Latest Features - Page 3
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (January 17-18)
How about some Star Wars Outlaws on XGP?
Welcome to another weekend! With our gaming-related Christmas gifts still kicking around and Xbox Game Pass now getting into full swing for 2026, we've got plenty to be getting stuck into over the next few days. Here's what we're playing this weekend: Ben Kerry, Staff Writer: With the addition of Star Wars...
Talking Point Xbox Series X|S Owners, How's Your Storage Looking In 2026?
Do you have any Expansion Cards?
It's an annual tradition for us here at Pure Xbox to poll the community about how you've been managing your Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S storage over the past twelve months, and somehow it's already time for the 2026 edition! Going back over the last few years, it's interesting to see how the poll results have...
Poll Ahead Of Developer Direct 2026, Which Is Your Favourite Fable Game On Xbox?
A fabled Xbox franchise
2026 is the year we finally get a new Fable game, with Xbox developer Playground Games having been hard at work on an Xbox Series X|S reboot for years now. So, with us less than a week away from seeing it in full force at Developer Direct 2026, which is your favourite Fable game so far?
Talking Point How Do You Feel About Xbox Game Pass In 2026?
Is it still your primary way to play Xbox games?
It's been a good few months now since Microsoft overhauled its Xbox Game Pass service, with Premium taking hold as the platform's mid-tier option whilst Ultimate got a bunch of ne
Feature These Are The 10 Highest-Rated Original Xbox Games Of All Time, But Do You Agree?
According to Metacritic at least
As the original Xbox prepares to turn 25 years old this November, we thought we'd take a look back at the OG Xbox era and discover which of its games were considered the absolute best of all time. To do this, we headed over to Metacritic's "Best Games on Xbox" rankings, which combine a bunch of critics' reviews for...
Feature I've Never Played Final Fantasy 7 Before, But I'm Liking The Remake On Xbox So Far
The Play Anywhere functionality is amazing as well
With so many games on the market, it's not uncommon for people to accidentally gloss over some absolute classics over the years, and one of those for me is Final Fantasy 7. I've always loved the look of the PS1 game, but Legend of Dragoon is the similar RPG that I was devoting my time to back in the...
A festival of games
Well, after plenty of rumour and hearsay suggesting that Forza Horizon 6 could be a first half of 2026 title, a new leak has narrowed that down to May, and if this date is real — as multiple
Feature 10 New Xbox Indie Games That Should Be On Your Radar In January 2026
A few notable releases we wanted to highlight!
We're halfway into January already, but with the new releases starting to ramp up on Xbox over the final few weeks, we thought we'd bring back our monthly indie games feature and highlight some of the most intriguing new titles! There's plenty of interesting stuff here, including the day one release of...
Talking Point As Xbox Celebrates 25 Years, What's Your First Ever Xbox Memory?
Have you been a fan since 2001?!
2026 promises to be a year of celebration for Xbox, at least in terms of celebrating the 25th anniversary of the original Xbox console, which first released all the way back on November 15th of 2001. With that in mind, we're keen to know about your very first ever Xbox memory! We're assuming some Xbox members will...
Feature Xbox Game Pass Players Are Getting A Fantastic Survival Horror Experience Next Week
A new village awaits
Each Resident Evil game always tries to add a little something different to the survival horror genre; some are spookier, some are more action-oriented and some straddle that line in an almost perfect dance that only Capcom manages to pull off these days. While RE's recent run has mostly been filled with remakes that fall into...
Guide Microsoft Rewards & Xbox: How To Make 10,000 Points Per-Month (2026 Edition)
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 Eight Free-To-Play Games To Look Forward To On Xbox In 2026
Including some pretty massive releases!
Another year has arrived, and that means another year of free-to-play Xbox games is upon us! We're expecting to learn of many new titles over the coming months, and we already know of a few that are planned for 2026. We recently mentioned two of January 2026's free-to-play titles in 2XKO and Highguard, but...
Feature Is It Worth Buying An Xbox One In 2026?
It might be 12 years old, but it's still alive and kicking!
Although it didn't get much attention at the time, the Xbox One celebrated its twelfth anniversary just a couple of months ago on November 22nd, and it's amazing to say that this once-panned console is still very relevant in 2026! Yes, Microsoft might not be making first-party games for it...
Feature These 20+ Games Are Coming To Xbox Next Week (January 12-16)
Including a huge Xbox Game Pass addition!
Welcome to your Xbox games roundup for January 12-16! It's still a quiet time for big new releases at the moment, but we've got plenty of indie goodness on the way, along with new Xbox Game Pass titles including Star Wars Outlaws! Here's what's coming to Xbox next week: New Xbox Releases (January 12-16):
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (January 10-11)
How's the backlog looking?
Welcome to another weekend! With the new year's hangover now well and truly in the rear-view mirror, we're fully focused on the year ahead — including tackling those gaming backlogs from last year (and about the last five years). So, here's what we're playing this weekend to work through them: Ben Kerry, Staff Writer:...
Poll In Order, Which Games Are You Most Excited For At The Xbox Developer Direct?
Fable? Forza? Beast? How about the surprise?
As we head into the weekend here, there's no doubt that the biggest news of the week from an Xbox perspective has been the Developer Direct date reveal along with three confirmed games, and we want to know what intrigues you most! We think the #1 game for many will be Fable, which obviously was revealed...
Roundup All The Xbox Trailers From The New Game Plus Showcase 2026
Including multiple Xbox first-party appearances!
Today marked the debut of the first New Game Plus Showcase, and surprisingly it ended up featuring a whole bunch of Xbox games including some first-party titles, so you better believe we're going to round up all the reveals for you! Down below, you'll find all the trailers for the games with Xbox...
Talking Point What Have You Bought In The Xbox Countdown Sale This Year?
The promo ends in just a few days' time!
One of the biggest Xbox sales of the promotion calendar is about to wrap up this week with the conclusion of the Xbox Countdown Sale 2025, and we want to know what you've picked up during this particular edition of the Microsoft end-of-year promo. With lots of our gaming being done through Xbox Game Pass...
Talking Point What Are Your New Year's Resolutions For Gaming In 2026?
Anything you're hoping to achieve this year?
As a new year rolls around, now's the time to start setting some New Year's Resolutions — goals that we strive to achieve (but often struggle to keep up) over the next 12 months. And of course, we can have those for gaming as well! There are plenty of common ones, like trying to complete a certain...
Feature These Games Are Coming To Xbox Next Week (January 5-9)
The first batch of the year
Welcome to your Xbox games roundup for January 5-9! It's still very early days for new releases this month, but we've got a handful of indie titles coming our way, along with hopefully some Game Pass titles that are yet to be revealed. Here's what's coming to Xbox next week: New Xbox Releases (January 5-9): I Am...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (January 3-4)
The first weekend of 2026!
Welcome to the first weekend of the year! Hopefully you've had time to play some games over the past few days, and there's still a bit longer to go until the work / school grind kicks back in on January 5th (at least for some people). Team Xbox has clearly been taking the week off, so we haven't got any new Xbox Game Pass...
Feature Xbox Developer Direct Has Always Had A Surprise, But What About January 2026's Showcase?
Could we get another shadow drop?
We're pretty hyped for the return of the Xbox Developer Direct showcase at some point later this January (a date hasn't been announced yet), as it's one of our favourite events of the year — and this is a particularly special year! As part of Xbox's 25th anniversary celebrations, we're getting Halo: Campaign...
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
