Latest Features - Page 2
Talking Point How Much Would You Be Willing To Spend On The Next Xbox Console?
What's your limit?
There's every chance 2026 could be the year that a new Xbox console is announced. It's been rumoured before that Xbox might be targeting a 2027 launch (although recent rumours have suggested it could be delayed), and with the 25th anniversary of Xbox landing this November, it makes sense to have a big unveiling on that date -...
Feature Five Reasons Why 2026 Is One Of The Most Important Years In Xbox History
Get set for a busy 12 months
Ah, January 1st. A clean slate! A chance for everyone to start afresh and see where the next 12 months takes them. That's particularly important in the case of Xbox, as following an up-and-down 2025 which featured plenty of highs and plenty of lows, we're now entering a milestone year that promises historic moments...
Feature Xbox Release Dates In 2026: A List Of New Games Coming Out This Year
Your month-by-month guide to all Xbox releases
Looking for a list of all the games coming to Xbox in 2026? You're in the right place! Below, we've provided a month-by-month guide to all the Xbox releases that have been announced for 2026 so far - with many more to come of course! Don't forget that we've provided separate guides for every Xbox Game...
Feature A Year Later, Microsoft Remains Highly Committed To Its 'This Is An Xbox' Campaign
Getting the message out there
It was all the way back in November of 2024 that Microsoft first introduced us to the idea of "This is an Xbox" — an ambitious marketing campaign that spelled out the company's intentions for the brand in the years to come. In reality, we'd known for ages that Xbox was going down this path, putting a greater focus on...
Feature The Top 10 Xbox Game Pass Titles Of 2025, As Determined By Your Votes
You voted, we've got the results!
A few days ago, we asked you to vote on your favourite Xbox Game Pass titles of 2025, made up of a list of 74 games plus an "other" category where you could tell us about any additional games you wanted to vote for. The response was significant, with almost 3,000 votes in all, so we thought we'd give you the...
Talking Point If You Were Releasing A Game, Which Month Of The Year Would You Pick?
It's a tough one for Xbox to answer in 2026!
We've already talked quite a lot recently about Xbox's stacked first-party lineup for 2026 and how they'll need to work around the release of GTA 6 in November along the way, and we've seen plenty of discussion from the Pure Xbox community about which months you'd personally choose to release a game in...
Feature All New Games Coming To Xbox In January 2026
Release dates for every January Xbox launch
Welcome to our roundup of all new Xbox games coming out in January 2026! Below, we've listed every Xbox game with a January 2026 release date, including all confirmed Xbox Game Pass titles for January 2026 so far. Without further ado, here are all the new games coming to Xbox in January 2026: The...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (December 27-28)
Any Christmas presents to get stuck into?
It's the final weekend of the year! Not a whole lot is going on right now when it comes to Xbox, but we're betting you've got a massive backlog to get stuck into this weekend, including any Christmas presents you might have received! Here's what we're playing over the next few days: Fraser Gilbert, Editor:...
Talking Point Which Xbox Games Have You Managed To Finish In 2025?
Reaching the credits
So, with Christmas out the way and just a few days left of 2025 to go, we thought this would be a good opportunity to ask about the games you've played this year - and more specifically the games you've managed to finish. It's not uncommon for many of us to play tens if not hundreds of games without finishing them in a calendar...
Feature Pure Xbox's Game Of The Year 2025: The Results You Didn't See
Including how many votes Expedition 33 got!
Yesterday, we published our Pure Xbox Game of the Year results for 2025, and the winner was crowned as Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 by a huge margin (no surprise!), followed by Xbox first-party titles Avowed and DOOM: The Dark Ages. The GOTY feature is always focused on the games themselves rather than...
Feature Pure Xbox's Game Of The Year 2025
Another expedition comes to an end
Here we go, it's officially time for the Pure Xbox Game of the Year 2025 roundup! A couple of weeks ago, we asked the Pure Xbox community to vote on your favourite Xbox releases of the past twelve months, and you responded with over 1,000 more votes than we saw last year (5,597 compared to 4,209). We thank you...
Feature Nobody's Really Heard Of It, But This Is One Of My Xbox Games Of The Year For 2025
A hidden gem
When we asked you to vote on your Pure Xbox Game of the Year a couple of weeks ago, the game that received the least votes out of everything was Despelote (with two). That's not a reflection of the game itself, but rather that not many people have come across it — on the Xbox Store, for example, it doesn't even have enough scores to...
Poll How Many Xbox Games Have You Actually Bought In 2025?
A few? A dozen? How about over 50?!
It's been an amazing year for top-quality games in 2025, with multiple Game of the Year candidates releasing on Xbox over the past 12 months, but there's only so much money and spare time to go around — we can't go buying all of them! Xbox Game Pass is always a big factor in this as well, with many of those...
Feature Xbox Game Pass Is Looking Great For 2026, But Only Six Games Have Release Dates So Far
A quick look at what's to come
With Xbox Game Pass getting a big overhaul a few months ago, all eyes are on Microsoft to deliver a big lineup in 2026 - particularly for Ultimate subscribers who are now paying $30 a month for the privilege of being subscribed. When it comes to Xbox first-party, we have some massive games planned for next year...
Talking Point Which Xbox Games Deserved More Love This Year?
Anything you wanna shout about?
With The Game Awards now wrapped up and lots of this year's releases getting their fair share of attention at the show (and elsewhere), we want to take a little time to discuss the Xbox games that deserved a bit more love throughout 2025. As is the case pretty much every year, many games tend to fall by the wayside...
Talking Point What Games Are You Playing Over Christmas Break?
What's in your plans over Xmas and New Year?
The festive season is truly upon us now as we officially enter Christmas week, which has us thinking and planning and batting off family conversations as we hunker down; trying to tackle our gaming backlogs while we have the chance. And this year, we seem to have a near-endless stack of games to play...
Talking Point Will Any Of Xbox's 2026 Releases Become GOTY Contenders Next Year?
We have a huge 12 months ahead!
With The Game Awards 2025 now firmly in our rear-view mirrors and Xbox missing out on a GOTY nomination once again, we've started thinking about next year's event and whether anything that comes out of Microsoft HQ will earn a nomination in 2026. To be clear, we are talking about the Geoff Keighley December bonanza...
Feature These Games Are Coming To Xbox Next Week (December 22-26)
Just a handful of releases for Christmas week
Welcome to your Xbox games roundup for December 22-26! This is obviously Christmas week, so releases are few and far between, but we've still got a handful of new games on the way over the next few days. Here's what's coming to Xbox next week: New Xbox Releases (December 22-26): Injection π23...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (December 20-21)
Something from the Xbox Countdown Sale 2025?
Welcome to the last weekend before Christmas! Yep, we've got plenty of games that may or may not already be wrapped under that big living room tree right now, but that's not stopping us from adding to our digital backlogs via various ongoing sales as well. Of course it's not! Here's what we're playing...
Poll How Are You Getting On With Mortal Kombat 1 On Xbox Game Pass?
Enjoying it?
The final major release of Xbox Game Pass this year was Mortal Kombat 1, which coincided with the removal of Mortal Kombat 11 from the service - a game that felt like it'd been there forever. Mortal Kombat 1 has arguably had more of a turbulent history though, with fans notably expressing their disappointment when the "Definitive...
Talking Point How Much Time Have You Spent Gaming On Xbox Consoles This Year?
Compared to other platforms?
These days, there's so much choice in terms of where to play your games, even when it comes to Xbox. The brand used to be heavily console-focused, but now it also incorporates PC, handhelds, cloud gaming and various other things. We've heard about how Xbox Cloud Gaming has grown substantially in 2025, how PC Game Pass...
Feature Xbox Game Studios: All Microsoft First-Party Developers & What They're Working On
Including Bethesda & Activision Blizzard
At this stage, Microsoft has lots of in-house development studios making Xbox games, including all those teams across Xbox Game Studios, Bethesda and Activision Blizzard. So, as we look ahead to another year of Xbox, we thought we'd gather up every Microsoft first-party developer and what they're working on...
Feature 15 First-Party Games Released On Xbox In 2025, But Which Was Your Favourite?
There's a lot to choose from!
When the voting began for the Pure Xbox Game of the Year 2025 a few days ago, we mentioned how Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 would likely run away with it — and spoiler alert, it's probably going to win. Look beyond that game though, and a whole bunch of first-party titles are likely to finish in the top 10. While the...
Talking Point What Do You Hope To See From 'Control Resonant' On Xbox?
Remedy back to doing what it does best
One of the most exciting announcements to come out of The Game Awards this year was the reveal of Control Resonant; the next single-player offering from Remedy Entertainment.
Poll What Is Your Xbox Game Of The Year For 2025?
Get your votes in!
It's that time of year again! We're looking to crown a Pure Xbox Game of the Year for 2025, and in order to do that, we're going to need you to vote for the best Xbox games of the past 12 months — only the top ten will make the final cut! Last year's winner ended up being Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, closely followed by...
Feature These 20+ Games Are Coming To Xbox Next Week (December 15-19)
Including two former PS5 console exclusives
Welcome to your Xbox games roundup for December 15-19! The releases are slightly slowing down as we head into the Christmas period, but we've still got loads of interesting launches over the next few days including the former PS5 console exclusives Fort Solis and Five Nights at Freddy's: Secret of the...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (December 13-14)
Starting to tackle the backlog?
Welcome to our latest 'What Are You Playing' discussion! With another weekend upon us, we're starting to think about what games we might play over the next few days - and yes, those Christmas backlog plans are also creeping up! Here's what we're playing this weekend: Ben Kerry, Staff Writer: This week of Xbox Game...
Opinion The Game Awards' Big Surprise Fell Flat, But I Have High Hopes For This New Xbox FPS
Letting my guard down
Okay, look, it's no secret that The Game Awards' reveal of free-to-play shooter Highguard didn't exactly go down well, is it? The upcoming FPS — which is out on Xbox next month — fell victim to strange TGA scheduling; where it was the final reveal in the hopes of being the 2025 show's bi
Feature One Game In Particular Deserved Way More Love At The Game Awards 2025
I'm going to champion it once more
If you go back a few years to The Game Awards 2021, it felt like Hazelight Studios' It Takes Two was the "chosen one" of that event in many ways, racking up Game of the Year alongside a bunch of other awards. It was a deserved win for a fantastic co-op game that built upon the success of A Way Out a few years...
Talking Point What Do You Hope To See From Xbox Developer Direct Next Month?
Announced yesterday by Xbox!
Yesterday, in and amongst all of The Game Awards madness, Microsoft's Matt Booty came out and quietly announced Xbox Developer Direct 2026 - featuring Fable and Forza Horizon 6 developer Playground Games. We certainly expected this event to go ahead next mo
Poll How Would You Grade The Game Awards 2025?
Did you enjoy the show?
The dust is now beginning to settle on The Game Awards 2025 showcase! If you haven't had a chance to watch it yet, you can catch the full thing over at our live coverage page, and we've also provided a separate recap of everything that happened as part of the show. So, all things considered, what grade would you give the...
Poll What Do You Think Of Lost Records: Bloom & Rage On Xbox Game Pass?
Have you had a chance to try it yet?
It's been just over a week now since Lost Records: Bloom & Rage arrived on Xbox Game Pass following its initial release back in February of this year, and we're keen to hear how you've been getting on with it so far. This is one of those strange examples where nobody on the Pure Xbox team has managed to spend...
Talking Point Four Years On, Did Halo Infinite Ever Live Up To Expectations?
With major updates done, what's your final verdict?
Xbox has reminded us that Halo Infinite launched four years ago today (the full campaign version anyway), so we want to check in with the Pure Xbox community on your feelings about this particular series entry almost half a decade later, especially with the game's major updates now wrapping up...
Opinion Backwards Compatibility Still Adds So Much Value To Xbox Series X|S In 2025
10 years after back compat was first announced!
I've just been doing a little storage space cleanup on my Xbox Series S today, removing some bits and pieces I just don't have the time for at the moment and installing one or two older titles that I fancy dipping back into sometime this week. And, once again it struck me that backwards compatibility...
Poll What Are Your First Impressions Of Routine On Xbox Game Pass?
Enjoying the new sci-fi adventure?
Our latest day one Game Pass release has been out for a few days now in the form of sci-fi horror game Routine, after what was a rather lengthy development period for the Lunar Software title. So, are you enjoying the game on XGP after all this time? We introduced this one as an Xbox Game Pass title back in 2022,...
Feature These 30+ Games Are Coming To Xbox Next Week (December 8-12)
Including five Game Pass titles!
Welcome to your Xbox games roundup for December 8-12! Even though it's getting close to Christmas, there's still a lot to talk about in terms of new releases right now, with the likes of Terminator 2D: No Fate, Thank Goodness You're Here!,
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (December 6-7)
Kicking back with some Marvel Cosmic Invasion?
It's another weekend, folks! We've seen some fairly steady Xbox activity this past week as we approach our first December weekend - with plenty to play over the next few days such as Marvel Cosmic Invasion, Octopath Traveler 0, Routine and more on the platform. Here's what we're playing this weekend:...
Talking Point Have You Received The Free Upgrade For Red Dead Redemption On Xbox?
How's it all shaking out for you right now?
It's no secret that today's Red Dead Redemption rollout hasn't exactly gone to plan, at least on Xbox. The game went live at midnight local time as was somewhat expected, but Rockstar's free upgrade path isn't working in the way folks expected right now - and we haven't had any official updates from th
Feature 12 Exciting Xbox Indie Games To Look Out For In December 2025
12 games to celebrate the 12th month!
Welcome to the final month of the year! With that in mind, we thought we'd put together one final list of exciting indie games to look out for - 12 games to celebrate the 12th month. And to be honest, it's still hard to nail the list down! There's so much good stuff to look forward to here, including the...
Hands On Red Dead Redemption For Xbox Series X Makes A Great First Impression
The version I've always wanted
For whatever reason, I didn't play much Red Dead Redemption for the first decade of its life. It was only really when Red Dead Redemption 2 came out in 2018 that I felt like it was time to go back, and by that point it was playable with backwards compatibility on Xbox One, Series X and Series S - albeit with the...
Feature All New Games Coming To Xbox In December 2025
Release dates for every December Xbox launch
Welcome to our roundup of all new Xbox games coming out in December 2025! Below, we've listed every Xbox game with a December 2025 release date, including all confirmed Xbox Game Pass titles for December 2025 so far. Without further ado, here are all the new games coming to Xbox in December 2025: The...
Poll What Do You Think Of Banishers: Ghosts Of New Eden On Xbox Game Pass?
Have you been playing it this week?
We've had a few games arrive on Xbox Game Pass this week, and arguably none bigger than Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden - an action-RPG from 2024 that's proved very popular over the past couple of years. Here at Pure Xbox, we played this one all the way back at launch in February '24, gi
Feature These 30+ Games Are Coming To Xbox Next Week (December 1-5)
Including a massive free upgrade for RDR!
Welcome to your Xbox games roundup for December 1-5! We've got some big games on the way over the next few days, including the current-gen upgrade for Red Dead Redemption, Octopath Traveler 0 and DLC for Elden Ring Nightreign, while all three
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (November 29-30)
How about a track weekend?
Welcome to your final weekend in November! If you're not stuck doing all of your Christmas shopping this weekend, maybe you're passing the time with some Xbox over the next few days? Here's what we're playing this weekend: Ben Kerry, Staff Writer: Fellow colleague Fraser has mentioned this new A.I.L.A horror game to me...
Talking Point Are You Looking Forward To Any December Xbox Releases As 2025 Wraps Up?
Any planned pickups for next month?
November 2025 is now coming to a close, and we've seen pretty much all of the month's big releases at this stage - from Football Manager 26 to Black Ops 7 and more. We've still got one month of the year left though, and we want to know if any December releases are sticking out to you right now on Xbox. After...
Talking Point Will You Be Revisiting Red Dead Redemption On Xbox Next Week?
It's almost free upgrade time!
In just a few days' time, one of the best games of the Xbox 360 generation will be making a comeback on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S in the form of a free upgrade that's dropping on December 2nd, 2025. That game is of course Red Dead Redemption, which has been playable on Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S...
Talking Point Did You Expect More From Xbox 360's 20th Anniversary?
Red ring of meh
Well, that's it, Xbox 360's 20th birthday has come and gone. As you probably saw, over here at Pure Xbox we didn't forget about the anniversary - with multiple features and
Feature Six New Improvements Revealed For ROG Xbox Ally, With Lots More To Come In 2026
"This is just the beginning."
Today, we've seen Team Xbox highlighting a major new optimisation feature for the ROG Xbox Ally in the form of "Default Game Profiles", but this is far from the only improvement that's been added to the handheld device(s) recently. In addition to various updates that were implemented last week by ASUS, we've also got...
Talking Point What Do You Think Of Silent Hill 2 On Xbox So Far?
Worth the wait?
Right at the tail end of last week (and bizarrely not within November's Xbox Partner Preview event), Konami and Bloober Team finally revealed Silent Hill 2 for Xbox. In fact, the game shadow dropped on Series X and S on the very same day, with a generous 50% launch discount to boot. So, with this one being live and playable on the...
Talking Point What Have You Bought In The Xbox Black Friday Sale 2025 So Far?
Or what are you planning to buy?
The Xbox Black Friday Sale 2025 officially begin last week instead of this week, with the highlight being over 2000 games that have been discounted on the Xbox Store until the first few days of December. We've spent the past few days trying to round up a bunch of deals for you -= the best ones, the backwards...
