Xbox Game Pass titles for May 12: Black Jacket (Series X|S, PC, Cloud) - Ultimate, PC:...
Monday11th May 2026
News Gears Of War: E-Day Might Release In September 2026 As Xbox Shooter Sponsors Upcoming Event
Gears of War x WWE
As we lead into the Xbox Games Showcase 2026, very little is known about Microsoft's upcoming Gears of War: E-Day release - but a random mention in relation to an upcoming WWE event may well have given us a tease for its launch window ahead of the official E-Day Direct. That's right, ahea
News Xbox Adds Nine Titles To Game Pass Essential In New Surprise Update
Nine additions for essential gaming
Welcome to your latest Xbox Game Pass upd... oh, hang on a minute, Microsoft didn't tell us about these! Yep, over the weekend, nine more titles have been showing up as newly-added to Game Pass Essential, and they haven't yet been formally announced by Microsoft at the time of writing. However, they're all here...
Thursday7th May 2026
News Mixtape Is Your Latest Day One Game Pass Title, And It's Available Today (May 7)
Making a new record?
Welcome to your latest Xbox Game Pass roundup! Today we've got just the one game entering the library, but it's a big one in the form of day one title Mixtape - from the folks behind The Artful Escape. This Life is Strange-esque title has been on our radar for some time now, and we're interested to see how it lands with...
Wednesday6th May 2026
News More Than 50% Of Hardcore Gamers Don't Buy Full-Priced Games Anymore, Survey Finds
Saying no to $70
A new survey has revealed that more than half of hardcore gamers from multiple age groups no longer pay full price for video games, with just 20% of one age range saying that they'd pay full whack for a new release. The survey has been been carried out by IGN, in association with Kantar and UC Berkeley, and subsequently shared by...
News Five Games Are Available Today Across Various Tiers Of Xbox Game Pass (May 6)
Here's what's coming to XGP Premium & Ultimate today
Welcome to your latest Xbox Game Pass update! Today, we've got five games joining various tiers of the service - two of which are completely new for Game Pass Ultimate players, with the other three moving over to Premium. Here's a quick breakdown of these new XGP additions: Ben 10: Power Trip...
Tuesday5th May 2026
News These 13 Games Are Coming To Xbox Game Pass (May 6-19)
The new two weeks of XGP titles!
Microsoft has today unveiled another 13 games coming to Xbox Game Pass later this month, including some newly-announced additions alongside titles we already knew about such as the massive release of Forza Horizon 6. In the table down below is everything coming to Xbox Game Pass from May 6th - 19th - and don't...
News Xbox's Next Call Of Duty Game Won't Release On Last-Gen Consoles For The First Time In 14 Years
13 years of COD for Xbox One
Another year, another Call of Duty game - with Activision's Infinity Ward team at the helm for COD 2026. Whilst the game hasn't been formally revealed yet, we know that it's coming and that it's going to be another Modern Warfare game of some sort, and now an o
News Two Games Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (May 5)
Including a surprise release!
Welcome to your latest Xbox Game Pass roundup! Today, we've got two games to talk about, including a title that's only just been announced as a Game Pass addition in the form of Motorslice! Here's a full breakdown of your new Xbox Game Pass titles for May 5th: Final Fantasy V (Series X|S, PC, Cloud) - Ultimate,...
Monday4th May 2026
Report Halo 2 & 3 Remakes Are In 'Active Development' At Halo Studios
As follow-ups to Campaign Evolved
Some of you may remember that right around the official announcement of Halo: Campaign Evolved in 2025, a rumour was going around that Halo 2 and Halo 3 remakes were set to arrive sometime after this year's Combat Evolved remake - and now a fresh report from Rebs Gaming adds even more fuel to that fire. Accor
Saturday2nd May 2026
News Here's What Might Leave Xbox Game Pass In June 2026
Some early predictions!
What's leaving Xbox Game Pass in June 2026? Well, Microsoft hasn't confirmed anything just yet, but based on some games that were added to the service this time last year, we can at least make a few predictions ahead of time. We know that a lot of Xbox users want more advance notice of games leaving Xbox Game Pass, but...
Friday1st May 2026
News Xbox Adds Backgrounds, Profile Themes & Gamer Pics Based On New Logo Designs
Rolling out to all users now!
Hot on the heels of promising some customisation options based on the new Xbox logo (and indeed off the back of us covering some other dynamic backgrounds, thanks Microsoft!), the team has unleashed a raft of new backgrounds, profile themes and gamer pics centred around Xbox's fresh logo design. Yep, all of this stuff...
News Asha Sharma Comments On AI Use As Upscaling Tech Rolls Out To ROG Xbox Ally
"We are refocusing our AI efforts..."
Earlier this week, Microsoft announced some new ROG Xbox Ally features including the introduction of 'Auto Super Resolution'; an AI upscaler in a similar vein to Nvidia's DLSS. This is the sort of AI tech players seem on board with, but that isn't the case for all uses of AI - something that Xbox boss Asha...
News Three First-Party Titles Get New Dynamic Backgrounds On Xbox Series X|S
With a bonus third-party addition!
Recently, we covered that Team Xbox was working on a dynamic background for its fancy new logo - and whilst that one is still in works for now, we have had a batch of new game-themed backgrounds added to Xbox Series X|S recently, including three first-party additions. The first of those is for Diablo 4 — to...
Thursday30th Apr 2026
PSA Battlefield Hardline Is Super Cheap Right Now Ahead Of Its Delisting On Xbox
Available for literally less than a buck!
Back in March, EA announced plans to delist Battlefield Hardline and subsequently close down the multiplayer servers, with the first of those happening very soon as the team prepares to pull the game from storefronts later this month. Well, we're here to tell you that the game is ridiculously cheap on the...
News Free Play Days: Try These Xbox Games For Free (April 30 - May 3)
Some new Xbox freebies to choose from!
Welcome to your latest selection of Xbox Free Play Days titles! Microsoft has currently added four games to the program this weekend - including an extended trial for Sony's Predator: Hunting Grounds. Here's a look at the full list: Dragon Ball FighterZ
News Asha Sharma Comments On Xbox Revenue Loss For Q3 2026
"We know we have work to do..."
In the wee hours of this morning, we covered Xbox's latest financial report, which showed losses across multiple areas within the Xbox business. Hardware and content & services are both down in the last fiscal quarter, and whilst this is no doubt disappointing, the new Xbox boss has followed this up with some fighting...
News Four Games Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (April 30)
A busy day for XGP!
Welcome to your latest Xbox Game Pass roundup! Today, Microsoft is bringing four games to the library across Xbox Series X|S, PC and cloud. Here's everything new on Xbox Game Pass for April 30th: Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era (PC) - Ultimate, PC: "Heroes of Mi
Wednesday29th Apr 2026
News Former ESO Lead Speaks Out On Xbox's Decision To Cancel New ZeniMax MMO
"Making games is always a heartbreaking business"
Last summer, seismic news shifted through the world of Xbox as Microsoft cancelled multiple projects and laid off hundreds of developers, with one of those cancellations being 'Project Blackbird', a new MMO from the folks behind The Elder Scrolls Online. It's a shame that
News Xbox Sends Out $5 Call Of Duty 'Campaign' Bonus, But It's Not What It Seems
It's not tied to the actual Black Ops 7 story campaign
Xbox occasionally offers up bonus gift cards for participating in select promotions, and when this happens, they're usually tied to something nice and simple like a big digital sale the team wants to promote. Sometimes though, they're a little more specific - and this new Call of Duty-related...
Tuesday28th Apr 2026
News Forza Horizon 6 Dev Reveals New Details On Events, Progression & Post-Launch Plans
Via a new Discord Q&A
Ahead of launch in just a few weeks' time, Playground Games has given us some new details on what we can expect from Forza Horizon 6, via an official Discord Q&A. Thanks to IGN, the major points from this Q&A have now been shared - including details one some of the game's new events, when certain features will be unlocked, and
News 'Working On It' - Asha Sharma Confirms Dynamic Background For New Xbox Logo Is In The Works
Heading to Series X|S soon!
New Xbox boss Asha Sharma has been very active on social media since taking on her new role, and now, on the back of the team's brand-new logo reveal, Sharma has confirmed online that it's being turned into an Xbox Series X|S dynamic background as we speak. Heading over to Twitter, fan account Xbox Studio asked if the...
News Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Headlines Batch Of New Free Demos On The Xbox Store
Lots added over the last month or so!
We have a bunch of new free demos on the Xbox Store to tell you about, folks. Microsoft rarely advertises these, so every now and then it's worth a browse to see what's been added as of late - and we have a big one headlining this new batch of free trials on Xbox. That major addition is a demo for Final Fantasy...
