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
Thursday2nd Apr 2026
News Five Games Are Leaving Xbox Game Pass In Early April 2026
Everything that's leaving soon
Microsoft has revealed the next six games leaving Xbox Game Pass in early April 2026, with all of these being highlighted as "leaving soon" on the official Xbox mobile app. The most notable departure here is Grand Theft Auto V, which is disappearing across all platforms including Xbox Series X|S and PC. We've also got...
Tuesday31st Mar 2026
News Fable, Grounded 2 Co-Developer Loses Studio Head Following Mass Layoffs
The team has supported multiple Xbox studios
In another bit of disappointing industry news this week, Eidos-Montréal has announced that 124 employees have been let go — alongside the departure of the team's studio head, David Anfossi — as "a result of changing project needs and impacts across production and support teams". The studio took to
Monday30th Mar 2026
Feature Five Things We Want To See From Xbox's Gears Of War: E-Day Direct
Taking place this June!
Well, well, well! With today's announcement of the 2026 Xbox Games Showcase ft. Gears of War E-Day Direct, we're finally set for another look at Microsoft's upcoming Gears of War title this summer. It's been almost two years since E-Day was first revealed, and developer The Coalition has been very quiet on the game since...
News Three Final Xbox Game Pass Additions For March 2026 Are Available Early This Week
Including a new day one title!
Welcome to your latest Xbox Game Pass update, and our final one for March 2026! Indeed, we've got three games coming to the library across the last two days of this month - including the pictured Resident Evil 7 and a brand-new day one drop. Here's the lowdown on your final Xbox Game Pass additions of the month (March...
Sunday29th Mar 2026
Feature Xbox, Now's The Perfect Time To Put This Brilliant Last-Gen COD On Game Pass
It's exploded in popularity!
So far, Microsoft has been rather sporadic when it comes to putting Call of Duty titles on Xbox Game Pass. They've committed to dropping brand-new entries into the library with the likes of Black Ops 6 and Black Ops 7 arriving day one, but the back catalogue hasn't been as predictable thus far. While we've talked plenty...
News Xbox's 2027 Game Pass Lineup Is Off To A Great Start Following March Partner Preview Event
Our first 2027 games announced!
This week's Xbox Partner Preview wasn't exactly light on Game Pass reveals; we got 14 new announcements as part of the March showcase. While most of these titles are set to drop this year, the event did give us our first glimpse at what to
Saturday28th Mar 2026
Guide Xbox Game Pass: All Games Coming Soon In April 2026
All the confirmed reveals so far
Looking for a complete list of games coming to Xbox Game Pass in April 2026? It can be pretty difficult to keep track of all the comings and goings in the world of Xbox Game Pass every month, so we've put together this handy guide to provide an overview of what's coming to the service over the next few weeks...
Friday27th Mar 2026
News Sony Announces Major PS5 Price Hikes, Here's How They Compare To Xbox Series X|S
Series S looking like a bit of a bargain!
Sony has today announced what our good friends at Push Square are calling "gigantic" PS5 price increases, including a $200 price bump on the company's flagship PS5 Pro console. Of course, Microsoft has done similar things in recent months and years - heck, we even compared just how much Xbox Series X and S...
Thursday26th Mar 2026
News Xbox Announces 14 Titles Coming To Game Pass At March's Partner Preview Showcase
A ridiculous amount of new XGP reveals!
Xbox's March Partner Preview showcase is now over, and it was absolutely stacked with Game Pass reveals. Of the 19 games that were showcased during the event, 14 of them are coming to Xbox Game Pass day one - including some massive titles like Hades 2,
News Free Play Days: Try These Xbox Games For Free (March 26-29)
Live now through Sunday evening!
The latest edition of Xbox Free Play Days has officially begun, and Microsoft has two games for us as part of the program this weekend - including Train Sim World 6: Thomas & Friends Edition (sorry, it's not the recently-released Thomas & Friends: Wonders of Sodor that's included here). Anyway, here's the full Free...
Wednesday25th Mar 2026
Guide Xbox Partner Preview Showcase March 2026: Date, Start Times & What To Expect
Our first partner preview of the year!
As confirmed a few days ago, Microsoft will host its latest Xbox Partner Preview showcase this week, featuring a bunch of third-party titles from the likes of SEGA, GSC Game World, Owlcat Games and others. Alongside the announcement of this year's first Xbox Partner Preview, the team also confirmed some of the...
News Microsoft Beats Out Sony & Nintendo In Metacritic's 2026 Game Publisher Rankings
A spot in the top five!
Metacritic has today revealed its list of top game publishers for 2026 (based on their 2025 output), and this year, Microsoft has made the top five - beating out the likes of Sony and Nintendo in terms of average Metascores. Based on its 2025 releases, Microsoft managed a Metacritic average rating of 80 - with Forza Horizon...
Tuesday24th Mar 2026
News Microsoft Adds Three New Dynamic Backgrounds For Xbox Series X|S (March 2026)
Including two first-party additions!
Microsoft has added three new dynamic backgrounds to its Xbox Series X|S collection here in March 2026 - two first-party efforts from the Xbox team, alongside a brand-new drop to coincide with the release of epic RPG Crimson Desert. The first of which you can take a look at up above; the Crimson Desert effort...
Monday23rd Mar 2026
Talking Point Do You Think Project Helix Will Support Physical Xbox Games?
Or is MS going all-digital?
With lots of talk about Project Helix coming out of GDC 2026, we know a little bit more about Microsoft's next-gen vision - including high-level details on the hardware, how developers will be able to make use of it, and the fact that
News Three Games Are Available This Week With Xbox Game Pass (March 24-26)
Including some day one goodness!
Welcome to your latest Xbox Game Pass roundup! We have a few games spread over the course of the coming week here, including indie hit Absolum which makes its Xbox debut in just a few days' time. Here's a quick breakdown on what's coming to Xbox Game Pass this week (March 24-26): Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth -...
News Xbox Partner Preview Event Announced For March 2026
SEGA, GSC Game World & more will feature!
Microsoft has today announced an Xbox Partner Preview event for March 2026! The third-party focused showcase takes place later this week, and will feature the likes of SEGA, GSC Game World, Owlcat Games and more. Here's what Xbox has to say about its Partner Preview event ahead of time: "During Xbox...
News Xbox's Call Of Duty Team Drops Hint About 2026 Title As Modern Warfare Gets Huge Steam Sale
MW4 is coming...
Earlier this month, we got our first hint at what to expect from Call of Duty 2026 as branded soda cans began showing up at certain retailers, but over the last few days, some official happenings in the world of COD have provided real teases about this year's title. It's very much looking like Modern Warfare is back for 2026. This...
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...
