Guide Xbox Game Pass: All Games Coming Soon In December 2022
The full list of confirmed games so far
Guide Xbox Adds More Perks For Game Pass Ultimate Members (December 2022)
Here's what you can claim for free this month
News 'Blacktail' Is Now Available On Xbox Series X|S, And It's Getting Good Reviews
A surreal first-person action-adventure game
News Five Games Are Confirmed For Xbox Game Pass In January 2023 So Far
Next year is off to a strong start!
News Xbox Games With Gold For January 2023 Announced
The latest batch of titles
News - December, 2022
Saturday31st Dec 2022
News Nine Games Are Leaving Xbox Game Pass Today (December 31)
The final departures of the year
With just one day left in the year, it's time to say goodbye to our final set of Xbox Game Pass departures for 2022, with nine games being removed from the library across Xbox One, Series X, Series S, PC and Xbox Cloud Gaming. Here's the full list of titles leaving Xbox Game Pass today, December 31st: Date Game
Talking Point What's The Most Underrated Xbox Game Of 2022?
Come yell at us about your hidden gems!
It's the final day of 2022, and we're sure most of you have already thought long and hard about your favourite games that've launched over the last year or so. Despite the narrative of a quiet year for AAA gaming, we've seen some real bangers launch in that space (cough Elden Ring), and of course, plenty of...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (December 31 - January 1)
Festive pickups
By the time this weekend is done we'll be into a brand spanking new year - one hopefully filled with plenty of Xbox Game Studios goodness! In the meantime though we've still had lots to be playing over the festive period, including a couple of Christmas pickups via the huge 'Countdown' sale currently ongoing on Xbox Live. Here's...
Friday30th Dec 2022
News Xbox Activision Blizzard Deal Approved By Chile Authority
Progression
Xbox may well be battling hard with UK and US authorities over its purchase of Activision Blizzard, but the acquisition is proving a smoother process in other counties around the world. We know that Brazil and Saudi Arabia have already approved the deal, and now a second South A
News Metal Gear Solid Producer Says 2023 Will Bring 'Long Awaited' Announcement From Konami
Big boss moves
It's been a long while since we've seen anything noteworthy from the Metal Gear series, with the poorly received Metal Gear Survive being Konami's only proper release since famous creator Hideo Kojima left the company. However, is that all about to change in 2023? In a developer spotlight piece by Japanese site Famitsu, Metal Gear...
Gallery 'Stalker 2' Looks Absolutely Gorgeous In Set Of Brand New 4K Screenshots
Feast your eyes
GSC Game World brought us the first Stalker 2 trailer we've seen in a good few months yesterday, showcasing more of the game's huge open world ahead of its Xbox Game Pass launch in 2023. Shortly after the new trailer dropped, the team also unleashed some super high quality screenshots and we've got to admit, this is looking like one...
Talking Point Is It Time For Xbox To Sunset The 'Games With Gold' Program?
Diminishing returns
Back in October 2022, Microsoft decided to pull the plug on, well, half of its Games with Gold program. From that month onwards, the company opted to start delivering just two Xbox One or Series X|S titles, forgoing Xbox 360's inclusion within Games with Gold. In theory, cutting the monthly selection down to just two games could...
Random Halo Infinite Forge Mode Is Home To Some Wild 'Mario' Mashups
Mongoose Kart
Halo Infinite Forge mode finally arrived earlier this year, with 343 Industries delivering the series' most comprehensive set of custom game tools yet. While the mode has already enabled plenty of classic Halo content, like maps from previous games in the series, we weren't ready for what some of the community has started to come up...
Thursday29th Dec 2022
News Xbox Games With Gold For January 2023 Announced
The latest batch of titles
Microsoft has officially announced the new Xbox Games With Gold titles for January 2023! These games are available to download for free for Xbox Live Gold members (including subscribers to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate). Keep in mind that as of this past October, Microsoft will no longer be including Xbox 360 games as part of...
News Stalker 2 Showcases Its 'Huge, Borderless Open World' In New Gameplay Trailer
Coming to Xbox Game Pass in 2023!
It's been a while since we've seen much on Stalker 2, about 6 months or so in fact, so as a little 'New Years' treat the team at GSC Game World has released a brand new trailer for its upcoming Game Pass epic. The 'Come to Me' gameplay trailer showcases even more of Stalker 2's huge open world, along with some of...
Video Digital Foundry Puts GTA5 Ray Tracing To The Test On Xbox Series X
And the results look mighty impressive!
Of all the next-gen advancements we expected to come to Xbox Series X in 2022, we must admit, ray tracing in 2013's GTA5 wasn't one of them. However, with Rockstar's recent release of Grand Theft Auto 5 Next Gen, the team has overhauled this Xbox 360 era title - even adding ray traced reflections months after...
News Capcom 'Working Hard' On The 'Final Spurt' Of Resident Evil 4 Development
This remake looks epic!
It may well be another modern remake, but Capcom's upcoming Resident Evil 4 overhaul is quickly becoming one of our most anticipated releases of 2023. October's extended gameplay reveal has more than whetted our appetites for this one, and it sounds like we may get to see more on the game real soon. In a developer spotlight...
Deals Multiple Games Reduced By 80-90% This Week On Xbox (December 27 - January 3)
Spot a bargain?
There are multiple sales promotions going on right now on Xbox Live, including the massive 'Countdown' sale that continues to tick over into the new year. In addition to Xbox's annual new year sale, the team recently added its usual selection of Deals with Gold and Spotlight sales to the mix, both of which contain some seriously...
Poll Are You Happy With January 2023's Xbox Games With Gold?
Two more titles arrive next month
Microsoft has officially announced January 2023's Xbox Games with Gold, giving us a look at a couple more games we'll be able to play at no extra cost with our Xbox Live Gold & Game Pass Ultimate memberships next month. In case you missed the announcement, next month's games are Xbox One title Iris Fall and the...
Wednesday28th Dec 2022
News Xbox Game Pass Life Sim 'Disney Dreamlight Valley' Gets Much-Requested Feature In Update 3
Make your house a home
Disney Dreamlight Valley arrived in preview form on Xbox back in September, with the paid early access version being included in Xbox Game Pass at no extra cost. Since then, the team has delivered some stellar updates, and now developer Gameloft has highlighted a community-voted feature arriving with update 3.
Deals All Backwards Compatible Games Added To This Week's Xbox Sales (December 27 - January 3)
Along with a 'Countdown' reminder!
Xbox's final 2022 Deals with Gold & Spotlight Sale titles are now live on the digital storefront, with 100+ games added to this week's Xbox Sales. In addition to the discounted titles across Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S, the team has added a few more Xbox 360 games to the current sales batch. It ain't a huge...
News The Witcher 3 Xbox Series S Comparison Shows Mixed Results For CDPR's 'Next-Gen' Update
Is this a 'next-gen' experience?
Shortly after performing a full analysis of The Witcher 3 Next-Gen on Xbox Series X and PS5, those folks over at Digital Foundry are back to do a full once over of the Xbox Series S version of CD Projekt RED's RPG. Much like the Series X and PS5 analysis showed us, The Witcher 3 on Xbox Series S is a bit of a mixed...
Soapbox 'Nickelodeon Kart Racers 3' Is Actually A Pretty Great Mario Kart Alternative On Xbox
Slime Speedway
As the festive cheer flows within me (and I got some spare Christmas cash from family & friends of course), I decided to dip back into the Xbox 'Countdown' sale this week and pick up a few more gaming bargains. While Resident Evil Village has been my biggest buy so far, I decided to also go for Nickelodeon Kart Racers 3 on a whim,...
News Xbox Studio Ninja Theory Hints At More Hellblade 2 Info 'In The New Year'
Senua's Saga continues
While we were a little disappointed in Ninja Theory's no-show at The Game Awards 2022, it seems we won't have to wait long to hear more about the team's upcoming projects - a slate that of course includes Hellblade 2. In a short and sweet Christmas message, the team has revealed that it will be bringing back more "dev diaries"...
News More Deathloop Teased As Voice Actor Says Bethesda Is 'Still Hiring Us'
DLC or a sequel could be in the works
Deathloop only came to Xbox a few months ago, but it looks like we might be getting more from Arkane's latest IP in the near future. The two main voice actors behind the game's 'Colt' and 'Julianna' characters recently appeared on a livestream, and one of them may have accidentally teased more Deathloop content...
Tuesday27th Dec 2022
Feature Looking Ahead To A Brighter 2023 For Xbox Game Studios
On track
A lot has been said about Xbox Game Studios this year, with Microsoft's first-party output dropping quite significantly from last year - especially when talking big AAA titles. While that's true and has indeed been disappointing, we want to look ahead to 2023 as we all hope for a much stronger output from Team Xbox. The first offerings...
News Forza Horizon 5 Is Gifting Everyone A Free Lamborghini This Week
As part of the Secret Santa event
If you haven't logged into Forza Horizon 5 on Xbox Game Pass in a while, then we've got the perfect excuse to get behind the wheel over the next few days - the 2020 Lamborghini Sián Roadster has been given away to everyone for free! No catches, it's yours to claim right now. This giveaway was part of the Secret...
Feature How Would You Grade The Xbox Series X|S Generation So Far?
Two years in
As we approach the end of 2022, we're looking back at a year in which the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S finally began to look past their stock issues that dominated 2020 and 2021, with the generation properly in full swing. The question is, how successful has that generation been so far? We kicked things off in a good way back in...
Deals 100+ Games Added To This Week's Xbox Sales (December 27 - January 3)
The Countdown Sale also continues!
Our final batch of Xbox deals for this year is now live on the Xbox Store, with just over 100 Deals with Gold and Spotlight titles added to the list of reductions this week. Don't forget that the Xbox Countdown Sale 2022 is still live for another few days as well, so there are technically almost 1000 games on sale...
Monday26th Dec 2022
Soapbox This Game Pass Gem Is My Xbox Game Of The Year For 2022
On the road
I've played a lot of great games this year, with Xbox Game Pass helping me discover some proper gems thanks to its consistent work in adding high-quality titles. A Plague Tale: Requiem was an absolute delight back in October (well, aside from the rat waves of course), as was the Xbox-exclusive As Dusk Falls which really surprised me this...
Soapbox Elden Ring Is My GOTY, But It Was Incredible Indie Games That Kept Me Playing In 2022
AAA in the streets, indie between the sheets
Without a shadow of a doubt, FromSoftware's majestic Elden Ring has quite comfortably earned my own personal GOTY spot for 2023 (with Obsidian's amazing Pentiment in second place) and, really, it's been an easier choice to make than in any other year in recent memory. Nothing else really came all that...
Video A Festive Message From Pure Xbox
Ho ho ho, gamers!
Another Christmas Day has come and gone, but we're still very much in the festive spirit here at Pure Xbox, and to celebrate the past 12 months, we wanted to put together a little "thank you" video featuring some messages from the entire team - as read by our brand-new Video Producer, Craig Reid! That's right, Pure Xbox has...
Sunday25th Dec 2022
News Merry Christmas And Happy Holidays!
From all of us here at Pure Xbox
Welcome to Christmas 2022! If you're celebrating the day, we hope you're having a fantastic time and you've been treated to some great Xbox gifts. Please tell us about them in the comments! We've been slowing things down over the past week here at Pure Xbox, and that's going to continue over the next few days as we...
Saturday24th Dec 2022
Feature Pure Xbox's Game Of The Year 2022
You voted, and here are the results!
We have, once again, reached the tail end of another year, folks. Where did all that time go? Yes, it's the conclusion of another busy twelve months in the wonderful world of video gaming. There's been highs and lows (no Starfield, but we got Pentiment!), there's been joys and sorrows (Redfall still isn't here...
Poll How Many Xbox Games Have You Actually Bought This Year?
Have you mostly stuck to Game Pass?
Over the past few years, we've started to hear more and more that Xbox owners are buying fewer games and sticking to the offerings on Xbox Game Pass instead — and to be honest, we tend to do the same thing here at Pure Xbox HQ! That said, we've seen a lot of Xbox sales throughout 2022, including the current...
Talking Point What Xbox Games Are You Playing Over The Holiday Period?
The Witcher 3? High on Life? Need for Speed Unbound? Come tell us!
It's finally that time of year where the lucky ones among us get a little bit of extra relaxation time! Yes, of course, we're talking about the holiday season where we all claim we're going to catch up on a bunch of games we've thrown on the backburner over the last year or so. In...
Friday23rd Dec 2022
Guide Xbox Adds More Perks For Game Pass Ultimate Members (December 2022)
Here's what you can claim for free this month
The Xbox Game Pass Perks program is back once again for December 2022, and as we get closer to Christmas, we've got a few more notable freebies to share for the likes of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Halo Infinite! Here are some Xbox Game Pass Perks that you can claim for free in December 2022:...
News Xbox Confirms Exclusivity Plans For Three Upcoming Bethesda Games
"Designed to be played primarily alone or in small groups"
Microsoft and Activision Blizzard's initial court responses to the FTC Lawsuit have been published today (as we've highlighted elsewhere on Pure Xbox) and as part of this, Microsoft mentions that three upcoming ZeniMax (Bethesda) games are anticipated to become Xbox and PC exclusives at...
News These Are The Top-Selling Games In The Xbox Countdown Sale 2022
The hottest deals in the UK and US right now
The Xbox Countdown Sale 2022 has now been live for just over a week on the Xbox Store, and so the "Top Paid" charts are starting to show us what people have been buying, allowing us to determine some of the hottest deals so far. Like we did recently with the Black Friday Sale, we're focusing on the UK...
News Microsoft Causes Confusion With Statement About Sony 'Excluding' Games From Xbox
Is it timed or permanent?
Earlier this week, we pointed out that Xbox fans wanted to know what was going on with Square Enix in 2023, and that article ended up being shared far and wide, creating an entirely new story of its own! Xbox News for Koreans on Twitter responded to the article by sharing a Microsoft response to the
"The FTC ignores the significant benefits of the Transaction..."
Strap yourselves in, folks — here we go again! Earlier this month, the US Federal Trading Commission announced it was filing a suit against Microsoft's attempted takeover of Activision Blizzard, and now Microsoft and ActiBlizz have revealed their responses in court documents. The...
News TMNT: Shredder's Revenge Brings Retro-Inspired Free Update To Xbox Game Pass
"Up your game to the next level"
One of our absolute favourite Xbox and Xbox Game Pass releases in 2022 was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge, and just in time for the holiday period, we've been treated to a brand-new free update! This patch brings three new features, along with a bunch of fixes and improvements. Those new features...
Poll What Were The Best Xbox Game Pass Additions In 2022?
There's so much to choose from!
It's been another busy year for Xbox Game Pass in 2022! Sure, Xbox Game Studios might not have had much to offer us over the past 12 months, but Game Pass has kept our backlogs very busy with a wide variety of third-party releases. To be honest, we think this poll might be even harder than the
News Fallout 76 Continues To 'Grow Significantly', Now Boasts Over 13 Million Players
The team "can't wait" to share the next chapter
Although Bethesda is looking ahead to 2023 with games like Starfield and Redfall, it hasn't forgotten about its existing library. One title in particular that appears to have had a strong year is Fallout 76. Yes, despite its disastrous launch back in 2018, the game has seemingly recovered. In its...
News 'Smile For Me' Brings Its Bizarre And Highly Beloved Adventure To Xbox In Spring 2023
It has incredibly positive reviews on Steam
Although there's a good chance you won't have heard of it, the announcement that Smile for Me is coming to Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo Switch drew a lot of attention this week, racking up over 1667,000 views on Twitter! So, what is it? Smile for Me is described as an "unconventional point-and-click...
Thursday22nd Dec 2022
News Xbox Announces 16 More Games Now Officially Supported On Steam Deck
Since the last update earlier this year
Earlier this year, Microsoft announced that various Xbox games had been classed as either "verified" or "playable" on Valve's new Steam Deck device, and now another 16 games have been officially added to the list. Not all of these are necessarily new to the Steam Deck, as the latest roundup includes all the...
News Xbox Fans Want To Know What's Going On With Square Enix In 2023
No Xbox releases announced for next year
While the recent release of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII - Reunion has gone down well on Xbox so far, we're also seeing quite a lot of disgruntlement directed towards Square Enix's current 2023 lineup of games. Why? Well, there aren't Xbox announcements at all as of yet. Forspoken is a PS5 console...
News The Witcher 3 Xbox Series X Analysis Reveals A Few Differences Compared To PS5 Version
Performance mode is the way to go
One of the latest games that Digital Foundry has been putting through its paces this week is The Witcher 3 Next-Gen for Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5, and the analysis reveals some interesting differences between the two at launch. Firstly, in terms of the 30FPS quality mode, DF points out that it looks incred
Wednesday21st Dec 2022
News CMA Reveals Public Feedback Has Been Mostly In Favour Of Xbox's ActiBlizz Acquisition
Based on around 2100 responses
The UK Competition and Markets Authority is currently conducting a "Phase 2" investigation into Microsoft's attempted acquisition of Activision Blizzard, and you may remember that a couple of months ago, the authority also began asking the general public for their views on the takeover. Well, those results are now in,...
Thursday22nd Dec 2022
News Hideo Kojima Reveals More About His 'Unusual' New Xbox Project
He's been thinking about it for "five or six years"
We've known that Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima has been working on a project with Xbox Game Studios for a little while, but both parties have remained largely quiet about what we can expect from it. However, speaking to IGN in an interview this week, Kojima
Report EU Regulators Send 91-Page Survey To Xbox Rivals About Activision Blizzard Deal
As part of an extensive investigation
It's hard to keep up with all this Activision Blizzard news, but you may remember that the latest status with the European Commission is that it's conducting a deeper investigation into the acquisition with a deadline of March 2023. We haven't heard much since then, but it's being reported by
News One Piece Odyssey Gets New Trailer & Demo Reveal Ahead Of January 2023 Xbox Launch
11 minutes of brand-new "in-depth" footage
If we're talking major games coming to Xbox in January 2023, then one of the big releases to highlight is One Piece Odyssey, which officially arrives for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S on January 13th of next year. Ahead of the game's release, Bandai Namco has unveiled a new "Systems Trailer", showing off...
News Sonic Frontiers Releases Free Festive-Themed DLC, Available Now On Xbox
Grab it right now!
It's the holiday season once again and to celebrate all-things festive, SEGA is giving away another free DLC item in its latest release, Sonic Frontiers. This time around it's a 'holiday cheer suit'. This will new apparel for Sonic can be used to "bring some holiday spirit" to the Starfall Islands. To equip it, you'll need to...
News Xbox Unveils Job Listing For 'Director Of Japan Creator Partnerships'
Another major hire in the region
Microsoft has made a big deal about the need to grow Xbox's presence in Japan over the past couple of years, and it seems like that's still a major focus for the team right now, as a major job role has just opened up at the company. The ad, posted on the Microsoft website, is for a "Director of Japan Creator...
Wednesday21st Dec 2022
News Here Are The Top 10 Xbox Games Of 2022 According To Metacritic
It's been a close fight!
We're going to be publishing our official Pure Xbox Game of the Year 2022 roundup here later this week, but before we do that, we thought we'd take a look at the highest-rated Xbox games of the year according to Metacritic. It'll come as no surprise to hear that Elden Ring takes the top spot, but there are a few games that...
News Xbox Live 1.0 Replacement Adds More Supported Titles, 40 Games Now Playable
With more to come in the New Year
If you're wondering how progress has been coming along on the Insignia project for the original Xbox, the news is that the team are still working extremely hard on adding new supported titles, with plenty of additions in December already. The list of supported games now sits at 40, with new titles including DOOM 3,...
News Hypercharge: Unboxed Creator Says Xbox Development Is Going 'Great'
Aiming for a Q1 2023 launch
One indie game that really took off in 2022 was the first and third-person wave shooter Hypercharge: Unboxed. The developer of the game was quick to confirm an Xbox release when they heard about the demand for it, so what's the latest? If you did have any concerns about the status of this particular version, there's no...
News 10 Random 'Gamers' Are Suing Microsoft Over The Activision Blizzard Deal
An antitrust suit filed in San Francisco
This latest update on the Activision Blizzard saga is not one we were expecting! As highlighted by Bloomberg this week, a group of "videogamers" have decided to file a federal antitrust lawsuit against Microsoft's attemp
News Outer Wilds Is Getting A Lot Of Attention Before It Leaves Xbox Game Pass
"If you haven’t played it yet, PLEASE DO SO"
Although Microsoft has kept unexpectedly quiet about the second batch of Xbox Game Pass games for December 2022 so far, we already know what's leaving the service on December 31st, and it includes the fantastic Outer Wilds. Since the announcement, we've seen quite a lot of attention being diverted...
Talking Point Could Microsoft Be Interested In Acquiring Netflix?
Who knows at this point
Of all the acquisitions we thought we might see from Microsoft in 2022, Activision Blizzard wasn't one of them. The announcement was made all the way back in January, although issues have placed the deal in doubt in recent months. So, what happens in 2023? Aside from the ongoing challenges surrounding the ActiBlizz takeover,
News High On Life Is Now Officially One Of The Biggest Xbox Game Pass Launches Of All Time
"We’ve been blown away by the response..."
Yesterday, we highlighted how the new Xbox console exclusive High On Life was dominating the Xbox and PC charts, and it's now been officially crowned the biggest Xbox Game Pass launch of 2022. Microsoft says this is "measured in terms of engagement, based on the number of hours play
Deals All Backwards Compatible Games In This Week's Xbox Sales (December 20-27)
Original Xbox and Xbox 360 classics
The latest set of new Xbox sales went live earlier this week in the form of Deals with Gold and Spotlight offers, which sit alongside the massive ongoing Xbox Countdown Sale. We also got treated to a few extra reductions on backwards compatible OG Xbox and Xbox 360 games, including for the likes of Assassin's...
Tuesday20th Dec 2022
Feature 10 Backwards Compatible Games Transformed By The Power Of Xbox Series S
The little console that could
Some of the very best games for your Xbox Series S hail from generations prior. While we're seeing a vast number of slightly newer titles get optimised for Xbox's digital console, we'd argue that some older games benefit even more so from the power packed into this tiny little system. From dynamic resolution bumps to...
News There's A New Way To Earn Daily Microsoft Rewards Points On Xbox
Courtesy of MSN Shopping
You already know how much we love talking about Microsoft Rewards here at Pure Xbox — we've bought so many things with our MS Rewards points in 2022 alone — and now there's yet another new way to earn daily rewards! As you can see in Rewards Hunter's excellent tutorial above, this new method requires you to use MSN...
News Xbox Series X|S Passes 20 Million Sales According To Latest Estimates
After two years on the market
Microsoft rarely chooses to share information about hardware sales these days, but according to the latest estimates from the folks at VGChartz, it looks like sales of the Xbox Series X and Series S might have passed the 20 million mark. The outlet is reporting that the two consoles have globally sold an estimated...
News High On Life Is Dominating The Charts Right Now, And Team Xbox Is Thrilled About It
"Huge congratulations!"
Update: Xbox has now officially crowned High On Life as the biggest Game Pass launch of 2022! <related ids="142900"> Original story: Well, it's fair to say High on Life has been a huge success. The wacky shooter launched on Xbox Game Pass earlier in December , and at first glance, it appears to have already est
Deals 100+ Games Added To This Week's Xbox Sales (December 20-27)
Alongside the ongoing Countdown Sale
The Xbox Countdown Sale 2022 is now in full swing, but we've also got over a hundred more games to add to the list this week in the form of Deals with Gold and Spotlight offers! There are some pretty interesting titles on sale here, too... Firstly though, don't forget about that Countdown Sale — we've...
News Halo Infinite Celebrates The Festive Season With Free 10-Tier Event Pass
Unlock new free 'n' festive cosmetics
It's the holiday season once again, and as usual, there are many games out there celebrating the period with limited-time promotions. As usual, Halo Infinite will be joining in on the fun this year with its Winter Contingency II update. Similar to last year, there'll be a bunch of festive cosmetics to unlock...
Monday19th Dec 2022
Feature These Games Are Coming To Xbox This Week (December 19-23)
Including the world's first "skateBOATING" game
Welcome to your new Xbox games roundup for December 19th to 23rd! As you can see, it's... really quiet. We've only got a few indie games confirmed for this week so far, although we're hoping Microsoft might also have a few Xbox Game Pass titles to add to the list at some point, so keep an eye out for...
News Phil Spencer Gives Praise To One Of The Best Xbox Game Pass Surprises Of 2022
The Pikmin-like platformer
We've seen Xbox boss Phil Spencer pick out a variety of Xbox games to highlight throughout 2022, with Vampire Survivors and Cult of the Lamb being a couple of examples, and he's just added to the list with the fantastic Tinykin.
Talking Point What Are You Buying In The Xbox Countdown Sale 2022?
Treating yourself for the holidays?
The final major Xbox sale of the year arrived last week in the form of the Xbox Countdown Sale 2022, and Microsoft didn't disappoint, treating us to almost 1000 discounts across a wide variety of games, add-ons and bundles. If you haven't had a chance to look at the list of deals, you'll find a range of guides...
News There's A Way To Save Big On FIFA 23 With Xbox Game Pass This Christmas
And get 500 free FIFA Points!
Whether you love it or hate it, there's no denying that FIFA 23 is consistently dominating the "Top Paid Games" charts on Xbox, and that's especially the case right now as it's been discounted as part of the Xbox Countdown Sale 2022. On the Xbox Store, you're looking at £29.99 / $29.99 for the Xbox One version and...
Talking Point What January 2023 Xbox Games With Gold Do You Want?
Please Microsoft, let's have a big start to the year...
It's almost that time again, as the Xbox Games with Gold January 2023 titles are set to be revealed very soon! The month of December delivered two Xbox One games, with Colt Canyon and Bladed Fury up for grabs. If you haven't secured yours yet, you can still grab December's Games with Gold...
News What's All This About A Cheaper, Ad-Filled Version Of Xbox Game Pass?
Is Microsoft considering it?
You may have noticed over the weekend that there was a bunch of chatter on social media about a potential cheaper, ad-filled version of Xbox Game Pass. This all started because of a screenshot posted to ResetEra appearing to show an official Spanish-language Microsoft survey, asking users whether they'd be interested in...
News Criterion Loses Five Major Team Members Following Need For Speed Unbound Launch
Including the VP and GM of the studio
We don't know about you, but we've been having a great time with Need for Speed Unbound ever since it launched back in late November, but we get the feeling it perhaps hasn't sold as well as it deserves so far. The game is already 40% off as part of the Xbox Countdown Sale 2022 (it also made our "best deals"...
Sunday18th Dec 2022
News Another Nine Games Will Leave Xbox Game Pass Soon (December 31)
Here's what's on the chopping block
The official Xbox app has now revealed the second batch of games that will leave Xbox Game Pass in December 2022 (the final set of removals for the year), and it includes the likes of Outer Wilds, Scarlet Nexus and Tropico 6. Xbox Game Pass: Leaving Soon (December 31st, 2022):
Saturday17th Dec 2022
News Lots Of Games Reduced By 90% In The Xbox Countdown Sale 2022
HUGE discounts for great games!
Looking for some cheap Xbox games during the Xbox Countdown Sale 2022? There are close to 1000 games discounted in the Xbox Countdown Sale this year (!), and quite a lot of those have been discounted by anywhere from 80% to 95%, which means we've got some outstanding deals for great titles. You'll find the 90% and...
News High On Life Update 2 Now Live On Xbox Game Pass, Here Are The Full Patch Notes
Xbox One improvements, audio balancing & more
High on Life developer Squanch Games has quickly begun pushing out patches for the game over the past few days, with the first update making big improvements to performance on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S in particular. Now, it's just received a second update targeting a variety of other upgrades, as...
Pick One Which Is Your Favourite Final Fantasy Game On Xbox?
The original FF7? Tell us what you think!
It's time for another round of Pick One! This week, to celebrate the release of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII - Reunion on Xbox, we thought we'd go back and look at the history of Final Fantasy games on the platform. It's been well documented that we're still waiting for the likes of Final Fantasy VII...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (December 17-18)
The Witcher 3? High on Life?
Welcome to the weekend! If you're looking for things to play on Xbox over the next two days, look no further than High on Life and The Witcher 3 Next-Gen, although we've also seen various other new releases throughout the week such as Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII - Reunion. Plus, we've got three fantastic
Friday16th Dec 2022
News 'Blacktail' Is Now Available On Xbox Series X|S, And It's Getting Good Reviews
A surreal first-person action-adventure game
We haven't really heard much about this one over the past few months, but Focus Entertainment has just released a brand-new action-adventure game on Xbox Series X|S called Blacktail, developed by new Polish studio The Parasight. Blacktail is described as a "surreal first-person action-adventure", with a...
News Xbox Winter Demo Event 2022 Now Live, 22 Games Available
Update: Officially extended to December 31st!
Update (Fri 16th Dec, 2022): This Xbox Winter Demo event was originally supposed to end on December 12th, but has now been extended a couple more weeks until December 31st. Enjoy! Don't forget this event includes a demo for Inkulinati, which is now coming to Xbox Game Pass in January 2023. Here's what...
News Xbox Adds Another New Dynamic Background For Series X|S Owners
Celebrating the release of Pentiment
Although there's plenty of drama in Obsidian's latest release Pentiment, it can actually be quite a relaxing game at times with its beautiful scenery and calming music. With this in mind, Xbox has released a new Pentiment-themed dynamic background for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S owners. To apply it, you'll...
Deals Xbox Countdown Sale 2022 Now Live, 800+ Games Discounted
The final major sale of the year!
It's time for the Xbox Countdown Sale 2022! This year's version of the sale features over 800 discounts, including for some major 2022 releases such as Dying Light 2 Stay Human, Sonic Frontiers and even the incredible Elden Ring! Below, we've included just some of the major highlights from the Xbox Countdown Sale...
Deals All 40+ Backwards Compatible Games In The Xbox Countdown Sale 2022
Tons of original Xbox and Xbox 360 classics
The Xbox Countdown Sale 2022 has officially begun, treating us to discounts for over 800 games across Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. Even Elden Ring has been reduced this time around! <related ids="142699"> As you'd expect, we've also got plenty of backwards compatible games in the Xbox...
Feature The Best Deals From The Xbox Countdown Sale 2022
Feasting on discounts!
The huge Xbox end-of-year sale is now underway, featuring more than 800 discounts across all sorts of Xbox games and DLC packs. It's a biggie - containing even more deals than last month's Black Friday promotion! With such a gargantuan sale comes the effort to scroll through the entire thing to pick out what you might want...
News Xbox Cloud Gaming App Extends To More Samsung TVs
Controller rumble is also available!
Back in the summer, Xbox announced that it was beginning to bring its Xbox Cloud Gaming tech to select Smart TVs, starting with manufacturer Samsung's 2022 lineup. In late June the app arrived, allowing gamers to enjoy Xbox on their televisions, and now the team is extending its partnership with Samsung to...
Talking Point Are You Enjoying 'High On Life' On Xbox Game Pass?
Love it? Hate it? Come tell us!
High on Life has been in players' hands for a few days now, with the game marking one of 2022's final major Xbox releases. Luckily for us, that release has included a day one Xbox Game Pass arrival, allowing millions of Xbox fans to go hands-on this week. There's quite a lot to High on Life — including the ability...
News The Callisto Protocol Xbox Update Adds 'Combat Improvements' Including Faster Animations
Speedy healing, and dying
The Callisto Protocol dev Striking Distance Studios has deployed a brand-new update for its third-person horror shooter, and the patch addresses some of the community's biggest concerns from around launch. Alongside the usual set of bug fixes and quality of life changes, the developer says it has made "combat improvements"...
"We tried to cram a lot of that into this game"
High on Life has now entered the lives of Xbox Game Pass players, and it's safe to say the game's unique brand of comedy has proved divisive. The gist of things is that some people will love it and some people will hate it, which is probably to be expected looking at Justin Roiland's previous work, and...
News The New Vampire Survivors DLC Seems Well Worth Its Entry Fee
A mere $2!
Xbox Game Pass players have been enjoying Vampire Survivors a lot so far, especially since the game arrived on console platforms after a brief period as a PC-exclusive. Poncle's addictive bullet hell shooter is a really good time, then, and its brand new DLC seems to be impressing players as well. Some early impressions of the ridiculous
Wednesday14th Dec 2022
Feature All New Xbox Games Coming Out In December 2022
Release dates for every December Xbox launch
Welcome to our roundup of all new Xbox games coming out in December 2022! Below, we've listed every Xbox game with a December 2022 release date, including all confirmed Xbox Game Pass releases so far. Without further ado, here are all the new games coming to Xbox in December 2022: The Biggest New...
Thursday15th Dec 2022
News 11 Games Are Leaving Xbox Game Pass Today (December 15)
We're sad to lose some of these
As we reported earlier this month, today sadly marks the departure for 11 Xbox Game Pass titles, including the likes of Aliens: Fireteam Elite, Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age and Firewatch, amongst other much-loved games. Here's the full list of titles leaving Xbox Ga
News Free Play Days: Try These Xbox Games For Free (December 15-18)
For Odin
Xbox has unveiled its latest set of Free Play Days titles for the coming weekend, and we've got a pretty fantastic selection across Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S! Ubisoft's mammoth open world RPG Assassin's Creed Valhalla is here, alongside 2K's latest WWE title and Dragon Ball: The Breakers. Assassin's Creed Valhalla
News Ink-Based Strategy Game 'Inkulinati' Launches On Xbox Game Pass In January 2023
Inked into next year's GP lineup
The Xbox Game Pass lineup for 2023 is starting to take shape, and we've today learned of another new release date for an upcoming Game Pass title. Medieval strategy game Inkulinati is coming to the service on day one - which is now set for January 31, 2023. That initial launch will be an early access one
News Microsoft Refers To Lack Of Xbox Exclusives As Why ActiBlizz Deal Should Be Approved
In comparison with PlayStation
Yesterday, we highlighted a Bloomberg report in which Microsoft President Brad Smith revealed his disappointment with the US Federal Trade Commission for not sitting down with the company to discuss a proposal related to Call of Duty. According to the report, this was an offer for
News Bethesda Talks Starfield Quests In New Developer Deep Dive
"We really want the stories to be personal"
News on Starfield has dried up a little bit as of late, but Bethesda has now treated us to a brand-new deep dive on the game's quest system, which builds on what came before in both Skyrim and Fallout 4. In the video above, developer Will Shen takes us through some of the game's big quest-related features,...
News Amazon Games To Publish Next Tomb Raider, First Details Revealed
"The biggest and best Tomb Raider game yet"
It's been revealed today that Crystal Dynamics will be partnering with Amazon Games to release the next game in the beloved Tomb Raider series, and we've also been treated to a few details about what to expect in the process. The game will be a "multiplatform" release to be published globally by Amazon,...
News Halo Infinite Season 3 Content Shown Off In Latest 343i Livestream
New maps, weapons, armor cores and more!
Halo Infinite has seen some major updates in recent weeks, especially with Forge's arrival in early November. The expansive toolset's addition to Infinite was quickly followed up by a brand-new custom game server browser for players to enjoy, and now, the team is pivoting towards what's coming during Season...
News Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty Dev Reveals 'Electrifying' Trailer Ahead Of Xbox Game Pass Launch
It's looking pretty epic!
Team Ninja's Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty has impressed us so far in its early pre-release footage - and the dev has now dropped a brand-new gameplay trailer ahead of its Xbox Game Pass launch next March. You can feast your eyes on a couple more minutes of fast and frantic gameplay here - we're just about catching our breath...
News Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Multiplayer Is Free To Play This Weekend
Try three maps and four modes for free!
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 developer Infinity Ward is unleashing its first free-to-play trial period this weekend! You can go hands on with some of MW2's biggest multiplayer maps and modes starting later today, December 15th. The free trial kicks off at 10am PT / 1pm ET / 6pm GMT, and features three...
Talking Point What Did You Think Of Xbox Games With Gold In 2022?
The final two games are now available
So, that's it for Xbox Games with Gold in 2022! Both of December's games are now available (you'll find more details about those below), so we can finally look back at the lineup over the past 12 months and analyse the entire selection. Before we do that though, here are December 2022's Games with Gold that you...
Wednesday14th Dec 2022
Guide Xbox Game Pass: All Games Coming Soon In December 2022
The full list of confirmed games so far
Looking for a complete list of games coming to Xbox Game Pass in December 2022? It can be pretty difficult to keep track of all the comings and goings in the world of Xbox Game Pass every week, so we've put together this handy guide to provide an overview of what's coming to Xbox Game Pass in December, as well...
Random High On Life Includes The Full Versions Of Four Classic Movies
From the 70s, 80s and 90s
If you've been playing High on Life on Xbox Game Pass this week, you may have noticed that the game includes some real-world movie content — in fact, it actually includes four feature-length films from the 70s, 80s and 90s! The one that's getting the most attention right now is Tammy and the T-Rex, which is a 1994 sci-fi...
News Here's A Look At The New Ray-Traced Reflections In GTA V On Xbox Series X
Also available in GTA Online
We mentioned last week that GTA Online would soon be adding ray-traced reflections for Xbox Series X (and PlayStation 5), and that update is now available, also carrying over to the next-gen version of GTA V's story campaign. Various GTA fans have been taking to social media to show off the new ray-traced reflections...
News Hey Microsoft, Could We Please Get Our Xbox 'Year In Review' Stats For 2022?
Nintendo and PlayStation have theirs!
You may have noticed earlier this week that the PlayStation "Wrap-Up 2022" and Nintendo "Year in Review 2022" stats were officially made available, allowing players to view information about their gaming habits over the past 12 months. We've seen a lot of people asking the question about whether there's an...
News Classic Call Of Duty Map Returns With Free Modern Warfare 2 Xbox Update
It's just 'ment' to be!
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 was a huge hit at launch, performing incredibly well commercially as expected for the series. Infinity Ward's latest effort sat well with players too, including us - we were big fans of what the game had to offer across all of its core modes. Well, the game is now deep into its first post-launch...
Review Rainbow Billy: The Curse Of The Leviathan - A Wholesome Wind Waker Style Adventure
Coming to Xbox Game Pass this week!
Update: Rainbow Billy: The Curse of the Leviathan is part of the Xbox Game Pass lineup for December 2022, arriving this Thursday, December 15th. Ahead of that date, we thought we'd republish this review so you can see what's in store! <related ids="141761"> Original review (October 2021): If you look at...
Poll What Is Your Xbox Game Of The Year For 2022?
Get your votes in!
It's that time of year again! We're looking to crown a Pure Xbox Game of the Year for 2022, 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 the much-anticipated Halo Infinite, closely followed by...
News Microsoft President Talks 'Disappointment' With FTC Over Call Of Duty Proposal
Report says Microsoft's offer was "shrugged off"
The latest update on the Activision Blizzard deal has arrived this Wednesday courtesy of a report from Bloomberg, along with some comments from Microsoft President Brad Smith at the Microsoft Annual Shareholders Meeting 2022. According to the report, Microsoft offered to sign a lega
News Dying Light 2 Will Be Getting Mod Support On Xbox Consoles
PC tools out now!
Dying Light 2 developer Techland has just released the game's suite of mod tools on PC - enabling fans to create custom maps and more using the in-depth toolset. Well, in a somewhat surprising reveal, those tools will also be coming to console in the future! Mod support is becoming a little more common on console generally, but...
Guide The Witcher 3: Where To Find The Netflix Quest
Here's how you can get started
The Witcher 3's "next-gen" update is officially now available for Xbox Series X|S and multiple other platforms! As part of this, there's a brand-new feature that allows players to access a new Netflix quest (including on Xbox One) featuring unlocks "inspired by the Netflix series". It's officially titled 'In the...
Guide When Will The Xbox Countdown Sale 2022 Be Revealed?
It should be very soon!
Xbox's big Black Friday bonanza may have only just wrapped up, but the discounts keep on coming as we close out 2022. Microsoft recently confirmed that the Xbox Series S has received another price cut in the UK and US during December, and we're now eagerly awaiting the big 'Countdown' sale that happens each year on Xbox Live...
News Hogwarts Legacy Just Treated Us To Another Phenomenal 30-Minute Showcase
A look at traversal, combat and customisation
We don't know about you, but our hype levels for Hogwarts Legacy are reaching boiling point! The first gameplay showcase back in November left us with high expectations, but this second showcase was even more enticing. While the first event was focused around the exploration of Hogwarts, today's new...
News The Witcher 3 Next-Gen Is Out Now For Xbox Series X And Series S
And the new photo mode is going down a treat!
The Witcher 3 Next-Gen has been one of the most anticipated launches of the year, despite the original game coming out more than seven years ago! It's no surprise really, given how loved The Witcher 3 is as one of the best Xbox RPGs. Well, it's finally out and players have already been enjoying what...
Tuesday13th Dec 2022
News Microsoft Has Again Reduced The Xbox Series S For Christmas 2022
The perfect present
We've got great news to share once again about the price of the Xbox Series S this Christmas, as Microsoft has made the decision to reduce the console by £50 / $60 from now until Saturday, December 24th. You can get this deal at the Microsoft Store right now; other retailers are also stocking the console at discounted rates:...
News Two Games Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (December 13)
Higher and higher, baby
It's your latest Xbox Game Pass drop day, folks! Two titles are coming to the library today, December 13th, including the much-anticipated High on Life from developer Squanch Games. Elsewhere, we've got another simulator launching straight onto Game Pass in the form of Potion Craft: Alchemist Simulator. Here's an...
News Metacritic Reveals The 10 Worst-Rated Video Games Of 2022
It's been a tough year for these games
While we're still waiting on the final few releases of this week to generate some extra reviews and impressions from Xbox fans before we unleash our Pure Xbox Game of the Year coverage, Metacritic has been taking a look at the absolute worst-rated games of 2022 this week, and unfortunately there are some Xbox...
Like, seriously though bro, it's on Game Pass. Hahaha, you said ass.
Note: This review is for the PC version of High on Life, as we didn't receive Xbox code until this week. You'll find some early impressions based on the Xbox Series X version of the game in the "Second Opinion" section. OK. Look. We've been deep in conversation about High On Life...
News 'Undisputed' Is Still Punching Its Way To Xbox, And Some People Have Been Playing It Already
It's also just signed a publishing deal
This isn't the first time we've reported on Undisputed — formerly known as eSports Boxing Club — but we've got fresh news to bring you about the game, as not only has it just signed a new deal with a publisher, but it's also been receiving some hands-on impressions from players over the past few days.
News High On Life's First Patch Is Out Now, Improved Performance & Bug Fixes
Here's the full list of what's included
Well, that was quick! Less than 24 hours after the game first arrived on Xbox Game Pass, High on Life has just received a day one patch across Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and PC, targeting some key improvements. Crucially, this patch is said to offer "improved performance across Xbox One and Xbox...
News Hogwarts Legacy Suffers Delay For Xbox One, But Not Xbox Series X|S
PS4 and Switch affected too
The release of Hogwarts Legacy is now just a couple of months away (crazy, huh?), but if you were looking forward to playing the game on Xbox One, we've got some bad news - it's been delayed until April 4th, 2023. To be clear, that delay only affects the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions, while Nintendo Switch has also...
News The Witcher 3 For Xbox Series S Contains Impressive 60FPS Performance Mode
"It's a really, really good new-gen upgrade"
The Witcher 3's next-gen upgrade may not be out in the wild just yet (it arrives real soon), but several outlets have already gone hands on with the new version ahead of its launch later this week. That includes The Xbox Tester, who has been putting the Xbox Series S upgrade through its paces. Although...
Report Microsoft Offers Sony The 'Right' To Include Call Of Duty On PlayStation Plus
But the deal hasn't been accepted yet
We've heard on many occasions that Microsoft has proposed a 10-year deal to Sony to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation, but now a new report is suggesting that PlayStation Plus might be involved as well. According to Bloomberg, Microsoft has offered Sony "the right to sell
Deals 100+ Games Included In This Week's Xbox Sales (December 13-20)
Update: Now joined by the Xbox Countdown Sale 2022
Update: The Xbox Countdown Sale 2022 is also now live, adding over 800 games to this list! <related ids="142699"> Original story: This week's Xbox sales are now live, and although it's not the widest selection at the moment, there are still some solid deals to be had across Xbox One, Xbox...
Talking Point Should Xbox Start Doing Its Own 'Nintendo Direct' Style Showcases?
Times are changing
The Game Awards 2022 has now come and gone, with long-time host Geoff Keighley delivering another huge in-person event following the digital efforts of the pandemic times. While the show itself brought some great early looks at some of our now-most anticipated games (Judas, we're looking at you), there's no denying that things...
Deals All Backwards Compatible Games In This Week's Xbox Sales (December 13-20)
Original Xbox and Xbox 360 classics
Update: You'll also now find more backwards compatible offers in the Xbox Countdown Sale 2022: <related ids="142699"> Original story: This week's Xbox sales have now gone live, and although the current selection of deals is somewhat limited, there are some really good backwards compatible games from the...
Monday12th Dec 2022
News Here's What Might Be Leaving Xbox Game Pass In January 2023
Some early predictions!
Update: Microsoft has now confirmed the games leaving Xbox Game Pass in January 2023, so we've updated the table below. We'll continue to do this throughout the month if any others are revealed. <related ids="143124,143719"> Original story: What's leaving Xbox Game Pass in January 2023? Well, Microsoft hasn't...
Roundup Here's What The Critics Are Saying About 'High On Life' On Xbox Game Pass
The first reviews are in
It's time! High on Life has been our most highly anticipated Xbox Game Pass release of December 2022 for a very long time now, and it's finally set to arrive in just a few short hours - the official release date is Tuesday, December 13th. <related ids="142244"> Ahead of the release, critics have been going hands-on...
Feature These 15+ Games Are Coming To Xbox This Week (December 12-16)
Get ready for a BIG week!
Welcome to your new Xbox games roundup for December 12th to 16th! The two major releases of this week are undoubtedly The Witcher 3 Next-Gen for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, as well as High on Life on Xbox Game Pass. However, we've also got the likes of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII - Reunion,
News Xbox Game Pass Is Adding A Bunch Of Riot Games Content Today (December 12)
Perks of the sub
Back at the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase last summer, the team announced another big collaboration in the form of a selection of Riot Games content coming to Game Pass. Today, the first bunch of those goodies arrives, granting PC Game Pass players some nice bonuses for some of Riot's biggest titles. Here's the full list of...
Review The Witcher 3 - One Of The Greatest Action RPGs Upgraded For Xbox Series X|S
The White Wolf returns
Polish developer CD Projekt Red has been to hell and back with the release of Cyberpunk 2077. The futuristic ARPG originally shipped with major bugs, performance issues and AI problems, and overall felt like it simply wasn’t ready for launch. It got so bad that at one point, Poland’s Office of Competition and Consumer...
News Fortnite Analysis Shows Xbox Series X|S Version Transformed By Unreal Engine 5.1 Upgrade
New horizons
A week ago, we caught wind of Epic's brand new Fortnite update that began to bring some fresh Unreal Engine 5.1 elements to the long-running battle royale title. In short, a selection of big 'next-gen' UE5 features like Nanite, Lumen, Virtual Shadow Maps, and Temporal Super Resolution all arrived with Fortnite's latest update, and
Guide The Witcher 3 Next-Gen Release Date, Release Times, Download Size Details On Xbox
Everything you need to know
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is finally getting its long-awaited next-gen update this week, after months and months of development time over at CD Projekt RED. We know a lot of folks have been eagerly awaiting this update, so here are all the pre-release details for The Witcher 3 Next-Gen ahead of its arrival on Xbox Series X...
Rumour Xbox Might Be Planning 'Some Kind Of Event' For Early 2023
Definitely not a guarantee though
The Game Awards 2022 definitely ended up feeling a little disappointing from an Xbox perspective last week. Sure, we saw plenty of games announced for the platform, but none of them came from Xbox Game Studios. Since then, Windows Cent
News 'Crime Boss: Rockay City' Gameplay Shows Sleek City Heists Coming To Xbox In 2023
Until all hell breaks loose, that is
One of the big surprise reveals at last week's The Game Awards show was the announcement of Crime Boss: Rockay City, an upcoming co-op FPS title from InGame Studios and 505 Games. On the back of its grand reveal, the team has released some extended gameplay showing off one of the game's co-op heist sequences
Roundup The Witcher 3's Next-Gen Update Is Getting Almost Unanimous Praise So Far
Look out for that huge Metacritic score
As you may have seen, the embargo for The Witcher 3 Next-Gen impressions lifted today, allowing us to bring you our review (in-progress) here at Pure Xbox, while other outlets have also been providing their opinions on the update. <related ids="142444"> It'll come as no surprise to hear that the game...
News CDPR Details 'The Witcher 3 Next-Gen' Feature List With Update 4.0 Patch Notes
Here's all the info
The Witcher 3 Next-Gen is almost here, with CDPR set to deliver the game's big Xbox Series X|S overhaul later this week on December 14th. Ahead of the native current-gen version's release, the team has detailed all the big features coming to this new edition of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. <related ids="142444"> There's...
Video Here's 14 Minutes Of Pre-Release 'High On Life' Gameplay
High on knives too
High on Life finally hits Xbox Game Pass in just a few hours as part of the December 2022 Xbox Game Pass lineup, and ahead of that launch we've been spending plenty of time with the PC version to see how things are shaping up thus far. The result of that test is this very video, featuring 14 minutes of brand-new High on Life...
Sunday11th Dec 2022
News Phil Spencer: Sony Wants To 'Make Xbox Smaller' To Protect PlayStation's Dominance
"They have a very different view of the industry"
Before all the Game Awards and FTC lawsuit madness that took place this week, Xbox boss Phil Spencer made an appearance on the
Saturday10th Dec 2022
News Five Games Are Confirmed For Xbox Game Pass In January 2023 So Far
Next year is off to a strong start!
We've still got a long way to go with December 2022's Xbox Game Pass additions, but we're also keen to look ahead to what's coming to Xbox Game Pass in January 2023, with five games confirmed for next month so far. <related ids="134085"> There are some big games on the way, too! Monster Hunter Rise makes...
Guide High On Life Release Date, Release Times & Preload Details On Xbox Game Pass
Update: Full preload now available!
High on Life is one of the most highly anticipated Xbox Game Pass games for December 2022, and it's finally almost here! The game, which comes from the mind of Justin Roiland (Rick & Morty, Solar Opposites), sees you wielding a variety of talking guns to become a deadly bounty hunter, complete with some really...
Pick One What Was Your Favourite Reveal At The Game Awards 2022?
Was there a particular highlight for you?
The Game Awards 2022 was a busy night for game reveals, and while Xbox Game Studios unfortunately didn't have anything to offer, we still saw a wide array of titles being announced for Xbox consoles during the event. Some of the highlights included the reveal of
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (December 10-11)
How about some LEGO Star Wars?
Welcome to the weekend! If you're looking for new games to play over the next few days, don't forget that we've got a bunch of recently added Xbox Game Pass titles, four games included with Free Play Days, a major new update for Halo Infinite, and a variety of ongoing sales includ
Friday9th Dec 2022
News Multiple Games Have Received Xbox Game Pass Release Dates This Week
Another batch joins the list!
In the midst of all the Game Awards 2022 madness, you might have missed that we've received a few brand-new Xbox Game Pass announcements this week, along with plenty of release dates. Let's start with the December stuff. Riot Games is bringing a variety of benefits to Xbox Game Pass in December 2022, with lots of...
News EU Responds To FTC's Concerns Over Microsoft's Acquisition Of ZeniMax & Activision Blizzard
Update: New report sheds more light on the story
Update: Stephen Totilo of Axios has also been in touch with the European Commission today, shedding a bit more light on this story. You can some of the key information in the tweets below: Totilo goes on to explain that "if you look back at the EU report on the ZeniMax deal, it did state that...
Video Xbox Highlights 16 Games Coming To Game Pass In 2023
As part of The Game Awards 2022
We were treated to a highlight montage of Xbox Game Pass games during today's The Game Awards 2022 event, which included some games that are already part of the service, as well as some upcoming Xbox Game Pass games for 2023. The games in this video that have been
News Xbox Fans Left Disappointed With Lack Of First-Party Reveals At The Game Awards 2022
Update: Xbox says it has "a lot planned" for 2023
Update: Xbox's Aaron Greenberg has shared a brief message on social media, mentioning how Xbox has "a lot planned" for the year ahead. Apparently, fans won't have to wait long to find out what's next! "We have a lot planned to show and share about an incredibly exciting year ahead for 2023...
News Crime Boss: Rockay City Brings Its Star-Studded Cast To Xbox Series X|S In 2023
A first-person shooter heist game
You may have noticed during The Game Awards 2022 last night that were treated to a new announcement for Crime Boss: Rockay City, which is a first-person shooter heist game coming to Xbox Series X and Series S in 2023. The game features a pretty amazing cast, including Michael Masden, Kim Basinger, Damion Poitier,...
Roundup Here's Everything That Was Revealed At The Game Awards 2022
Missed the event? Here's a recap
Weren't able to catch The Game Awards 2022 earlier today? No worries! You can always go back and watch the on-demand version for yourself, which you'll find elsewhere on Pure Xbox. If you don't fancy watching it all the way through, we've also detailed all the important reveals in this article. The following list...
News FTC Files Lawsuit To Block Microsoft's Takeover Of Activision Blizzard
The news we didn't want to hear
The US Federal Trade Commission has announced today that it's seeking to block Microsoft's attempted acquisition of Activision Blizzard, stating that the deal would "harm competition in high-performance gaming consoles and subscription services by denying or degrading rivals’ access to its popular content". In a...
Random Kid Gets Arrested After Invading Game Awards 2022 & Ranting About Bill Clinton
This was a bizarre moment
If you were watching The Game Awards 2022 last night, you may have noticed a bizarre moment at the end of the show in which an intruder made their way onto the stage and proceeded to talk about Bill Clinton. There was a bit of confusion at the time about who the person was and whether they were supposed to be part of the...
News The Callisto Protocol's Latest Patch Adds Ray-Traced Reflections On Xbox Series X
Along with bug fixes and improvements
The Callisto Protocol suffered a few issues on Xbox Series X when it arrived this time last week, with the biggest problem being that the Series X version was bizarrely missing the ray-traced reflections included in the PS5 version. Fortunately, that's now finally been fixed as of today's patch, with The...
News Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty Unveils New Trailer, Idris Elba Joins The Cast
"Introducing Idris Elba as Solomon Reed"
CD Projekt Red has treated us to our second look at the 2023 expansion for Cyberpunk 2077 called "Phantom Liberty" today, and it's revealed that Idris Elba will be joining the cast as FIA Agent Solomon Reed. You can check out the new trailer above, along with some official details below. "Introducing Idris...
News Meet Your Maker, A New Building-And-Raiding Game, Launches On Xbox In April 2023
Every level designed by players
We've received another new Xbox release date at The Game Awards 2022 today - this time in the form of Meet Your Maker, which is a new building-and-raiding game where every level is designed by players! It's coming to Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S on April 4th, 2023. You can watch the release date trailer...
News Remnant 2 Confirmed For Xbox Series X|S With Epic Reveal Trailer
The sequel to Remnant: From The Ashes
The sequel to Remnant: From The Ashes has been confirmed today at The Game Awards 2022 in the form of Remnant 2, which is officially coming to Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. You can check out the epic reveal trailer above, along with the official description below. Remnant II is the sequel to the...
News Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Launches March 2023, Gameplay Trailer Revealed
“As long as we fight, hope survives”
We've finally got a date for Star Wars Jedi: Survivor! The long awaited sequel to Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order officially arrives for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S on March 17th, 2023, as revealed at The Game Awards 2022 today. You can watch the brand-new reveal trailer above, and you'll also find more...
News BioShock Creator Reveals 'Judas', A New Single-Player Narrative FPS
"Make or break alliances with your worst enemies"
As part of The Game Awards 2022, it's been revealed that BioShock creator Ken Levine and his Ghost Story Games development studio are working on a brand-new, single-player narrative FPS called Judas. The game is officially heading to Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, although there's no date yet. A...
News Unreal Engine 5 Shooter 'Immortals Of Aveum' Arrives On Xbox Series X|S In 2023
Published as part of EA Originals
A brand-new EA Originals title has been announced today called Immortals of Aveum, which is "made by the creators of Call of Duty and Dead Space" and will be coming to Xbox Series X and Series S in 2023. You can watch the reveal trailer above, and we've included more details below. "Immortals of Aveum is a...
News Elden Ring Crowned TGA's 2022 Game Of The Year
It also took out multiple other awards on the night
Elden Ring has already received a lot of praise and now at this year's Game Awards show, it's officially been crowned the Game of the Year. The other titles nominated in this category included A Plague Tale: Requiem, God of War Ragnarok, Horizon Forbidden West, Stray and Xenoblade Chronicles 3.
Poll How Would You Grade The Game Awards 2022?
Give us your verdict
The dust is now beginning to settle on The Game Awards 2022! If you haven't had a chance to watch it yet, you can catch the full thing over at our live coverage page, as well as check out our recap of everything that happened as part of the show. So, all things considered, what grade would you give The Game Awards 2022? Vote...
News Diablo 4 Release Date Confirmed, Launches On Xbox In June 2023
"All Hell Breaks Loose 6.6.23"
As leaked on the Xbox Store earlier this week, it's been confirmed today at The Game Awards 2022 that Diablo 4 will launch for Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S on June 6th, 2023. You can check out the new trailer for Diablo 4 above, along with official details below. "The endless battle between the High...
News Here's Your First Look At Tekken 8 Gameplay, Coming To Xbox Series X|S
"This family reunion is going to be explosive"
Bandai Namco has today treated us to our first look at Tekken 8 gameplay, with the game scheduled to hit Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S at some point in the future. You can check out the brand-new trailer above. We've also included some official details about the game below. "Father. Son. Mother...
News FromSoftware Unveils Armored Core VI Fires Of Rubicon, Coming To Xbox In 2023
Elden Ring developer reveals its next project
Legendary Japanese developer FromSoftware (Elden Ring) unveiled a brand-new title at this year's Game Awards show. It's the sixth entry in the third-person mech shooter series, Armored Core. This next entry is officially titled Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon, published by Bandai Namco and arriving at...
News Life Is Strange Dev Returns With 'Banishers: Ghosts Of New Eden' On Xbox Series X|S In 2023
A very different kind of game from DON’T NOD
The developer behind Life is Strange and Tell Me Why is returning in 2023 with a very different kind of game in the form of Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden, which is described as a "powerful and intimate" Action-RPG. You can check out the reveal trailer above, along with more details below. "Experience...
News Hades 2 Announced By Supergiant Games, Watch The Reveal Trailer
"Meet the Princess of the Underworld"
As part of The Game Awards 2022, Supergiant Games has announced today that Hades 2 is officially in development, with details about early access set to arrive in 2023 - although there's no word on platforms as of yet. You can check out the official reveal trailer above, along with some more details below:...
News Bandai Namco Is Bringing Its Free MMORPG 'Blue Protocol' To Xbox Series X|S Next Year
"Prepare to battle for your future"
Bandai Namco and Amazon Games have announced today that the free MMORPG Blue Protocol will be coming to Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S in the second half of 2023, as revealed at The Game Awards 2022. You can watch the new trailer above, and check out some official information below. Prepare to battle for your...
Thursday8th Dec 2022
Live Watch The Game Awards 2022 Here
The final major event of the year
Welcome! The Game Awards 2022 is the final major event of the year, and promises to feature a wide array of announcements complete with live performances and famous presenters, along with the actual awards themselves. "Celebrate the best video games of the year and see what's next at THE GAME AWARDS. Hosted by...
Friday9th Dec 2022
News Crash Team Rumble Brings Its Multiplayer Madness To Xbox In 2023
Finally, a new Crash Bandicoot game!
We've finally got confirmation of a brand-new Crash Bandicoot game, but it's quite different to what you might expect! Crash Team Rumble is the name, and it's been confirmed for Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. You can watch the reveal trailer above, as well as check out some details below. Join the...
News Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League Gets May 2023 Release Date, Kevin Conroy To Play Batman
The late actor's final performance
The Game Awards 2022 has finally confirmed a release date for Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League, with the game set to arrive for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S on May 26th, 2023. In addition, it's been confirmed that the late Kevin Conroy will play Batman in the game. You can check out the brand-new trailer...
News 'Hellboy Web Of Wyrd' Is A New Roguelike Action Adventure, Confirmed For Xbox Series X|S
"Featuring monstrous toe-to-toe brawling"
During the pre-show for The Game Awards 2022 on Thursday, we were treated to the announcement of Hellboy Web of Wyrd for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, which is a new roguelike action adventure created in partnership with Dark Horse Comics and Hellboy creator Mike Mignola. There's no date for this one...
News Splash Damage Is Working On 'Transformers: Reactivate', A Brand-New Online Action Game
"Earth is no longer ours; it belongs to them"
Yes, we've got a new Transformers game on the way! Gears Tactics developer Splash Damage is currently hard at work on Transformers: Reactivate, which will take the form of an online action game for 1-4 players. You can check out the official trailer above, along with some details below. The gravest...
News The Creators Of Celeste Are Returning With 'Earthblade' In 2024
Travel the remnants of a ruined world
The developer behind the outstanding Celeste is returning with Earthblade in 2024, as announced today at The Game Awards 2022. Today's event treated us to a look at gameplay, along with some official details on what to expect. You can check out those details below, along with the footage above. You are...
Thursday8th Dec 2022
News Free Play Days: Try These Xbox Games For Free (December 8-11)
Take to the battlefield
It's time for another batch of Free Play Days titles! Four more games are available to play for free from December 8th to 11th (2022) for Xbox Live Gold members, and they're ready to download right now. It's a pretty stacked lineup this week, although admittedly three of the games are already included with Xbox Game Pass...
Guide Microsoft Rewards: How To Claim 2000 Bonus Points On Xbox In December
Update: New 'Season of Xbox' punch card now live!
Update: Since we first published this guide, Microsoft Rewards has also added a new "Season of Xbox" punch card for 150 points, along with an "Xbox Series S Gilded Hunter Bundle" punch card for 50 points and a Game Awards 2022 punch card for 50 points. Both of the first two punch cards expire on...
News Phil Spencer Admits 'Something Had To Give' With Price Of First-Party Xbox Games
"We had held off as long as we could..."
Head of Xbox Phil Spencer has been speaking about the recent announcement that major first-party Xbox games will be getting a price increase beginning in 2023, jumping from $59.99 to $69.99 at launch. In his conversation with the
News Chained Echoes On Xbox Game Pass Is Getting Incredible Reviews So Far
"The best RPG I've played all year"
One of the new additions to Xbox Game Pass on December 8th is Chained Echoes, and although we haven't seen too many reviews for this one just yet, the handful of scores that it's received have been extremely high so far. We unfortunately haven't been able to get access to the Xbox version of Chained Echoes until...
News Xbox Game Awards Sale 2022 Now Live, Big Discounts For Major Games
But be quick, it ends this Sunday!
To celebrate The Game Awards 2022, Microsoft has put another sale on the Xbox Store featuring some big AAA games with excellent discounts! At first glance, it looks like just under 100 games have been reduced for the next few days. You'll find the Game Awards 2022 sale in the "Deals" section of the Microsoft Store...
News Gabe Newell: Valve Trusts Microsoft, 10-Year Call Of Duty Offer 'Wasn't Necessary'
"Phil and the team have always followed through..."
Yesterday, Microsoft announced it had "committed to continue to offer" Call of Duty on Steam after the planned acquisition of Activision Blizzard. As reassuring as it is, it seems Valve co-founder and CEO Gabe Newell was never really worried in the first place. Speaking to Kotaku, Gabe revealed...
News Two Games Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (December 8)
Including a brand-new JRPG!
It's another Xbox Game Pass day! We've got two additions to the December 2022 Xbox Game Pass lineup, with one of them being a brand-new JRPG called Chained Echoes, and another being the Xbox One version of Metal: Hellsinger. We actually reviewed Metal: Hellsinger earlier this year, calling it a "slick and addictive...
News Here's What The Critics Are Saying About Warhammer 40K: Darktide On PC Game Pass
Just over a week since launch
The final Xbox Game Pass release of November 2022 was Warhammer 40,000: Darktide, although it's still only available on PC for now, with the console version set to arrive "shortly after" last week's launch (there's no date yet). Despite the lack of Xbox version, plenty of Game Pass members have been enjoying the game...
Random The Xbox Store Is Going Crazy With 'Simulator' Games Right Now
Animal Shelter Simulator, anyone?
We've definitely seen a resurgence of "simulator" games on Xbox over the past couple of years. From Microsoft Flight Simulator to Lawn Mowing Simulator to PowerWash Simulator, these games have attracted huge audiences on Xbox Game Pass, and there are plenty of other non-Game Pa
News Metal: Hellsinger's First Major Update Brings Multiple New Features To Xbox Game Pass
New difficulty, new combos & more!
It's a big day for the rhythm FPS Metal: Hellsinger, as not only has it just launched a brand-new Xbox One version on Xbox Game Pass, but it's also released its first proper content update across all platforms. Metal: Hellsinger Patch 1.5 introduces a brand-new difficulty in the form of "Archdevil", which can only...
Wednesday7th Dec 2022
News Lots Of Games Reduced By 90% In New Xbox 'Under $20' Sale
It's a HUGE selection this week!
Looking for some cheap Xbox games during the Xbox Games Under $20 sale? Yes, Xbox's latest batch of deals includes some absolutely incredible bargains with 90% (or 95%) discounts, including the likes of Injustice 2, Sniper Elite 4, LEGO DC Super-Villains,
News Xbox's Phil Spencer Explains How Call Of Duty Will Work On Nintendo
It'll take a while to "get into the rhythm", he says
Microsoft dropped a big announcement on us earlier today in relation to Nintendo, confirming that a 10-year commitment would see Call of Duty coming to that platform - as long as the company is successful in acquiring Activision Blizzard. Head of Xbox Phil Spencer has revealed a bit more about...
News Microsoft Shows Frustration As Sony Fails To Respond To 10-Year Call Of Duty Offer
"It’s clear they’re spending more time with the regulators"
Earlier today, Xbox boss Phil Spencer confirmed the news that a 10-year commitment has been agreed to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo (and Steam) following Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, but as of right now, we still haven't heard about what's happening with Sony and...
News Xbox Series X|S Fighting To Become The Best-Selling UK Console Of 2022
It's going to be extremely close
We've been seeing great news about Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S sales throughout the year across various regions, and in the United Kingdom specifically, it sounds like it could even become the best-selling console of 2022. This is according to Chris Dring of GamesIndustry.biz, who reports that "just 20,000...
News Diablo 4's Release Date Appears To Have Been Leaked By The Xbox Store
With a size of around 80GB
It looks like we're going to get an official release date for Diablo 4 at The Game Awards 2022 this Thursday, but ahead of that event, the Xbox Store appears to have leaked the date a little early - June 5th or 6th, 2023. Once again, Twitter user Aggiornamenti Lumia has found this date hidden away from public view on the...
News Microsoft Enters '10-Year Commitment' To Bring Call Of Duty To Nintendo Platforms
CoD will also continue to be offered on Steam
Following on from yesterday's news about Microsoft offering Sony a 10-year deal to keep the Call of Duty franchise on PlayStation, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer has now delivered another huge update. In a brief post on social media, the Xbox boss announced Microsoft had entered into a "10-year...
Talking Point Do You Think Microsoft Will Be Able To Acquire Activision Blizzard?
Or is it in real danger of getting blocked?
Another day, another set of stories linked to Microsoft's attempted acquisition of Activision Blizzard! The focus at the moment is on Microsoft's commitment to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo Switch and Steam over the next ten years, and that also extends to PlayStation if Sony is willing to agree to the...
News Xbox Partners With 'Calm', Free Trial Now Available As Game Pass Perk
Including new Xbox soundscapes!
The Xbox team has today published a pretty extensive blog on the Xbox Wire website dedicated to Mental Health Awareness, and this includes a brand-new partnership with "Calm" along with a free Xbox Game Pass Perk. Calm is described as "the #1 app for sleep, meditation and relaxation", and as of today, the Shores of...
Guide The Game Awards 2022: Everything You Need To Know
The date, time, length, and details on Thursday's event
It's almost time for the last big event of the year! The Game Awards 2022 promises more major reveals for a variety of upcoming games, as well as some celebrity appearances and live performances - and of course, plenty of awards! What Can We Expect From The Game Awards 2022? The host of The...
News Co-Op Beat 'Em Up River City Girls 2 Locks In Xbox Release, Arriving Next Week
"The River City Girls are back!"
If you've been seeking more retro-style beat 'em ups to play on the Xbox, you might want to check out River City Girls 2 when it arrives next week. WayForward has announced that Misako and Kyoko will be arriving on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S on 15th December for $39.99 USD. Here's the official tweet: The...
News Microsoft Flight Simulator Soars To 10 Million Players Across Xbox & PC
New heights
The incredible Microsoft Flight Simulator is today celebrating 10 million players across Xbox consoles, Xbox Cloud Gaming and Windows PC, 27 months after it first released (for PC) back in August of 2020. In addition to that figure, it's also been confirmed that players have taken 500 million flights and have flown 40 billion miles,...
Tuesday6th Dec 2022
News 343 Is Rolling Out A Halo Infinite End-Of-Year Update
Now live!
Update: The Halo Infinite end-of-year update is now live, and it's a HUGE one! We've got a Custom Game Browser, new multiplayer map, complimentary cosmetics and much more... check out the full roundup in the article below. <related ids="142187"> Original story: It's been a bumpy ride for Halo Infinite this year, with plenty of...
News Four Years Later, GRIS Finally Arrives On Xbox Series X|S This December
With support for 2K/120FPS on Series S!
Devolver Digital has announced today that the award-winning GRIS is finally coming to Xbox consoles, four years after it first debuted for PC and Nintendo Switch in 2018. It's an Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S release (no sign of Xbox One here), and it'll be arriving next week on Tuesday, December 13th. If...
News Far Cry 6 'Lost Between Worlds' Expansion Looks Nothing Like Far Cry In Gameplay Intro
Far Cry nixed
Okay, look, this writer will openly admit he wasn't the biggest fan of Far Cry 6, finding the series' latest entry a bit tired compared to past Far Cry titles. However, at least Ubisoft delivered on the Far Cry memo there, providing a huge, gorgeous open world to cause all sorts of chaos in. Well, much like other recent Far Cry DLC...
Review Marvel's Midnight Suns: Firaxis Serves Up Another Stellar Slice Of Tactical Turn-Based Action
Simply Marvellous
There aren't many more reliable development teams than Firaxis when it comes to serving up top-notch turn-based tactical action, and with Marvel's Midnight Suns, the Baltimore-based studio continues to deliver the good stuff. Here they've avoided a simple superhero reskin of their superlative XCOM series in favour of strategic...
Feature Our Predictions For The Game Awards 2022
Great expectations
Yep, it's that time of year again already! The Game Awards 2022 circus rolls into town later this week and, as per usual, we're certain to be in for some big announcements and surprises regarding upcoming games amidst all the important awards being handed out. So, in time-honoured fashion, we've put together a quick list of games...
News Two Games Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (December 6)
The galaxy is yours
It's a big day for Xbox Game Pass! We've got two games joining the lineup today, December 6th, including the brand-new release of Hello Neighbor 2, along with the highly anticipated arrival of LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga! If you're interested to know whether LEGO Star Wars is worth your time, we reviewed it earlier this...
Deals 400+ Games Included In This Week's Xbox Sales (December 6-13)
Deals with Gold, Spotlight & 'Games Under $20' Sales
Update: Although not initially included in the official Xbox Wire roundup, there's also a "Games Under $20" sale on Xbox this week featuring almost 250 deals, along with a separate Game Awards 2022 sale. We've picked out the biggest deals from these sales in separate articles here at Pure Xbox:...
Roundup Here's What The Critics Are Saying About Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion
The remaster of the PSP game arrives next week
One of the highlights of the roundup of new Xbox releases for December 2022 is Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion, which arrives on December 13th and serves as a remaster of the 2008 PSP game of the same name. Ahead of launch, various critics have been getting hands-on with the PS5 and PC versions,...
News Vampire Survivors Gets Its First Xbox DLC This December, And It's Ridiculously Cheap
Great deal if you're already playing this on Game Pass!
You recently told us that Vampire Survivors was your favourite Xbox Game Pass title in November 2022 by an absolute landslide, so you'll be glad to hear that the game is getting its first bit of DLC next week on Thursday, December 15th! The DLC is called "Legacy of the Moonspell", and will...
Monday5th Dec 2022
Brad Smith gives his views
Yes, it's another one of these stories! Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith has today been discussing the potential of an FTC lawsuit over the company's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, confirming in the process that Microsoft has not only offered Sony a 10-year deal to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation, but...
Tuesday6th Dec 2022
News Halo Infinite Adds Custom Game Browser, New Multiplayer Map & Much More
"How about some early presents?"
343 Industries has today treated us to a massive new end-of-year update for Halo Infinite, featuring the long-awaited arrival of a Custom Game Browser, along with a new multiplayer map, complimentary cosmetics and much more. The Custom Game Browser means you can "start and join a Custom Game using any map and mode...
News GTA Online To Add Ray-Traced Reflections For Xbox Series X In December 2022 Update
Specifically for Fidelity Mode
Rockstar Games has confirmed that the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 versions of Grand Theft Auto Online will be receiving another visual upgrade this month in the form of ray-traced reflections. This feature will roll out as part of the GTA Online December 2022 update, which hasn't received a release date as of yet...
News Elden Ring Brings Free 'Colosseum' Update To Xbox Consoles This Week
"Come forth, warriors"
Well, here's a nice surprise for Elden Ring owners! Bandai Namco has announced today that the game is getting a free update across all platforms (including Xbox One, Series X and Series S) this Wednesday, December 7th. The update is called "Colosseum", and it will allow players to "engage in battles such as duels,...
News Are You Ready, Kids? SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake Hits Xbox This January
"Everybody do the Cosmic Shake!"
We've got another game to add to the January list of Xbox releases! SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake finally now has a release date, and it'll be with us in just a few short weeks on January 31st, 2023. The game is centred around SpongeBob and Patrick meeting a fortune teller who gives them a vial of...
Monday5th Dec 2022
News Xbox Owners Stunned By 'Insane' Fortnite Graphics Following Unreal Engine 5.1 Upgrade
"It really looks amazing"
You may have noticed over the weekend that Fortnite Battle Royale Chapter 4 went live across all current Xbox platforms, although the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S were treated to an absolutely awesome feature that you won't find on Xbox One. As of this update, Fortnite now makes use of various Unreal Engine 5.1 features...
Feature These 15+ Games Are Coming To Xbox This Week (December 5-9)
It's a great week for Game Pass
Welcome to your new Xbox games roundup for December 5th to 9th! The big spotlight is definitely on Xbox Game Pass this week, which adds Hello Neighbor 2, Chained Echoes, LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga and Metal Hellsinger (Xb
News The Witcher 3 Next-Gen 'Impresses Hugely' For Xbox Series X In Digital Foundry Preview
"Truly looks and plays better than ever before"
We're only just over a week away from the launch of The Witcher 3 Next-Gen for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, and Digital Foundry has had a chance to go hands-on with the free update prior to its December 14th release date. Basically, it's good news! The outlet says that the new version "impressed...
News NFS Unbound Dev Says Leaving Xbox One Behind Led To 'Transformative Racing Experience'
"I feel like anyone that plays it will totally understand"
Need for Speed Unbound is the first NFS title to arrive after the current-gen console launch in late 2020, with the teams at EA and Criterion deciding to drop last-gen systems with this release. While the development studio initially wanted to go with a cross-gen release for Unbound, it...
News There's Apparently A 'Rift' At The FTC Over Xbox's Activision Blizzard Deal
Things might have swung in Microsoft's favour
It was reported recently that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) was likely to file a lawsuit against Microsoft's attempt acquisition of Activision Blizzard, but there's now "hope" that the merger will be approved by the FTC instead. A new report from the New York Post says that the acquisition has...
News Xbox First-Party Games Are Officially Getting A Price Increase In 2023
Including Starfield, Redfall & Forza Motorsport
Microsoft has confirmed today that Xbox Game Studios (first-party) titles will be getting a price increase from 2023 onwards, with Starfield, Redfall and Forza Motorsport all reflecting the new $69.99 USD price point next year. This will affect games "built for Xbox Series X|S" - in other words, all...
News EA Adds Three 'Medal Of Honor' Games To 2023 Server Closure List
It's a growing tally
Medal Of Honor has been dormant for some time on Xbox, with the series' only recent release coming in the form of Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond for PCVR. While the future of the series following 'Above and Beyond' is unclear, the fate of some Xbox 360-era titles has sadly been confirmed - they're set to close down soon...
Video EA Showcases First 18 Minutes Of The 'Dead Space' Xbox Series X|S Remake
It's looking good!
Back in October, EA finally showed some gameplay of its upcoming Dead Space remake, which officially launches on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S in January 2023. Our first taste of the game's current-gen makeover left us wanting more, and well, EA has now provided that courtesy of IGN. The team has just dropped almost 20 minutes...
Hands On Need For Speed Unbound Is A Next-Gen Return To Form For NFS
Gotta go fast
As soon as we caught wind that British developer Criterion was back behind the wheel of the latest Need for Speed title, you could say we were pretty excited to see the final result. A number of the series' recent entries have underwhelmed us, so a mix up in the dev department felt like a good choice with 2022's game. While the results...
News Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Set For March 2023 Release On Xbox Series X|S
Steam has revealed a launch date
Update: Game Awards host Geoff Keighley has now confirmed the "first gameplay" of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor will be shown at this year's event. Original article: Early 2023 is starting to look pretty busy for new Xbox releases, and now it seems as though Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is joining the lineup! According t
News Cyberpunk 2077 GOTY Edition To Launch After 'Phantom Liberty' Expansion
Another one
CD Projekt RED isn't far from launching its The Witcher 3 Next-Gen Upgrade, but there's still a fair amount of Cyberpunk 2077 stuff ticking away in the background. The team is continuing its work on the futuristic RPG's expansion, Phantom Liberty, and sometime after that a Game of the Year Edition will launch. As reported on by Polish...
Sunday4th Dec 2022
Talking Point What Do You Think Of Insurgency: Sandstorm On Xbox Game Pass?
Enjoying it so far?
Insurgency: Sandstorm has been playable on Xbox Game Pass for a few days now, having arrived on the service as one of November 2022's biggest Game Pass additions. Here at Pure Xbox, we've been enjoying this one since it first released on console, and we're glad to see the game opened up to a whole new audience. Sandstorm is a...
Saturday3rd Dec 2022
Review The Callisto Protocol - An Uneven Spiritual Successor To Dead Space
Get a GRP
Striking Distance Studios has made no secret of the fact that its inaugural effort, The Callisto Protocol, shares plenty of DNA with Visceral Games' genre-defining Dead Space franchise, and with a bunch of ex-Visceral staff, including Dead Space's co-creator, designer, animation director and co-developer all involved here, it should come...
News Despite The Launch Issues, The Callisto Protocol Is Great At 60FPS On Xbox Series X
It's a beautiful game as well
Update: The Callisto Protocol has since added various patches on Xbox Series X: <related ids="142421"> Original story: The release of The Callisto Protocol caused a bit of fuss earlier this week when it was reported that the Xbox Series X version was missing ray traced reflections in its quality
News Halo's Multiplayer Creative Director Leaves 343 After More Than 11 Years
Another Halo veteran has departed
Following the recent release of the Halo Infinite Winter Update, longtime 343 Industries employee Tom French has announced his departure from the team. In a brief message on social media, French said he was stepping out of his Spartan armour to go on "new adventures". He added how it had been a "massive honor" to...
Pick One What Was Your Favourite Xbox Game Pass Game In November?
Pentiment? Battlefield 2042? Vampire Survivors? Tell us!
It's time for another round of Pick One! With November now finally behind us, we're once again going back and looking at the complete batch of Xbox Game Pass games from last month, with the goal of picking an overall favourite. It was another strong month for Xbox Game Pass (as always), with...
News Xbox Winter Demo Event 2022 Announced, Will Feature 20+ Games
Play a bunch of ID@Xbox demos for free next week!
Xbox has announced today that the ID@Xbox Winter Demo Event 2022 will be taking place from December 6th to December 12th, allowing you to check out a bunch of upcoming Xbox indie games. The demos for these games will be available to download from the Xbox dashboard for a week before they disappear,...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (December 3-4)
Anyone for some Walking Dead?
Welcome to the first weekend of December 2022! We've been spoilt for choice in terms of new additions on Xbox this week once again, including a bunch of new Xbox Game Pass titles, three more Free Play Days games, lots of major new releases including The Callisto Pr
Friday2nd Dec 2022
News The Callisto Protocol Performance Analysis Shows 'Disappointing' Issues On Xbox Series X|S
"It's not a disaster but it needs additional work"
Update: The Callisto Protocol has since received various patches on Xbox Series X and S: <related ids="142421"> Original story: Digital Foundry's The Callisto Protocol analysis is here, and sadly, there are a few issues present on both current-gen Xbox consoles right now. Sure, the game is...
News EA Reveals Long-Term Roadmap For Battlefield 2042 On Xbox Game Pass
Support is coming, lots of it
After a year-long wait, DICE's latest shooter in Battlefield 2042 hit Xbox Game Pass last month, coinciding with the game's third season of content. While that third season is still in full swing with more content to come, the team has also detailed some of what's arriving during Season 4, along with confirming Season 5...
News Monster Hunter Rise Supports 120FPS On Xbox Series X, Two Performance Modes Confirmed
"Enjoy silky smooth action on Xbox Series X"
In case you missed it, Monster Hunter Rise was finally confirmed last night to be coming to Xbox Game Pass in January 2023, jumping across from Nintendo Switch to Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and Windows PC. We also now have a few more details about how Monster Hunter Rise will perform on Xbox...
News Hot Wheels Unleashed Mysteriously Removed From Latest Xbox Game Pass Lineup
But don't worry, it's still on the way eventually
Microsoft treated us a fantastic lineup of new Xbox Game Pass games for December 2022 earlier this week, but one of the games that unfortunately appears to have dropped out until 2023 is Hot Wheels Unleashed - GOTY Edition. In an update on the Xbox Wire website, it's simply mentioned that the game...
News Need For Speed Unbound Impresses At Over 1080P, 60FPS On Xbox Series S
"It's pretty amazing"
We've been digging into Need For Speed Unbound over the past few days - in fact, we should have some of our own impressions to share on the game fairly shortly! Our time so far has been spent playing on Xbox Series X, where the game hits 4K / 60FPS for some sweet, smooth racing. However, it looks like Unbound is pretty...
Guide Microsoft Rewards: How To Complete December 2022's 'Xbox Game Pass' Punch Card
500 points for just a few minutes' work!
It's Microsoft Rewards time! In addition to the new December 2022 Monthly Bonus Round punch card on Xbox, we've also got a second punch card this month in which you can acquire an extra 500 points for very little work. The punch card is called "Xbox Game Pass games to Play Together" and requires you to...
News The Overwatch-Style 'Gundam Evolution' Is Now Available For Free On Xbox
"Get in pilots!"
Interested in a new free-to-play release? Bandai Namco has launched Gundam Evolution on Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S this week, which takes the form of a team-based first-person shooter. Gundam Evolution is focused around 6v6 battles in which "players take control of mobile suits from the hit Gundam anime". The game is...
Roundup Here's What The Critics Think Of Dead Space-Like 'The Callisto Protocol'
Enough space
We feel like we've been waiting forever for this one, but The Callisto Protocol is finally out today, December 2nd! Ahead of launch, a bunch of outlets have been playing this horror shooter — directed by one of the creators of Dead Space — so we have a fair idea of what the critics think so far. Update: You'll also now find our...
Deals 500+ Add-Ons Discounted As Part Of Xbox Winter DLC Sale
Fill yer stockings!
Shortly after this week's Deals with Gold selection went live, the folks over at Xbox decided to unload an absolutely massive add-on sale upon us, featuring over 500 chunks of Xbox DLC. There's quite a lot of stuff featured here, including huge expansions like Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarok, so the full selection is...
News Assassin's Creed Mirage Reportedly Aiming For August 2023 Launch On Xbox
Coming into view
Ubisoft announced its next core Assassin's Creed game back in September when it unveiled Assassin's Creed Mirage to the world, set in the city of Baghdad. At the time, the company only attached a "2023" release window to Mirage, with no further details on a proper release date revealed at the time. However, a new report suggests the...
News Pure Xbox Game Club December 2022: Pentiment
Come join the PX Game Club!
Want to enhance your Xbox Game Pass experience? Come join the official Pure Xbox Game Club! We can't take any credit on staff for this — the PX Game Club is the work of ralphdibny and the rest of the contributors over at the Pure Xbox forums, who have established a community that meets up every month to play a game on...
Thursday1st Dec 2022
News Xbox Is Offering 'Buy One, Get One Free' On Select Ubisoft Games This December
Cool idea, but still pretty expensive
Although the Xbox Black Friday Sale 2022 has finally come to an end, you may still be interested in a brand-new Ubisoft sale that just hit the Xbox Store, where Xbox is offering "buy one, get one free" on a bunch of the company's titles. We spotted this deal earlier today in the UK, and we're presuming it's...
News Three Games Are Available Today With Xbox / PC Game Pass (December 1)
Update: Another surprise joins the lineup!
Update: We've got another one to add to the list! Eastward has arrived today on console, PC and cloud as part of Xbox Game Pass, so we've added it to the list below. We'll let you know if any others crop up! Original story: Microsoft has wasted little time with the Xbox Game Pass lineup in December 2022,...
News These Eight Games Are Coming To Xbox Game Pass (December 6-15)
Update: One has been removed!
Update: Microsoft has since delayed Hot Wheels Unleashed on Xbox Game Pass for unknown reasons. We've updated the table below to reflect this. Original story: The first batch of December 2022's Xbox Game Pass titles has arrived, with Microsoft officially revealing what's coming to the service in early December, inclu
News Another 11 Games Will Leave Xbox Game Pass Soon (December 15)
This is a painful one!
Microsoft has confirmed the first batch of games that will leave Xbox Game Pass in December 2022, and it's a pretty painful set of departures, featuring the likes of Dragon Quest XI, Aliens: Fireteam Elite, Firewatch, Lake and others. Here's the full list of titles leaving Xbox Game Pass in early December 2022:
News Monster Hunter Rise Confirmed For Xbox Game Pass In January 2023
No longer a Switch console exclusive!
Update: Well, it's official! Microsoft has confirmed that Monster Hunter Rise is coming to Xbox Game Pass for Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and PC on January 20th, 2023, and you can watch the trailer above. In addition, the huge "Sunbreak" expansion will also launch for Xbox in Spring 2023...
News Todd Howard: People Are Going To Play The Next Elder Scrolls Game For Decades
Elder Scrolls 6 is a massive undertaking for Bethesda
Beyond Starfield, the most anticipated Bethesda game currently in development is easily Elder Scrolls 6. So far, fans know little to nothing about it, and while Lex Fridman was unable to get much out of the legendary game designer Todd Howard in his latest YouTube podcast, Todd did open up about...
Review LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga - The Force Is Strong With This One
Update: And now it's heading to Game Pass!
Update (Thu 1st Dec, 2022): With today's news that LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is coming to Xbox Game Pass on December 6th, 2022, we thought we'd republish this review to give you an idea of what to expect. Enjoy! <related ids="141983"> Original review (Mon 4th Apr, 2022): This reviewer has...
News It's Official, LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga Joins Xbox Game Pass Next Week
We've got a great feeling about this
It was teased yesterday, and now we've got confirmation! LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is officially joining Xbox Game Pass next week on Tuesday, December 6th. The Force is definitely strong with this announcement! LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is the most recent game
News Free Play Days: Try These Xbox Games For Free (December 1-4)
Including this interplanetary action RPG adventure
It's time for another batch of Free Play Days titles! Three more games are available to play for free from December 1st to December 4th (2022) for Xbox Live Gold members, and they're ready to download right now. It's not the most exciting lineup if you're an Xbox Game Pass subscriber, as both...
News Xbox Boasts 'Strong' UK Sales Of Series X|S For Black Friday 2022
"The platform accounted for 40% of all consoles sold..."
We're finally starting to get some sales data from Black Friday 2022 for Xbox, and it looks like the platform did very well for itself over the past week - at least in the UK, where the Series X and Series S accounted for 40% of all consoles sold. That figure is slightly behind the Nintendo...
Report Microsoft 'Held Meetings' With Sony Last Week To Discuss Activision Blizzard Deal
FTC expected to make a decision in January
The latest update in the ongoing Activision Blizzard saga has arrived this week courtesy of Seeking Alpha, with the outlet reporting that Microsoft and Sony "held meetings" to discuss the acquisition this past weekend. The report mentions that Microsoft is "working to give assurances to Sony that it will...
Site News Welcome Craig To Pure Xbox's New YouTube Channel
Signing in
Ever since we relaunched Pure Xbox back in 2020, we've been itching to get back into producing video content for you on our YouTube channel. Today we bring you good news, we're finally back, and we're thrilled to introduce you to Craig, our new full-time Video Producer who will be heading up the channel. We would love it if you checked...
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