Popular Games by Square Enix
Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris Xbox One
Square Enix / Crystal Dynamics
- 9th Dec 2014 (UK/EU)
- 9th Dec 2014 (NA)
Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition Xbox One
Square Enix / Crystal Dynamics
- 28th Jan 2014 (NA)
- 31st Jan 2014 (UK/EU)
- 4th Sep 2014 (JPN)
Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition Xbox One
Square Enix / United Front Games
- 6th Oct 2014 (NA)
- 10th Oct 2014 (UK/EU)
Reviews of Square Enix Games
Review Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake (Xbox) - Square Enix's Beloved Classic Gets A Makeover
Square Enix's HD-2D boom continues
Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake is a full remake of "one of the greatest RPGs of all time" according to Square Enix. Originally released as
Review PowerWash Simulator - A Great Way To Chill Out With Xbox Game Pass
If you like simulators, that is
We all had a good laugh when Lawn Mowing Simulator was released and later added to Xbox Game Pass last year, but it ultimately proved a popular addition for many. Simulator games are clearly enjoying a resurgence at the moment, and the latest unlikely PC hit to join the Xbox lineup is PowerWash Simulator, which...
Review Outriders - People Can Fly's Looter Shooter Soars Into Action
Riders on the Storm
People Can Fly's Outriders does not, we think it's fair to say, get off to the grandest of starts. Kicking off with a prologue that showcases all of its weakest elements at once - the janky cutscenes, buggy facial animations and duff dialogue, it's an introduction to a brand new IP that had us pretty worried if we're being...
Review Balan Wonderworld - The Balan-dest Platformer On Xbox Series X
Everyone's mad here
When Balan Wonderworld was announced last year, it was a game that seemed completely up our alley. It checked all the boxes for what we look for in a platformer. Unique abilities, colourful worlds, and personality busting from its seams. With the talent involved and being lead by Yuji Naka, the creator of classic franchises such...
Review Marvel's Avengers - Undeniably Fun, But A Bit Rough Around The Edges
A solid start for the Avengers
Marvel's Avengers, much like the most recent cinematic interpretations of the MCU, is at once a spectacular, bloated, messy and undeniably fun experience. It nails the characterisations of its central superheroes, provides a surprisingly entertaining and lengthy campaign full of bombastic action and addictive combat,...
Review Hitman: Episode 2 - Sapienza (Xbox One)
Time to kill...
The second episode of the Hitman (Xbox One) content sees the titular assassin leaving the bright lights of Paris and heading to the idyllic Amalfi coast in Italy. The peaceful town of Sapienza hides a dark secret, as a troubled genius has set up home in a mansion in the town, and is busily creating a devastating bio weapon in the en...
Latest Square Enix News
Wednesday3rd Dec 2025
News Here's What The Reviews Are Saying About December Xbox Release Octopath Traveler 0
It's sounding pretty darn good!
The release schedule often dies down when it comes to big launches in the month of December, but 2025 has a few tricks still up its sleeve, including Square Enix's Octopath Traveler 0 - and the early reviews are starting to trickle in for this new JRPG. So, we're going to round some of them up below to give you a...
Thursday13th Nov 2025
News Square Enix Is Cutting Down Its Western Workforce, Focusing On Japanese Development
More layoffs afoot
New financials from publisher Square Enix, alongside reported information from outlet IGN, show that the Final Fantasy maker is shrinking down its Western workforce to further focus on Japanese development. Those financial reports include a note that says "review and optimization of overseas studio development or
Wednesday12th Nov 2025
News Square Enix Drops Free Octopath Traveler 0 Demo Ahead Of December Xbox Launch
And your progress carries over!
As part of yesterday's Sony State of Play event, Square Enix announced a free demo for its upcoming RPG Octopath Traveler 0 - and the demo is now live on Xbox Series X|S! Octopath Traveler
Tuesday30th Sep 2025
News Microsoft Adds Xbox 360 Title To Game Pass Today (September 30)
Featuring Lara Croft
Welcome to your latest Xbox Game Pass update! We have a bit of a strange one today, in that Microsoft and Square Enix are bringing 2010's Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light to the library, more than 15 years after its initial release. Due to the age of this Tomb Raider spin-off, the console version of the game is actually an...
Friday12th Sep 2025
News Square Enix Confirms That Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth & Part 3 Are Coming To Xbox
No more timed exclusivity!
Earlier on, we got a proper release date for the Xbox version of Final Fantasy 7 Remake, but that's not all from Square Enix. Shortly after this news aired during today's Nintendo Direct, the company confirmed that the whole trilogy is coming to Xbox - that means FF7 Rebirth is on the way a
News Final Fantasy 7 Remake Finally Heads To Xbox In January 2026
We have a date!!
As part of today's bumper Nintendo Direct livestream, Square Enix has finally revealed the release date for Final Fantasy 7 Remake outside of PlayStation and PC platforms. Yep, part one of FF7 Remake hits Xbox Series X|S (and Switch 2) on January 22nd, 2026 - more than five years after its original PS4 release. The last we heard,
Tuesday9th Sep 2025
Rumour Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Is Still Due For Xbox Series X|S In 2026
With FF7 Remake coming later this year
Right at the start of the year, we heard rumours about a batch of recent Final Fantasy titles coming to Xbox including FF7 Remake and FF16 - and so far, those rumours have mostly come true. So, when original source NateTheHate again talks about this topic, we listen - and it sounds like Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth...
Friday5th Sep 2025
News Square Enix Reveals Xbox Tech Specs For 2025 RPG Octopath Traveler 0
Up to 120FPS on Xbox!
During Nintendo's July 2025 Direct livestream, Square Enix revealed two new RPGs also coming to Xbox including Octopath Traveler 0, and now the team has revealed exactly how the game will perform on Series X and S consoles ahead of its December launch. On Xbox Series X, Octopath Traveler 0 will run at "up to 4K" resolution and...
Tuesday10th Jun 2025
Opinion I've Never Liked JRPGs, But Xbox's New FF16 Demo Has Me Hooked
I feel like a changed man
Look, I'll admit it, I've always been a bit of a JRPG snob. That attitude doesn't come from the quality of these sorts of games, not at all, more my own reluctance to try something totally new and completely foreign for a guy that grew up playing very westernised video games. This week though, I decided to download the...
Tuesday27th May 2025
News Square Enix's Next Dragon Quest Remake Heads To Xbox Series X|S This October
Well, two remakes actually!
Last year, on what's now known as 'Dragon Quest Day' (May 27th), Square Enix announced Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake for Xbox Series X|S - and this year, the team has revealed an October release date for its next remake in the legendary JRPG series. That's right, Dragon Quest 1 & 2 HD-2D Remake is coming to Xbox Series...
Thursday15th May 2025
News Square Enix Shares A Bunch Of New Kingdom Hearts 4 Screenshots
And provides an update on development
If you’re looking forward to the next Kingdom Hearts game and have been waiting on a project update, you’re in luck. Square Enix’s development team behind Kingdom Hearts 4 has today provided a new update mentioning how they’re currently hard at work on the new title and want it to be a game that lives...
Monday17th Mar 2025
News Square Enix Seemingly Suffered 'Large Losses' With Life Is Strange: Double Exposure
Double trouble
Late last year, the Life is Strange series made its big return with Deck Nine's sequel Double Exposure - but it sounds like the Xbox Series X|S title hasn't done particularly well for publisher Square Enix so far. Japanese analyst Hideki Yasuda has shared a bunch of updates from some of the region's biggest game publishers in the...
Monday28th Oct 2024
Roundup Here's What The Critics Think Of Life Is Strange: Double Exposure
The new LiS game launches this week
It's been a busy old time as of late with new game releases dropping left, right and centre - which means we haven't got around to taking on a review for Life is Strange: Double Exposure here at Pure Xbox. However, the game itself launches tomorrow and some early reviews are starting to go live - so we thought...
Tuesday1st Oct 2024
News Final Fantasy 16 Team Tells Xbox Players To Not Give Up Their 'Hopes'
"We do want to release it on Xbox"
Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster arrived on Xbox last week and it looks like the latest entry in Square Enix's long-running RPG series could also make its way across to Microsoft's consoles in the future. Following Final Fantasy XVI game director Hiroshi Takai mentioning how he would like to see the new game on Xbox,...
Thursday26th Sep 2024
News Square Enix Is Bringing Eight Games To Xbox Today (September 26)
Including two Game Pass titles!!
Wow! Microsoft wasn't kidding when it said it wanted to deepen its relationship with Square Enix - the Japanese game maker has just shadow dropped eight titles on Xbox today, following Team Green's Tokyo Game Show livestream. Okay, yes, six of these are Final Fantasy titles that make up the com
News Surprise! Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Is Available Today On Xbox
Six games in one package
Update: It's official! The Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters are available right now on the Xbox Store. You can either get them in a bundle or separately, and the best bit is that everything is discounted by 20% for the next week, meaning you can pick up some of the games from as cheap as £7.59 / $9.59 until early October...
Monday9th Sep 2024
Rumour 'Whole Slate' Of Modern Final Fantasy Games Expected To Release On Xbox
But how long will that take?
Back in late August, Final Fantasy 14 producer and director Naoki Yoshida insisted the future was bright for Square Enix games on Xbox, and once again we've been hearing positive rumours about the FF series in recent days. Windows Central's Jez Corden appeared on a recent episode of the Xbox Two podcast where he...
Tuesday27th Aug 2024
Roundup Here's What The Critics Think About Visions Of Mana From Square Enix
Early reviews are going live!
After making a surprise appearance at Xbox Developer Direct earlier this year, Square Enix's Visions of Mana is out later this week - which means early reviews are beginning to drop for this upcoming RPG. Initial impressions for the game seem pretty solid, if a little mixed, so here's what the critics are saying about...
Thursday6th Jun 2024
News Two Square Enix RPG Get A Surprise Release On Xbox Game Pass
Octopath Traveler II is finally out on Xbox Series X|S
Following some rumours earlier this week, Octopath Traveler II has now shadow dropped on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and Game Pass. You can buy the game from Microsoft's store for $59.99 USD (or your regional equivalent) or download it right away with your Game Pass subscription. Alongside this,...
Tuesday4th Jun 2024
Rumour Octopath Traveler 2 Could Launch On Xbox Game Pass This Month
Xbox also preparing "shadow drop " and portable news, it's claimed
Following an Octopath Traveler 2 Xbox Game Pass listing being labelled an "error", a new rumour claims Square Enix's RPG will be arriving very soon on Microsoft's subscription service. This information comes from eXputer, which has been informed by "sources who wish to remain...
Tuesday28th May 2024
News Dragon Quest Creator Provides Brief Update On The Next Major Entry
The Flames of Fate was announced in 2021
As part of this year's Dragon Quest Day celebrations, Square Enix has shared an update on its next major entry Dragon Quest XII: The Flames of Fate. After some concerns were raised about the status of this project, it seems progress is still moving along - with the series creator Yuji Horii providing a brief...
Friday8th Mar 2024
News The Legendary Dragon Ball Creator Akira Toriyama Has Passed Away
His work included video games
News has just broken in Japan about the passing of manga artist and Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama. He died on March 1st, 2024 at the age of 68 from acute subdural hematoma. Apart from his influence on the manga and anime industry, Toriyama had a huge impact on the video game industry over the years - not only...
Wednesday6th Mar 2024
News Final Fantasy 14's Full Xbox Release Date Announced By Square Enix
"A Life-changing Story Awaits"
As part of today's Xbox Partner Preview event, Square Enix has announced the full release date for Final Fantasy 14 Online. Currently in beta on Xbox, the full FF14 release comes to the platform on March 21st, 2024. Up above we have a new trailer for the full launch - a trailer which also reveals that
Tuesday30th Jan 2024
News 'Visions Of Mana' Isn't Launching On Xbox Game Pass Despite Dev Direct Appearance
"This was an error"
On the back of Xbox Developer Direct there were rumours that Visions of Mana might be coming to Xbox Game Pass - fuelled by some vague wording on the Xbox website. Well, the team has now come out and confirmed that the Square Enix RPG is not launch
Thursday25th Jan 2024
News 'People Can Fly' Reportedly Cuts 30 Devs From Unannounced Square Enix Project
The same team has a new triple-A collab with Microsoft
People Can Fly, the Polish developer associated with titles like Outriders and Gears of War: Judgement, has reportedly axed 30 developers who were working on a new "unannounced" Square Enix title, codenamed Project Gemini. The company's developer director told Kotaku it was a result of "budget...
Tuesday16th Jan 2024
Rumour Xbox In 'Discussions' With Square Enix Over Final Fantasy 7 Remake
The game launched on PS4 in 2020
It's been that long since Final Fantasy 7 Remake launched on PS4 that we'd almost given up hope on an Xbox release, but a new comment from Windows Central's Jez Corden has left us hopeful about the prospect once again. Speaking on a recent episode of The Xbox Two podcast, Corden had the following to say about it:...
Wednesday8th Nov 2023
News Xbox Reiterates It Will Have Stronger Relations With Square Enix Going Forward
Final Fantasy 14 Online arrives on Xbox "Spring 2024"
Square Enix and Xbox's partnership appears to be blossoming once again following the announcement earlier this year that Final Fantasy 14 Online would be coming to the green machine in Spring 2024. At the time, Phil Spencer mentioned how Microsoft and Xbox would be "partnering closely" with...
Monday23rd Oct 2023
News Square Enix Confirms Early 2024 Launch For Final Fantasy 14 Beta On Xbox
"Mark your calendars Xbox fans!"
Ever since Phil Spencer & co. worked towards a much closer partnership with Japanese developer Square Enix, Xbox fans have been eagerly awaiting news on Final Fantasy 14 and its rollout on Xbox Series X and S. Well, Square Enix has narrowed down a release window for the MMORPG's upcoming open beta - ahead of the...
Monday9th Oct 2023
News New Rumour Hints At Exciting Future For Square Enix Games On Xbox
"It actually could be just full blown everything"
It's been a few months now since Square Enix announced plans to "partner closely" with Xbox in the future, but we haven't really heard much about these plans aside from next year's arrivals of Final Fantasy 14 and Octopath Traveler 2. Speaking on the
Wednesday27th Sep 2023
News Xbox Game Pass Listing For Octopath Traveler 2 Was An 'Error'
"We’ve removed the mention"
Update: And that's the end of that! Microsoft has removed the mention of Octopath Traveler 2 coming to Xbox Game Pass in 2024, explaining that it was added in error. Here's the statement: "Editor’s Note: We’ve removed the mention of Octopath Traveler II coming to Xbox Game Pass which was included in error...
Thursday21st Sep 2023
News Octopath Traveler 2 Is Officially Coming To Xbox In Early 2024
Green travel
There was a lot of attention on Xbox missing out when Octopath Traveler II arrived on pretty much every other platform earlier this year, but team green supporters can now rejoice! Square Enix's well-received sequel is officially coming to Xbox next year. Yep, this pair of Square JRPGs have gotten lots of praise in recent months and...
Tuesday15th Aug 2023
News Xbox Social Post Featuring Final Fantasy 7 Remake Was An 'Error'
"It included a title not available on Xbox"
Microsoft and Square Enix appear to have sorted things out after Phil Spencer recently took to the stage with the Final Fantasy developers to announce Final Fantasy 14 Online would be coming to Xbox platforms next year. Xbox fans got even more excited recently when the company's Brazillian social media...
Wednesday2nd Aug 2023
News Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Is Coming To Xbox One
EA is "committed" to last-gen versions
Overlooking some launch issues, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is arguably one of the best games of the year so far. It seems EA wants even more people to play Respawn's latest release, with the company revealing during a Q1 2024 earnings call how it plans to release the title on past-generation systems. EA's CEO...
Saturday29th Jul 2023
News Square Enix CEO Thanks Phil Spencer For Making Final Fantasy 14 On Xbox A 'Reality'
It "wouldn't have been possible" without Xbox's boss
At the Final Fantasy 14 Fan Fest earlier, it was announced Square Enix's popular MMO would finally be making its way across to Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S in Spring 2024. Phil Spencer had a lot of prais
Wednesday15th Feb 2023
News Xbox Game Pass Is Getting 'Final Fantasy 7' Content, In The Form Of PowerWash Sim DLC
No FF7 remake? No problem
Final Fantasy 7 Remake may still be MIA on Xbox platforms, but Square Enix seemingly has us covered - on Xbox Game Pass no less! The surprisingly popular PowerWash Simulator is getting free, official Final Fantasy 7 DLC in the form of the upcoming 'Midgar Special Pack'. You read that right; gaming's favourite hosepipe sim...
Saturday28th Jan 2023
News Phil Spencer: 343 Remains 'Critically Important' To The Success Of Halo
Master Chief's developer isn't going anywhere
It's been a difficult period for Microsoft - with the company announcing 10,000 layoffs earlier this month. Unfortunately, the Xbox division has also been impacted by this, including the Halo Infinite developer 343 Industries. It's raised questions about the future of Master Chief, and now Xbox Head Phil...
Thursday22nd Dec 2022
News Xbox Fans Want To Know What's Going On With Square Enix In 2023
No Xbox releases announced for next year
While the recent release of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII - Reunion has gone down well on Xbox so far, we're also seeing quite a lot of disgruntlement directed towards Square Enix's current 2023 lineup of games. Why? Well, there aren't Xbox announcements at all as of yet. Forspoken is a PS5 console...
Monday7th Nov 2022
News Final Fantasy 16 Six-Month PS5 Exclusivity Window Confirmed By Sony
Square Enix hasn't announced an Xbox version
More than two years ago, we reported that Sony had snapped up Final Fantasy XVI as a PlayStation exclusive, with Square Enix also providing a statement on the matter. For now, PS5 is the only confirmed platform for FF16's 2023 release, and a new trailer seems to suggest that exclusivity on Sony's...
Monday19th Sep 2022
News Phil Spencer: Xbox Still Wants Square Enix's MMO Final Fantasy 14
"We haven’t given up..."
Xbox already has quite a number of MMOs and has even secured Phantasy Star Online 2 in recent years, but one that's missing from the lineup is Square Enix's Final Fantasy 14. In 2019, head of Xbox Phil Spencer made a commitment to bringing the game to Xbox, so what's the latest? Speaking to the Japanese website Game Watch...
Friday26th Aug 2022
News Move Over Microsoft, Embracer Group Buys Square Enix's Western Studios
Update: The deal has now gone through!
(Update: August 26, 2022) Embracer Group has today confirmed that the purchase of Square Enix's Western studios has officially concluded. The Swedish company now owns Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, Thief and more - all franchises that were previously owned by the Japanese publisher. (Original Story: May 2, 2022) Well,...
Thursday21st Jul 2022
Guide Is 'Forspoken' Coming To Xbox? Maybe, But You'll Need To Be Very Patient
Fors-pain
Update (Tue 13th Sep, 2022): We've seen more interest in Forspoken from Xbox fans recently, so we thought we'd republish this guide to provide some extra visibility. The short answer - it might happen, but not for a long time! Original story (Thu 21st Jul, 2022): Thankfully, timed exclusives are becoming less of a thing these days,...
Saturday18th Jun 2022
Gallery Another Look At Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion, Coming To Xbox This Winter
It's looking good!
It's been another exciting week in the world of video games, and one surprise on the Xbox front was Square Enix's announcement of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion. This game is a remaster of the 2007 PlayStation Portable title, and is a prequel to FFVII. It sees the return of Zack Fair - an important character, whose own...
Tuesday7th Jun 2022
News Just Cause 5 Appears To Be In Development At Square Enix
The publisher has retained the IP
Square Enix may have sold off a bunch of its Western studios to Embracer Group, but it has retained some of its most popular franchises. In particular, Just Cause is still in Square's hands, and the company has now revealed that work is underway on a new Just Cause game. Word comes from the publisher's recent...
Friday20th May 2022
News Expect Sequels, Remakes And More Says New Tomb Raider, Deus Ex Owners
Embrace tradition
Embracer Group's acquisition of Square Enix's western studios is the latest merger to be underway in gaming. But, what will come of the purchase for fans of Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, Thief and more? Quite a lot, if the plans outlined here come to fruition. In Embracer's latest earnings report, the company touched on its acquisition...
Tuesday10th May 2022
News Sleeping Dogs Gets New R18+ Rating In Australia
Wei got excited
Sleeping Dogs is still, as far as we're concerned, one of the very best GTA-style open world experiences available on consoles, and so you can forgive us if we get slightly over-excited about the game receiving a new R18+ rating over on the Australian Classification website. Yes, as reported by Kotaku Australia, Square Enix's action...
Friday6th May 2022
News Outriders Hasn't Been Profitable Despite Positive Xbox Game Pass Launch
"Net proceeds from the sale of Outriders were insufficient"
Outriders was a pretty big deal when it launched on Xbox Game Pass in April 2021. The shared world co-op shooter from developer People Can Fly seemed to get off to a decent start, thanks in part to big player numbers on Xbox Game Pass. However, new details paint a slightly different...
Tuesday3rd May 2022
News Jeff Grubb Suggests Another Square Enix Acquisition 'More Likely' Following Western Studio Sale
Could the Japanese side of the business be sold?
It seems to be acquisition season right now in the gaming industry. Embracer Group, the huge Swedish firm who owns the likes of THQ Nordic, recently picked up Square Enix's Western studios, and now there's talk of WB Games being up for sale too. However, business regarding Square Enix might not be...
Monday2nd May 2022
News Square Enix Will Still Work On Western Games Despite Studios Sale
Staying in touch
Earlier today, another huge gaming acquisition was revealed by Embracer Group. Okay, it's not Xbox-Activision Blizzard levels of huge, but the Swedish company is picking up all of Square Enix's Western studios. However, that doesn't mean that the Japanese publisher is completely cutting itself off from Western games, despite the...
Thursday28th Apr 2022
News Balan Wonderworld Director Was 'Removed' From Project 6 Months Before Launch
The director has taken to Twitter to explain
Some of you may remember Balan Wonderworld and its rocky launch last year. The 3D platformer, coming from well-known Sonic developer Yuji Naka, was a little rough at launch, and now its director has shed some light on the situation. According to Naka himself, he was "removed" as director six months...
Sunday10th Apr 2022
News Kingdom Hearts 4 Announced By Square Enix, Here's A First Look
Sora is back!
During the Kingdom Hearts 20th anniversary broadcast, Square Enix announced Kingdom Hearts IV. No platforms or release dates have been revealed yet, but Xbox does have some history with this series. You can see the action, which is a combination of cinematics and gameplay, in the above video. It takes place around the 4-minute mark...
