Latest News
YesterdayThu, 6th Aug 2026
News Surprise! Quake Adds Free New Episode With 600G Xbox Achievements
To celebrate its 30th anniversary
QuakeCon has officially kicked off today in Texas, so we assumed we'd get at least one surprise reveal at some point over the next few days, and one has already arrived in the form of a brand-new episode for Quake! The episode is known as "Dawn of the Machine", and it features "19 all-new maps across a cohesive...
- Xbox
- Quake
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
- Xbox One
News Free Play Days: Try These Xbox Games For Free (August 6-9)
Your latest set of FPD freebies for the weekend
Is it Thursday already?! That means it's time for a new batch of Xbox Free Play Days titles, and this week's selection is a particularly good one, featuring NBA 2K26 and a couple of Ghost Recon games amongst other things. The highlight here for some people will be Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands,...
- Xbox
- Free Play Days
- Xbox Game Pass
- Microsoft
- Xbox Series X
News Evercade Partners With Xbox For Two Major Game Collections & DOOM Nexus Handheld
A retrotastic collaboration
We've spoken before about how much we love Evercade here at Pure Xbox, and they've clearly been working very closely with Microsoft and Team Xbox in recent months to launch a series of Xbox-owned titles on their platform. The latest two have just been properly unveiled after teases earlier in the year, and they're the D
- Xbox
- Evercade
- Banjo-Kazooie
- DOOM
Feature 25+ Of The Best Discounted Games From Xbox's Four New Early August 2026 Sales
A selection of the finest discounts
Tucked away inside this month's new Xbox sales is a hefty discount with your name on it. Four new promotions have popped up on the Xbox Store over the past few days, alongside a selection of notable deals exclusively for Xbox Game Pass subscribers. You can take your pick from Bethesda's 40th Anniversary Sale,...
- Xbox
- Features
- Deals
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
News Halo Studios Suffers Job Losses Shortly After Campaign Evolved Launch
"This is just a tough reality in the gaming industry right now"
It's been just nine days since the release of Halo: Campaign Evolved (a remake we loved enough to slap a 10/10 on it) and now a few employees at Halo Studios have indicated they've left the company. The revamped campaign appears to be off to a good start, at least on Xbox, with around...
- Xbox
- Microsoft
- Halo Studios
- Xbox Game Studios
- Layoffs
News How To Download The Free Madden NFL 27 Trial With EA Play & Xbox Game Pass Ultimate
Today's the day!
In addition to all the two new Xbox Game Pass titles going live across Ultimate, Premium and PC today, we've also got a 10-hour free trial for Madden NFL 27 as part of EA Play - which itself is included as part of the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass tiers. The official release date for the Madden NFL 27 free trial is...
- Xbox
- EA Sports Madden NFL 27
- Early Access
- Date
- Time
News New GTA 6 Footage To Be Revealed In Special 'Extended Look' This Month
In partnership with Netflix
Ready for a proper glimpse at what GTA 6 has to offer?! Rockstar Games has announced today that it has partnered with Netflix to unveil an "Extended Look" of the next Grand Theft Auto at the end of the month. Specifically, the reveal will take place on Thursday, August 27th at the following times: 3pm August 27th 2026...
- Xbox
- GTA 6
- Netflix
- Extended Look
- Xbox Series X
News Ghost Recon Wildlands Goes Stupidly Cheap On Xbox Alongside Free Next-Gen Upgrade
Other Tom Clancy games have been discounted too
We mentioned back in July that a next-gen upgrade had been leaked for Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands, and that upgrade looks set to go live today - details about it were revealed via the PlayStation Store yesterday. The upgrade will introduce the ability to play at up to 4K, 60FPS on Xbox Series X...
- Xbox
- Tom Clancy
- Ghost Recon Wildlands
- Upgrade
- Xbox Series X
News Xbox Set To Announce 'Beautiful' New Controller For Gears Of War: E-Day
Known as "Storm King"
It looks like we've got another limited edition Xbox controller on the way! Following the positive reception to the Forza Horizon 6 controller a few months ago, Gears of War: E-Day is set to receive the same treatment in the near future. This is being shared by the very reliable Dealabs, which says that the controller i
- Xbox
- Gears of War: E-Day
- Controllers
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
News Two Games Are Available Today Across Various Tiers Of Xbox Game Pass (August 6)
Here's a look at what's joining Game Pass today!
We're back with your latest Xbox Game Pass update for August. Two more games join the subscription service today across various tiers, including a bonus third title if you're willing to count a 10-hour trial as an extra game. Truth be told, August is shaping up to be a Premium-heavy month for Game...
- Xbox
- Xbox Game Pass
- Microsoft
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
Guide Gears Of War: E-Day Open Beta Dates, Start Times & Xbox Game Pass Details
Rollout begins today for early access!
Gears of War: E-Day's Open Beta is officially upon us! Loads of players will be getting a chance to check out the new Gears multiplayer over the next couple of weeks, complete with some exclusive items if you pre-order the game as well. So, here's a look at everything you need to know about the Gears of War:...
- Xbox
- Guides
- Gears of War: E-Day
- Xbox Game Pass
- Betas
Wednesday5th Aug 2026
News Xbox Announces Four More Console Features, Including Two Highly-Requested Ones
Amazing stuff!
The folks on the Xbox team are back with yet another set of console improvements today, the majority of which are rolling out to the Xbox Insider program first before eventually going public in the weeks and/or months to come. There are four improvements mentioned in here, but two that are particularly noteworthy due to how...
- Xbox
- Console
- Updates
- Xbox One
- Xbox Series X
News Two Big Free Demos Are Now Live On The Xbox Store
Both available to play right now on Xbox Series X|S
We here at Pure Xbox do love a fresh demo release on the Xbox Store, and always keeping our eyes peeled for any biggies worth talking about. Today, we've got two particularly beefy demos to dig into, alongside a bunch of recent honourable mentions that you might fancy downloading. First on the...
- Xbox
- Demos
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
- Monster Hunter Wilds
News Two More Games Revealed For Xbox Game Pass In September 2026
Have a look at what's to come next month
August may have just begun, but we're taking an early gander at what's ahead for September 2026's Xbox Game Pass lineup. We already knew of two games, Dune: Awakening and Minecraft Dungeons 2, but thanks to a couple of recent announcements, we can now confirm two more games are on the way. First up is...
- Xbox
- Microsoft
- Xbox Game Pass
- Coming Soon
- September 2026
News Halo: Campaign Evolved Is Getting Some Surprising Sales Estimates For Xbox, PC & PS5
Xbox appears to lead the way in sales so far
We're still only a few days removed from the release of Halo: Campaign Evolved, but we've already got some early sales estimates courtesy of the folks over at Alinea Analytics, and they make for pretty surprising results overall. Simply put, the outlet says that the Halo 1 remake has made around 900k...
- Xbox
- Halo: Campaign Evolved
- Sales
News Beast Of Reincarnation Dev Outlines Five Improvements Coming In First Major Xbox Update
"We take your feedback to heart"
It's only been just over 24 hours since Beast of Reincarnation made its debut across multiple platforms (and on Xbox Game Pass), but the development team at Game Freak are already busy preparing its first update. That update will arrive at some point over the next week, and will feature five specific types of...
- Xbox
- Beast of Reincarnation
- Updates
- Patches
- Xbox Series X
News Gears Of War Fans Convince The Coalition To Add Versus To E-Day Early Access Beta
"We heard you. We acted."
Since details dropped that Versus PvP wouldn't be included in the Gears of War: E-Day Early Access Beta beginning on August 6, passionate fans haven't been shy about letting The Coalition know exactly how they feel about it. To get you up to speed, E-Day's Multiplayer Beta is split across two weekends. The first is...
- Xbox
- Gears of War: E-Day
- Xbox Game Pass
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
News Xbox Boss Teases Platinum Trophy Equivalent For Achievements In 2026
An equivalent to the popular system on PlayStation
Over the years, there have constantly been calls from Xbox fans for some kind of equivalent to the Platinum Trophy system on PlayStation - a special kind of recognition for completing all the trophies in a single game. Xbox has always been reluctant to implement this for whatever reason, but today,...
- Xbox
- Achievements
- Platinum Trophy
- Asha Sharma
"We just did it because it's a pretty cool part of the Xbox ecosystem"
I've been pretty vocal here at Pure Xbox about my admiration for the Xbox Play Anywhere program. About the ability to access my Xbox library across console, desktop, and handheld devices, and how it's arguably Microsoft's defining feature right now. It's the reason I stick...
- Xbox
- Xbox Play Anywhere
- Baldur's Gate 3
- Microsoft
News Xbox Announces Tokyo Game Show 2026 Broadcast, Following Massive Reveal At Last Year's Event
One of our favourite showcases on the calendar
We've got another Xbox showcase to look forward to in the near future! In addition to the Gamescom festivities that Xbox is hosting in August, we now know Xbox's Tokyo Game Show 2026 broadcast will take place on September 17th. This was announced by Xbox Japan earlier today, along with sweepstakes...
- Xbox
- Tokyo Game Show
- Events
- Showcase
Tuesday4th Aug 2026
News These 10 Games Are Coming To Xbox Game Pass (August 6-18)
The vast majority being new XGP Premium additions
Microsoft has revealed the next official batch of Xbox Game Pass additions for August 2026, with 10 games joining the service between August 6-18. We've already had a couple of new arrivals this month, with today's launch of Beast of Reincarnation to kick things off. Two of the next ten were...
- Xbox
- Microsoft
- Xbox Game Pass
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
News Gears Of War: E-Day Preload Now Live Ahead Of Multiplayer Beta
Install today with Xbox Game Pass!
Who wants toast?! Oh yeah, the highly anticipated Gears of War: E-Day Multiplayer Beta is almost upon us, and preloads are now live for Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers, as well as for those of you who pre-ordered the Xbox console exclusive. Clocking in at just a little over 62GB on Series X, The Coalition's...
- Xbox
- Gears of War: E-Day
- Xbox Game Pass
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
News Two Games Are Available Today Across Various Tiers Of Xbox Game Pass (August 4)
Gotta play 'em all!
It's a brand new month for Xbox Game Pass and would you look at that? Not one, but two games are available across various tiers of the service today, including a day one release! August kicks off with Beast of Reincarnation, a satisfying action RPG built around thrilling parry-focused combat. It's still crazy to think Game...
- Xbox
- Xbox Game Pass
- Microsoft
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
News The Original Xbox Intro Was Rendered In Real-Time, And Here's The Proof
Boundary Break is at it again
Do you remember that funny Halo: Combat Evolved video where, at the end of the campaign, someone managed to break the camera free to reveal Master Chief taking off his helmet, only to be wearing another helmet underneath? I thought it was the coolest thing, pulling the camera off its programmed rails to uncover the...
- Xbox
- Microsoft
- Random
- Original Xbox
News Leaked Roadmap Hints At Xbox's Plans For Backwards Compatibility In 2026-2028
Including a "gradual rollout" for Xbox 360 games "across next-gen devices"
Xbox made a big splash last month by announcing that the backwards compatibility program was officially making its debut on PC, and a new leaked roadmap hints at what to expect from this in the months and years ahead. The timeline has been shared by multiple people on social...
- Xbox
- Xbox 360
- Disc To Digital
- Backwards Compatibility
- PC
News Beast Of Reincarnation Comparison Shows Difference Between Xbox Series X And Series S
And a day one patch has addressed pesky stutters
We're kicking off August in a big way with the addition of Beast of Reincarnation to Xbox Game Pass, which is officially available now as part of the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass tiers if you want to check it out. Most of the reviews for this one only went live a few hours ago as well,...
- Xbox
- Beast of Reincarnation
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
- Comparison
Feature 15 New Xbox Indie Games That Should Be On Your Radar In August 2026
A bumper month of exciting indie releases!
Here we go again with another indie roundup! It's always a challenge putting these together and only highlighting 10 upcoming titles, so we've decided to extend it to 15 this time around, putting the spotlight on even more exciting games. There's some really cool stuff in here, including Kinseed (made by a...
- Xbox
- Indie Games
- Features
- August 2026
- Xbox One
Poll What Do You Think Of Mistfall Hunter On Xbox Game Pass?
Is it a Mist-Play? Or No?
With Halo and Gears hogging the limelight over the past few weeks (and likely to continue doing so with a certain Multiplayer Beta just days away), we haven't really had a chance to catch up with you about Mistfall Hunter since its arrival on
- Xbox
- Mistfall Hunter
- Xbox Game Pass
- Polls
- Features
Monday3rd Aug 2026
News The First Reviews Have Arrived For Beast Of Reincarnation
After Famitsu got the early word
Arguably the most intriguing Xbox release of August is Game Freak's Beast of Reincarnation. Whilst we've still got one more sleep before its August 4th launch, the game's first review has officially dropped. The first word comes from the Japanese outlet Famitsu, which has given the game a 35/40 rating. We haven't...
- Xbox
- Beast of Reincarnation
News Four Games Are Leaving Xbox Game Pass In Early August 2026
Here's what's leaving soon
Microsoft has revealed the next four games leaving Xbox Game Pass in early August 2026, with all of these being highlighted as "leaving soon" on the official Xbox mobile app. There's a couple of decent departures in the mix, such as Atlas Fallen: Reign of Sand and Aliens: Fireteam Elite, with that latter set to see its...
- Xbox
- Microsoft
- Xbox Game Pass
- August 2026
- Leaving Soon
News Here's A Breakdown Of The New Prices For Xbox Series X|S Consoles As Of August 2026
Specifically the UK, US, Canada, Europe and Australian prices
Times is hard for us console lot, as the cost of, well, pretty much everything skyrockets. It's proper grim. If you're in the market for a new piece of Xbox hardware, you may be in for a wee shock as Microsoft's latest price hikes officially kicked off August 1st, 2026. We thought it was...
- Xbox
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
- Prices
News Xbox Adds Dynamic Background & Gamer Pics To Celebrate 25 Years Of Play
Community Celebration!
To celebrate its 25th anniversary, Xbox has unveiled a fancy new batch of gamerpics alongside an all new dynamic background for Xbox Series X|S. Aye aye, to celebrate 25 big years of Xbox, Microsoft has released a community-inspired dynamic background showcasing Xbox's core four franchises in the styling of Klobrille...
- Xbox
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
- Microsoft
Feature All New Games Coming To Xbox In August 2026
Release dates for every August Xbox launch
Welcome to our roundup of all new Xbox games coming out in August 2026! Below, we've listed every Xbox game with a August 2026 release date, including all confirmed Xbox Game Pass titles for August 2026 so far. Without further ado, here are all the new games coming to Xbox in August 2026: The Biggest...
- Xbox
- August 2026
- New Releases
- New Games
- Features
News Five-Time GOTY RPG Has Just Been Added To Xbox Play Anywhere
We've been waiting for this for a long time!
One of my favourite things about Xbox is seeing my beloved games receive Xbox Play Anywhere support. It's such a joy watching my console library gradually appear on the Xbox PC app, especially when it's for a major AAA title I've been hoping would make the jump for quite some time now. What a day it is...
- Xbox
- Xbox Play Anywhere
- Baldur's Gate 3
News Mortal Shell 2 Open Beta Is Seriously Impressing Fans On Xbox Series X|S Right Now
Might be worth adding to your wishlist!
Over the weekend, Xbox players have been plugging away at the prologue for Mortal Shell II thanks to an Open Beta. As it turns out the upcoming action RPG - slated for release August 20, 2026 - is making a strong first impression, so much so that I've gone ahead and downloaded the console beta for myself!...
- Xbox
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
- Mortal Shell 2
News Xbox Reveals Dates For Six More FanFest Events Taking Place In 2026
Celebrate Xbox around the world!
Earlier this year, Xbox announced that it would be hosting a series of Xbox FanFest events around the world to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the brand, and now we've got dates for six more of these showcases for 2026. Each of these are described as being part of a "tour" that's "built around connection, local...
- Xbox
- Xbox FanFest
Sunday2nd Aug 2026
News Five Xbox Games Are Shutting Down Their Servers In August 2026
The closures we know about so far
If you recall this time last month, you may remember that we did a server shutdown guide for both July and August 2026, as July was actually very quiet for server closures in the end (just Madden NFL 23). Now that we're in August itself, we still wanted to give you a reminder of the games shutting down their...
- Xbox
- Servers
- Delisting
- Microsoft
- August 2026
Talking Point Xbox's Final Games With Gold Titles Were Announced Three Years Ago
How do you feel about it in 2026?
Can you believe it's been three years since the end of Xbox Games with Gold? Xbox announced back in late July of 2023 that they'd be replacing the Xbox Live Gold service with Xbox Game Pass Core (which eventually ended up becoming Xbox Game Pass Essential), providing access to a selection of XGP titles rather than...
- Xbox
- Talking Point
- Features
- Games With Gold
Saturday1st Aug 2026
Guide All Xbox Games With Mouse & Keyboard Support
The latest keyboard & mouse list for Xbox One, Series X, Series S
Update: Our latest update to this list has added the likes of Halo: Campaign Evolved, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege, Gothic Remake, Darwin's Paradox, Beatdown City Survivors, Kabuto Park, Metal Eden, Subnautica 2, Motorslice, Replaced, Easy Delivery Co, Sword and Fairy Together...
- Xbox
- Xbox One
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
- PC
Guide Xbox Game Pass: All Games Coming Soon In August 2026
All the confirmed reveals so far
Looking for a complete list of games coming to Xbox Game Pass in August 2026? It can be pretty difficult to keep track of all the comings and goings in the world of Xbox Game Pass every month, so we've put together this handy guide to provide an overview of what's coming to the service over the next few weeks...
- Xbox
- Xbox Game Pass
- Guides
- August 2026
- Microsoft
Feature These 20+ Games Are Coming To Xbox Next Week (August 3-7)
Including a big Xbox Game Pass addition!
Welcome to your Xbox games roundup for August 3-7! The big release of the next few days is undoubtedly Game Freak's Beast of Reincarnation, which just so happens to be releasing on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass at launch, and there are plenty of other exciting new releases to look out for as well!...
- Xbox
- Features
- Weekly Roundup
- Xbox One
- Xbox Series X
Poll One Year Later, What Do You Think Of Xbox's Most Recent Gears Of War Release?
Reloaded came out in August of 2025
We're obviously all eagerly awaiting the release of Gears of War: E-Day later in 2026, but before we get there, we thought we'd take a quick look back at the most recent entry in the series - August 2025's Gears of War: Reloaded. In all honesty, we were a little underwhelmed by the idea of revisiting Gears of War...
- Xbox
- Gears of War
- Polls
- Features
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (August 1-2)
Halo: Campaign Evolved on Game Pass?
It's weekend time! We've obviously got some big new Xbox Game Pass titles to check out including Halo: Campaign Evolved and Mistfall Hunter, and don't forget that the Xbox Ultimate Game Sale ends in just a few days. Here's what we're playing on Xbox this weekend: Fraser Gilbert, Editor: I'm actually just...
- Xbox
- Features
- Talking Point
- What Are You Playing
Friday31st Jul 2026
News Xbox's Four Priorities Detailed By Asha Sharma After Major 'Reset'
Core, Content, Creation, and Connection
You've most likely heard all about the Xbox 'reset' that laid off of thousands of employees and divestment in studios that saw four of them part ways with the company. Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has outline her plans to get the brand back on track. In a memo obtained by The Verge, she detailed four key priorities...
- Xbox
- Asha Sharma
- Xbox Boss
- Industry
- Microsoft
News Corsair Cove Is Available Today With Xbox Game Pass, And Here's What The Reviews Are Saying
"Undoubtedly one of the best strategy games of recent years"
We've got our final Xbox Game Pass addition of the month today, and It takes the shape of Corsair Cove, which is joining PC Game Pass. To be completely honest with you, we didn't really know much about this one, other than it's a pirate-themed strategy game, and is only available to the...
- Xbox
- Corsair Cove
- Xbox Game Pass
- PC Game Pass
- PC
News Waterpark Simulator 1.0 Is Out Now On Xbox, After 'Overwhelmingly Positive' PC Early Access
Well, well, well... water we got here?
We mentioned feeling wee bit jealous that viral hit Waterpark Simulator didn't include Xbox when it launched into Early Access last year. Well, with the arrival of version 1.0, it's finally time to grab your snorkels, speedos, and controllers, because Waterpark Simulator is now available on Xbox Series X|S!...
- Xbox
- Waterpark Simulator
- Round Up
- Review Roundup
News Xbox Cloud Gaming Arrives On Hisense & VIDAA TVs With Dedicated App
Which sort of makes it an Xbox?
Microsoft's flawed "This Is An Xbox" campaign may well and truly be retired, but that hasn't stopped Xbox from continuing to expand it's Cloud Gaming service, with support now being deployed to select Hisense and VIDAA OS-powered Smart TVs. If you're in possession of a Hisense/VIDAA 2024-2026 model, you might want...
- Xbox
- Xbox Cloud Gaming
- Xbox App
- Hisense
- TV
Pick One What Was Your Favourite Xbox Game Pass Addition In July 2026?
Halo? Hell Is Us? Buckshot Roulette?
As the final day of July falls upon us, it's only natural we cast our gaze to August and the next batch of Xbox Game Pass goodies. But before we do, let's take a moment to look back at what turned out to be a pretty good month in July. Adding a hearty mix of major first and third party titles to the service along...
- Xbox
- Features
- Polls
- Pick One
- Xbox Game Pass
Thursday30th Jul 2026
News Mistfall Hunter Is Available Today With Xbox Game Pass, And Here's What The Reviews Are Saying
Available for Premium, PC, and Ultimate members today!
It's another day, and another brand-new addition to Xbox Game Pass! The dark fantasy world of Mistfall Hunter is available now on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox PC, Cloud, and supports my favourite feature, Xbox Play
- Xbox
- Xbox Game Pass
- Mistfall Hunter
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
Preview We've Played Gears Of War: E-Day, And Can't Get Enough Of Horde Siege
It's fun, but is it Gears?
Gears of War is one-third of the Xbox holy trinity, and a series I've loved for almost two decades thanks to its unique cover-based brutality. No matter which entry you boot up, chainsawing through a shredded Locust simply never gets old. It's been a long six years since Gears 5, and whilst I've been champing at the bit...
- Previews
- Xbox
- Gears of War: E-Day
- Xbox Series S
- Xbox Series X
