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
Friday12th Jun 2026
News Free Play Days: Try These Xbox Games For Free (June 11-14)
Three more games to check out over the next few days
The Xbox Free Play Days program has returned once more for the coming weekend, and for this latest edition from June 11th to June 14th, we've got three games playable for free on Xbox consoles. Here's Microsoft's full Free Play Days lineup: Blasphemous 2 (five-hour trial) Hell Let Loose State...
Tuesday9th Jun 2026
News Here's A Look At The Updated Xbox Game Studios Roadmap From June 2026
Following the Xbox Games Showcase
We always look forward to Xbox fan Klobrille sharing their highly-popular Xbox Game Studios roadmap after the conclusion of any big event, and that's exactly what they've done following the Xbox Games Showcase 2026! This version adds in loads of upcoming Xbox first-party titles including Senua,
Sunday7th Jun 2026
News Here's What Might Leave Xbox Game Pass In July 2026
Some early predictions!
What's leaving Xbox Game Pass in July 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...
Guide Xbox Games Showcase 2026: Date, Start Times, What To Expect & More
Everything you need to know ahead of today's event
Here we go again! June 7th marks the arrival of the Xbox Games Showcase for 2026, which is the biggest event in the calendar year for Xbox fans. This is where we expect Xbox to reveal the most major game announcements of 2026, so you definitely don't want to miss it! Fortunately, we've got all the...
Tuesday2nd Jun 2026
News Three Games Are Available Today Across Various Tiers Of Xbox Game Pass (June 2)
Game Pass, uh, finds a way
Welcome to your latest Xbox Game Pass update! Today, we've got three games entering the library, two of which are brand-new to Game Pass entirely, and the other of which is transitioning over to PC. The big highlight here is arguably Jurassic World Evolution 3, which is replacing Jurassic World Evolution 2 ahead of
Sunday31st May 2026
Feature Our Final Predictions For The 2026 Xbox Games Showcase
What we hope and expect to see from Xbox
We're right at the tail end of May now, which means we're starting to get very excited about the Xbox Games Showcase this year. We have a new Xbox boss at the helm and renewed enthusiasm surrounding the brand, so the summer show feels critical this year in continuing to build momentum around Xbox. With...
Friday29th May 2026
News Three Games Have Just Received Xbox Game Pass Release Dates For Next Month
June's XGP lineup is almost here!
With May's Xbox Game Pass additions now officially over, we've started to look ahead to June already - with a couple of games quietly added to the lineup last week. Now though, we've got another three games with fresh Game Pass release dates for next month, so we thought we'd highlight those down below with June...
News Modern Warfare 4 Isn't On Xbox Game Pass, But 'Eligible' Members Can Get Vault Edition Discount
New loyalty program announced
At this point, you're probably aware that Microsoft lowered the price of Xbox Game Pass recently and removed day one Call of Duty games in the process - which means that the newly-announced
Thursday28th May 2026
News Steam Deck Has Gone Up In Price Massively, And It Makes ROG Xbox Ally Look Great Value In 2026
Might be time to hop on board?
Well, well, well! Valve is the next gaming hardware maker to raise its prices, with Steam Deck units now costing more; a lot more than they did just a few short weeks ago. If you've not seen the news already, the 512GB and 1TB Steam Deck OLEDs are going up by £170/$240 and £210/$300, respectively. Ouch. That makes...
News Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 Launches This October, And It Won't Be On Xbox One
Series X|S, PC, PS5 and Switch 2 confirmed
Less than a week after revealing that it was making a new Modern Warfare game, Infinity Ward has today unveiled Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 - which "pushes the series into darker and more dangerous territory". The headline news here — besides Activision making its seventh Modern Warfare game,...
News Microsoft Changes Game Pass Font To Match New Xbox Logo
Brand synergy, baby
A lot has been made of Xbox changing its logo and related branding to match the original console's style and spirit - and now Team Green has decided to bring Xbox Game Pass into the fold as well. Yep, to match the new, electric green Xbox logo, Microsoft has changed its Game Pass font here in 2026. Gone is the more 'plain' XGP...
News Free Play Days: Try These Xbox Games For Free (May 28-31)
Our final FPD for May!
Xbox's Free Play Days program has gone live once again for the coming weekend, and for the final edition of FPD for May 2026, we've got four games playable for free on Xbox consoles. Here's Microsoft's full Free Play Days lineup: Dying Light Formula Legends Gears of War: Reloaded
News Three Games Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass, Including A Surprise Drop (May 28)
Three new XGP titles!
Welcome to your latest Xbox Game Pass update! Today, we've got three new additions to the Game Pass library - one brand-new day one launch for Ultimate players, and two new-to-Xbox titles that are joining Premium as well as GPU. Here's some more information on your new Xbox Game Pass titles for May 28: Crashout Crew (Series...
Wednesday27th May 2026
News Resident Evil Requiem Gets Free Demo On Xbox Series X|S
Play "the game's early stages" absolutely free
Resident Evil Requiem, one of the year's hottest games so far, has just received a free demo on Xbox Series X|S - as creator Capcom tries to get even more people through the door. The RE Requiem demo features "part of the game's early stages" and is now up on the Xbox Store. We'll link directly to the...
News Two Games Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (May 27)
Including an Xbox first-party remaster!
Welcome to your latest Xbox Game Pass update! Today, we've got a couple of fresh additions to the library, including a brand-new day one release for Game Pass Ultimate players. Here's a quick rundown of today's two new XGP titles (May 27): Echo Generation 2 (Series X|S, PC, Cloud) - Ultimate, PC:...
Monday25th May 2026
Talking Point Do You Think We'll See PS6 & Project Helix In Action This Summer?
It's showcase season, where the new consoles at?!
The end of May is nigh, which means summer showcase season is right around the corner. This time of year always brings loads of amazing new game reveals, but 2026 feels a little different, with next-gen consoles on the horizon. So, do you think we'll actually see either PS6 or Project Helix — or...
News Unreal Engine 6 Revealed By Epic Games, Will Likely Power Lots Of Project Helix Titles
An early look at next-gen tech?
Well, this is a bit of surprise for a Monday morning! Yesterday, as part of the Paris Major for Rocket League esports, developer Psyonix announced that its beloved multiplayer title is getting a massive engine upgrade; it's moving to Unreal Engine 6 in the near future. That's right - Epic Games has basically used...
Saturday23rd May 2026
Poll So, Is Forza Horizon 6 Your Favourite Game Of 2026 So Far?
And do you see anything topping it?
Forza Horizon 6 is finally here, and well, we can't stop playing it. Despite having access to the game for weeks before launch, we're still hopping on every day - crashing through Tokyo and exploring Japan's quaint countryside locales to our hearts' content. Honestly, what a game! Forza Horizon 6 feels like it's...
Friday22nd May 2026
News Call Of Duty 2026 Is A 'Visceral, Immersive' Modern Warfare Game From Xbox
"We are making the definitive Modern Warfare"
After odd teases here and there — often from strange third-party sources like Fanta — Call of Duty developer Infinity Ward has officially confirmed that it's making a new Modern Warfare game this year, and it sounds as though it'll be an ambitious title from the long-time COD dev. The news initially...
Thursday21st May 2026
News Epic Games Boss Calls New Xbox Leadership Team 'World Class', Asha Sharma Responds
"Foreshadows serious dedication to the future of gaming"
Yesterday, we brought you the news that Xbox had made even more leadership hires to take the team into a new era - and now Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has heaped praise on what Asha Sharma is building within Microsoft's gaming division. Taking to social media shortly after yesterday's news,...
News Free Play Days: Try These Xbox Games For Free (May 21-24)
A Warhammer takeover!
Xbox Free Play Days is back again for the next few days, and as always, we've got a few titles that are free to play throughout its duration, with Warhammer being the name of the game this week. Yep, to tie in with the 'Warhammer Skulls' event this month, a batch of grimdark Xbox games are free to play over the coming weekend...
News 'Luna Abyss' Is Available Today With Xbox Game Pass, And Here's What The Reviews Are Saying
Another day one release on XGP!
Welcome to your latest Xbox Game Pass update! Today, single-player 'bullet hell' shooter Luna Abyss joins the library as the latest day one release for the service across Xbox Series X|S, PC and Cloud. Here's a brief description of what to expect from this title: "Luna Abyss is a single player story driven...
Wednesday20th May 2026
News Sony's Summer State Of Play Takes Place Within A Week Of The Xbox Games Showcase 2026
Head-to-head
Microsoft has had the Xbox Games Showcase 2026 locked in for months now, but as is the norm these days, the PlayStation equivalent event has been up in the air - until now. Yep, Sony has today announced that its summer State of Play goes ahead on Tuesday, June 2nd; less than a week before the big Xbox show.
News Xbox Hires New Exec To 'Strengthen The Console Side' Of The Business
A new technology officer has also been appointed
Coming by way of both The Game Business and The Verge (paywalled) this evening, Microsoft has hired a pair of new Xbox executives - including a Chief Strategy Officer to "strengthen the console side of Xbox"; as The Game Business puts it. That new CSO is called Matthew Ball; an industry analyst who...
News Microsoft Appears To Have Made A Small Revision To The Xbox Series X|S Controller
Spotted on the latest LE pad
Amidst reports of a new Xbox Elite Controller and a new Xbox Cloud Gaming pad circulating recently, it looks as though Microsoft has made a small revision to the standard Xbox Series X|S controller - and it's probably not what you're expecting to see. As spotted by an avid fan on
News Forza Horizon 6 Smashes Concurrent Player Record For Xbox Game Studios On Steam
Finishing first place
Less than a week ago, we spoke about how popular Forza Horizon 6 was proving to be in early access on Steam - and to no-one's surprise, that's continued with the full release. In fact, Playground's new racer has now become the most-played Xbox Game Studios title on Steam in terms of concurrent players; a massive achievement for...
News Five Games Are Available Today Across Multiple Tiers Of Xbox Game Pass (May 20)
Lots of new titles on XGP
Welcome to your latest Xbox Game Pass update! Today, five games are coming to the service across multiple tiers; with three moving over to Premium alongside two new additions to Ultimate, Premium and PC. Here's a look at your new Xbox Game Pass titles for May 20: Dead Static Drive (Console, PC, Cloud) - Premium:...
Tuesday19th May 2026
News Digital Foundry Labels Sony's PS5 Exclusivity Pivot As A 'Defensive Move Against Project Helix'
"It's impossible to view this as good news..."
You may have seen some recent reports that Sony has decided to stop porting its big single-player PS5 exclusives over to PC, via the ever-reliable Jason Schreier. According to the well-connected journalist, PlayStation Studios boss Herman Hulst confirmed the pivot in a recent meeting, as shared this...
News Two New Xbox Series X|S Backgrounds Added To Celebrate The Launch Of Forza Horizon 6
Display your love for FH6 on launch day!
Loving a bit of launch day Forza Horizon 6 on your Xbox Series X|S console? Well, you can now show that love off via a pair of beautiful new dynamic backgrounds that animate some of the game's gorgeous key art. To be clear - one of these dynamic backgrounds has actually been available for just over a week...
News These 13 Games Are Coming To Xbox Game Pass (May 20 - June 2)
May going out with a bang!
Microsoft has today unveiled another 13 games coming to Xbox Game Pass later this month and into June 2026, featuring some newly-announced additions such as Jurassic World Evolution 3 and The Outer Worlds: Spa
News Forza Horizon 6 Is Available Today With Xbox Game Pass, And Here's What's Coming In Season 1
Details on the first Festival Playlist & Car Pass
Forza Horizon 6 is officially available worldwide, including a day one Xbox Game Pass release! Yep, the Standard Edition of Playground's new racer is out now for all after a good few days of paid early access, and Game Pass Ultimate players can jump in and see what Horizon Japan has to offer. As...
Monday18th May 2026
News Microsoft Announces Fan Feedback Program 'XBOX Player Voice', And It's Now Live
"A simpler way to share feedback"
Since stepping into the role, Xbox boss Asha Sharma has been keen to gather more fan feedback as she begins to shape the future of the brand, and that's now resulted in a new 'XBOX Player Voice' program being announced by Microsoft. Unveiled today via Xbox Wire, XBOX Player Voice is "a new place to collect your...
Even beating out old E3 shows!
Earlier this month, you may remember that Microsoft tested out a new show format in the way of Xbox Presents featuring Stranger than Heaven - but you may not have guessed that it's now become the team's most-viewed YouTube livestream ever, by a country mile. Indeed, as spotted on the
News Xbox Execs Congratulate Forza Horizon 6 Dev On 'Exceptionally Rare' Success
"Very proud of the teams..."
Believe it or not, Forza Horizon 6 isn't even out in its Standard Edition guise yet - despite some amazing reviews being put out there and hundreds of thousands of early access players jumping in already. And now, even some of the Xbox bosses are congratulating the development team before the game's
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
Talking Point So, Did You Cave And Buy Early Access For Forza Horizon 6?
Taking an early flight to Japan
Today is Saturday, May 16th, which means Forza Horizon 6 is out now in early access and has been for more than a full day at this point. Getting in via early access comes at quite the cost, we must admit, but the team at Playground is offering up some good stuff as part of its Premium Upgrade - including a pair of...
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...
Saturday9th May 2026
Poll What Are Your First Impressions Of Mixtape On Xbox Game Pass?
Enjoying this blast to the past?
Mixtape — from the team behind the critically acclaimed The Artful Escape — is one of our most recent day one additions to Xbox Game Pass; bringing a teenage coming-of-age story to the service this past week. You've probably seen some of the critic reviews and fan ratings of the game already, but we want to know...
Friday8th May 2026
Talking Point Amidst PS6 Uncertainty, Do You Think Xbox Has Project Helix All Figured Out?
It's all about price, product and timing
We're seeing some big news coming out of Sony today where the company admits that it has "not yet decided on what time" the PS6 will launch — or indeed what price it will launch at — which is quite interesting six years into the current generation. We'll link to coverage on that from our friends at Push...
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...
