Popular Games by Microsoft
Kameo: Elements of Power Xbox 360
- 22nd Nov 2005 (NA)
- 2nd Dec 2005 (UK/EU)
- 2nd Feb 2006 (JPN)
Reviews of Microsoft Games
Review Age Of Mythology: Retold (Xbox) - Microsoft's Godly RTS Classic Revitalised
Go beyond history
Age of Mythology might not be a major numbered entry, but it's still played a significant role in the Age timeline – transitioning the series from 2D to 3D following the success of Ensemble's real-time strategy king, Age of Empires II. Mythology wasn’t just there to fill the void when it landed on PC in 2002 and is still...
Review Sea Of Thieves - In Truly Ship-Shape Condition Two Years After Launch
It's a pirate's life for me
When Sea of Thieves initially set sail in 2018, it was met with somewhat mixed reviews. Rare's pirate playground is undoubtedly a masterful creation; a vast, dynamic, hyper-stylised sea world dotted with mysterious islands and skeleton forts in which players are set free to create their own grand adventures. However, it...
Review Forza Horizon 4 - The Best Racing Experience On Xbox One
Fuel Britannia
Offshoots aren’t meant to surpass their source material. They’re meant to be unusual curios that take an existing concept in twist it in ways the mainline series never could. When the original Forza Horizon casually rolled up onto the scene in 2012, no one really expected it to attract the fan base that it did, but eight years on...
Review Forza Horizon 2: Storm Island (Xbox One)
Making it rain.
When crafting a DLC package of any significant weight for a game that has gone down really well with gamers and critics alike, developers have to be careful. What they add can’t interfere with the mix that they already had, as they really don’t want to be messing with a successful formula. Playground Games found a way to ensure...
Review D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die (Xbox One)
Look for D
Remember Deadly Premonition? It’s one of the most divisive games ever to be released upon the world. Poor production values, bizarreness to the extreme, and campy…well, everything else, meant it was one of those wonderfully weird games that either clicked with you, or it didn't at all. Now, four years after the release of Deadly...
Review Kinect Sports Rivals (Xbox One)
Do or die.
To say that Kinect Sports Rivals is a high-profile title for Xbox One would be something of an understatement. Being the only game (barring the violently bad Fighter Within, which barely passes as a game) available that’s been designed for the much-maligned Kinect device that’s included with every console, people were looking to...
Latest Microsoft News
Saturday21st Mar 2026
Talking Point What Are Your First Impressions Of Crimson Desert On Xbox?
Enjoying the new open-world RPG?
The talk of the town this past week in the gaming world has definitely been Crimson Desert, with the Pearl Abyss RPG taking the world by storm in recent days. In fact, this one has been hyped for some time now, and has planted its flag in a fairly quiet week in terms of major Xbox releases. So, did you decide to pick...
Friday20th Mar 2026
News Xbox Game Studios Sale Now Live On Steam Featuring Major 2025 Titles
Compatible with ROG Xbox Ally... and Project Helix?
With lots of Xbox's catalogue now available on PC platform Steam, we're always curious to see when Microsoft hosts sales over there - particularly in the wake of ROG Xbox Ally and with Project Helix on the horiz
News 'Energized' Xbox Engineer Talks New Dashboard Update & Its 'Unusually' Fast Turnaround
"We got an unusual amount of stuff done"
This week, Xbox Insiders received some new dashboard features thanks to what feels like the first meaningful console update in ages - and now newly-"energized" Xbox engineer Eden Marie has given us a bit more context on its "unusual" development time over at Microsoft HQ. Following the update's mid-week
Wednesday18th Mar 2026
News Microsoft's Next First-Party Release Officially Launches On Xbox Game Pass This April
Early playtests also announced!
We have a new Xbox Game Studios launch date! Kiln, from the fine folks over at Double Fine Productions, officially releases for Xbox, PS5 and PC on April 23rd, 2026 - including on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. Early playtests are also planned, but we're not 100% sure on the specific platforms for those j
News Xbox Series X|S Is Getting Its First Dashboard Update In Ages, Quick Resume Upgrade Included
New console features are coming
After what feels like months and months of Xbox updates centred around PC and Cloud, Microsoft has today unveiled a new set of Xbox Series X|S console features, rolling out now to Xbox Insiders. Yep, the Xbox dashboard is getting some fresh refinements, including the ability to add more Groups to your home page, new...
News Two Games Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass Premium (March 18)
Including an Xbox first-party release!
Welcome to your latest Xbox Game Pass update! Today, we've got just the two games moving over to Microsoft's XGP Premium library, including first-party release South of Midnight. Here's what's new on Game Pass Premium today (March 18): South of Midnight (Series X|S, PC, Cloud) - Premium: "S
Tuesday17th Mar 2026
News Forza Horizon 6 Brings Back Seasonal Weather Changes, But Playground Has 'Learned From' FH4
Winter will be more forgiving overall
In another look at Forza Horizon 6, the IGN First program has gone into a bit more detail on the seasonal weather changes coming to Playground's new open-world racing title, with a bit more context from members of the dev team as well. In short, seasons are back in a bigger way than ever in FH6; taking more...
News These 12 Games Are Coming To Xbox Game Pass (March 17 - April 7)
We have our next batch of XGP titles!
Microsoft has today revealed the latest official roundup of Xbox Game Pass titles for March and April 2026, with 12 games joining the service from March 17th to April 7th, including Disco Elysium and Resident Evil 7. If you're a Premium Xbox Game Pass member, South of Midnight, The Alters
News Bethesda Says Starfield Looks 'Amazing' With Nvidia's DLSS 5, But Don't Expect It On Xbox
"We've played it..."
Yesterday, Nvidia lifted the lid on its DLSS 5 technology, and it's safe to say that the company's newest AI-based visual fidelity "breakthrough" hasn't exactly gone down well with the internet so far. Here at PX HQ, we're trying to reserve full judgment until the tech is out there and in the wild - but one man that's already...
Monday16th Mar 2026
Talking Point What Should Xbox Call Its 'Project Helix' Console?
Any ideas for the name of the next Xbox?
With details slowly starting to trickle out about Project Helix and Microsoft's next generation plans, we've begun thinking about what the team may end up calling its next-gen Xbox console once the Project Helix codename is presumably retired. This is always an interesting topic with Xbox because, well...
Sunday15th Mar 2026
Feature Xbox Backwards Compatibility Helped Me Rediscover This Forgotten Call Of Duty Horde Mode
Playable fully offline on modern Xbox consoles!
I'll openly admit that I'm a bit of a sucker for going back and playing classic Call of Duty on modern Xbox consoles, but I usually stick to a few personal favourites; Modern Warfare 2 for the nostalgia, Black Ops for Zombies mode, you know the drill. This week though, I decided to load up 2011's...
Saturday14th Mar 2026
News Two Games Are Confirmed For Xbox Game Pass In April 2026 So Far
An early look at what's coming next month
As we always do around this time of the month, we're taking an early look today at what's ahead for April 2026's Xbox Game Pass selection - and at the time of writing, we have two games confirmed for the lineup next month so far. One of those games is Replaced from Sad Cat Studios; the long-in-development...
Friday13th Mar 2026
News Data Firm Predicts PC Revenue Will Soon Surpass Console As Xbox Prepares To Bridge The Gap
"PC revenue will surpass console revenue by 2028"
With everything we've heard about Project Helix recently and all of the Xbox news coming out GDC this week, we know that Microsoft is moving towards bridging the gap between console and PC as part of its
Thursday12th Mar 2026
News 'Xbox Mode' For Windows 11 Is Progress, And It Could Shape Microsoft's Project Helix Console
An evolution of the Xbox Full Screen Experience
As part of this week's GDC news, Microsoft has announced 'Xbox Mode' for Windows 11 PCs, and it sounds like a big step forward for the team's existing Xbox Full Screen Experience. Xbox Mode will be a new way to play games on PC starting next month, aiming to streamline the Windows gami
News Microsoft's 'This Is An Xbox' Post Taken Down As Fans Wonder If The Controversial Ad Is No More
Maybe it's not an Xbox after all
Remember Microsoft's late 2024 'This is an Xbox' ad campaign? The one that proved pretty controversial amongst long-time Xbox fans? Well, despite the marketing slogan cropping up multiple times since its introduction well over a year ago, it's looking like Microsoft might be starting to erase its existence. First...
News Free Play Days: Try These Xbox Games For Free (March 12-15)
Including a big Activision title!
Microsoft's latest Free Play Days lineup is starting to roll out now on Xbox - and we've got five games playable as part of the program this week, including Activision Blizzard's Diablo 4. Here's your full Free Play Days selection for the coming weekend: Bassmaster Fishing Diablo 4 Killing Floor 3 Tropico 6
News One Of 2025's Biggest Indie Titles Joins Xbox Game Pass Premium Today (March 12)
Silky
Welcome to today's Xbox Game Pass update! While we don't have any new titles joining the main Ultimate library, one major indie title is making the jump to Game Pass Premium - meaning middle tier XGP subscribers can now jump into this one at no extra cost. Here's some more information on today's new Xbox Game Pass Premium addition (March 12):
Wednesday11th Mar 2026
News Xbox Says Backwards Compatibility Program Will Be Revived For 25th Anniversary
But we're not sure what's being released
As part of a keynote at this year's GDC event, Xbox's VP of Next Generation — Jason Ronald — has teased that Microsoft's backwards compatibility program is being revived in some fashion this year. Now, we'll be upfront here and say that we don't know for sure if this means more unreleased games will be...
News 'Xbox 25' Fanta Collab Hints At What We Might Be Getting With Call Of Duty 2026
Getting the band back together?
Infinity Ward is back at the helm of Call of Duty this year, which means that naturally, a new Modern Warfare title is likely for Fall 2026. We've already heard various rumours and reports that this is the case - and now a new Xbox x Fanta collaboration gives us our strongest hint at 'Modern Warfare 4' so far. Shared...
Tuesday10th Mar 2026
News Microsoft's 2026 GDC Booth Showcases An Impressive Look At The History Of Xbox Consoles
As the team "builds for what's next"
The 2026 edition of the Game Developers Conference gets underway this week, and Microsoft is there in a big way this year, with a huge display showcasing the storied history of its Xbox gaming brand. Indeed, alongside the team "building for what's next" at GDC, a collection of important moments throughout the...
News Fortnite Price Hikes Are Coming, And They'll Affect Xbox Game Pass Ultimate
Fortnite Crew members get less V-Bucks per month
Epic Games has today announced sweeping changes to the Fortnite economy, starting March 19th for all players across all platforms. The main change here is that from that date, players will get less V-Bucks for their money. Before these changes come into effect, $8.99 grants you 1000 V-Bucks - and...
News Two Games Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (March 10)
Including a massive Xbox RPG
Welcome to your latest Xbox Game Pass update! Today, we've got two games joining the XGP library, including the absolutely mammoth RPG Cyberpunk 2077 from the folks over at CD Projekt RED. Here's a quick refresher on that one, alongside today's other addition to Xbox Game Pass: Construction Simulator (Console, PC,...
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
Talking Point Are You Happy With Xbox Game Pass Ultimate In 2026?
Or do you think Essential or Premium are better options?
Almost six months ago now, Microsoft overhauled its Xbox Game Pass subscription service; bringing in the likes of XGP Premium and bumping the price of its Ultimate tier. While Ultimate's core messaging still revolves around day one games — particularly from Xbox Game Studios — we are...
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...
Friday6th Mar 2026
Talking Point Will 'Project Helix' Be A Niche Device, Or An Xbox Console For The Masses?
A curious next-gen is ahead of us
With Microsoft making the surprise announcement of 'Project Helix' this week — the codename for its next-gen Xbox console — we've started to wonder about the exact nature of this device. We finally know for sure that it'll play PC games as well as Xbox titles, and we know that it "will lead in performance"...
Guide Next Xbox Console: Everything We Know So Far About Microsoft's Next-Gen System
Your all-in-one guide to the console known as Project Helix!
With the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S generation now having spanned multiple years, it's no surprise that we're looking ahead to what the next Xbox console will deliver for us, which is expected to arrive in the not too distant future. In this all-in-one guide, you'll find everything...
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...
Opinion Xbox Should Consider Cancelling Halo: Campaign Evolved For PS5
Maybe Xbox's most iconic franchise should stay on Xbox
Look, there's been a lot of news, reactions and opinions about the new Xbox regime and where they should pivot to next. Indeed, there are lots of directions that Asha Sharma and her team could take over the next few years regarding hardware, software, general platform strategy and more. I can't...
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',...
Tuesday24th Feb 2026
Feature Seven Amazing Things Phil Spencer Did During His Reign As Head Of Xbox
Making an impact
This week marks a seismic shift over at Xbox HQ. Phil Spencer, the brand's long-time leader, is retiring - bringing an end to his decade-plus reign as Xbox boss. In the aftermath of Phil making this announcement, we've seen plenty of negativity surrounding the news (this is the internet, after all). However, Phil achieved some...
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...
