Latest Features
Reaction Xbox's Killer January Showcase Proves That Its Games Pipeline Is Finally Ready
ALL of this in the next few months?!
Well, that's a wrap on Xbox Developer Direct 2025, and wasn't that just an awesome showcase again from Team Green? We got a look at four new Xbox titles; three of which received release dates spread over the next few months. Oh, and who can forget about that fifth shadow drop title? Yep, The Ninja Gaiden 2
Feature Xbox Developer Direct 2025: The Full List Of Reveals, Including Two Surprises
Missed the event? Here's a recap
Weren't able to catch the Xbox Developer Direct 2025 showcase earlier today? No worries! You can always go back and watch the on-demand version for yourself, which you'll find elsewhere on Pure Xbox. If you don't want to watch it all the way through, we've also detailed all the important reveals in this article...
Poll How Would You Grade 2025's Xbox Developer Direct?
Give us your verdict
The dust is now beginning to settle on 2025's Xbox Developer Direct showcase! If you haven't had a chance to watch it yet, you can catch the full thing over at our live coverage page, as well as check out our recap of everything that happened as part of the show. So, all things considered, what grade would you give the Xbox...
Talking Point The Dev Who Greenlit Insomniac's Xbox One Classic Is Retiring
We wish we'd have seen more
Today, Insomniac Games has announced that its legendary CEO Ted Price is retiring from the company, after more than 30 years at the helm. While Insomniac has always been closely aligned with PlayStation — Sony now owns the studio outright — the team did produce an Xbox One classic back in 2014 - and Ted Price played a...
Talking Point Have You Been Tempted To Switch To Xbox Game Pass Standard?
The library is growing fast!
Last year, Microsoft launched Xbox Game Pass Standard, phasing out its 'Console' tier of the subscription service at the same time. When it was revealed, we questioned the need for its existence, especially given how great Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is and the extras that are included in that service. However, with Game...
Talking Point What Release Dates Will We Get At Xbox Developer Direct This Year?
Filling out the 2025 calendar
As we continue to get closer and closer to the arrival of the Xbox Developer Direct showcase this Thursday, we thought we'd use this opportunity to ponder over the various release dates that could be announced at the event. We already know what's going to be there, of course - DOOM: The Dark Ages,
Feature Far Cry New Dawn Got A Mixed Reception, But It'll Be A Great Addition To Xbox Game Pass
Expectations got in the way
Today, Microsoft has delivered its latest roundup for Xbox Game Pass, filling in some blanks between now and early February for its subscription service. The one title that immediately sticks out here is Far Cry New Dawn, and we actually think this is a really solid addition to the library - especially with its...
Talking Point What Are Your Plans For This Week's Big Xbox Event?
Will you be watching it live?
With the Xbox Developer Direct for 2025 now just a few days away, this is our chance to do what we always do - ask you what your plans are for it! In other words, will you be watching this live, or just catching up after the event? If you're not a big fan of the lengthy summer showcases, the nice thing about Developer...
Feature Five Guesses For The 'Legendary' Surprise At Xbox Developer Direct This Week
Based on the big rumour so far
Happy Xbox Developer Direct week! January's big Xbox showcase is now just a few days away, and the big question on everyone's mind is what the fourth surprise will be at the event - it's been purposely teased by Team Xbox: "...visit a surprise location to see another studio’s brand new game." The rumour that's...
Talking Point It's Been Three Years Since Xbox Announced The Activision Blizzard Deal
Covering Xbox has been a whirlwind ever since
Well folks, over the weekend, we officially passed the three-year mark since Xbox first announced its intentions to purchase mega-publisher Activision Blizzard. Yep, January 18th, 2022 was when the news first sent shockwaves throughout the industry - the most expensive gaming acquisition ever. Of...
Talking Point Xbox Series X|S Owners, How's Your Storage Looking In 2025?
Our yearly feature returns!
Every year here at Pure Xbox, we poll the community about how well you've been managing your Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S storage, and so we're doing the same again for 2025 - in a year where games are getting bigger than ever! Looking back over the past couple of years, it comes as no surprise that free space appears...
Feature These 20+ Games Are Coming To Xbox Next Week (January 20-24)
January is getting BUSY now!
Welcome to your Xbox games roundup for January 20-24! We're really starting to get busy now with these new Xbox releases for 2025, with over 20 of them confirmed for the next few days - including the likes of SYNDUALITY Echo of Ada and
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (January 18-19)
Diving into Xbox Free Play Days?
Weekend time! There's plenty to check out on Xbox over the weekend, with the highlight being a massive array of Xbox Free Play Days titles from EA Sports, and there are also a small number of new Xbox Game Pass additions as well. Here's what we're playing this weekend: Fraser Gilbert, Editor: I feel like there's...
Talking Point Will Microsoft Fully Reveal Its Next-Gen Xbox This Year?
Or will Xbox stay quiet in 2025
A year ago next month, Microsoft first started talking about its next-gen Xbox - a console that's supposedly going to provide the "largest technical leap" ever seen from generation to generation. The thing is though, we still don't really know what that means, even if Xbox fans have pondered the topic for months now...
Talking Point What Is Xbox Going To Do With Halo In 2025?
Do you think we'll get an announcement?
This is a really interesting time for the Halo franchise. A few months ago, it was announced that a major shakeup was taking place at 343 Industries, with the company rebranding to "Halo Studios" and embarking on a series of new games using Unreal Engine 5. It served as the beginning of a new chapter with Halo...
Soapbox I Hope Xbox Properly Supports Switch 2 When It Launches In 2025
Offering a new & different Xbox experience
A lot has been said, discussed and debated about Microsoft deciding to make Xbox games available on rival platforms, and much of that chatter has been pretty negative so far. Sony's PS5 has been the big focus point for discussion, especially because it's confirmed to be getting some huge Xbox games like...
Talking Point Are You Hoping For Another 'Shadow Drop' At Xbox Developer Direct 2025?
That would be awesome!
As Xbox Developer Direct fast approaches, we're getting quite excited for what we might see in the 2025 edition of the event. We know three of the games that will be showcased, while rumours are pointing towards a "legendary Japanese IP" for Xbox's fourth game of the show. But, what about another shadow drop of some sort?...
Talking Point 10 Years Ago, Microsoft Delivered An Incredible Lineup Of Exclusives For Xbox One
It wasn't all bad back then!
The Xbox One has always got a bit of a bad rap when it comes to exclusives. Sure, the console did tail off towards the end when Microsoft's games pipeline seemed to clog up, but the first few years were amazing - we'll die on that hill. From 2016 onwards the console no-doubt began slowing down, but 10 years ago in 2015,...
Soapbox With Xbox Games Now On PS5, Microsoft Needs To Ditch Forced PC Crossplay
Back to an even playing field
A few years ago, with the help of Microsoft and Xbox, crossplay became the norm for multiplayer games across the industry. Sony famously pushed back on the feature before PlayStation eventually hopped aboard, but nowadays, it's pretty much a standard in most big multiplayer games. To be honest though, I think crossplay...
Feature 10+ Major Games That Xbox Could Be Preparing To Release This Year
What a lineup this would be!
With the Xbox Developer Direct 2025 just around the corner, we're in that period right now where everyone seems to making predictions about not only the show, but also the rest of 2025 and how it looks for Xbox's lineup of games. The official word is that we're already getting a great set of titles this year, with the...
Talking Point Will Nintendo Switch 2 Appear At The Xbox Developer Direct 2025?
We could be in for a crazy two weeks, folks
OK, look, Nintendo Switch 2 rumours are flying around so much at the moment they're hard to ignore. Yes, we know the system isn't directly related to Microsoft, and yes, we're fully aware that this site is called Pure Xbox - but we actually reckon Team Green could have quite a major role to play in the...
Feature 10 Exciting New Xbox Indie Games To Check Out In January 2025
The hidden gems of the month
Who says January is a bad time for new releases?! 2025 has already given us plenty of new Xbox games, and there's a lot more to come - including so many great indie titles that we've found it near impossible to whittle this list down! It's well worth checking out the full list of games coming out on Xbox in January 2025...
Talking Point Will 1 Vs. 100 Ever Make A Comeback On Xbox?
It was supposed to, but what happened?!
We're getting a huge wave of nostalgia looking at that image! 1 Vs. 100 truly was a memorable part of the Xbox 360 era, serving as a live gameshow where Xbox fans could compete and try to win prizes while answering quiz questions. It was a really cool way to bring the Xbox community together, and Xbox boss...
Feature These 10+ Games Are Coming To Xbox Next Week (January 13-17)
Including two more Game Pass titles!
Welcome to your Xbox games roundup for January 13-17! We're getting our first major Xbox release of 2025 over the next few days in the form of Dynasty Warriors: Origins, while two Xbox Game Pass titles are also heading to the service very soon - the orig
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (January 11-12)
How about some Road 96 on Xbox Game Pass?
It's time for the weekend! There's not too much going on with Xbox at the moment, but we do have a new Xbox Game Pass addition in the form of Road 96, and don't forget about the ongoing Last Chance sale on the Xbox Store! Here's what we're playing this weekend: Fraser Gilbert, Editor: I'm firmly in
Poll Which Xbox Developer Direct 2025 Reveal Are You Most Hyped For?
It should be a good show!
We've finally got the confirmation of an Xbox Developer Direct event for 2025, and the good news is that it's only a couple of weeks away! We also know what's going to be included, with four titles featured in all. Three of these have been named in the form of DOOM: The Dark Ages, South of Midnight and the third-party
Feature 15 Of The Biggest Open-World Games Coming To Xbox In 2025
GTA 6, Fable and SO much more!
We've got a whole bunch of great open-world Xbox games heading our way in 2025, to the point where this list was very difficult to narrow down! Still, we've got to put a limit on it somewhere, so we've decided to highlight 15 of the very best open-world titles set to arrive on Xbox Series X and Series S (and in some...
Feature Speculating On Xbox's 'Surprise Brand-New Game' To Be Shown At Dev Direct
A little more speculation please
Well, Microsoft's 2025 Xbox Developer Direct announcement is here, with the company planning to detail four upcoming titles set to grace Xbox Series X|S this year. However, while we know what three of those games will be, Microsoft is being very secretive about its fourth title; the event will see Xbox "visit a...
Soapbox Xbox Should Start Embracing Its Past A Whole Lot More
We have history together, MS
It's no secret, Xbox is changing. After a wild 2024 that firmly pushed Xbox towards full multiplatform territory, we're all slowly getting used to Microsoft's new vision for the brand. In theory, I don't take too much issue with change — it's inevitable some day, in some form — but one thing I'd love to see more...
Soapbox I Can't Wait To See What Xbox Does With Activision This Year
And Blizzard for that matter
I think I'm still getting nightmares about that whole Activision Blizzard saga in 2023. Don't get me wrong, it was great for engagement here at Pure Xbox and was somewhat fun to discuss with everyone at the time, but it dragged on forever and undoubtedly caused controversy even within the Xbox fan community itself, which...
Talking Point Xbox Fans Divided Over Changes To 'Rewards' System
"They finally got rid of the daily achievement"
Earlier this week, we shared the news that Xbox Game Pass Quests would be getting a major overhaul to kick off 2025 (in some regions), and that overhaul has now taken place - marking significant changes to how the program works. As you can see in the image above, one of the biggest changes is that...
Feature Xbox Predictions: What We Expect To See From Microsoft In 2025
An interesting year ahead
A new year in gaming is upon us, which means plenty of Xbox reveals to get excited about, games to dig into, and knowing Microsoft - industry-shaking announcements to bare witness to in 2025. With a busy 2024 now behind us, then, we're looking ahead to the next 12 months in the world of Xbox. What will the team deliver on...
Talking Point It's Now Been 24 Years Since Bill Gates & The Rock Unveiled The Xbox
We could all smell what they were cookin'
Xbox fans around the world... it's officially been 24 years to the day since The Rock joined Bill Gates in unveiling the original Xbox! Yep, this big old chunky plastic box has been in our hearts and minds for almost a quarter of a century at this point, so we thought now's a good time to look back at the...
Guide Microsoft Rewards & Xbox: How To Make 10,000 Points Per-Month
How to get Microsoft Rewards points fast
We know how amazing Microsoft Rewards is, but did you know that if you live in a certain region and you have access to all the MS Rewards benefits on offer, you can make around 10,000 Microsoft Rewards points per-month? That's the equivalent of almost £10 / $10 worth of free Xbox credit every single month!...
Feature 10 Free-To-Play Games To Look Forward To On Xbox In 2025
Including some MAJOR new releases!
We've got hundreds and hundreds of new releases coming to Xbox in 2025, and inevitably there will be plenty of free-to-play releases amongst them! In fact, we already know about quite a few, including some major upcoming titles such as EA's Skate reboot and the massively popular action-RPG Path of Exile 2 later in...
Poll Which 'Xbox' Devices Will You Spend The Most Time With In 2025?
Is console still the #1 for you?
2025 marks the first full year of Microsoft's "This is an Xbox" campaign, in which the company attempts to convince the world that the term "Xbox" doesn't just refer to consoles anymore - it refers to anything that can play Xbox games! These days, that encompasses a wide range of devices. PC and mobile are the...
Feature These Games Are Coming To Xbox Next Week (January 6-10)
Including another Game Pass title!
Welcome to your Xbox games roundup for January 6-10! Once again, things are looking very quiet next week, but we do have a few intriguing new releases - along with the Xbox Game Pass return of our beloved Road 96! Here's what's coming to Xbox next week: New Xbox Releases (January 6-10):
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (January 4-5)
The first weekend of 2025!
A new year begins, and this marks our first weekend of it! Xbox is remaining quiet at the moment (we're expecting things to kick off again next week), but don't forget to check out Carrion - it got added to Xbox Game Pass on Thursday! Here's what we're playing this weekend: Fraser Gilbert, Editor: I could get used to...
Talking Point Is 2025 The Year We See Everwild On Xbox?
A rare appearance
Here at Pure Xbox HQ, we've begun theorising on what games might show up at a potential Xbox Developer Direct later this month. We know that the showcase hasn't even been formally announced yet - but it's still fun to speculate on what could make an appearance if Xbox continues its recent trend of January showcases
Talking Point What Are Your New Year's Gaming Resolutions?
Anything in mind for the next 12 months?
With a brand-new year ahead of us, this is always the time when people begin to make their resolutions for the 12 months ahead, most of which they inevitably never stick to. Still, it's nice to have some goals in mind for the future! When it comes to gaming, there are all kinds of resolutions that you might...
Feature 30 Xbox Series X|S Games To Look Forward To In 2025
Hey, backlog, suck on this
Good day to you, future citizen, and welcome to 2025! 2024 was a very, very good year for games, and although Xbox's first-party output dried up at times and perhaps lacked a certain spark overall (at least in this writer's opinion), the likes of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, CoD: Black Ops 6, Age of Mythology:...
Pick One Which Xbox First-Party Game Are You Most Excited To Play This Year?
An exciting year ahead!
As we mentioned in our Xbox Developer Direct article a few weeks back, Xbox has a pretty stacked games lineup heading into 2025, with multiple first-party titles already scheduled to release this year. The question is, which of these games are you most excited about at this stage? Right now at least, only one of these has a...
Talking Point Which Xbox Games Deserved More Love In 2024?
Does anything specific come to mind?
As 2024 officially comes to an end, we wanted to take this last chance to ask you about your favourite titles of the past 365 days - and specifically the games that you've enjoyed, but didn't receive enough love from the wider community. There are loads and loads of potential candidates in here, some of which...
Feature All New Xbox Games Coming Out In January 2025
Star Wars, Dynasty Warriors, Sniper Elite & much more!
Welcome to our roundup of all new Xbox games coming out in January 2025! Below, we've listed every Xbox game with an January 2025 release date, including all confirmed Xbox Game Pass releases so far. And yes, even though it's a traditionally quiet time of year, we've still got some really...
Talking Point Looking Back At A Turbulent But Productive Year For Xbox
It's been a wild 12 months for Team Green
As we come to the end of 2024, we have to look back on what's been a bizarre year to be an Xbox fan. Some of the team's recent acquisitions have really kicked into gear — namely Bethesda with Indiana Jones and Activision with Black Ops 6 — but it's hard to ignore the amount of mixed messaging and
Feature These Games Are Coming To Xbox Next Week (December 30 - January 3)
Get ready for a new year of Xbox releases!
Welcome to your Xbox games roundup for December 30 - January 3! As you can see, we're looking extremely quiet over the next few days, but there are still a handful of new releases - plus a returning Xbox Game Pass addition! Here's what's coming to Xbox next week: New Xbox Releases (December 30 - January...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (December 28-29)
Trying out any new Christmas presents?
Welcome to the final weekend of 2024! There's not much going on in the world of Xbox right now, but don't forget you can spend some Christmas money on the Xbox Countdown Sale 2024 - it's still live until Thursday, January 2nd! Here's what we're playing this weekend: Fraser Gilbert, Editor: I inevitably...
Feature Pure Xbox's Top 10 Game Pass Titles Of 2024
Based on your votes!
Last Saturday, we asked you about your favourite Xbox Game Pass additions of the past 12 months, and just like we did with the Pure Xbox Game of the Year roundup, we thought we'd let you know of the results for this one as well! It'll come as no surprise to see that Indiana Jones and the Great Circle ran away with the votes...
Talking Point Which Xbox Games Have You Managed To Finish This Year?
Have you dug into your backlog?
As the year draws to a close, now's the perfect time to reflect on how we've tackled the relentless barrage of great Xbox games that have headed our way in 2024, which includes how many of them we've actually been able to finish! Of course, the idea of "finishing" or "completing" a game these days isn't quite as...
Feature Pure Xbox's Game Of The Year 2024: The Results You Didn't See
Including how many votes Indiana Jones got!
Yesterday, we published our Pure Xbox Game of the Year results for 2024, and the winner was crowned as Indiana Jones and the Great Circle by quite a huge margin, with Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Hellblade 2 being the runners up. <related ids="176203"> The GOTY feature is always focused on the...
