Feature These 10+ Games Are Coming To Xbox This Week (July 18-22)
BM: Infinite, Forza Horizon 5: Hot Wheels & More!
News Xbox Live 1.0 Is Getting A Replacement, And It'll Support 13 Games At Launch
Online multiplayer returns to the original Xbox!
News This Next-Gen Soulslike RPG Launches August 2022 On Xbox Series X|S
Update: But now a week later than planned
News Bright Memory: Infinite Looks 'Mindboggling' On Xbox Series S
The next-gen-only shooter is impressing folks so far
News Far Cry 6 Xbox Game Pass Ad Was A Mistake, Confirms Ubisoft
Update: It's not on the cards for now
News - 2022, Week 29
Saturday23rd Jul 2022
Talking Point What August 2022 Xbox Games With Gold Do You Want?
Any specific titles you're hoping for?
It's almost that time once again, with Xbox Games with Gold's August 2022 titles set to be announced very soon! The month of July has seen Beasts of Maravilla Island, Relicta, Thrillville: Off the Rails and Torchlight all given away for free for Xbox Li
Feature Microsoft Rewards Is So Good, It Paid For Me To See The Red Hot Chili Peppers
All those Xbox Game Pass Quests paid off
So, here's something you didn't know about me - I'm a huge Red Hot Chili Peppers fan. It's been that way since about 2003-ish, and since then I've collected all the albums, all the DVDs, a lot of merch, and I've seen them multiple times. That latest time was at the Olympic Stadium in London a few weeks ago,...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (July 23-24)
We're going through Bright Memory: Infinite
Welcome to the weekend! You've got plenty of new stuff to check out over the next two days, including a huge batch of Xbox Game Pass additions, more Free Play Days titles, and the ongoing Xbox Summer Sale, amongst other things! Here's what we're playing this weekend:
Pick One Which Is Your Favourite Forza Horizon Expansion To Date?
Is it Hot Wheels or something else?
It's time for another round of Pick One! This week, to celebrate the release of Forza Horizon 5: Hot Wheels, we're going back and taking a look at the history of Forza Horizon expansions over the past decade. There have been some amazing expansions, but which is your favourite? Remember, you can only pick one!...
Friday22nd Jul 2022
News This Next-Gen Soulslike RPG Launches August 2022 On Xbox Series X|S
Update: But now a week later than planned
Update (22nd Jul, 2022): Don't worry, Thymesia is still scheduled for an August 2022 release, but it's been pushed back just a little further to August 18th due to "changes and fixes" that are being implemented as a result of feedback from the game's recent Steam demo. "After listening to the community...
News Bright Memory: Infinite Looks 'Mindboggling' On Xbox Series S
The next-gen-only shooter is impressing folks so far
Bright Memory: Infinite just launched on Xbox; the follow up to Bright Memory 1.0 which dropped as an Xbox Series X and S launch title. We went hands-on recently and although we were somewhat disappointed in the game's length and mechanical depth, we can't deny its drop-dead gorgeous visuals. We...
News Xbox Is Currently Giving Out Free Gift Cards In Certain Regions
To celebrate the Ultimate Game Sale
Here we go again! Microsoft is giving out free Xbox Gift Cards to celebrate the Xbox Summer Sale 2022 (otherwise known as the "Ultimate Game Sale"), although the initial rollout has been handled a little differently this time around. Instead of deploying the free gift cards in the US or UK, for example, we've...
News Xbox Game Pass Launch A 'Huge Deal' For The Last Case Of Benedict Fox
"It’s a huge deal for a small studio like ours"
The Last Case of Benedict Fox surprised a lot of us during its Xbox Summer Showcase 2022 reveal. In fact, Head of Xbox Phil Spencer picked it out as one of his personal highlights of the whole show! As it turns out, launching the title on Xbox Game Pass seems to be a highlight for the studio itself...
News Midnight Fight Express Brings Its 'Brutal Brawler' To Xbox Game Pass This August
"An unexpected hero emerges..."
A few games have already been confirmed for Xbox Game Pass in August 2022, and one of those is the "brutal and hyper-kinetic brawling ballet", Midnight Fight Express. It's coming to the service at launch on August 23rd. You'll play as a former member of the criminal underworld in a mission to prevent a citywide...
News Xbox Series X And S Console Sales Up Year-On-Year In Europe
Almost 10% higher than 2021
Over the course of 2022 so far, we've posted multiple stories about Xbox Series X and S console sales doing well in Japan. The pair of systems seem to be shifting fairly quickly in the region, although stock shortages have hurt PS5 sales somewhat. As it turns out, it's much the same story in Europe.
News Dragon Ball: The Breakers Adopts The 'Dead By Daylight' Formula, Heading To Xbox In 2022
Update: Now officially confirmed for October!
Update (Fri 22nd Jul, 2022): We've now got an official date for Dragon Ball: The Breakers, along with a new trailer! The game will be available for Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S on October 14th, 2022. Original story (Tue 16th Nov, 2021): Bandai Namco Europe has just announced a brand new...
News Xbox Dev Teases 'Really Exciting' Future For Discord Partnership
"We've had a lot of really exciting early conversations"
If you were glad to see the news earlier this week that Xbox is partnering with Discord to bring Discord Voice Chat to the platform, then you'll be even happier to know that it's apparently "just a step in a journey" for the partnership. Speaking on the Xbox Podcast this week, Xbox Engineer...
News Halo Infinite Campaign Co-Op Won't Feature Online Matchmaking
You'll have to invite your buddies
A lot of the Halo faithful have been anticipating campaign co-op for some time, after all, it's a pretty core feature of the series. Well, we've got some unfortunate news here as the mode enters testing. As it turns out, co-op won't contain online matchmaking once the mode hits the public build of Halo Infinite...
News Resident Evil Village Gold Edition Introduces Playable Villains
Play as Lady D in 'Mercenaries'
Resident Evil Village is getting a 'Gold Edition' later this year on October 28th, about a year and a half after the game's initial launch. Third-person mode for the game's campaign is one of the big new additions, but a new Mercenaries mode trailer gives us a sneak peek at another fresh feature. Mercenaries, the...
Thursday21st Jul 2022
News Three Games Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (July 21)
The latest new additions
Xbox Game Pass is further bolstering its lineup today with three new titles coming to the service. We've got a pretty broad range of games hitting the library today, including a racer, an RPG and an RTS title. Here's a little more on the three new games coming to Xbox Game Pass on July 21st: MotoGP 22 (Console, PC,...
News Far Cry 6 Xbox Game Pass Ad Was A Mistake, Confirms Ubisoft
Update: It's not on the cards for now
Update: Well, as we suspected, it turns out this was just a simple mistake on Xbox's part. Ubisoft has reached out to True Achievements to confirm this, which means there are no plans to bring Far Cry 6 to Game Pass for now. Sad times! Original story: We've seen a bunch of Ubisoft games arrive on Xbox Game...
News TMNT: The Cowabunga Collection Brings 13 Classics To Xbox This August
Just a few weeks away!
We've finally been treated to a release date for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection, and the good news is that it's just a few short weeks away, arriving for Xbox One, Series X and Series S on August 30th, 2022. The collection features 13 "radical" retro TMNT games from the 8-bit, 16-bit and arcade eras...
News Free Play Days: Try These Xbox Games For Free (July 21-24)
"Calling all Operators!"
It's time for another batch of Free Play Days titles! It seems there are three games that are available to download right now, along with a bonus in the form of the week-long Free Access period for Call of Duty: Vanguard! Vanguard's Free Access trial includes all modes and maps in multiplayer and Zombies until July 26th...
Guide Is 'Forspoken' Coming To Xbox? Maybe, But You'll Need To Be Very Patient
Fors-pain
Update (Tue 13th Sep, 2022): We've seen more interest in Forspoken from Xbox fans recently, so we thought we'd republish this guide to provide some extra visibility. The short answer - it might happen, but not for a long time! Original story (Thu 21st Jul, 2022): Thankfully, timed exclusives are becoming less of a thing these days,...
News 'eSports Boxing Club' Shows Off Brand-New Gameplay Footage
Will it be a heavyweight contender?
It's been almost a year since we last talked about eSports Boxing Club here at Pure Xbox, but development is slowly progressing on the highly-anticipated sports title from indie developer Steel City Interactive, and we've just been treated to around two minutes of brand-new gameplay footage featuring American...
Talking Point How Are You Finding As Dusk Falls So Far?
Let us know!
We were really, really surprised by As Dusk Falls during our playtime for review. Its release sort of snuck up on us, and we were not expecting its storyline to be as good as it was, which is to say, it kept us on the edge of our seats throughout its roughly six-hour runtime! We don't appear to be the only ones either. Other critics...
News Gears Of War 6 Campaign Development Is Underway, Suggests Job Post
Chainsaws at the ready
It's looking like development on the next Gears of War game is ramping up, at least according to a new job listing over at Microsoft's Careers portal. The post, which is advertising for a Lead Mission Designer, talks about the future of the series and how the applicant will be working closely with the 'Campaign Director' on...
News Avatar: Frontiers Of Pandora Has Been Delayed To 2023 Or 2024
So probably 2024, then
In news that probably won't come as a surprise to many of us, Ubisoft has announced that the upcoming Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora game will no longer release in 2022, now expected to launch in either 2023 or 2024. In the company's latest earnings report, a few more details were provided: "Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora will...
News Escape Academy On Game Pass Is Getting Fixes For Xbox Series X
"We apologize for the 30 FPS locked framerate"
Escape Academy came to Xbox Game Pass earlier this month; a title all about figuring out various escape rooms. As it turns out, developer Coin Crew Games is still figuring out the game too, from a technical perspective at least. The team has taken to Twitter to break down a few upcoming changes on...
News Remember CrossfireX? It's Added A New Map & More In July's Update
Yes, it's still kickin'
Ah, we have to admit we'd sort of forgotten about CrossfireX. The first-person shooter, co-developed by famous developer Remedy, launched earlier this year and was incredibly disappointing. Even more so the multiplayer, created by Smilegate, which barely functioned at launch. Well, since then the team has been steadily...
News Xbox Sets Positive Precedent As Minecraft Says 'No' To NFTs
NoFT
Mojang Studios has put forward its stance on NFTs and their place in Minecraft, and it's a positive one for the swath of gamers who are vocal about their disdain for the technology. In short, Mojang has said that NFTs in Minecraft are "generally not something we will support or allow". The developer says that the use of NFTs is not permitted...
Wednesday20th Jul 2022
News Saints Row Has Officially Gone Gold Ahead Of August Xbox Release
It's ready to ship
Volition's Saints Row Reboot, which launches next month on Xbox, has officially gone gold! In this case, core development has wrapped up, and the team has its 1.0 version locked and loaded ready for launch. Of course, in this day and age, that doesn't mean the game is fully finished, as day one patches are pretty much a...
News Raji: An Ancient Epic Gets 'Enhanced Edition' On Xbox Game Pass, But With A Catch
The game leaves the service for good on July 31
Raji: An Ancient Epic got a free 'Enhanced Edition' update on PC recently, which made a huge number of changes to the base game. We're not talking minor alterations either, this free update added new gameplay elements, fresh game modes, ray tracing graphical effects and more. That same free update has...
News Xbox Pushes Out Update To Fix 'Empty Home Screen' Issue
As a server-side patch
Xbox Engineer Eden Marie has once again taken to Twitter to give us a little more info on a recurring Xbox home screen issue. Certain users have been reporting that the frontend dashboard often fails to load properly, resulting in the inability to access 'My games & apps' along with other sections of the OS. Thank
Review Bright Memory: Infinite - Tight Gunplay In A Gorgeous World, But Lacks Depth
Shining bright
In the run up to the Xbox Series X|S launch, Bright Memory caught the attention of many Xbox fans for its incredibly impressive and stylish visuals, especially considering the game was made by just one developer. Well, with a little more time, and money from sales of the predecessor, developer FYQD is back with more in Bright Memory:...
News No Man's Sky Brings Its Endurance Update To Xbox Game Pass
All aboard the Endurance
No Man's Sky just keeps on trucking eh?! Sean Murray and co. are bringing yet another huge update to the sci-fi adventure, featuring a whole bunch of overhauls to aircraft, NPCs, missions and more. The 'Endurance' update, as it's known, is now live on all platforms, including the Xbox Game Pass version. We'd normally break...
Roundup Here's What The Critics Are Saying About Forza Horizon 5: Hot Wheels
Vroom vroom
Expansion 1 for Forza Horizon 5 has finally arrived, taking us back to Hot Wheels Park for some high-octane racing. While we're still plugging away on our own review of the Hot Wheels expansion like most other outlets, some very early impressions are also already hitting the web. With that in mind, let's take a look at some early...
Feature Stray's Success Could Pave The Way For Everyone's Favourite Xbox Cat To Return
Blinx, baby
You might of heard of a little game called Stray — out now on PlayStation platforms and PC — featuring a whole bunch of our cute feline friends. (We say friends, but do cats really like us?) Anyway, let's not try and figure that one out because we'll be here for eons. Instead, let's ponder how Microsoft can fight back with the return...
News Discord Voice Chat Is Coming To Xbox, Starting Today For Insiders
"Connect Your Worlds"
Anyone for Discord? Microsoft and the Xbox team have announced that Discord Voice Chat is coming to the Xbox platform, and it'll be rolling out to Xbox Insiders starting today - available "soon" for everyone else. Specifically, the update will be accessible today for "select" Insiders and will expand to more in the coming...
News MultiVersus Fans Are Loving The Game, But Hating The Monetization
"The pricing is absurd"
Xbox fans have been waiting a very long time for a proper alternative to Nintendo's Super Smash. Bros franchise on the platform, and while Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl came close, it looks like MultiVersus is the game that's finally going to generate the kind of mainstream popularity that Smash Bros. has attracted over the past...
News FIFA 23 Launches This September, The 'Biggest Ever' FIFA Game
And the last FIFA game from EA
EA Sports has today pulled back the curtain on FIFA 23, which will be the last game from EA to carry the "FIFA" name, set to launch on Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S this September 30th, 2022. The key features this year are the addition of HyperMotion2 Technology (for Series X and Series S), cross-play...
News Forza Horizon 5 Series 10 Is Now Live, Here Are The Full Patch Notes
Download it now
Playground Games' Hot Wheels expansion for Forza Horizon 5 is now live and it means Series 10 of the game is available as well. Included in this latest update are a bunch of new features as well as some major game fixes. We've got the full rundown courtesy of Forza support's social channel and the official web page: Forza Horizon...
Tuesday19th Jul 2022
News Two Games Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (July 19)
A couple of major additions
Two pretty big titles are coming to Xbox Game Pass today, July 19th, including one brand-new release! That'll be the brilliant As Dusk Falls, an interactive crime thriller from indie studio Interior Night and Xbox Game Studios. Here's a little more info on As Dusk Falls, along with the other new addition for today;...
PSA Watch Dogs 2 Hits 60FPS Thanks To FPS Boost On Xbox Series X And S
And the game comes to Game Pass today! (July 19)
One of the biggest surprises tucked into yesterday's Xbox Game Pass roundup was the inclusion of another notable Ubisoft title coming to the service. Following last month's Assassin's Creed Origins addition, we've now got Watch Dogs 2, an open world romp set in the famous city of San Francisco. But,...
News Turtle Beach Reveals New 'Affordable' React-R Xbox Controller
Very similar to the brilliant Recon controller
We were pretty floored when we had a chance to try out Turtle Beach's Recon Xbox controller last year, as it ended up being one of the most enjoyable third-party controllers we've ever used, boasting great comfort and audio features. Read More: Hardware Review: Turtle Beach Recon Xbox Controller (Pure...
News Forza Horizon 5: Hot Wheels Launches Today, Discounted For Xbox Game Pass Members
Expansion 1 is upon us
As Dusk Falls has been getting a lot of attention in the run up to its launch later today, July 19th, but we shouldn't forget that Forza Horizon 5's first expansion is also dropping on this way-too-hot British Tuesday in mid-July... Yep, Forza Horizon 5: Hot Wheels goes live later today, bringing a whole new...
Deals 70+ Games Added To This Week's Xbox Sales (July 19-25)
To go alongside the Ultimate Game Sale
Welcome to a new set of weekly Xbox deals! As you might expect, the list is much smaller than usual this week due to the Ultimate Game Sale (the Summer Sale) also currently taking place, which itself features offers on over 500 games. Read More: Deals: Xbox Summer Sale 2022 Now Live, 500+ Games...
News Xbox Fans Seem To Be Loving PowerWash Simulator On Game Pass
How about you?
There were plenty of jokes when it arrived last week, but PowerWash Simulator has evidently been a making a huge splash following its version 1.0 launch, both on Steam and Xbox Game Pass for consoles and PC. We've seen lots and lots of reports from satisfied players who have been spending a ridiculous amount of time powerwashing...
News Fall Guys Goes Viral On Twitter With 'Big Surprise' For All Players
Free in your inventory right now
Fall Guys has been a massive hit since it arrived on Xbox last month as a free-to-play game, and if you're interested in adding a free skin to your collection, you'll be glad to know that all players have been treated to an extra special one. This was teased on Twitter yesterday with a very suggestive picture,...
News No More Heroes 3 Xbox Version Locks In October 2022 Release
Travis Touchdown is back
Update (Tue 19th Jul, 2022): We've finally got a release date for No More Heroes III (outside of Japan), which will be landing on Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S on October 11th in North America, and October 14th in Europe. The game will support Smart Delivery on Xbox, and in addition to the digital release,...
News Microsoft, Xbox & Halo Veteran Opens New Studio Backed By NetEase
Introducing 'Jar of Sparks'
Earlier this year in May, Microsoft, Xbox and Halo veteran Jerry Hook announced his departure from 343 Industries. While it wasn't clear at the time what he was moving onto, he's now revealed his new studio 'Jar of Sparks'. It's a new developer backed by Chinese gaming giant NetEase, with Hook taking up the role of...
News Halo Infinite Art Director Leaves 343 After Near 15-Year Career At Xbox
New horizons
One of the core developers on Halo Infinite is moving on this year, following a mammoth career at the Xbox-owned studio. Art Director on various Halo projects including Infinite, 'Sparth' (real name Nicolas Bouvier) has announced their departure shortly after Infinite's launch, which finally arrived late last year. The well-known...
News Grounded Is Getting TV Adaptation By Star Wars Writer & Halo Director
Well, this is unexpected
Remember when it seemed a little odd that famous western RPG developer Obsidian Entertainment had decided to make a survival game about avoiding giant bugs in an overgrown garden? Well, things are getting even stranger as Grounded — which is set to hit its 1.0 release this September — is being converted into a TV series!...
Monday18th Jul 2022
Feature These 10+ Games Are Coming To Xbox This Week (July 18-22)
BM: Infinite, Forza Horizon 5: Hot Wheels & More!
Welcome to your new Xbox games roundup for July 18th to 22nd! It's a busy week of new releases coming up, with the likes of Forza Horizon 5: Hot Wheels, As Dusk Falls, Bright Memory: Infinite and much more heading our way! Here's what's coming to Xbox this week: New Xbox Releases (July 18-22):...
News Xbox Live 1.0 Is Getting A Replacement, And It'll Support 13 Games At Launch
Online multiplayer returns to the original Xbox!
If you've been following us here at Pure Xbox for a couple of years, you'll probably recall something called Insignia. It was announced back in 2020 as a replacement for the original Xbox Live, which sadly shut down in 2010. The team has been slowly chipping away at Insignia since then, and plenty of...
News These Six Games Are Coming To Xbox Game Pass (July 19-29)
The latest batch of titles
Update: In a change to the original listings, Microsoft has swapped the PC addition of Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation (July 19) with another PC addition - Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion (July 21). Original story: The second batch of July 2022's Xbox Game Pass titles has arrived, with Microsoft officially...
News Another Five Games Will Leave Xbox Game Pass Soon (July 31)
The latest set of departures
Microsoft has revealed the next set of games to be removed from Xbox Game Pass in the latter part of July, and there are five leaving the service this time around, including the likes of Raji: An Ancient Epic and Katamari Damacy Reroll. Here's the full list of games set to leave in the latter part of July:...
News Xbox's Activision Blizzard Purchase Could Be FTC-Approved By Next Month
Microsoft has reportedly submitted all relevant info
Xbox's monumental acquisition of Activision Blizzard is the biggest of its kind in the gaming industry. It's had multiple hurdles to jump over to get closer to actually happening, but one of the most noteworthy might be about to pass. According to a report by the financial analysts over at...
Review As Dusk Falls - A Cracking Crime Thriller On Xbox Game Pass
Free fallin'
Going into As Dusk Falls we were a little apprehensive. Xbox's marketing push has been somewhat light with this one considering it's an Xbox Games Studios effort, and we've only just seen Road 96's similar tale of loss and hope through to its fantastic conclusion. As it turns out, we needn't have worried at all; As Dusk Falls is a...
News Xbox Exec Wants To 'Celebrate' Other Console Platforms More
No more wars
It's no secret that Xbox has been pretty open about trying to break down barriers between console platforms. Xbox boss Phil Spencer routinely takes to the Twitter airways to celebrate the folks over at PlayStation and some of their high profile releases, not to mention Xbox's continued push for full cross-play support. Xbox's Aaron...
Roundup Here's What The Critics Think Of As Dusk Falls On Xbox Game Pass
The latest Xbox Game Studios title to hit the service
Interior Night's As Dusk Falls is finally hitting the Xbox Game Pass library this week, after quite a long development cycle. It's all narrative here in this interactive crime thriller, focused on two misfit families in small-town Arizona. Ahead of tomorrow's worldwide launch, a number of...
News 2K's Horror Epic 'The Quarry' Now Has A Free Trial On Xbox
Testing the terror
Narrative horror title The Quarry, from the developer of Until Dawn, launched last month on Xbox. We thought it was a real return to form for Supermassive Games, who'd stumbled a little with the just-okay Dark Pictures series. Well, their latest title now has a free trial on Xbox, for those of you who want to test your mettle...
News As Dusk Falls Release Times: Here's When You Can Play On Xbox Game Pass
It hits the service on July 19!
As Dusk Falls will be out in the wild tomorrow, July 19th, and we wholeheartedly recommend it, especially if you have an active Game Pass subscription! In that case, you might be wondering what the exact As Dusk Falls release times are on Xbox Game Pass, which is already available for pre-install. Thankfully, the...
News Halo Infinite Forge Mode Leaks Show Flashy Weather & Day/Night Effects
Packed with features both new and old, at least in testing
A lot of us have been waiting to see what 343 Industries is cooking up with Halo Infinite's Forge mode. The team has been fairly tight-lipped on the feature so far, other than the fact that they're aiming for a full public launch during Season 3. Ahead of flighting (beta testing) — which...
Most Read
Feature These 10+ Games Are Coming To Xbox This Week (July 18-22)
News Xbox Live 1.0 Is Getting A Replacement, And It'll Support 13 Games At La...
News This Next-Gen Soulslike RPG Launches August 2022 On Xbox Series X|S
News Bright Memory: Infinite Looks 'Mindboggling' On Xbox Series S
News Three Games Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (July 21)
News Far Cry 6 Xbox Game Pass Ad Was A Mistake, Confirms Ubisoft
News These Six Games Are Coming To Xbox Game Pass (July 19-29)
News Xbox Is Currently Giving Out Free Gift Cards In Certain Regions
News Two Games Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (July 19)
News Another Five Games Will Leave Xbox Game Pass Soon (July 31)
