Microsoft News Articles
Monday9th Mar 2026
News Digital Foundry Speculates Whether There'll Be An Xbox Series S Successor Next-Gen
"They're talking about a range of devices..."
Just a few hours ago, we shared a discussion about Project Helix and the sort of price we can possibly expect it to launch at, and while it's sounding like that particularly device will be pretty high-end, another outlet has speculated on whether Microsoft will return to the lower end of the market with...
Roundup Here's What The Reviews Say About Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection
Capcom's latest MH launches on Xbox this week!
Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection arrives on Xbox Series X|S later this week, and while we haven't had chance to check this one out yet here at Pure Xbox, plenty of reviews have just gone live, so we're going to round some of those up here in this article. It sounds as though folks are...
News Tech Journalist Predicts A Price Of 'At Least $1,000' For Xbox Project Helix
"They’ll probably charge $1,000 or more for this thing..."
Ever since Sarah Bond began talking about the next-gen Xbox as a 'Premium' high-end device, it's been assumed that the cost will be much higher than what we're used to seeing from a traditional console - and now tech journalist Moore's Law Is Dead has predicted that Project Helix could end...
News Xbox Superfan Shares Blades Dashboard Concept For 'Project Helix' Console
Would you like to see this for the next-gen system?
With Project Helix now out in the wild at least in terms of name and concept, folks have started speculating on what exactly this console will look and play like, with Xbox seeking to merge console and PC in a bigger way than ever before. That obviously leads to questions about what the user...
Saturday7th Mar 2026
News Here's What Might Leave Xbox Game Pass In April 2026
Some early predictions!
What's leaving Xbox Game Pass in April 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...
Thursday5th Mar 2026
News Free Play Days: Try These Xbox Games For Free (March 5-8)
Including Black Desert & Sonic Racing CrossWorlds!
Microsoft has just revealed its Free Play Days lineup for the coming weekend! This time around, four Xbox games are playable for free over the next few days - headlined by Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds from the folks over at SEGA. Here's your full Xbox Free Play Days lineup this week: Black...
News Xbox Hardly Ever Advertises Free Demos, But A Handful Have Been Added In Recent Weeks
Including a brand-new Fatal Frame 2 demo!
Here at Pure Xbox, we like to highlight Xbox demos wherever we can - at the end of the day, they give folks a taste of upcoming titles for free ahead of their respective launches. Having said that, the Microsoft Store kind of buries them these days (they're listed in popularity order rather than by release...
Wednesday4th Mar 2026
News Digital Foundry Compares Fallout 4 On Switch 2 & Series S, Xbox Version Wins Out
A breakdown on Bethesda's newest Fallout 4 port
Fallout 4 has gotten another new version here in 2026, more than a decade after the game's initial Xbox One release. Yep, Bethesda has ported its post-apocalyptic epic over to Nintendo Switch 2 recently, and the folks over at Digital Foundry have been seeing how this new edition of the game stacks up...
Tuesday3rd Mar 2026
News Activision Announces 'Black Ops Royale', A New Free-To-Play Call Of Duty Experience On Xbox
COD's new 100-player mode inspired by Blackout
Activision has taken to the internet airwaves this week to announce 'Black Ops Royale', a new "Blackout-inspired" experience hosted in the free-to-play Call of Duty: Warzone on Xbox and other platforms. Blackout, for those of you who don't know, was the first battle royale mode to arrive in Call of...
News Support Studio Denies Teasing Work On Fallout Remasters With Xbox & Bethesda
Update: The dev has issued a statement
Long-time support developer Iron Galaxy Studios — which has worked with Xbox and Bethesda in the past — appears to have teased some sort of Fallout work on its LinkedIn page, leading to speculation that some sort of remaster work could be on the cards. Indeed, the studio shared a workplace update a few...
News Three Games Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (March 3)
Update: We've got a surprise third game!
Welcome to your latest Xbox Game Pass update! Today's a day that many folks have been waiting for, as the epic Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 becomes available to XGP subscribers. We'll sum up the Warhorse Studios RPG down below, alongside today's other addition to Xbox Game Pass (March 3): Final Fantasy III...
Monday2nd Mar 2026
News Starfield Is Reportedly Launching For PS5 On April 7th, With Pre-Orders Starting This Month
Reliable leaker gives us some fresh details
We've all heard about these Starfield PS5 rumours for ages now, but today, we've gotten our most concrete details on the release yet. According to the ever-reliable billbil-kun over at Dealabs, Starfield launches for PS5 on April 7th, and pre-orders are set to go live later this month. Indeed, the leaker...
News Six Games Are Leaving Xbox Game Pass In Early March 2026
Everything that's leaving soon
Microsoft has revealed the next six games leaving Xbox Game Pass in early March 2026, with all of these being highlighted as "leaving soon" on the official Xbox mobile app. We have a few notable games in here including Enter The Gungeon and an older F1 title in the form of F1 23, but there aren't any major losses this...
Friday27th Feb 2026
News You Can Buy One, Get Two Free Right Now On Select Xbox DLC Packs
Featuring Ubisoft expansions, LEGO DLC and more
Xbox is hosting another one of its 'Buy One, Get Two Free' sales right now on the Microsoft Store, with this one focusing on expansions and DLC packs for a variety of different Xbox titles. The main player here is Ubisoft, which is offering up expansions and DLC add-ons for a range of its games,...
News Halo: The Master Chief Collection Gets Surprise Update On Xbox & PC
The first in a good while!
Halo: The Master Chief Collection has gotten a surprise update this week on Xbox and PC, with the team at Halo Studios focusing on an upgrade to the game's 'Exchange' feature here in February 2026. The Exchange is a post-launch MCC feature where players can earn 'Spartan Points' to grab gear customisations - and in this...
Thursday26th Feb 2026
News Analyst Provides Interesting Data On How Well January's Big Game Pass Additions Performed
Outlaws, Space Marine 2 and Death Stranding all analysed
Despite a lack of big day one releases last month (naturally, not many games launch in January), Xbox Game Pass saw some major additions in the first month of 2026 - and the folks over at Alinea Analytics have provided some interesting data on how these big games performed on the service...
Wednesday25th Feb 2026
News Here's What's Included In The Xbox February 2026 Update
1440p streaming on console, ROG Xbox Ally updates and more
The Xbox February 2026 update is now being highlighted by the folks over at Xbox Wire, and this week we've got new features across console, PC and handheld devices. We're looking at higher resolution streaming for Xbox Cloud Gaming on console, new navigation sounds on the Xbox PC app and...
News Xbox Says 'Hardware Announcements Are Coming Up' As Team Looks Ahead To Next-Gen
"You will hear more about that soon."
You may have read about Asha Sharma recently and her renewed focus on the console side of the Xbox business - and in a new interview with Windows Central, the Xbox boss has hinted that we'll hear about new console hardware very soon. Indeed, when elaborating on her recent comments about 'returning to Xbox',...
Monday23rd Feb 2026
News Forza Horizon 6 Dev Explains Campaign Progression & How You Can 'Deliver Food As A Side Hustle'
"Forza Horizon 6 introduces a vast campaign of discovery"
On the back of Xbox Developer Direct last month, we broke down how Forza Horizon 6 is bringing back the 'Festival Wristband' mechanic from the first Forza Horizon game - and how that system aims to alleviate some issues players have had with a lack of meaningful pro
Friday20th Feb 2026
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
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...
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...
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...
Thursday19th Feb 2026
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...
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...
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,...
Tuesday17th Feb 2026
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...
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
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...
Monday16th Feb 2026
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...
