Is It Worth Buying An Xbox One In 2026?

I have an xbox one and stream new games with gamepass. so can still play everything on there i want

gamepass ultimate works out at £10 a month with codes from loaded

If someone wants to download their games and not really own anything by using Gamepass, then Xbox is probably a good bet, but with prices escalating, most games going to rival consoles, Microsoft quietly killing off the format and the whole identity of the format in jeopardy then it’s probably not worthwhile anymore.

I regret purchasing mine. Don't get me wrong, the first couple months were great but after Gamepass jacked up their prices I just couldn't justify subscribing anymore. I wound up picking up a steam deck and that has been an excellent purchase.

How is series X “the best of the best right now”? There’s no qualifier given. PS5 is cheaper, has almost every exclusive the X has plus many more of its own, and is the de facto 3rd party platform meaning developers optimize titles for it first (translation: X might be more powerful but you rarely if ever see any meaningful difference in real world scenarios).

Short of a few bells and whistles that are an afterthought to the core experience, I don’t see how Series X is “the best of the best right now”. And that’s all without mentioning the Ps5 Pro, which currently has the power crown.

One X is still a lovely machine. It won't load lightning fast like the Series X, but it's more than playable in today's gaming, especially with the cheap physical deals you can find which tend to be cheaper than the PS4 versions (In CeX anyway).

Better than a PS4 for sure if you wanna play some older games too.
I'm still salty my whole PS3 library was useless on PS4.

Honestly, the SSDs in the modern consoles make a huge difference to me. I wouldn't go back to one of these older consoles unless it was a GREAT deal, and then only because they're pretty good backwards compatibility machines with the 360 library.

@Balaam_ It's an Xbox site that's discussing Xbox consoles, so I think you can call Series X the "best of the best" without qualifiers, because the discussion isn't about consoles generally.

Seeing everything unfold over the past 4 years, I wish I did stick with my XB1 instead of upgrading to Series X in November 2021. Sure, it would’ve been a risk considering my XB1 fan didn’t sound healthy but for what I used Series X for in the end I think I’d have been better off sticking with XB1.

7 comments before console wars, the norm.

@Naughtyottsel92 except that most of these comments come from Xbox players who feel discouraged by Microsoft not from rage filled PlayStation supporters… and they’re right to be skeptical at the moment.

Obviously had Xbox one but went Xbox one x
When that came out.
One x was a great console and good clearly see the resolution difference on most games. Farcry stood out very well.
My daughter has my old Xbox one x now and still uses it now and again.

I own an Xbox and absolutely loved game pass but at £22 a month I can’t afford that unfortunately.

I only play about 4 games a year with a family and limited time I’m thinking of purchasing a ps5 and sticking with that.

I own every gen of Xbox and currently have a OG Xbox, a Xbox 360 and Xbox one S and a Xbox series X - I would disagree Xbox series X is “the best of the best right now” that’s a bold statement but it’s a beast for sure….. but the Xbox one is a monster for sure. But gen for gen all of them are great. What would be truly great is one machine that played all the games. Proper. From Rallisport and Buffy Vampire slayer all the way to Forza Horizon 6…. When it arrives….

@Meehanuk_1987 why would you be paying the RRP of £22 a month when you can buy it far far cheaper than that? You are allowed to buy from 3rd party on Xbox.

"Three Months" of Ultimate Gamepass is £35 from Loaded

https://www.loaded.com/3-month-xbox-game-pass-ultimate-xbox-one-pc-eu

Don Mattrick says "If you can't afford an Xbox Series X, we have a console for you: it's called the Xbox One".

I put my One S in my sons room and he uses it everyday. Rarely for games though. When we go out of town I will pack up the One S and bring it wherever we go.

I stil have my Project Scorpio XB1, my Gears XB1S and a XB1X - but I haven't used or even switched any on for at least 4yrs. I personally couldn't recommend a console that is no longer being manufactured, even if it is still usable/functional. I know you can stream games (like Indiana Jones or Starfield for example) if you have Game Pass and they aren't released for your Hardware, but if you are 'buying' a Console, a Series S is the much better option and I'd recommend that over ANY XB1 hardware.

If you want the 'best of the best', then PC is the way to go. MS has their own 'Xbox' Platform on PC and of course you also have access to Steam, GoG etc. You can also build a PC that easily beats any current-gen Console and with DLSS, run games at much higher graphical settings and frame rates. You'll also be set for the future as MS will continue to support their PC platform after the XB1 is 'dead'.

Buying a Series S/X in 2026 isn't something I'd recommend unless its suits your budget and existing game library - as in you already own a decent collection of Xbox Console games and/or a Game Pass subscription. Its already over 5yrs old and not cheap either. I've had 1000's of hours of use out of mine over those years but I also paid 'less' for a Day 1 release console and don't expect it to be around for that much longer - a year or two more before it to is 'discontinued' (from Manufacturing).

Each to their own of course, but I really don't understand why people would consider an XB1 in 2026 when you don't even need a Series console....

Xbox One X with its HDD swapped out for a SSD was a true beast last gen. That said, I wouldn't buy a console now from a 13 year old gen unless your goal is retro gaming.

Xbox Series X is just more reliable.

A One X with an SSD inside of it is still a decent buy considering the prices of them used now. Just put one inside my One S for bedroom use. Yes Xbox is doing its best to turn people away from investing in the brand longterm but if your passing through, or want cheap gaming, a One juiced up with an SSD can be great fun. Same goes for PS4 or even PS3

The idea that the next Xbox will be a “PC hybrid” is built on misunderstandings and clickbait headlines. Microsoft is not replacing the Xbox OS with Windows desktop, nor are they turning the console into a general‑purpose PC. The next Xbox will use the Windows kernel and subsystems as its backend foundation—just like Xbox One and Series X|S already do—but the user experience remains a locked down, CONSOLE first Xbox interface. No desktop, no drivers, no Steam, no PC maintenance. It’s a modernized backend, not a change in CONSOLE identity.

The rumor falls apart the moment you look at Microsoft’s business incentives. Xbox consoles generate enormous revenue through the Xbox Store, Game Pass, DLC, and microtransactions. Steam takes a 30% cut of every sale. Allowing Steam on Xbox would mean Microsoft voluntarily hands its most profitable customers to Valve. That would be financially irrational and strategically disastrous. Xbox consoles are Microsoft’s highest spending users. there is no universe where Microsoft gives that up.

What the Windows integration actually accomplishes is developer cohesion, not a PC‑like experience. A unified Windows kernel makes it easier for developers to bring games between PC and Xbox, improves performance, and enables full backward compatibility through AMD’s hardware layer. None of this requires exposing Windows to the player. It’s backend engineering designed to strengthen the ecosystem, not dilute the console.

Meanwhile, the next Xbox remains a true console: fixed hardware, plug‑and‑play simplicity, and a massive generational leap powered by Zen 6 CPUs, RDNA 5 graphics, and a dedicated NPU. This is about performance, efficiency, and long‑term scalability..NOT turning Xbox into a PC.

And the broader ecosystem proves Xbox is far from “dead.” With ~40 million Series X|S units, tens of millions of active Xbox One users, PC Game Pass, and cloud gaming, Microsoft maintains over 100 million monthly active users. This is a thriving, diversified platform, not a collapsing one.

In short: the next Xbox is NOT a PC hybrid. It’s a CONSOLE first device with a modern Windows based backend that improves development and compatibility without sacrificing the simplicity, identity, or profitability of the Xbox platform. The Steam on Xbox fantasy is economically impossible, strategically irrational, and completely unsupported by credible reporting. The future of Xbox is a stronger, more cohesive, more powerful CONSOLE & not a PC in disguise.

@Jenkinss I would definitely have to agree with you 💯 percent. I would NOT recommend anyone getting a 13 year old console UNLESS they only care about playing last gen + backwards compatible games.

I personally own a PS5 + Xbox Series X and my wife owns a PS5 + Xbox Series S, so we're set for the current generation. I was considering getting a Xbox One X for my living room mainly for the 4K Blu Ray player because a used One X is cheaper than a 4K Blu Ray player lol. Happy gaming ✌️

Depends on the price, but I think a One X has its use cases these days. I've actually got one in my bedroom that I use.

It makes sense if you have a good internet connection, because you could get a device that, although old, can play many current games and the entire Gamepass catalog from the cloud.

However, if money is no object, I wouldn't recommend a console to anyone today, whether new or old, Xbox or PlayStation. A PC is currently a much better investment.

The One X has always been criminally underrated, and even the One S is a great device. Both of these have the benefit of HDMI pass-through, a feature I wish they kept with Series consoles. This means I can use them on the same HDMI port I would use for something like just a cable box, PC, or streaming device/whatever.

We still have an Xbox One X connected to fantastic 2 gig ethernet and use it to play all kinds of cloud games. Works great. It's not the main console in the house, that's a Series X, but you'd never know it's as old as it is, and no installing much of anything.

Oh yeah. If under $200 it’s a slam dunk if you have never been on Xbox. Worth it for Halo MCC, Forza, Killer Instinct, Fable Series, Quantum Break, and all the Gears alone. Hours of Insanely awesome games.

If you already have a Series S, then picking up a cheap One can be a good idea if you want to play delisted or disc-only backwards compatible stuff like Forza and Orange Box.