Latest News
TodayFri, 5th Dec 2025
News Xbox Studio Rare Is Getting Inundated With Requests For A New Banjo-Kazooie Game
Following the "Mumbomania" project in Dreams for PS5
Alright, so you probably saw the news about this "Banjo-Kazooie: Mumbomania" project that was cross-posted to Pure Xbox by our friends at Push Square yesterday - a game made in Dreams for PS5 that's gone viral this week. The gist is that someone made their own version of Banjo-Kazooie inside of...
- Xbox
- Banjo-Kazooie
- Rare
News The Bloodlines 2 Team Is Giving Away A ROG Xbox Ally X For Free
How's your luck?
Since the release of the ROG Xbox Ally and Ally X a couple of months ago, it's been hard to find any kind of discounts or giveaways for the two devices, but we've just come across something via the Bloodlines 2 team on social media. As you can see below, they're giving away a free ROG Xbox Ally X, which is pretty crazy considering...
- Xbox
- ROG Xbox Ally X
- Bloodlines 2
News Xbox Finishes Off The Week With Two New Game Pass Reveals, Both For Next Month
The earliest two of 2026 so far
We've been kind of waiting for Xbox to give us some release dates for early 2026 when it comes to Xbox Game Pass — until this week, we only had two of them — and now we've finally got our first couple of next month. These two games are MIO: Memories in Orbit, which was revealed at the PC Gaming Show last night,...
- Xbox
- Xbox Game Pass
News Fallout Creator Rejoins Xbox Studio Obsidian, Hints That He's Not Working On New Vegas 2
"Don’t bother guessing, you’re not going to guess right."
In a new update on their personal YouTube channel, long-time game developer and Fallout creator Tim Cain has announced that they've returned to Obsidian Entertainment; the Xbox studio responsible for Avowed, Fallout New Vegas, The Outer Worlds series and more. Naturally, this rekindling...
- Xbox
- Fallout
- New Vegas 2
- Obsidian
- Tim Cain
News GTA 5's Michael De Santa Returns In Major New 'Safehouse' Update For GTA Online
"This is a nice neighborhood!"
We don't often talk about GTA Online updates these days at Pure Xbox, but this one's extra special! A Safehouse in the Hills in the name of the new update that's coming on December 10th, and it features a very familiar face. Yes, GTA 5's Michael De Santa — one of the main three characters in the single-player...
- Xbox
- GTA 5
- GTA Online
- Updates
News Avatar: Frontiers Of Pandora Third-Person Looks Cool, But A Little Janky
Changing the game
After months of waiting since its initial announcement, third-person mode is now live in Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora - and the folks over at IGN have shared some extended gameplay of the new mode which you can take a look at above. Pulling things out to an over-the-shoulder perspective, the new third-person option in Avatar:...
- Xbox
- Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora
- Ubisoft
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
News Metroid Prime 4 Has A Stronger Connection To Xbox And Halo Than You Might Think
"Lots of former 343 devs on this"
Apparently, something is happening over in Nintendo land this week. There's some kind of long-awaited sequel that's been in the works for 18 years? "Metroid"..."Prime"... they call it? That's a new one to us! Seriously though, the new release of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond actually has a connection to Xbox, and...
- Xbox
- Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
- Halo
- 343 Industries
- Halo Studios
News Netflix Is Buying Warner Bros. For Even More Money Than Xbox's ActiBlizz Deal
Update: WB confirms gaming division is included
In an announcement that's sending shockwaves throughout the entertainment world, streaming giant Netflix has announced its intentions to buy Warner Bros. - for a whopping $72 billion (or $82.7 billion as a "total enterprise value"). Going off Netflix's statement on this, the move doesn't mention...
- Xbox
- Netflix
- Warner Bros.
- Microsoft
- Activision Blizzard
News Keeper Update Adds New Video Modes & PC Ultrawide Support On Xbox Game Pass
The game's first major update!
Since Keeper released back in October we've not really heard much from its developer Double Fine, but to close out the year, the team is here this week with a brand-new update for the Xbox title. Live now on Xbox, PC and Game Pass, Keeper's December update introduces Noir Mode for that black-and-white look, High...
- Xbox
- Keeper
- Double Fine
- Xbox Game Pass
- Xbox Series X
News Xbox Winter Demo Fest 2025 Begins Next Week, And A Few Have Gone Live Already
Here's a sneak peek
We've got a new Xbox Demo Fest taking place next week! This is the annual winter version of the event, which is officially known as the "Indie Selects Demo Fest" - featuring over 30 games that are free to try from December 9th. We'll obviously have a full roundup of all the demos for you ASAP, but they're being kept under wraps...
- Xbox
- Xbox Demo Fest
- ID@Xbox
- Indie Selects
News Clockwork Revolution Dev Shares New Message About Its Eagerly Anticipated Xbox RPG
"This is the most complex game I've ever worked on"
Clockwork Revolution has a bit of hype behind it within the Xbox fanbase - heck, even boss Phil Spencer sounds pretty excited about what inXile is cooking up. And, while info on the title remains scarce, the team has delivered a new message about the game as part of the latest PC Gaming Sho
- Xbox
- Clockwork Revolution
- inXile
- Brian Fargo
- Microsoft
It's all about cloud streaming
Back in the middle of 2023, Microsoft was still in a difficult position in regards to acquiring Activision Blizzard. The UK Competition and Markets Authority had made it clear that changes needed to be made before they'd approve the deal going through, and one of those changes ended up being a surprise agreement with...
- Xbox
- Ubisoft
- Activision
YesterdayThu, 4th Dec 2025
News Xbox Is Giving Away Free Gift Cards To Various Users This December
"Here's an Xbox Gift Card on us!"
Anyone fancy a free Xbox gift card for the holidays?! Well, we've spotted Xbox giving these away to some lucky users for the month of December, and they're being received across console, PC and even Xbox Cloud Gaming. At first glance this does seem to be quite rare, although there are multiple examples online of...
- Xbox
- Xbox Gift Card
Roundup All The Xbox Reveals From The PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted 2025
Over 15 of them!
We're not done with showcases in 2025 yet! The PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted 2025 showcase has just concluded this evening, and it included a few Xbox reveals as part of the event. Everything that featured an Xbox logo can be found down below, which includes some brand-new announcements for the likes of Starship Troopers: Ultimate...
- Xbox
- PC Gaming Show
- Round Up
News Four Huge New Sales Have Just Gone Live On Xbox, 500+ Games Discounted
Black Friday is over, but the sales continue!
As if Xbox hadn't given us enough deals to take advantage of over the past few weeks via Black Friday 2025, we've now got another four huge new sales that have just begun on the Xbox Store - and most are lasting for two weeks. Specifically, these are the Beyond Black Friday Sale (which is DLC-focused),...
- Xbox
- Deals
- Discounts
News The God Slayer Is Bringing Its Open World RPG To Xbox, And It's Getting Help From PlayStation
Part of the PlayStation China Hero Project
A few hours ago, we were treated to the reveal of a new open world RPG from Pathea Games (My Time At Sandrock, Let's School) called The God Slayer, and it's got a particularly interesting connection to the folks at PlayStation. This game is part of the PlayStation China Hero Project,
- Xbox
- The God Slayer
- PlayStation
- Sony
Series S is cutback, but "retains enough of its character"
Silent Hill 2 finally came to Xbox last month after a year-long wait, and its release was quickly followed up with some brief Xbox Series X|S comparisons. Now though, the tech experts over at Digital Foundry have delivered their verdict - and despite the
- Xbox
- Silent Hill 2
- Digital Foundry
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
News 'Replaced' Finally Has An Xbox Game Pass Release Date, Four Years Since It Was Revealed
It's an Xbox console exclusive at launch too
We've been talking for a very long time here at Pure Xbox about Replaced — a narrative-driven 2.5D platformer that we've been eager to play for years — and now it's finally got a release date of March 12th, 2026! For those who haven't heard of it before, Replaced will see you attempt to "expose the...
- Xbox
- Replaced
- Xbox Game Pass
News The Xbox Mobile App Is Finally Adding A Store, And Here's Your First Look At It
Rolling out now in beta form
For ages now, we've been waiting on Xbox to add a version of the Xbox / Microsoft Store to the Android and iOS apps, as until now it's been impossible to actually buy anything on there - you've only been able to remote install games. However, the Xbox Store has officially begin rolling out on the Xbox mobile beta app as...
- Xbox
- Xbox Mobile App
- Android
- iOS
- Xbox Store
"Seeking a permit to expand production in Vietnam"
As the Xbox Series X|S generation continues and another one is on the horizon, it's being reported this week that a subsidiary of manufacturing company Foxconn is planning to expand its Xbox production over in Vietnam. This report comes from Reuters, which mentions that Fushan Technology, which is...
- Xbox
- Industry
- Foxconn
- Reports
News Wreckreation Dev Suffers 'Heartbreaking' Situation Less Than Two Months Since Launch
"The reality we now face is stark"
Earlier this year, we highlighted the then-upcoming launch of Wreckreation - an open world driving and building game made by Three Fields Entertainment, which itself is made up of various former Burnout and Need for Speed developers. Unfortunately, the release seems to have gone terribly for them. In a long...
- Xbox
- Wreckreation
- Three Fields Entertainment
News Three Games Are Available Today Across Various Tiers Of Xbox Game Pass (December 4)
Including a brand-new day one launch!
Welcome to your latest Xbox Game Pass roundup! Today, we've got three games coming to the service; one that's brand-new to Ultimate subscribers and two that are moving over to the Premium tier. So, we'll gather up these new XGP additions for December 4th down below: 33 Immortals (Console, PC, Cloud) - XGP...
- Xbox
- Xbox Game Pass
- Microsoft
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
News Skill-Based Matchmaking Is Becoming More Prominent Again In Black Ops 7 Multiplayer
The Season 01 patch notes reveal all
With Season 01's launch arriving today for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, developer Treyarch has dropped the new season's patch notes - and they contain some controversial updates on the game's skill-based matchmaking system. As we covered a few times in the run up to launch, the team
- Xbox
- Black Ops 7
- SBMM
- Skill-Based Matchmaking
- Call Of Duty
News ESPN To Host The First Ever 'Xbox Bowl' In Texas Later This Month
"We’re proud to welcome Xbox as the title sponsor"
It's been announced today that Xbox has joined forces with ESPN to become the title sponsor of December 18th's college football bowl game between Missouri State and Arkansas State. The entire event is getting some major Xbox branding as a result, with the logo being a big Xbox controller as seen...
- Xbox
- Xbox Bowl
- ESPN
- College Football
News Free Play Days: Try These Xbox Games For Free (December 4-7)
New free trials now live on Xbox!
Xbox Free Play Days is here for the next few days! We've got six games playable as part of the program this week - with one of those in Destiny 2 bringing loads of premium expansions to the program as well. Here's your full Free Play Days rundown this week: Astria Ascending Bassmaster Fishing Descenders Destiny 2...
- Xbox
- Free Play Days
- Microsoft
- Xbox Game Pass
News Left 4 Dead Creator Is Making A New 'Four-Player Co-Op Shooter', But It Might Not Come To Xbox
Developer Bad Robot Games signs deal with Sony
Bad Robot Games has today announced a new "four-player co-operative shooter" being led by Left 4 Dead's original creator Mike Booth - but there's a chance this attempt to rekindle that L4D flame may not see the light of day on Xbox. Although this development studio has been working away for a number of...
- Xbox
- Left 4 Dead
- Bad Robot Games
- Sony
- PlayStation
News Ubisoft Confirms Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time Will Be Skipping The Game Awards
"Sorry to disappoint..."
Last month, Ubisoft confirmed that its Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake was set to launch before April 2026, which led to rumours of the game potentially showing up at The Game Awards next week ahead of a reported January release. Well, the team has now confirmed that sadly, the title won't be showing up at TGA...
- Xbox
- The Game Awards
- Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
- Ubisoft
News Obsidian Is Busy With Updates As Grounded 2 Gets New Patch Ahead Of January Content Drop
Avowed & Grounded 2 set for big 2026 updates
Obsidian is back again with another update on one of its 2025 titles, as the team prepares even more content for 2026. This time, Grounded 2's December patch has now arrived for Xbox, PC and Game Pass players, with a larger 'Winter Update' also planned for next month.
- Xbox
- Grounded 2
- Obsidian
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
Wednesday3rd Dec 2025
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
- Xbox
- Red Dead Redemption
- Rockstar Games
- Features
- Talking Point
News Avowed Is Getting Its 'Biggest Update Yet' To Mark The Xbox Title's One-Year Anniversary
Coming February 2026!
Back in the summer, Xbox developer Obsidian reassured fans that Avowed's Fall 2025 update was still on track - but plans have since changed, and this update has now morphed into a bigger content drop set to arrive in February 2026. To mark the game's one-year anniversary next Feb., Obsidian says that it's delivering "our...
- Xbox
- Avowed
- Obsidian Entertainment
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
News Xbox Crowns Its Biggest Third-Party Game Pass Launch Of 2025
It's Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
It's been a pretty amazing year in terms of the titles that have been added to Xbox Game Pass, with multiple Game of the Year candidates having arrived on the service at launch, but one in particular has dominated the attention. That game is of course Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which has been crowned today as the...
- Xbox
- Xbox Game Pass
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
News Digital Foundry Compares Xbox Series S & Switch 2 In New Assassin's Creed Shadows Analysis
The Series S version wins out
Just like September's interesting analysis of Star Wars Outlaws on Switch 2 and Series S, Digital Foundry returns with a fresh look at another Ubisoft title that's been ported over to the Nintendo system this week - and once again, this one uses the Xbox Series S version as its jumping off point. Yes, in its latest
- Xbox
- Digital Foundry
- Assassin's Creed Shadows
- Xbox Series S
- Nintendo Switch 2
News When Will The Xbox Countdown Sale 2025 Be Revealed?
Yep, we've still got one massive sale to come!
The Xbox Black Friday Sale might be almost over for another year, but we've still got one massive sale to come before the month is finished - the Xbox Countdown Sale 2025! This is typically one of the biggest sales of the year for Xbox, with potentially over 1000 games set to be discounted during late...
- Xbox
- Xbox Countdown Sale
- Xbox Winter Sale
News Rolling Stone's Top 25 Games Of 2025 Features Two Xbox First-Party Titles
Here's the full list
We recently mentioned how three Xbox first-party games had made the cut in the AP's top 10 releases of 2025, and now we've got another list from Rolling Stone — a top 25 of 2025 roundup — that includes two Xbox first-party titles in theirs. The two games are Ninja Gaiden 4 and
- Xbox
- Xbox Game Studios
- Rolling Stone
News Need A Reason To Play Fallout 76 Again? It's Just Released A Massive New Update
41GB in size on Xbox
A couple of months ago, Bethesda announced that the largest update in years for Fallout 76 would be dropping in December 2025, and that update is now officially available across all platforms as of last night. The update is called "Burning Springs", and it introduces a whole bunch of new content to Fallout 76 including a new...
- Xbox
- Fallout 76
- Updates
- Burning Springs
News Two Games Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass Premium (December 3)
Two more titles for Premium subscribers!
Welcome to your latest Xbox Game Pass roundup! Today's update focuses on Xbox Game Pass Premium, with two titles moving over to Microsoft's mid-tier service today (December 3). Here's a summary of your two new additions to Xbox Game Pass Premium: Monster Train 2 (Series X|S, PC, Cloud): "Monster Train...
- Xbox
- Xbox Game Pass Premium
- Microsoft
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
News Three Games Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass Essential (December 3)
The cheapest version of Game Pass grows again!
We've already talked today about the two games that have been added to Xbox Game Pass Premium, but we've also got three games joining the Xbox Game Pass Essential lineup - the cheapest version of Game Pass available right now. Game Pass Essential, which was last updated at the start of October, is...
- Xbox
- Xbox Game Pass Essential
News This Thursday's PC Gaming Show Could Include Some Xbox Game Pass Reveals
"PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted Powered by Xbox Game Pass"
We're still a week away from the last major gaming showcase of 2025 in the form of The Game Awards, but this Thursday's PC Gaming Show sounds well worth watching - even from an Xbox perspective. The PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted showcase is said to be "powered by Xbox Game Pass", which basically...
- Xbox
- Xbox Game Pass
- PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted
News High On Life 2 Debuts 10 Minutes Of New Gameplay Footage As Xbox Pre-Orders Go Live
"Enjoy ten minutes of exclusive new gameplay from High on Life 2"
Looking through our big Xbox Game Pass in 2026 guide, basically everything has a "TBD" release date as things stand apart from two games - the PC-only MENACE and the highly-anticipated sequel High on Life 2. In fact, High on Life 2 is going to be with us in just over two months' time...
- Xbox
- High On Life 2
- Xbox Game Pass
- Videos
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...
- Xbox
- Octopath Traveler 0
- Square Enix
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
Tuesday2nd Dec 2025
Guide Xbox Game Pass Essential: Full List Of Games (December 2025 Update)
Here's everything you can play on Game Pass Essential
Back in 2023, Microsoft finally phased out Xbox Live Gold, replacing it with Xbox Game Pass Core as a new entry-level tier to its subscription service. Since then, it's been renamed to Xbox Game Pass Essential as of October 2025. Unlike Games with Gold, which
- Xbox
- Xbox Game Pass
- Microsoft
- Xbox One
- Xbox Series X
News Red Dead Redemption's Free Upgrade Is Finally Rolling Out For Xbox Series X|S
Better late than never
The new upgrade for Red Dead Redemption is out today on all platforms, and while the game is now live and playable on Xbox Series X|S, the upgrade path from the old Xbox 360 version isn't working for lots of players - and there's some confusion as to why at the moment. When the team at Rockstar announced this ne
- Xbox
- Red Dead Redemption
- Upgrade
- Rockstar Games
- Xbox 360
News Xbox Teases 2026 Game Pass Lineup As It Delivers The Service's Final Update Of 2025
Game Pass is done with updates this year
Earlier today, Microsoft dropped its December Xbox Game Pass roundup - with 14 games coming to multiple tiers of the service in the next few weeks. The update stops at December 11th with the addition of Bratz: Rhythm & Style, and that's seemingly going to be our final XGP update for 2025 as the team begins to...
- Xbox
- Microsoft
- Xbox Game Pass
- 2025
- 2026
News Five Games Are Leaving Xbox Game Pass In December 2025
Update: The full month has been revealed!
Microsoft has revealed the next batch of six games set to leave Xbox Game Pass in early December, with these titles appearing in the "Leaving Soon" section of the Game Pass tab on the official Xbox mobile app. While all of these are disappointing to lose, we've got three big fan favourites leaving the...
- Xbox
- Xbox Game Pass
- Xbox One
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
News These 14 Games Are Coming To Xbox Game Pass (December 2-11)
Your latest roundup of new titles
Microsoft has today revealed the next roundup of titles coming to Xbox Game Pass, with a batch of new additions arriving here in the first half of December 2025. We've got the day one launch of Routine to look forward to later this week, alongside Mortal Kombat 1 and more arriving later on in December. And don't...
- Xbox
- Microsoft
- Xbox Game Pass
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
News New Microsoft Survey Suggests Five AI Features That Could Be Added To Xbox Game Pass
"Which of these would you be most likely to use?"
Whether it's a popular move or not, Microsoft is putting a big focus on the power of AI these days, and we've already seen Microsoft Copilot getting significantly integrated into the Xbox space over the past few months. It's very unlikely they're going to stop there, as suggested in a new Microsoft...
- Xbox
- Xbox Game Pass
- AI
- Microsoft
News Routine Is Getting All Kinds Of Review Scores Ahead Of Its Xbox Game Pass Launch
Some people are REALLY loving it though
There's been a ton of interest in the long-awaited first-person horror shooter Routine ahead of its launch on Xbox Game Pass this Thursday (December 4th), and the first reviews have just started going live across the web this afternoon. And at first glance, these reviews are a little bit all over the place!...
- Xbox
- Routine
- Xbox Game Pass
- Round Up
- Review Roundup
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...
- Xbox
- Indie Games
- Features
News 1997 PC Game 'Blood' Has Been Remastered By Nightdive Studios, And It Hits Xbox This Week
"Soak up 42 pulse-pounding levels dripping with Lovecraftian atmosphere"
We've got an Xbox debut 28 years in the making this week! The 1997 first-person shooter Blood, that only released on PC back in the '90s, has been remastered by Nightdive Studios and is heading to Xbox on December 4th, 2025. If you haven't come across it before, Blood:...
- Xbox
- Blood: Refreshed Supply
- Nightdive Studios
PSA Red Dead Redemption For Xbox Series X|S Is Part Of The $7.99 GTA+ Subscription
You can complete it in a month, right?
The rollout of Red Dead Redemption's new Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S version has unfortunately got off to a bad start, with the free upgrade having yet to activate - and there's ultimately a lot of confusion surrounding it. Update: This has now been fixed, as discussed elsewhere on Pure Xbox:
- Xbox
- Red Dead Redemption
- GTA+
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
