News These 11 Games Are Coming To Xbox Game Pass (October 22 - November 4)
Your latest roundup of new additions
News Four Games Are Confirmed For Xbox Game Pass In November 2025 So Far
An early look at next month
News Xbox Confirms Its First Two Game Pass Titles For December 2025, And They Both Look Brilliant
We could be in for a strong end to the year!
News Two More Games Announced For Xbox Game Pass In November 2025
A couple of fresh announcements for next month!
News Five Games Are Being Added To Xbox Game Pass This Week (October 14-17)
Including an Xbox first-party title
News - October, 2025
Friday31st Oct 2025
Opinion ARC Raiders Is One Of The Most Visually Impressive Multiplayer Games I've Ever Played
A stunner on Xbox Series X!
Yesterday, we rounded up some early impressions of ARC Raiders as it was just launching on Xbox - and the general consensus was that this is a very good extraction shooter. Those were very early impressions of course, with full reviews of this new multiplayer title likely to crop up in the coming days and weeks. Still,...
News Microsoft Shares Initial List Of ROG Xbox Ally Games That Support Advanced Shader Delivery
"Launch faster, play smoother, game smarter"
With ROG Xbox Ally now out in the wild, Microsoft is bringing its PC and console gaming tech closer together - and as part of the team's October 2025 Update, an initial list of ROG Xbox Ally games that support 'Advanced Shader Delivery' has been shared. If you keep up with PC gaming at all (we admit that...
News Xbox 'Best Rated' Sale Now Live, Packed With Indie Titles At Up To 90% Off
Hundreds of games on offer!
Alongside its ongoing Shocktober Sale (which is live through the coming weekend), Microsoft has just set a new ID@Xbox Best Rated Sale live on its digital storefront - featuring hundreds of discounts from indie developers and publishers at up to 90% off. These aren't just small indie titles either; the likes of the...
News 14 Titles Added To Xbox Stream Your Own Game, Including Some Brand-New Releases
Another batch of games have been added
As part of its big October 2025 update, Microsoft has named 14 more titles that have been added to the Xbox Stream Your Own Game service - including brand-new releases such as ARC Raiders and Jurass
Rumour Halo 2 & 3 Remakes Are Supposedly Coming After Halo: Campaign Evolved
No multiplayer though
With Halo: Campaign Evolved's announcement now out in the wild, it's only natural to think about what else Halo Studios is cooking up as part of its new multi-game plan - and a new rumour suggests that the team could be moving onto more Halo remakes. As shared by social media account Halo Leaks — which has got certain...
News Silent Hill 2 Remake Has Been Rated For Xbox Series X|S In The US
Is an Xbox release imminent?
Earlier this month, the PS5 exclusivity window for Bloober Team's Silent Hill 2 Remake finally expired - and a new ESRB Rating suggests that the game's Xbox release is imminent. Yep, Silent Hill 2 has now been rated for Xbox Series consoles, with the E
Thursday30th Oct 2025
News Here's What's Included In The Xbox October 2025 Update
"We continue our quest to add improved innovation..."
The Xbox October 2025 update has just been highlighted by the folks over at Team Xbox, with ROG Xbox Ally, the Handheld Compatibility Program and fresh PC and Console updates making up the full list of new features. We're going to gather up everything included in the Xbox October 2025 update...
Roundup The First Impressions Are In For Xbox Extraction Shooter ARC Raiders
Launching today!
As we covered in our recent guide on all-things ARC Raiders, Embark's new extraction shooter goes live on Xbox Series X|S today - and before any full reviews of the title emerge, we are starting to see some early impressions trickle out on the web (based on an early press event and some initial public access). This is a paid title...
PSA The Next Few Months Could Be Very Busy With Xbox-Related Showcases
Showcases for six months straight? Why not!
If it feels like we're getting Xbox showcases pretty much every month at the minute, that's because, well... we basically are! Aside from July (which makes sense given June's Xbox Games Showcase), we've had monthly showcases in the back half of 2025 so far - including August's Gamescom Opening Night Live,...
News Take-Two Boss Says GTA Couldn't Be Made With AI Because 'There's No Creativity In That Model'
Some sense, finally!
In a new interview with CNBC, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick talked down the use of AI in the company's video games - going on to say that GTA couldn't be developed with that technology because "there is no creativity" in the AI model. In what's a remarkable bit of common sense from a video game publisher boss, Zelnick says that...
News Free Play Days: Try These Xbox Games For Free (October 30 - November 2)
A new batch of free titles
Xbox Free Play Days has arrived! As we roll into November, Microsoft has added seven games to the program this week - including a longer trial of its 2024 shooter Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. Here's your full list of Free Play Days titles this weekend: Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Catan Dead by Daylight
News Microsoft Highlights 50+ Xbox Play Anywhere Titles Added To The Program Last Month
Hollow Knight: Silksong, Silent Hill F and lots more!
As part of the Xbox October 2025 Update, Microsoft has highlighted more than 50 Xbox Play Anywhere titles added to the program last month - including major games such as Hollow Knight: Silksong, Silent Hill F,
News Capcom Drops 'Road To Requiem' Deep Dive As Resident Evil 9 Pre-Orders Go Live On Xbox
Coming to a console near you next Feb.
The Road to Requiem begins! Capcom has just released a short ViDoc building up to its Resident Evil Requiem launch next February - and pre-orders are now open on the Xbox Store as well. The new Road to Requiem video — which we've included up above — focuses on 'the story so far' with Resident Evil - well,...
Poll Which Was Your Favourite Xbox Game Pass Title From October 2025?
Lots to choose from!
October is about to come to a close, and before we look ahead at what's coming to Game Pass next month (be on the lookout for our November guide at the weekend), we want to look back at what's been a packed October for Xbox Game Pass subscribers. Now, technically we have one more addition to XGP this month in the form of...
Wednesday29th Oct 2025
News Xbox Confirms Its First Two Game Pass Titles For December 2025, And They Both Look Brilliant
We could be in for a strong end to the year!
Prior to yesterday's Xbox indie showcase, Microsoft hadn't confirmed any Game Pass titles for December 2025, and while 12 XGP additions were shown off in total during the event - we want to focus on the first two games now confirmed for the service in December. Arriving first — on December 4th — is
News Is Xbox Down? Huge Azure Server Outage Causes Issues Across Microsoft Services
Update: things are slowly returning to normal
We're seeing reports online that a huge Microsoft Azure server outage is causing issues across Xbox, Windows and other Microsoft services that are connected to the web. As shared by The Verge, Microsoft has confirmed Azure Portal issues on the service's status page, while Microsoft 365 has addressed the...
Guide ARC Raiders: Release Date, Release Times & Preload Details On Xbox Series X|S
Everything you need to know
ARC Raiders is upon us! Yep, the brand-new shooter from The Finals dev Embark Studios is almost here - so we're going to gather up everything you need to know for its upcoming Xbox launch. Without further ado, let's get stuck into all-things ARC Raiders, including the Xbox release date, launch timings, preload info,...
News Microsoft CEO Says Xbox 'Wants To Innovate' With Its Next-Gen Console
"We want to do innovative work..."
Another Xbox exec has been out chatting about next-gen gaming this week - with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella the latest to chime in on the company's plans for gaming post-ROG Xbox Ally. In an interview with tech show
News The Outer Worlds 2 Gets Day One Patch As Obsidian RPG Rolls Out On Xbox Game Pass
Available in the library later today!
You may have seen lots of content on The Outer Worlds 2 last week (due to its five-day early access window) but the title actually arrives on Xbox Game Pass today - and developer Obsidian has just set a new patch live as its day one rollout begins. Before we get into the patch notes themselves, here's a quick...
News Xbox Content & Services Revenue Sees Slight Increase In Q1 2026, Hardware Drops Almost 30%
Microsoft's latest fiscal report is in
Microsoft has released its financial results for Q1 of the 2026 fiscal year - and just like recent quarters, content and services are on the up, but hardware sales are drastically down. The Xbox owner says that its content and services revenue increased by 1% year-over-year, while its hardware sales dropped...
News DOOM Co-Creator Was 'Midway Through' New Project Before Xbox Pulled Funding
Romero Games gives us an update
Back in July — as part of mass layoffs at Xbox — John Romero's new project had its funding pulled, before the game was ever properly announced to the public. In the wake of finding out, studio Romero Games put out a statement saying
News Lost In Random: The Eternal Die Gets Free 'Wager's Gauntlet' Update On Xbox Game Pass
"Just in time for a hauntingly stylish Halloween"
Just in time for spooky season, the Lost in Random: The Eternal Die devs have just shared with us that its action-packed roguelite is getting a free update on Xbox Game Pass... today! Titled 'Wager's Gauntlet', this free Halloween update brings new weekly challenges to the XGP title, where players...
Tuesday28th Oct 2025
News Xbox Announces 12 Titles Coming To Game Pass At October's Indie Showcase
Including some big additions for this year!
Today's Xbox Indie Showcase treated us to a bunch of new reveals for upcoming Xbox Game Pass titles, including Darkwood 2, Planet of Lana 2, Aphelion, Routine and loads more be
"It's the most significant title that I've ever done"
Just over a year ago now, Fable's legendary creator Peter Molyneux announced his next game in the form of Masters of Albion - and in an extensive interview with Edge Magazine (via
Roundup All The Reveals From October 2025's Xbox Indie Showcase
Missed the event? Here's a recap
Weren't able to catch October 2025's Xbox Indie Showcase 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 want to watch it all the way through, we've also detailed all the important reveals in this article - with...
News Four Games Are Available This Week With Xbox Game Pass (October 28-31)
One being a huge first-party release!
Welcome to your latest Xbox Game Pass roundup! We're gathering up everything coming to XGP this week, including Xbox's big new release in The Outer Worlds 2. Here's everything coming to Xbox Game Pass from October 28th-31st: Halls of Torment (Series X|S, PC, Cloud) - PC, Premium, Ultimate (October 28):
News Battlefield REDSEC Is Available Now As A Free-To-Play Battle Royale On Xbox
BIG shadow drop from EA!
Shadow drop time! Rumours have been swirling on this one for a few weeks now, but EA has just officially launched Battlefield REDSEC - a new battle royale spinoff to its recent FPS Battlefield 6. The best part? It's available now on Xbox Series X|S as a completely free-to-play title. Battlefield REDSEC Free Download (Xbox...
News Ninja Gaiden 4 Performance Is Impressive But Xbox Series S Visuals Suffer, Says Digital Foundry
The DF tech review is here
Ninja Gaiden 4 launched a week ago today on Xbox Game Pass, and now the folks over at Digital Foundry have delivered their latest tech review on Platinum's new slasher - and the title is turning in mixed results on Xbox Series X|S. First off, performance is looking very good in this analysis overall, with the game...
News Halo: Campaign Evolved's Prequel Missions Will Feature An 'All-New Story' Says Xbox Dev
"New story, new gameplay"
Following Xbox's reveal of Halo: Campaign Evolved last week, we covered everything new coming to the team's brand-new remake - and in a fresh group interview, Halo Studios has confirmed that the major addition of three new prequel missions will feature an "all-new story" rather than re-treading old g
Live Watch The October 2025 Xbox Indie Showcase Here
Including some Game Pass reveals!
It's time for the Xbox Indie Showcase - October 2025 edition! Today's show promises lots of indie reveals for games that will (obviously) be coming to Xbox, and we're expecting quite a lot of Game Pass announcements as part of it. "The event will be packed with exclusive trailers, new looks, and gameplay for games...
Poll How Would You Grade The October 2025 Xbox Indie Showcase?
Give us your verdict
The dust is now beginning to settle on the Xbox Indie Showcase for October 2025! If you haven't had a chance to watch it yet, you can catch the full thing over at our live coverage page, and we've also provided an extensive recap of everything that happened as part of the show. So, all t
Monday27th Oct 2025
News Huge Xbox Report Details 'Ambitious' Next-Gen Console With Free Online Play
Microsoft seemingly has big plans for next-gen
Chatter about Microsoft's next-gen console has been on the rise recently, with multiple execs — including Xbox president Sarah Bond — coming out and talking about future plans as of late. Now though, Windows Central has put out a huge report giving us fresh details and crucia
News Microsoft Reportedly Still Has Plans To Make Its Own Xbox Handheld
After shelving it to develop ROG Xbox Ally
This afternoon, we shared a huge report from Windows Central that breaks down a bunch of what Microsoft is working on for the next-generation of Xbox - and in that report, we've spotted a little tidbit that hints Team Green still has plans to make its own handheld console at some stage. That's right,...
News Xbox Journalist Says Microsoft Has Another Showcase Planned For November 2025
Following this week's indie event
This week, we have an ID@Xbox showcase confirmed for Tuesday, October 28th - but that may not be the final Xbox showcase for 2025, looking at a new report. According to Windows Central's Jez Corden, Microsoft has an Xbox Partner Preview event in line for next month. Corden says that the show is planned for...
News Digital Foundry Impressed By Halo: Campaign Evolved, But Worried About Unreal Engine 5
"Some unfortunate Unreal Engine 5 issues..."
In its latest weekly podcast episode, the folks over at Digital Foundry have discussed last week's Halo: Campaign Evolved reveal - and the team's thoughts are mixed on the title despite being impressed by Halo Studios' vision thus far. The gist of DF's discussion revolves around two main things: Halo...
News Halo Co-Creator 'Absolutely Loves' What Xbox Is Doing With The Campaign Evolved Remake
"I absolutely love where this is going"
Halo Studios unveiled its Combat Evolved remake last week in the form of Halo: Campaign Evolved, and over the weekend, co-creator on the original game — Marcus Lehto — has heaped praise on Xbox's direction with this brand-new version of the original Halo. Taking to social media yesterday, Lehto gave his...
Sunday26th Oct 2025
News Halo Studios Gives Reason For Dropping PvP Multiplayer In Campaign Evolved
4-player co-op is in, but PvP is out
As the name suggests, Microsoft's new Halo: Campaign Evolved remake focuses on just the story mode of its famous OG Xbox shooter - and now developer Halo Studios has explained the thinking behind dropping PvP multiplayer for its new version of Halo. Speaking in an interview with Windows Central, executive...
News Xbox Has More Competition From TikTok Than PlayStation, Claims Microsoft Exec
"Our biggest competition isn’t another console"
In the wake of Microsoft's announcement of Halo: Campaign Evolved heading over to PS5 next year, Xbox executive Matt Booty reckons that the platform has more competition from the likes of TikTok than another gaming console these days. Speaking in a new interview with The New York Times, Booty talked...
Saturday25th Oct 2025
Feature These 40+ Games Are Coming To Xbox Next Week (October 27-31)
Including another major first-party Xbox title!
Welcome to your Xbox games roundup for October 27-31! More big games are on the way over the next few days including Wreckreation, ARC Raiders, Dragon Quest 1 & 2 HD-2D Remake and much more, with the highlight arguably bei
Poll So, Are You Playing The Outer Worlds 2 In Early Access?
Or are you waiting for the Game Pass release?
Technically, The Outer Worlds 2 is out now, despite its official release date coming on October 29th. Yep, Obsidian's latest RPG is the next game to implement a pretty big early access window if you're willing to pay for it - so our poll question this weekend revolves around whether you're indeed willing...
Talking Point How Do You Feel About Halo: Campaign Evolved Launching Day One On PS5?
Master Chief finally makes the jump
Well, there we have it - Halo: Campaign Evolved is coming to Xbox Series X|S in 2026. However, with Microsoft's new multiplatform strategy, the game is also coming to PlayStation 5 next year, along with PC of course. With that being said, how do you feel about the new Halo remake launching day and date on PS5?...
News Xbox Boss Says Forza Motorsport Isn't Dead Despite 'Scaling Back' At Turn 10 Studios
"We sometimes need to shift our focus"
Back in the summer, Xbox developer Turn 10 suffered mass layoffs as part of a huge restructure at Microsoft - and that led to the team promptly halting major updates for Forza Motorsport. Since then, the studio has been confirmed as a support developer on the upcoming
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (October 25-26)
Tempted by The Outer Worlds 2 early access?
The weekend is officially here, and that means it's time for another edition of What Are You Playing! It's been a busy week on Game Pass with the likes of Ninja Gaiden 4 being added, and we've got The Outer Worlds 2 now playable on Xbox via early access as well. With that in mind, here's what we're...
Friday24th Oct 2025
News Digital Foundry Delivers Its Verdict On The Outer Worlds 2, With Xbox The Clear Console Winner
"Impressive on Xbox, PS5 needs work"
Digital Foundry has dropped its latest DF Tech Review - this time for Xbox studio Obsidian's The Outer Worlds 2. Naturally, we've included the video version of their analysis up above - which goes over every version of the game including Xbox Series X and S, and PS5 & PS5 Pro. What's curious here is that due...
News Halo: Campaign Evolved Officially Announced, Coming To Xbox In 2026
"A faithful yet modernized remake"
It's official, a Halo: Combat Evolved remake is coming in 2026! Yep, as part of today's Halo World Championship event, the newly-rebranded Halo Studios has announced its first project - titled Halo: Campaign Evolved. Halo: Campaign Evolved is a "faithful yet modernized remake of Halo: Combat Evolved’s campaign",...
News Fallout 76 Is Officially Getting A Native Xbox Series X|S Version In Early 2026
Finally!
As part of yesterday's Fallout Day livestream — which included the announcement of Fallout 4: Anniversary Edition — Bethesda announced a released window for the native Xbox Series X|S version of Fallout 76. Coming "ear
News Xbox Details All Of The New Content Packed Into Its Halo: Campaign Evolved Remake
There's a lot of new stuff!
Halo: Campaign Evolved has been announced as a major remake of the first Halo game coming in 2026, which of course means that the bulk of this Halo experience will be overhauled content from the OG release. However, Halo Studios is using the opportunity to also add a bunch of new content to the first Halo - and it's...
News Bethesda's Todd Howard Teases Future Projects At Fallout Day 2025
"Just know, we are working on even more..."
Fallout Day 2025 is now all wrapped up, with the team at Bethesda announcing Fallout 4: Anniversary Edition and an Xbox Series X|S upgrade for
News Two Games Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (October 24)
Featuring a shadow drop!
Welcome to your latest Xbox Game Pass roundup! Initially, today was going to just be a one game update - but we got an awesome shadow drop late last night in the form of driving survival game Pacific Drive - so we're going to include that one in today's roundup as well. Without further ado, here's what's new on Xbox Game...
News Phil Spencer Addresses AI & Developer Creativity At Xbox Game Studios
"I really leave it up to the teams..."
In a new panel at the Paley International Council Summit, Phil Spencer sat down with Double Fine Studio Head Tim Schafer to discuss a whole host of gaming-related topics - and the Xbox boss had some interesting things to say about AI use and developer creativity over at Microsoft's gaming division. Despite the...
News Black Ops 7 Season 01 Revealed Before The Game's Even Out, And It's Absolutely Stacked
10 maps confirmed for Season 01
Black Ops 7's Xbox launch is exactly three weeks away, with the latest Call of Duty title set to grace Xbox Game Pass on November 14th. However, fans aren't even being given time to digest what's in the base game right now - as Activision reveals an absolute shedload of content coming to the game as part of
News Here's A Full Walkthrough Of 'The Silent Cartographer' Level In Halo: Campaign Evolved
Fully rebuilt in Unreal Engine 5
Alongside Halo Studios' initial reveal of Halo: Campaign Evolved today, the team has also unleashed a full 13-minute demo of the series' iconic The Silent Cartographer level - which you can watch in all its glory via the link up above. This extended gameplay segment from Halo: Campaign Evolved gives us a proper look...
News Classic Cartoon Shooter 'Mouse P.I. For Hire' Will Now Blast Its Way Onto Xbox In 2026
Update: we have a release date!
The development team behind the classic cartoon-inspired shooter Mouse P.I. For Hire has today pushed the upcoming Xbox title back to "early 2026". The game was previously due out this year, but ahead of a big reveal at tomorrow's 'Galaxies Gaming Showcase', the studio has noted that a 2025 release is no longer...
Thursday23rd Oct 2025
Hands On Is The Outer Worlds 2 Obsidian's Third Xbox Success Of The Year?
Our early playtime suggests so
It's safe to say that 2025 has been a prolific time for Xbox studio Obsidian Entertainment. The team kicked off the year with the well-received Avowed, before rolling into Grounded 2's early access launch in the summer - and now The Outer Worlds 2 is almost here. So, has the team gone and done the unthinkable in...
News Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown Is Getting A Graphics Overhaul & Returning TDU2 Features
Arriving next week on Xbox
Ahead of its arrival next week, KT Racing has just dropped an extensive developer overview of Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown Season 5 - featuring a major graphics overhaul, classic returning features, in-game economy tweaks, new cars & outfits and more. This new season of content arrives for Xbox players on October...
Roundup Here's What The Reviews Are Saying About Xbox's The Outer Worlds 2
Early access starts tomorrow!
The Outer Worlds 2 is almost here! Yep, Obsidian's next title goes live for early access players tomorrow, before the standard edition lands on Xbox Game Pass next week. So, is the team's next big RPG worth playing? Well, for what it's worth - we've enjoyed our opening few hours with the game. We haven't played ne
News Two Games Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (October 23)
Two new additions to the Ultimate library!
Welcome to your latest Xbox Game Pass update! Today, we have two new additions to the library - both being day one releases including the hotly-anticipated PowerWash Simulator 2. Here's some more information on FuturLab's sequel, alongside your other new Game Pass title for October 23rd: Bounty Star...
News Xbox & Bethesda Announce Fallout 4: Anniversary Edition For Next Month
Giving it the Skyrim treatment
As part of today's Fallout Day livestream, Bethesda has announced Fallout 4: Anniversary Edition to mark the game's 10-year birthday - and it's coming to Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S next month. The major new feature for Xbox players here is the addition of Creations for Fallout 4. Accessible via "a brand-new in-game...
News The Outer Worlds 2 Comparison Shows Difference Between Xbox Series X And Series S
Here's how both Xbox versions stack up
Following our hands-on impressions of The Outer Worlds 2 earlier today, we thought you might be interested in how the game is shaping up across both Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S! Fuzion Xbox Testing has become our go-to for stuff like this - we're not affiliated with the channel whatsoever, but it's a great...
Report Xbox Has Been Asking Its Studios To Hit 'Higher Profit Margins' Since 2023
Right as the Activision Blizzard deal closed...
Bloomberg's ever-reliable gaming journalist Jason Schreier (along with colleague Dina Bass) has today put out an extensive report on Xbox, and how Microsoft is now asking the division to deliver "higher profit margins" in the wake of its massive acquisition of Activision Blizzard. The report says that...
News Free Play Days: Try These Xbox Games For Free (October 23-26)
Your latest roundup of free titles
Free Play Days is here! This weekend, Xbox has five games playable as part of the program - including the latest EA Sports FC release, ghost-hunting sim Phasmophobia and multiplayer horror title The Outlast Trials; right as the game gets its brand-new 'Invasion' update which we've showcased up above. Here's...
News Microsoft's 'This Is An Xbox' Ad Evolves As Holiday Marketing Ramps Up
"This is an Xbox - yup!"
Almost a year ago now (yep, it's been that long), Microsoft unveiled its 'This is an Xbox' marketing campaign which defined a huge shift in messaging for the company - and this year the whole thing has evolved, as Microsoft tweaks its advertising strategy for Holiday 2025. You can check out the new advert up above, which...
Wednesday22nd Oct 2025
News These 11 Games Are Coming To Xbox Game Pass (October 22 - November 4)
Your latest roundup of new additions
Microsoft has today unveiled its latest roundup of new Xbox Game Pass titles, a few weeks on from overhauling the service with an Ultimate price bump and two refreshed tiers in Essential and Premium. Before we get into the full list of titles coming to XGP over the next few weeks, we want to remind folks to be...
News Sarah Bond: Our Next-Gen Console Will Be 'Very Premium' & Informed By ROG Xbox Ally
The Xbox President speaks...
Shortly following the release of ROG Xbox Ally, Microsoft's Sarah Bond has been dropping hints about the team's next-gen plans - and the Xbox President has had some interesting things to say about the next console from Microsoft. In a new interview with Mashable, Bond was quizzed about rumours that the next-gen Xbox...
News Digital Foundry Analyses ROG Xbox Ally X In New Review-In-Progress
Games tested, thoughts shared
We — along with lots of other gaming and tech outlets — delivered our ROG Xbox Ally review last week, and despite us having a great time with the system - opinions on the device(s) are certainly mixed across the board. Now though, the tech experts at Digital Foundry have shared some of their initial thoughts on the...
News Two Games Are Moving Over To Xbox Game Pass Premium Today (October 22)
Just announced by Microsoft!
With Microsoft's recent Xbox Game Pass overhaul, the new 'Premium' tier is a much more affordable option - and despite a lack of day one launches on there, plenty of games are still being added on a regular basis. Today, two major additions to the Premium library have been announced by Xbox, including first-party title
News Microsoft Is Reportedly Increasing The Cost Of Xbox Dev Kits In Latest Price Hike
Said to be a 33% price bump
A new report is being shared by The Verge today (paywalled) that claims Microsoft is making another Xbox-related price increase; this time for its Series X|S console dev kits. This isn't looking like a small bump in price either, according to the report. The Verge says we're looking at a 33% cost jump for these Xbox dev...
Roundup Here's What The Reviews Say About PowerWash Simulator 2 On Xbox Game Pass
Hitting the library tomorrow!
PowerWash Simulator 2 is bringing its squeaky-clean sequel to Xbox Game Pass tomorrow, October 23rd, which means a bunch of early reviews for the title are now starting to hit the web. So, to give you a better idea of how this one is landing with folks so far, we're going to roundup some early reviews
News Battlefield 6 Season 1 Brings Lots Of Free Content To Xbox, Starting This Month
More multiplayer mayhem
EA and Battlefield Studios have lifted the lid on Battlefield 6 Season 1, with plenty of additional content being added to the game over the coming weeks. The team is doing things a little differently with three separate updates making up Season 1 - with the first of those updates arriving on October 28th. Yep, that first...
News Remedy CEO Steps Down, Not Long After Studio Admitted 'Weak Sales' For FBC: Firebreak
"Tero Virtala will step down from his position..."
Remedy Entertainment, the studio behind the likes of Alan Wake and Control, has today announced a change in CEO - as Tero Virtala steps down from the company. The team announced this via a new press release to investors, where interim CEO Markus Mäki "thanks Tero Virtala for his substantial...
Random This Custom Xbox Series X Looks Amazing, And Fits Right In For Halloween
Spooky season activated
We've seen our fair share of custom Xbox consoles over the years and most of them never really catch our eye - but a new horror-themed Series X setup from Reddit user deRgiB6319 looks bloody fantastic... literally. Shared onto the Xbox reddit earlier this week and upvoted by almost 2,000 people, an Xbox fan has created this...
Tuesday21st Oct 2025
News Two Games Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (October 21)
Including a new first-party release!
Welcome to your latest Xbox Game Pass roundup! Today, we have two titles coming to the library, including Microsoft's Ninja Gaiden 4 - which has just launched for Xbox Series X and S. Down below is a quick introduction to NG4, alongside today's other Xbox Game Pass addition; which returns to the library after...
News Two More First-Party Games Get Dynamic Backgrounds On Xbox Series X|S
The collection grows again!
Microsoft has added two more dynamic backgrounds to its Xbox Series X|S collection, following a batch of recent additions that we covered on PX last week. These two new options are based on The Elder Scrolls Online and The Outer Worlds 2, with the latter
Roundup Here's What The Critics Think Of Ninja Gaiden 4 From Xbox Game Studios
Out now on Game Pass!
In what's fast becoming an incredibly busy month for Team Green, Xbox Game Studios' latest release in Ninja Gaiden 4 is now out in the wild - and we delivered our Pure Xbox verdict just a few hours ago! To give you a broader range of opinions though, we're going to gather up a bunch of reviews down below, alongside providing a...
News Ubisoft Provides Closer Look At Avatar's Third Person Mode Ahead Of Xbox Launch
Coming as a free update this December!
Back in July, Ubisoft announced that it was bringing a third-person mode to Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora to coincide with the upcoming Fire and Ash movie release - and today, the team has provided a closer look at the mode ahead of its 2025 Xbox launch. You can take a peek at that closer look
Roundup Here's What The Reviews Are Saying About Jurassic World Evolution 3
Out on Xbox today!
One of this month's big releases that's slipping under the radar a little bit is Jurassic World Evolution 3, which was announced by Frontier Developments back in the summer. Yep, the team's dino-tastic park builder is available on Xbox today, which means we're just starting to see some early reviews trickle out for the Series X|S...
Rumour Xbox Won't Announce Starfield For PS5 Until 2026, It's Claimed
"Unless plans change..."
Back in August, we heard separate rumours to do with Xbox's Starfield - both relating to the game expanding to more platforms in 2026. First we heard about a PS5 version coming in Spring, before leaker NateTheHate added that a Switch 2 version was also planned for some point next year. Now, that same insider is claiming that...
News The Sinking City 2 Suffers Last Minute Delay, Now Aiming For The First Half Of 2026
"We don’t have an exact date set"
Back in March 2024, developer Frogwares announced The Sinking City 2 for Xbox Series X|S, with plans to release its upcoming Lovecraftian adventure in 2025. Until now, the team had been planning to surprise launch the game towards the end of the year, but that's no longer possible - so the studio has decided to...
Monday20th Oct 2025
Guide The Outer Worlds 2: Release Date, Release Times & How To Get Early Access On Xbox
Everything you need to know
The Outer Worlds 2 is almost here! Yep, Obsidian's third major release of 2025 is on the horizon, and with the title having a pretty generous early access period starting in just a few days' time - we wanted to bring you up to speed on everything you need to know for launch. Without further ado, here are all the key...
News Xbox President Explains Why Microsoft Ditched Its First-Party Handheld
It came down to "speed" and being "innovative"
When rumours of a handheld Xbox console first started doing the rounds a while ago, it became apparent that Microsoft was not only working with Asus on a 'partner' device (now known as ROG Xbox Ally), but also on its own first-party handheld similar to existing home consoles. Once development on the two...
News Microsoft Passes The Buck To Asus For ROG Xbox Ally's Price Tag
"It really was Asus, because this is their hardware"
One of the most controversial aspects of Microsoft's new ROG Xbox Ally device is the eyewatering price tag — particularly the X version, which comes in at a thousand bucks — and in a new interview with Variety, Xbox exec Sarah Bond says that it was largely manufacturer Asus that decided on...
News Two Upcoming Xbox Game Pass Titles Win Big At Australian Game Awards Show
One of them won Game of the Year!
This past weekend, Australian gaming show SXSW Sydney 2025 took place, highlighting a bunch of new and upcoming titles across the industry - and a pair of Xbox Game Pass upcomers won big during the event's awards show. Those two games are upcoming narrative title Mixtape —
Tuesday21st Oct 2025
Review Ninja Gaiden 4 (Xbox) - Platinum Propels The Series Forward On Xbox Game Pass
There's a new kid on the block
When it was revealed that PlatinumGames was helping with the fourth major entry in the Ninja Gaiden series, I had two immediate thoughts. How would the Bayonetta studio handle this kind of responsibility, and could another character really lead the next big entry in the modern series, in place of the 'main face' and...
Monday20th Oct 2025
News Helldivers 2 Dev Is Working On A 'New Co-Op Action Game', And It'll Likely Launch On Xbox
New job listing tells all
Helldivers 2 finally came to Xbox a few months ago, and the PlayStation-published shooter seemingly did very well on Xbox around release. We saw huge player number spikes, big sales figures and
Report Resident Evil 0 Remake In Development For Release After Requiem
Back to the beginning
This summer, Capcom finally revealed Resident Evil Requiem as its next mainline RE title, and now a fresh report details what we can expect from the series after RE9 drops on Xbox next February - and we'll be firmly back in Resident Evil remake territory by the looks of it. According to outlet
Talking Point Xbox Should Use And Improve This New PlayStation Store Feature
We'd love to see this on Xbox!
The Xbox Store is pretty good for hosting regular digital sales that often provide some huge discounts, but navigating them isn't always the easiest, and they don't always display all the information we'd like to see. Often, when covering these for Pure Xbox we use external sites like
Saturday18th Oct 2025
News 20+ Games Are Reduced By 90-95% In This Year's Xbox Shocktober Sale
HUGE discounts for great games!
Looking for some cheap Xbox games during the Xbox Shocktober Sale 2025? Well, there are around 20 games that are reduced by 90-95% in this specific sale alone, with highlights including Control Ultimate Edition, Killing Floor 2, Mad Max, Middle-earth: The Shadow Bundle
Feature These 50+ Games Are Coming To Xbox Next Week (October 20-24)
Including five new Game Pass additions!
Welcome to your Xbox games roundup for October 20-24! We've got a very busy few days ahead of us for new releases, including the likes of Ninja Gaiden 4, Jurassic World Evolution 3, early access for The Outer Worlds 2 and so much more, while five games are arriving into the
News Three Games Are Leaving Xbox Game Pass In Late October 2025
All of them are well worth a play
Microsoft has just revealed the next batch of three games set to leave Xbox Game Pass in late October, with all of them showing on the official Xbox mobile app as of this morning. All of these are well worth a play, with Metal Slug Tactics being an RTS title, Return To Monkey Island being a point-and-click title,...
Poll Are You More Interested In The ROG Xbox Ally Now That Reviews Are Out?
The device is available to the public right now
Microsoft's big handheld launch day has come and gone — the ROG Xbox Ally is now available to the public, and plenty of impressions are already out there — so our poll today revolves around whether the device's launch reviews have tempted you into picking one up, or at least have you considering...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (October 18-19)
Time for a lighthouse tour?
Welcome to another weekend! It's a big one in the world of Xbox with first-party title Keeper and the ROG Xbox Ally now available to the public; it's safe to say we've been putting time into both of these experiences recently and will continue to do so in the coming days. Here's everything we're playing this weekend:...
Friday17th Oct 2025
Roundup Here's What The Reviews Are Saying About Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2
It's finally coming out!
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 was first announced before the current generation of consoles even started, and now after multiple delays, reboots and developer handovers, this vampiric action-RPG is about to grace Xbox Series X and S. So, what's it actually like after all these years? Well, the reviews look a bit...
News Control's New 120FPS Mode Tested In Latest Digital Foundry Analysis
"The advantages speak for themselves"
Earlier this month, Remedy unveiled its new patch for Control Ultimate Edition - adding in a bunch of current-gen features that had been present in the PC version for a number of months prior. Since then,
8BitDo's first wireless Xbox pad is worth every jiggy
8BitDo has certainly come a long way since the days of creating clones of NES and SNES controllers – it is now one of the most respected accessory makers in the world and has even produced officially licensed sticks and pads for the Xbox family of consoles. The company's latest offering –...
News Three Very Intriguing Racing Games Are Coming To Xbox This November
Hopefully a good month for racing fans!
This week has marked the announcement of yet another new racing game for Xbox in November, which means we've now got three (that we know of) that are well worth keeping on your radar - and that's without even mentioning Wreckreation that's coming in late October - don't overlook that one either! <related...
News 61 Games Discounted To Less Than $1 In New Xbox Play Anywhere Sale
"Play anywhere, save everywhere"
We all like cheap games, right? Well, you'll find plenty of them in the Xbox Shocktober Sale (we'll be highlighting a bunch over the weekend), but there's also a new Xbox Play Anywhere sale that's specifically dedicated to low-priced titles. It's called the "Xbox Play Anywhere Sale" here in the UK, but known as the...
Guide ARC Raiders Server Slam: How To Download The Open Beta & What To Expect On Xbox
Play for free all-weekend long!
ARC Raiders is an upcoming extraction FPS that's been hotly anticipated for some time now, and ahead of its imminent launch at the end of October, developer Embark Studios has just released a 'Server Slam' open beta on all platforms - including Xbox. Prior to this one going live, we were seeing lots of questions...
Roundup Here's What The Critics Think Of Keeper On Xbox Game Pass
Out now on GPU!
Another Xbox first-party title is in the books! Yep, Double Fine's Keeper is now available to Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass players, so we're here to round up a bunch of early reviews to get an idea of what folks are thinking so far. Of course, our Pure Xbox review has
Review Keeper (Xbox) - A Memorable Puzzle Adventure From Xbox Studio Double Fine
Reviewed across both Xbox Series X and ROG Xbox Ally!
I totally understand why Xbox hasn't been marketing Keeper very well ahead of launch. Microsoft has suffered some criticism for not putting the spotlight on Double Fine's new Xbox first-party game, but after playing it, I think there are a couple of key reasons behind the decision - the first...
News The Crew 2 Will Now Be Playable 'For Years To Come' As Ubisoft Adds Offline Mode
"This marks a major milestone..."
After months of promises and post-launch work from the Ivory Tower development team, an offline mode has finally been added to The Crew 2, ensuring that the game will be playable "for years to come" on Xbox consoles. We first heard about this effort over a year ago following
News Double Fine's Keeper Is Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (October 17)
A new Xbox first-party release!
Welcome to your latest Xbox Game Pass update! Today brings just the one game - although it's quite a big addition as Double Fine's Keeper makes its XGP debut. This is an Xbox first-party release from the folks that made the well-received Psychonauts 2 back in 2021, so it shou
News Microsoft Debuts ROG Xbox Ally At Gamescom Asia With Impressive Hands-On Booth
"Make sure you stop by and say hello"
The ROG Xbox Ally is out now of course, and neatly coinciding with the device's launch, Gamescom is currently hosting its Asia x Thailand edition of the convention - and Microsoft SEA is there in full force with the new handheld Xbox! We're starting to see Gamescom Asia Xbox booth pics crop up on our social...
Thursday16th Oct 2025
News Four New Retro Classics Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (October 16)
More classics to play on Game Pass!
Microsoft has added four new titles to its Retro Classics library this week, shortly after adding the same amount of games to the collection back in September. Although this is another slightly smaller list than what we've become used to since Xbox Retro Classics launched in May, any new addition
News Free Play Days: Try These Xbox Games For Free (October 16-19)
Your latest batch of free trials
Xbox Free Play Days has landed! We've got a big batch of games playable on the service this week, with five games available as part of Microsoft's main list - and a bonus sixth game thanks to Focus Interactive and a new Space Marine 2 trial. Here's your main FPD list this weekend: Everspace F1 25 Hell Let Loose
News Microsoft Teases New Features Coming To ROG Xbox Ally In Late 2025 & Early 2026
"We’re committed to pushing handheld gaming further"
The ROG Xbox Ally is only just starting to be delivered across the world today, and Microsoft is already talking about plans for new features! Specifically, they've highlighted a few things arriving in the coming weeks and months. It sounds like the first major post-launch addition will be...
News Digital Foundry Delivers Its Verdict On The Xbox Versions Of Battlefield 6
"A detailed breakdown of every mode"
Battlefield 6 has been out for almost a week now, which has given the folks at Digital Foundry plenty of time to dig into every version of the game for its latest analysis video - including the Xbox Series X and S versions which largely impress throughout. If you'd like to hear it straight from the DF team we've...
News Absolum Studio Clarifies Xbox Situation, Tells Fans To 'Stay Tuned For Upcoming Announcements'
Update: Company issues statement
There's been a bit of buzz about a new game called Absolum recently - we've been seeing quite a lot of people trying to find details about an Xbox version, and so we've dug into the game's Discord server to find out why it's skipping Microsoft's console platform at launch. Absolum, if you don't know, is a roguelite...
News Xbox Shocktober Sale 2025 Now Live, 200+ Games Discounted
A spooktacular sale for the rest of October!
It's time for the Xbox Shocktober Sale 2025! This year's version of the sale includes a list of over 200 discounted games, plenty of which are major AAA titles, including some recent releases such as Hell is Us and Killing Floor 3. Below, we've included just some of the major highlights from the Xbox...
News Xbox Says It 'Defines Success' By How Much Time Players Spend On The Platform
All about the engagement
With the ROG Xbox Ally now spreading its wings around the globe, the Xbox Wire team has shared a blog post about the device's day one launch and what updates are coming in future - and they've used some interesting language here as Microsoft enters new territory with its first handheld system. <related ids="192638">
News Waterpark Simulator Has Become A Viral Hit On PC, And The Devs Might Bring It To Xbox
"We plan to expand to other platforms"
In recent weeks, we've seen CayPlay's viral hit Waterpark Simulator popping up all over our YouTube and social media feeds - and to be honest, it's making us a bit jealous that we can't hop in and play on Xbox. Despite this being a Steam-only release for now though, the developer has hinted that other platforms...
News Xbox Fan Thinks They've Discovered More 'Play Anywhere' Titles Being Added Soon
Maybe a glitch, maybe the real deal
With the ROG Xbox Ally now out in the wild, there's been hope that Microsoft might accelerate its Xbox Play Anywhere program even further and add some big games to the list, and one fan thinks they've discovered a few on the way. This person took to Reddit on Wednesday to explain that when they ticked the "Xbox...
News Xbox Indie Showcase Announced For October 2025
"Packed with exclusive trailers, new looks, and gameplay"
We have a new Xbox showcase coming this month! Yep, in partnership with IGN, ID@Xbox will be showcasing some of the platform's hottest indies on October 28th - and we're expecting some fresh Xbox Game Pass announcements here as well. IGN hasn't confirmed any XGP announcements just yet, but t
News Mulitple Games Are Suddenly Getting Updated With ROG Xbox Ally Optimisations
Great to see!
Happy ROG Xbox Ally day! Both versions of the new ASUS and Xbox handheld are officially releasing today in many regions across the world, and therefore it's no surprise to see developers and publishers highlighting their support for it. In fact, some are actually rolling out additional support for the device, with Hogwarts Legacy...
News Ninja Gaiden & Dead Or Alive Director Tomonobu Itagaki Has Passed Away
"So, it goes."
Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive have both played major roles in the history of Xbox over the past 24 years, and we're saddened to hear that a key figure on both those franchises has passed away. It's been announced that Tomonobu Itagaki, who created the Dead or Alive series and revived the Ninja Gaiden series back in 2004, died...
Wednesday15th Oct 2025
News Two More Games Announced For Xbox Game Pass In November 2025
A couple of fresh announcements for next month!
You may have seen this past weekend that we brought you an early look at what's coming to Game Pass next month - well, we now have two more November 2025 additions confirmed for the library. Both of these titles got fresh release date announcements today, along with accompanying trailers, so we'll...
News Three Games Are Moving Over To Xbox Game Pass Premium Today (October 15)
Along with a bonus fourth title!
With Microsoft's recent Xbox Game Pass overhaul, the new 'Premium' tier is a much more affordable option - and despite a lack of day one launches on there, plenty of games are still being added on a regular basis. Back on Monday,
News Sarah Bond Shows Off Where Microsoft Is 'Prototyping For The Next Generation Of Xbox'
"This is where the team is actually designing, prototyping and testing"
There's been a lot of talk recently about the next generation of Xbox and whether Microsoft might even cancel its next-gen console(s), but a new walkthrough of the hardware labs suggests Team Xbox is hard at work on whatever's next. As you can see in the clip below, Xbox's...
News Ubisoft Missed The Xbox Kinect, So They Created An Ambitious Alternative
Specifically for Just Dance
Here's something interesting we came across this week - Ubisoft has been talking about an alternative to the Xbox Kinect (a device that was discontinued in the Xbox One era), with the catch being that it's specifically for Just Dance. They call this "Camera Controller mode", and it works pretty much the same way as the...
Review ROG Xbox Ally X - An Amazing Handheld PC With Plenty Of Console-Like Potential
The future looks bright for Xbox's new handheld device
Well folks, the time has arrived. With the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X officially releasing on October 16th, ASUS was kind enough to give us rough two weeks of early access to the "X" version of the device (the most premium model) here at Pure Xbox, and I've been playing it every single...
Feature ROG Xbox Ally X Battery Life: How Many Hours Do You Get Per-Charge?
Here's what we've experienced so far
With our big ROG Xbox Ally X review going live here at Pure Xbox earlier today, we thought we'd delve a little deeper into the battery life side of things - they only get a passing mention as part of the main review. During my time with the ROG Xbox Ally X, I've obviously been playing lots of games across...
News Upcoming FPS ARC Raiders Is Completely Free-To-Play This Weekend On Xbox
"This is a full-scale Server Slam"
ARC Raiders, an upcoming extraction shooter from The Finals dev Embark Studios, has been in the works for quite a while now - but launch is almost here! The full game releases at the end of this month, and ahead of time, the team is opening up a portion of the experience for a "full-scale server slam" this weekend...
Report Battlefield 6 Sells Over 6 Million Copies, And A Good Chunk Of Those Are On Xbox
A solid split for Series X|S!
It's no secret that Battlefield 6 has had some hype behind it after years of the series not quite hitting the mainstream mark - but an early sales report shows just how well the game is doing right now, including on Xbox Series X and S consoles. The folks over at Alinea Analytics are back again this week with a big...
News Here's What The Reviews Are Saying About The ROG Xbox Ally
A roundup of first impressions for both versions of the device
With just a day to go until the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X handhelds are released to the public, the first reviews have been going live at a variety of outlets across the web, and they make for some pretty interesting reading! Of course, we've got our own review of the ROG Xbox...
Feature 10 Tips And Tricks For Your First Day With The ROG Xbox Ally
Some handy hints to make your day one experience even better
If you've already committed to buying a ROG Xbox Ally or ROG Xbox Ally X, or you're thinking about picking one up in the near future, we think there are a few things you need to know in order to get the best day one experience possible! I've been spending basically all of October with the...
Feature A Quick Look At What It's Like To Unbox The ROG Xbox Ally X
First impressions count
It was all the way back in late 2020 that we did a little feature on unboxing the Xbox Series X, so we may as well do the same thing for the ROG Xbox Ally X, right? Nothing too crazy - let's just have a look inside and see what we get! So, the first thing you'll be greeted with is this very nice-looking box. The ROG Xbox...
Roundup Ball x Pit Launches On Xbox Game Pass To Impressive Reviews
"A brick-breaking, ball-fusing, base-building survival roguelite"
Amidst all of the craziness regarding the ROG Xbox Ally today, don't forget that Ball x Pit is launching on Xbox Game Pass, and the first reviews have arrived! This game is a described as a "brick-breaking, ball-fusing, base-building su
Rumour Halo Remake To Feature 'Modern Mechanics', Could Be Announced This Month
Keep an eye on the Halo World Champs
In recent months, we've heard little bits and pieces about a Halo: Combat Evolved remake potentially coming to Xbox next year - and now some new information has been shared that hints at the sorts of changes we can expect Halo Studios to make with its new version of the original Halo. Twitter account Halo Leaks...
News Xbox Begins Adding 'Handheld Optimized' Tags To PC Games Ahead Of ROG Xbox Ally Launch
A neat system for the new handheld
Back in August, Xbox unveiled a new feature known as the "Handheld Compatibility Program" that would help PC handheld owners (and particularly ROG Xbox Ally owners) understand how certain games will perform on their systems. Everything kinda went quiet on this immediately afterwards, but as shown off by The...
Tuesday14th Oct 2025
News Xbox Reveals First Three Games Included In Big 'Shocktober Sale' Starting This Week
Maybe save some Xbox credit for Thursday!
We've got another big Xbox sale on the way in a couple of days' time! Yes, it's been announced that the Xbox Shocktober Sale for 2025 will begin on Thursday, October 16th and will last until the start of November, featuring "horrifyingly good savings on spooky titles across console and PC". The first three...
News Xbox Journalist Says Latest Rumours Are 'A Huge Challenge For The Brand Right Now'
"Some Xbox fans have been worried..."
Rumours about the imminent demise of Xbox are hardly a new phenomenon — they seem to start swirling around every time Microsoft makes a controversial decision — but we've seen them dialled up to 11 after the recent Game Pass price hikes - and journalist Tom Warren believes they're becoming "a huge challenge...
It's a good price as well!
Like single-player story games? Like survival first-person shooters? In that case, Beneath might be something to keep an eye on, as it's just been announced to be releasing on October 28th for Xbox Series X and Series S. The game is specifically described as a "Lovecraftian first-person survival horror adventure" that's...
Roundup Here's What The First Reviews Are Saying About NASCAR 25
A brand-new release from the iRacing team
We've got a new racing game releasing on Xbox this week in the form of NASCAR 25, and this one's being developed by the team at iRacing Studios - you know, the developer behind the ultra-popular iRacing simulation game on PC? NASCAR 25 boasts "laser scanned car models and tracks for a level of authenticity...
News Battlefield 6 Boss: 'The Only Reason COD Exists Is Because EA Were D*cks'
Vince Zampella speaks openly
Call of Duty vs. Battlefield has been a long-standing rivalry in the gaming biz; two FPS titans that often trade blows as publishers Activision and EA hope to reign supreme. With BF6 out in the wild, veteran developer Vince Zampella has now had a major hand in both of these franchises - and in a new interview, h
"An immersive stealth FPS"
One of the games we mentioned in our "coming to Xbox next week" article on Saturday was Blood West, which is described as "an immersive stealth FPS" that's received "Very Positive" reviews on Steam since its launch back in 2023. This game features open-ended worlds that'll take you around 20 hours to complete and 35 hours...
Guide Keeper: Release Date, Launch Times & What To Expect From Xbox's Next First-Party Release
Double Fine is back!
Xbox Game Studios drops another release this week in the form of Keeper from Double Fine Productions - and so far, this one has been flying under the radar a little bit! Therefore, we're here with all the information you need ahead of its nearby launch - including the game's release date, exact launch times, Xbox download size...
News The Outer Worlds 2 Is Bringing 'Big Sequel Energy' To Xbox Game Pass This Month
New live action trailer is very Obsidian
We're just about two weeks away from The Outer Worlds 2 at this point, and as the game's marketing cycle starts to ramp up, the team has dropped a new live action trailer that takes the mick out of sequels - and it's very tongue-in-cheek Obsidian. As usual, we've chucked this trailer up above for you to take...
News Ninja Gaiden 4 Devs Insist Game Needs To Be Challenging But Maintain A 'Sense Of Fairness'
"That’s something we talk about a lot at Team Ninja"
Ninja Gaiden 4 will be with us this time next week (look out for our review in the near future), and ahead of this big Xbox first-party release, a couple of developers have been speaking to Automaton about how challenging of a game it'll be. Directors Yuji Nakao (PlatinumGames) and Masakazu...
News Assassin's Creed Franchise Lead Quits Ubisoft As New 'Vantage Studios' Label Takes Shape
He worked on some massive AC games
Right at the start of this month — buried in and amongst all of Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass news — Ubisoft announced that it had officially spun up its 'Vantage Studios' subsidiary to handle Assassin's Creed, Far Cry and Rainbow Six in the future - and today, the company has hit a bit of a bump in the road...
News Summer Game Fest 2026 Date Revealed With 'Spectacular Cross-Platform Showcase' Teased
Geoff is back, back again
Ahh, we're just about settling down after this year's showcase season, with the fall games rush about to begin here in late 2025. Well, as ever, this industry just keeps on ploughing forward - and today, The Game Awards host Geoff Keighley has revealed the date for their Summer Game Fest 2026 showcase. Yep, the de-facto...
Monday13th Oct 2025
News Five Games Are Being Added To Xbox Game Pass This Week (October 14-17)
Including an Xbox first-party title
Ready for a new week of new Xbox Game Pass additions?! With Microsoft trickling them out from Tuesday to Friday, we thought we'd gather them all up in one place so you know exactly what to expect over the next few days. We're kicking things off with Supermassive Games' The Casting of Frank Stone on Tuesday,...
News Battlefield 6 Comparison Shows Difference Between Xbox Series X And Series S
Here's how both Xbox versions stack up
We're a little late to this one, but following our review of Battlefield 6 earlier today, we thought you might be interested in how the game is shaping up across both Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S! Fuzion Xbox Testing has become our go-to for stuff like this - we're not affiliated with the channel...
News New ROG Xbox Ally X Footage Shows Battlefield 6, Helldivers 2, Forza Motorsport & More
A first look at how these games perform
Welcome to the week of the ROG Xbox Ally launch! With just days to go until these new handhelds are in the hands of the public, more footage is creeping out onto the likes of YouTube and social media that suggests it's going to be an awesomely powerful system - at least in the case of the ROG Xbox Ally X...
News Microsoft Issues Statement Denying Target & Walmart Are Pulling Xbox Products
"Target and Walmart remain committed partners"
Over the weekend, there was a lot of rumour and speculation that both Target and Walmart might be pulling their Xbox products, with one particular Reddit post getting a bunch of attention after it was suggested that someone's local Target store had been "getting rid" of their Xbox section. Here's a...
Review Battlefield 6 (Xbox) - A Fantastic FPS, And A Great Base For The Future Of Battlefield
Back to winning ways
EA and the newly-rebranded Battlefield Studios had a lot to prove to me with Battlefield 6. The previous game in the series, Battlefield 2042, left a lot to be desired - and truth be told, I was losing a bit of faith in the series ever getting back to its glory days. With BF6 now here, backed up by a pretty smooth opening...
News Xbox Adds Multiple Dynamic Backgrounds On Series X|S, Including A Few First-Party Additions
All available now!
Since we last posted an update on Xbox's dynamic background collection for Series X|S, Microsoft has added a bunch more options for players to customise their console home screens, including fresh wallpapers for some of the team's biggest Fall 2025 titles. Up above is an example of the Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 background that's...
News The House Of The Dead 2: Remake Arrives On Xbox Later This Month
Update: We've got a release date!
It's been announced today by Forever Entertainment that The House of the Dead 2: Remake will be coming to Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S (along with PlayStation and Nintendo Switch) at some point in Spring 2025! This new version promises "modern graphics" along with remastered music, and it's playable...
News Everwild Screenshots Leak Online Several Months After Xbox Cancellation
Featuring gameplay & UI elements!
Back in July, as part of broader layoffs at Microsoft, Rare's Everwild was cancelled after more than five years in the making - and now a selection of in-development screenshots have been shared online; giving us an idea of what the Sea Of Thieves developer was looking to build with
Talking Point How Often Do You Replay Games?
Loads? Certain titles? Never?
Earlier today, we got talking about Sunset Overdrive for one reason or another (it's almost the game's 11th anniversary, that's our excuse), and one of the subjects we touched on was getting around to replaying it. The Insomniac title is just one of those games where a replay continues to allude us (even though we think...
News Insomniac's Xbox Exclusive Sunset Overdrive Celebrates Its 11-Year Anniversary This Month
Time flies when you're downing Overcharge
Around this time last year, we reminisced about one of Xbox's best-ever exclusives when Sunset Overdrive officially hit 10 years of age - and while its 2025 anniversary isn't quite as important, we have seen the Xbox community talking about the game once again, and we don't really need much of an excuse to...
Sunday12th Oct 2025
News Two More Ubisoft Classics Have Quietly Been Added To PC Game Pass
Not originally Ubisoft titles, but they are these days!
In addition to all the Ubisoft games that were added to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass earlier this month, the company very quietly trickled out two more late last week - both of which are exclusive to PC Game Pass. These are Heroes of Might and Magic 2 - Gold Edition and Heroes of...
News Microsoft Rewards October Gift Card Sale Begins, Includes Discount On Xbox Credit
You'll need to be VERY quick though!
Last month, it was announced that Microsoft Rewards would be hosting a Gift Card Sale at some point in October, and that sale has now begun - it features up to 10% off select gift cards, and Xbox is included in the mix. If you go to the Microsoft Rewards dashboard on a browser (and you're in an eligible region),...
Saturday11th Oct 2025
News Four Games Are Confirmed For Xbox Game Pass In November 2025 So Far
An early look at next month
As we always do around this time of the month, we're taking an early look today at what's ahead for November 2025's Xbox Game Pass selection, with four titles having been confirmed for the service next month already. The next Call of Duty title is the big one confirmed so far; Black Ops 7 comes to the main Game Pass...
Feature These 30+ Games Are Coming To Xbox Next Week (October 13-17)
Including five new Game Pass titles!
Welcome to your Xbox games roundup for October 13-17! The big release of the next few days from an Xbox perspective is Double Fine's Keeper, while there are absolutely tons of new indie titles and five brand-new Xbox Game Pass additions to look forward to. Here's what's coming to Xbox next week: New Xbox...
Poll Are You Buying Battlefield 6 For Xbox On Launch Weekend?
All aboard the hype train?
Battlefield 6 is here - after years of waiting, EA's big FPS series has made its grand return on Xbox Series X and S. We've seen a lot of hype for this one in all corners of the internet already — including in the comments here at Pure Xbox — and we want to know if you've been bitten by the Battlefield bug and are...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (October 11-12)
Joining us on the Battlefield?
Welcome to another weekend! It's going to be a busy one here at Pure Xbox HQ as we get stuck into Battlefield 6 and plenty of other Xbox-related goodness - we're looking forward to getting some gaming time in over the next few days, to say the least! Here's what we're playing this weekend: Ben Kerry, Staff Writer:...
Friday10th Oct 2025
Guide Xbox Adds More Perks For Game Pass Members (October 2025)
The latest freebies for XGP subscribers
The Xbox Game Pass Perks program is continuing to add a bunch of freebies for Game Pass members throughout October 2025, including for the likes of Call of Duty: Warzone, Throne And Liberty and a whole lot more. As a result of the recent overhau
News ROG Xbox Ally X Spotted At Best Buy, TIME Calls It One Of The 'Best Inventions Of 2025'
We're less than a week away!
We're now less than a week away from the release of the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X! With such little time left to go until the launch, it's no surprise that the handheld has started to crop up in more and more places. Over on the Xbox Ally Reddit, multiple people have pointed out that Best Buy is openly stocking...
News The Casting Of Frank Stone Looks Set To Prove Popular On Xbox Game Pass Next Week
"A haunting horror game that won’t soon be forgotten"
You've probably seen that Microsoft unveiled a bunch of new Xbox Game Pass titles earlier this week, and the one that seems to be getting most interest here at Pure Xbox (based on the stats we're seeing) is The Casting of Frank Stone. No surprises there! On paper, this game sounds absolutely...
Talking Point As We Approach GOTY Season, What's Your Pick As Things Stand?
The votes for Pure Xbox GOTY will begin in two months' time!
We're getting closer and closer to Game of the Year season! We'll be opening up the votes for the annual Pure Xbox GOTY poll in about two months' time, but before we get there, we thought we'd reach out for your preliminary thoughts on what deserves the #1 spot in 2025 so far. I don't...
News If Your Battlefield 6 Crew Plays On Xbox, It'll Earn Less XP Than On PlayStation
Why is this a thing?
Battlefield 6 is out now, and after four years of waiting since 2042, thousands of players will be hopping into the game's vast multiplayer suite in the coming days - and for years to come, for that matter. Bringing a good squad with you is always recommended in Battlefield, but as it turns out, that squad will be benefitted if...
News New Rumours Suggest PS6 & Next-Gen Xbox Could Both Release In 2027
Another head-to-head year?
Yesterday, we covered the big Xbox 'Magnus' Leak and what it could potentially mean for Microsoft's next-gen console - and while some of that information admittedly goes a little over our heads, the rumoured release window is something that we can fully understand. Yep, that leak again suggests that the next-gen Xbox is...
News Xbox's The Outer Worlds 2 Is Now Available To Preload, More Than 2 Weeks Before Launch
Better clear some storage space
Excited for The Outer Worlds 2 from Xbox Game Studios developer Obsidian Entertainment? Well, we're less than three weeks out from launch - and the game has now gone gold, with pre-loading available on Xbox Game Pass as we speak.
News Xbox's Minecraft Movie Is Officially Getting A Sequel, Airing In 2027
That was quick!
Following the incredible success of 2025's A Minecraft Movie, outlet Deadline has confirmed that A Minecraft Movie 2 is now officially in the works - and it's heading to theatres in summer 2027. Jared Hess returns to direct the u
Thursday9th Oct 2025
News Xbox 'Magnus' Leak Suggests Next Console Will Be Powerful, Expensive & Maybe A Hybrid Device
"It will be the largest APU used in a gaming console in history"
You may have heard a bit of chatter about something called the Xbox "Magnus" in recent weeks, and this stems from YouTube channel Moore's Law Is Dead which claims that Magnus is the name of the AMD APU (processor) that will be used in the next Xbox console. The channel has taken...
News Classic MMORPG 'Wizard101' Leaves Early Access And Releases For Free On Xbox
Update: "Xbox Game Preview has officially come to a close!"
If you were big into your MMORPGs back in the 2000s, you probably came across a game called Wizard101 - a turn-based deckbuilding title that still lives on today, and it's just released on Xbox consoles for the very first time. As mentioned elsewhere on Pure Xbox, Wizard101 is one of a few...
News Battlefield 6 Dev Explains Why It Isn't Following Black Ops 7 With Xbox One Version
BF6 is ditching last-gen, for good reason
Two titans of the FPS genre are about to release on Xbox in the form of Battlefield 6 and Black Ops 7, but whilst BF6 drops last-gen support this time around, BO7 is still giving us an Xbox One version here in 2025 - and the teams both have their reasons as to why. Recently, Call of Duty developer Treyarch...
News Two Classic PC RPGs Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (October 9)
Already on console, now on PC
Welcome to your latest Xbox Game Pass roundup! Today, the PC library is growing with the addition of two classic RPGs, but don't worry console players - these are actually already in the console XGP library! <related ids="183385"> Here's some more information on those two new additions to PC Game Pass:
Roundup Here's What The Reviews Are Saying About Battlefield 6
EA's new shooter launches tomorrow!
After four years of waiting, Battlefield is back, with the upcoming Battlefield 6 about to drop on Xbox consoles this Friday. Naturally, then, we've got some early reviews trickling in for this one - which we're going to round up down below for you to take a look at. Now, we are working on our own Battlefield 6...
Deals Xbox Seasonal Savings Sale Now Live, 400+ Games Included
Another massive new sale featuring AAA titles
It's hard to even keep up with all the sales on the Xbox Store at the moment! Lots more have gone live this week, including an EA Publisher sale and a Publisher Spotlight Sale, but the highlight today is a new Seasonal Savings sale. We're seeing some major games in this Seasonal Savings sale, including...
News Call Of Duty Is Finally Removing Skill-Based Matchmaking In Black Ops 7
Disbanding lobbies are also going away!
Ever since the big Modern Warfare reboot in 2019, the whole matchmaking system in Call of Duty changed; to one that tries to match players up of a similar skill level above all other metrics. It's a system that should work in theory, but in practice has led to a feeling of being punished for playing well - and...
News Former ZeniMax Devs Who Were Fired By Xbox Create New Company Called Sackbird Studios
They're not even trying to be subtle...
Back in July — when we first started hearing about mass layoffs and project cancellations at Xbox — we learnt that ZeniMax Online Studios' new game, Project Blackbird, was one of those cancellations. With it came several job losses, and now a few of those veterans who formerly headed up the Bethesda team...
News AMD's Partnership On PS6 Will Benefit 'Every Gaming Platform', Says General Manager
Sony's next console releases "in a few years' time"
Sony and AMD have shared a new video today discussing "the Future of Play" for the two companies, and while the video naturally focuses on PlayStation and building towards the PS6, these tech advancements being made will benefit developers on "every gaming platform" according to the AMD...
News UK Retailer Tests Oblivion Remastered To See If It Plays Off The Disc (Xbox & PS5)
The answer's a bit different in both cases
Back in July, it was confirmed by UK retailer The Game Collection that Oblivion Remastered would be getting a physical edition for Xbox Series X (and PS5), but they weren't able to confirm whether the game would ship on-disc or not. Well, they've just received stock at their warehouse of both the Xbox and...
News Indiana Jones And The Great Circle Anniversary Update Brings New Game+ To Xbox
Available today!
To celebrate the studio's 15th anniversary, MachineGames has announced a major update for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle - one that brings the much-requested New Game+ to Xbox's 2024 adventure. Available today and free for all Indiana Jones players, the anniversary patch is briefly showcased up above. The team's three major...
News Free Play Days: Try These Xbox Games For Free (October 9-12)
Your latest batch of free trials
Xbox Free Play Days has landed! We've got a good batch of games playable on the service this week, alongside that huge Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 trial that goes live today as well. You can play the whole COD campaign with that one, and it's available to all Xbox players! <related ids="192306"> Without further...
News Yooka-Replayee Is Out Today On Xbox, And Here's A Look At The Reviews For It
The free demo is still available as well
Today's the day for Yooka-Replayee! This is the "definitive remastered and enhanced version" of 2017's Yooka-Laylee that we mentioned a little while ago, and it's now available to buy on the Xbox Store for £24.99 / $29.99. This version includes a graphics overhaul, new presentation elements, new story...
Wednesday8th Oct 2025
News These 12 Games Are Coming To Xbox Game Pass (October 8-21)
Your first wave of October additions
Microsoft has today unveiled its latest roundup of new Xbox Game Pass titles, a week on from overhauling the service with an Ultimate price bump and two refreshed tiers in Essential and Premium. Before we get into the full list of titles coming to XGP over the next few weeks, we want to remind folks to be aware...
Guide Battlefield 6: Release Date, Release Times & Season 1 Content For Xbox Series X|S
Everything you need to know
There's a lot of excitement around Battlefield 6 right now as EA and BF Studios prepare to drop their first mainline release in four years - so we're going to get you up to speed with everything you need to know for the upcoming launch. From the release date to its exact release times and how much space the game will...
News ROG Xbox Ally X Continues To Sell Out, While Standard Version Remains More Readily Available
It seems most people are interested in the X
With just over a week to go until the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X handhelds make their way into the hands of the public, it seems there's one device in particular that's attracting the lion's share of the attention right now. That device is the ROG Xbox Ally X, which is the more premium (and...
Talking Point After Becoming A Surprise Hit On Netflix, Could The Halo TV Series Return?
It's been climbing up the charts
Back in February, we mentioned that the cancelled Halo TV series had shown up on Netflix in the UK and certain other regions, and it's been expanding to a lot more regions in the months since - becoming a surprise hit in the process! In the United States this week, the Halo TV show has been sitting in fourth...
News The Full Black Ops 6 Campaign Will Be Entirely Free For A Week, Starting This Thursday
Taking Battlefield 6 head on?
The Call of Duty team has detailed its latest free trial ahead of the series' yearly Halloween update, and for the first time in franchise history, the entire Black Ops 6 campaign will be free-to-play for a week on Xbox. Yep, starting October 9th and running through October 16th, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is hosting...
Roundup Here's What The Reviews Are Saying About Little Nightmares 3
Coming to Xbox this week!
Little Nightmares 3 has crept under the radar a little bit in the run up to launch, but it's actually coming to Xbox consoles this week - and ahead of its imminent release, the reviews have just gone live for Bandai Namco's new horror adventure. It's actually The Dark Pictures dev Supermassive Games handling this one as...
News Xbox Rolls Out Age Verification (UK) And Game Hub Improvements In New Insider Update
"Xbox Insiders can expect something new"
The Xbox Insider program is always rolling out new features and experiences for its members, and the latest update for the Alpha Skip-Ahead Ring mentions a couple of key ones - age verification in the UK and Game Hub improvements. Age Verification w
News Supermarket Simulator Is Shadow Dropping Today On Xbox Game Pass (October 8)
Surprise!
Anyone up for an Xbox Game Pass shadow drop today?! Well, as was accidentally hinted a few weeks ago, Supermarket Simulator is making its Xbox debut today - and it's part of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Premium and PC Game Pass at the same time. This title has been a huge success over on
News Xbox Journalist Disputes Rumour About AMD Requiring 10M Units For First-Party Handheld
"This isn't even slightly true btw"
Earlier this week, you may have seen a rumour doing the rounds that Xbox's dedicated first-party handheld (not the ASUS ROG Xbox Ally) was cancelled early in development due to AMD wanting a commitment of 10 million units to justify making a custom SoC (system on a chip) for the device. This came from a source...
News Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Team Unveils New Content For 'Major' Upcoming Xbox Update
As a thank you for passing five million sales worldwide
There are many people who will have Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 on their list for Game of the Year in 2025, and it's about to get even better thanks to an upcoming "major" update that's set to go live in the near future. This has been teased by the development team as part of some "thank you"...
News Xbox's Playground Games Grew Substantially In 2024 To Prepare For Fable & Forza Horizon 6
70+ new employees
Xbox developer Playground Games has a big year on its hands in 2026 — with both Fable and Forza Horizon 6 due to release — and it seems the British studio has been growing substantially to prepare for these two huge releases. The team's financial statements for 2024 have just been released publicly, and they confirm that the...
News Ninja Gaiden 4 Is Now Available To Preload On Xbox Game Pass
And it's a reasonable download size!
We've got a big month ahead of us when it comes to Xbox published titles, and ahead of its Game Pass launch later in the month, Ninja Gaiden 4 is now ready to preload on Xbox Series X|S. We're looking at a modest 37GB install for this one on console, with the PC version coming in slightly higher at just north of...
Tuesday7th Oct 2025
News Strange Xbox Email Suggests Game Pass Price Increase Doesn't Apply To Certain Members
Update: Microsoft confirms it's legit for some countries
We've obviously all well aware of the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass price hike that's rolling out in most regions right now, but certain members are potentially not being affected by it - primarily in Europe, it seems. Today, lots of people have been sharing an apparent new email...
News Seven Games Tested On ROG Xbox Ally X In 45 Minutes Of Impressive Pre-Release Footage
This thing is looking good
With the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X launching next week (!), it's no surprise that we're starting to see some early footage of the Ally X out in the wild, and that means we can start seeing how powerful this thing really is! The video you see below is courtesy of YouTuber Dans ta grosse poche, who received their...
News New Silent Hill F Xbox Advertisement Makes It Clear You're Only Buying A 'License'
"I haven't seen it advertised like this before"
We've seen a lot of discourse around digital games and whether you truly own them or not over the past few years, and as spotted by one particular Xbox fan, Silent Hill F makes a specific reference to this in its latest Xbox advert. As you can see in the ad, there's a mention underneath the "available...
News Two Games Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (October 7)
Your first additions of a busy month!
Welcome to your first Xbox Game Pass update for October 2025! Today, we have two new additions landing on XGP, ahead of what's looking like a stacked month for the service. Here's some more information on today's two new Xbox Game Pass titles, and you can check out what else is coming this month via the link...
News PowerWash Simulator 2 Gets Official Release Date, Coming To Game Pass This Month
Launching in just a few weeks' time!
Back in March, FuturLab announced PowerWash Simulator 2 — a full follow-up to its surprise Xbox hit PowerWash Simulator — and now we have an official release date as the team prepares another day one Game Pass launch. Powe
News Activision Lays Into Black Ops 7 Hackers As 97% Of Early Access Beta Cheats Shut Down Instantly
A monumental effort from the COD team
The Black Ops 7 beta is now in full swing as Microsoft opens the doors for anyone and everyone to jump in, and as the tech test moves on from its early access period, Activision has provided a huge update on how it's handled cheaters during the first few days of the beta. The COD anti-cheat team says that...
News Bungie's Delayed Shooter Marathon Re-Emerges With New Xbox Playtest
"This is an important checkpoint for us..."
Back in the summer, Destiny dev Bungie delayed its upcoming extraction shooter Marathon due to mixed feedback from the team's 2025 Alpha test, but that hasn't discouraged them - as a new playtest has now been announced for later this month. Marathon's next tech test goes ahead October 22 through October...
Pick One Which Is Your Favourite Double Fine Game On Xbox?
Keeper comes next
With Xbox exclusive Keeper launching next week — and a distinct lack of marketing for it, to be honest — we wanted to go back and talk about Double Fine's Xbox history in today's 'Pick One' feature! This famous development house, led by visionary Tim Schafer, has produced some absolute classics over the years - and most of...
News Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds Introduces 'The Minecraft Festival' On Xbox This Week
"Minecraft is joining the race"
Back in the summer, we covered Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds and its Minecraft crossover when SEGA announced an official release date for its new kart racer - and today, the team has revealed exactly when you can partake in this big MC event on Xbox.
News Metal: Hellsinger Studio Announces Closure After 10 Years In Existence
"All of us have been affected by the layoffs at Funcom"
Remember Metal: Hellsinger? This awesome rhythm-shooter was a day one launch on Xbox Game Pass back in 2022, but unfortunately the studio behind it has announced its closure on social media. The studio is/was known as The Outsiders, and the team has been affected by layoffs at publisher...
News Vampire Survivors Is Adding Online Co-Op To The Xbox Game Pass Hit This Autumn
"yeah it's autumn right now shh"
How do you make Vampire Survivors even better?! You add online co-op to it! That's what's officially happening at some point this Autumn, with the development team confirming it'll be one of the (seemingly five) big new features added as part of update 1.14. There's no release date yet, but they've acknowledged...
Monday6th Oct 2025
News Xbox Issues Statement Denying Rumour That Next-Gen Console Could Be Cancelled
"We are actively investing in our future first-party consoles..."
Over the weekend, you may have seen that a rumour was doing the rounds suggesting Xbox's hardware plans were "up in the air" and that "the future of Xbox is software publishing" - something Microsoft has responded to in recent hours. The rumour came from a source known as SneakersSO...
News Xbox Rewards Adds More Weekly Point Buffs For Game Pass Ultimate Members
While nerfing them for other tiers
Last week, we reported on how Xbox Rewards was buffing its points in some cases and nerfing them in others, and it turned out to be part of the Xbox Game Pass overhaul that was announced on October 1st. Today, however, Xbox and Microsoft Rewards members are waking up to find that their weekly tasks have also been...
News Microsoft Rewards Team Insists October Gift Card Sale Hasn't Been Forgotten About
"We've seen your questions"
Back in the middle of September, there was a lot of excitement amongst Microsoft Rewards users after a Gift Card Sale was announced for October... but then nothing ended up happening once October rolled around. Worse still, the advert for the sale suddenly disappeared, leading to a belief that Microsoft might have...
Talking Point Would You Still Buy An Elite Series 3 Controller For Xbox Series X|S?
Or is it too late?
Last week, Xbox President Sarah Bond was asked about the Elite Series 3 controller and whether we can expect to see another iteration of the device - to which she teased that "more information should come out in the future". It wasn't a definitive answer but it certainly hinted that we could see another Xbox Elite controller at...
News Control Ultimate Edition Gets Big Xbox Series X|S Update, Here Are The Full Patch Notes
120FPS support! HDR! Bonus Kojima mission!
Control Ultimate Edition has just received a major update on Xbox Series X|S, adding in a bunch of current-gen tech features alongside the once-PS4 exclusive mission 'Dr. Yoshimi Tokui’s Guided Imagery Experience'; featuring Hideo Kojima. You may remember that this patch actually went live on PC back in...
News Battlefield 6's Xbox File Size Is Much Smaller On Series S Than Series X
Thanks to 'modular' install packs
AAA games can take up lots of storage space these days, especially big shooters that contain lots of different maps and modes, but we're glad to say that the upcoming Battlefield 6 seems to have been pretty well optimised for Xbox Series X and S consoles. With the preload going live in the last few days, we've...
News New COD Sales 'Estimate' Helps Explain Xbox's Price Hike For Day One Game Pass Releases
GP Ultimate & PCGP have since received price increases
Last year marked the first Call of Duty game to be released day one on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass in the form of Black Ops 6, but a new report from Bloomberg suggests that it didn't perform as well as hoped. The report mentions that, according to a former employee of Xbox,...
News It Looks Like The Silent Hill 2 Remake Is About To Go Fully Multiplatform
PS5 exclusivity ends this week
Since the Silent Hill 2 remake graced PC and PS5 platforms last year, we've been eager to see if the Konami & Bloober Team collaboration would eventually come to Xbox - and just as the game is about to hit its one-year anniversary, we have some evidence to suggest that an Xbox port is near. As shared by Rebs Gaming,...
News Xbox Report Details Cancelled 'Uncharted Rival' Once Being Made By Gears Of War Dev
Gears 4 was made instead
More than a decade ago now, The Coalition was known as 'Black Tusk Studios'; developing an original IP for Microsoft and Xbox. Some of you may remember the game's teaser trailer from E3 2013 that depicted a spy thriller of some sort, but the game never came to be. Well, a new report from DidYouKnowGaming goes into the...
News Fable's Peter Molyneux Describes Xbox Boss As 'One Of The Best People I've Worked With'
As part of a new interview with Edge Magazine
Long before Xbox boss Phil Spencer actually became the head of the brand in 2014, he was playing an important role in shaping its future back in the early days - and Fable creator Peter Molyneux has shared some kind new words about his experience with the now-Microsoft Gaming CEO. Molyneux has been...
News 1997's Broken Sword 2: The Smoking Mirror Is Getting 'Reforged' For Xbox In 2026
"A faithful reimagining of the second game"
It was just over 12 months ago that Broken Sword - Shadow of the Templars: Reforged was released for Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, so it makes sense that the second game is also getting the treatment very soon! This one is officially called Broken Sword - The Smoking Mirror: Reforged, and...
Saturday4th Oct 2025
Feature These 30+ Games Are Coming To Xbox Next Week (October 6-10)
Including at least two more Game Pass titles!
Welcome to your Xbox games roundup for October 6-10! The big release of the next few days is Battlefield 6 for sure, but we've also got the likes of Yooka-Replayee, Little Nightmares 3 and at least two
News Multiple Xbox Games Temporarily Delisted Due To Security Issue With The Unity Engine
"A potentially serious vulnerability"
A bunch of Xbox first-party games have suddenly become unavailable on the Microsoft Store over the past few hours due to a security issue that's been discovered with the Unity engine. The "security vulnerability" stems back to 2017 and Unity has provided fixes that developers can implement, but Microsoft has...
Talking Point How Do You Feel About Ubisoft+ Classics Being Added To Game Pass Ultimate?
Good perk, bad perk, somewhere in the middle?
In order to pack out its newly price-hiked Xbox Game Pass Ultimate tier, Microsoft is bundling in a couple of bonus subscriptions for users - one of those being Fortnite Crew in November and the other bein
News Here's What Might Leave Xbox Game Pass In November 2025
Some early predictions
What's leaving Xbox Game Pass in November 2025? Well, Microsoft hasn't confirmed anything just yet, but based on some games that were added to the service this time last year, we can at least make a few predictions ahead of time. We know that a lot of Xbox users want more advance notice of games leaving Xbox Game Pass, but...
Feature Black Ops 7 Beta Review (Xbox) - A Bit Of A Re-Skin, But Zombies Mode Shines
Bringing the band back together
Call of Duty returns this year with its first back-to-back Black Ops release — similar to Modern Warfare 2 and Modern Warfare 3 a few years ago — and that no-doubt makes this year's title feel like less of a leap. COD 2025 is clearly built on the admittedly-strong foundations of Black Ops 6, which makes mu
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (October 4-5)
Some of that free COD beta?
Welcome to another weekend of gaming! As October gets into its stride, we've got plenty to be playing on Xbox and beyond - so let's talk a little bit about what we're getting stuck into over the next few days. Here's what we're playing this weekend: Ben Kerry, Staff Writer: After what's turned out to be a very busy...
Friday3rd Oct 2025
News Microsoft Set To Announce 'Free' Xbox Cloud Gaming Tier With Ads
An alternative to streaming through Game Pass
With Microsoft extending Xbox Cloud Gaming access to all versions of Xbox Game Pass earlier this week (with different benefits and limitations for each), the company is apparently set to announce a free version for xCloud soon as well. This is coming from Tom Warren at The Verge, who says that...
News Xbox Ditches Majority Of Its Game Pass DLC Discounts As Part Of Service Revamp
Update: Microsoft shares a statement
So, earlier today we spotted some news doing the rounds about Call of Duty DLC no longer being discounted for Xbox Game Pass members - and after doing a little digging, this appears to be part of the broader Game Pass shift from Microsoft. Basically, the majority of individual DLC packs for Game Pass games are...
News Here's Your First Proper Look At The 'Premium Case' For The ROG Xbox Ally
It's been shipped to some people already
When the ROG Xbox Ally prices and pre-order details were finally revealed last week, Microsoft also talked about a handful of early accessories that will be available for it - including the 2-in-1 Premium Case that's being sold by ASUS. That case isn't particularly cheap at a whopping £59.99 / $69.99, but...
News Xbox Fan Shares Their Concept For A Game Pass 'Select' Plan With Optional Add-Ons
"I made Game Pass modular."
You don't need us to tell you that Xbox's recent changes to Game Pass have been received with some disgruntlement over the past couple of days, with the criticism being mostly applied to the price increase for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. One fan has even take it upon themselves to come up with a concept for an Xbox Game...
News Halo Reporter Thinks They've Discovered Who's Developing The Combat Evolved 'Remake'
"If my sources and evidence are correct"
It's no secret that the folks over at Halo Studios are seemingly cooking up a new version of Halo: Combat Evolved that's likely going to arrive next year, and one Halo reporter in particular thinks they know exactly who's working on it. This is a reporter known as Rebs Gaming, who's delved into the situation...
Talking Point So, Have You Tried Out Hogwarts Legacy On Xbox Game Pass Yet?
If so, what do you think?
Alongside Microsoft's overhaul to Xbox Game Pass this week, it added a bunch of new titles to both its Premium and Ultimate services - with Hogwarts Legacy now playable on both the mid and high-end tiers of the subscription. So, for those of you that managed to hold off buying the game for this long, how are you getting on...
News Xbox Game Studios Titles Up For Several Awards At Golden Joysticks 2025
Indiana Jones, South of Midnight & more involved
Voting for this year's Golden Joystick Awards has gone live today, and while Xbox misses out on any Game of the Year nominations this time around, several of its titles are up for various other awards at the 2025 edition of the show. Xbox's Deep South-inspired adventure South of Midnight is up for...
News Skate 'Season 1' Begins Next Week, Adding A Bunch Of New Content To The Game
"Let the good times roll!"
EA's Skate reboot has proved popular since launching in early access as a free-to-play title last month, and it's just about to receive a whole bunch of new content as part of "Season 1" that begins on October 7th, 2025. You can see a sample of this content in the trailer up above, with some of the highlights including...
News Jump Space Is Dominating The Xbox Charts Right Now, And There's A Good Reason For It
It helps that it's a fun game!
The Top Paid Xbox charts are full of some absolute behemoths right now - EA Sports FC 26, Hollow Knight: Silksong, Dying Light: The Beast and many others - but one game that's keeping pace with all of them is Jump Space! We talked about this title prior to release, mentioning how it was both an
Poll What Are Your First Impressions Of The Black Ops 7 Beta On Xbox?
Live now for Game Pass Ultimate players
Call of Duty season is upon us once again, with the early access portion of Xbox's Black Ops 7 beta now available. Yep, pre-order players and Game Pass Ultimate subscribers can now test out the latest multiplayer offering from COD developer Treyarch ahead of th
News The New Virtua Fighter Has A Totally Free Beta On Xbox This Weekend
Full game releases later this month
We've already talked about the array of Xbox Free Play Days titles that are available this weekend, including the Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 beta, but another one you might have missed is an open beta for the new Virtua Fighter! Specifically, this is for
Thursday2nd Oct 2025
News 'Price Increases Are Never Fun For Anybody' Says Xbox Exec Defending Game Pass Changes
"We're listening to the feedback of players..."
It's safe to say that yesterday's Game Pass changes haven't exactly gone down well with Xbox fans, particularly that huge price increase for Ultimate subscribers - and now we've spotted some Microsoft exec quotes that dropped alongside those changes, including a mention that the team is "listening to...
News Three Games Are Leaving Xbox Game Pass In Early October 2025
Update: Microsoft says it's just three rather than four
Microsoft has just quietly revealed the next batch of four games set to leave Xbox Game Pass in early October, with all of them showing on the official Xbox mobile app as of this morning. The highlight for us is probably Cocoon, which is a great puzzle adventure title that you should...
Poll What Are Your Plans For Xbox Game Pass After This Week's News?
Signing up? Changing tiers? Cancelling? Tell us!
In case you've been living under a rock, Microsoft dropped a huge Xbox Game Pass overhaul yesterday which involved new tiers, new names, new games and new price changes, and it's fair to say the overall reception hasn't been great. The reason for the negativity stems from the price increases, which...
Guide How To Download The Black Ops 7 Beta On Xbox
It's not as simple as you might think!
So, the Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 beta kicks into gear later today - and we've detailed all of the release times, rewards, content included and other information in our full BO7 beta guide. However, pre-loads are now live, and that brings us on to installing the beta on Xbox. As has become the norm with Call...
News Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Will Now Get 75+ Day One Titles Per Year, A '50% Increase' On Before
"That’s a 50 percent increase over last year"
A major part of Microsoft's new plan to cram more benefits into its Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription is to double down on day one releases in that top tier, and as it turns out, the team claims that we're talking a 50% increase on day one Game Pass additions over the next 12 months - and for every...
News Free Play Days: Try These Xbox Games For Free (October 2-5)
Update: Ready or Not has been removed
Welcome to another round of Xbox Free Play Days! Microsoft is keeping the program running as part of its fresh Xbox Game Pass plans - and they're kicking off this new era with a big week of free games to try. Mega-popular shooter Ready Or Not is definitely the headline act here; VOID Intera
PSA You Can Still Get Xbox Game Pass Ultimate For $19.99 Right Now
Grab a discount while you can
Yesterday, it was announced that Xbox Game Pass Ultimate would going up in price with a sharp increase, but for the time being at least, there's still a way of grabbing some prepaid codes at the old prices. For those who aren't aware yet, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate used to cost £14.99 per-month here in the UK and $19.99...
Deals Some Major 2025 Games Are Discounted In Xbox's New 'Hits You Can't Miss' Sale
There are various other sales as well
There's been a lot going on this week, so we haven't had a chance to round up all the new sales on the Xbox Store until now - and we've actually seen quite a lot of them going live over the past couple of days! The highlight for us is a "Hits You Can't Miss" sale that may be small, but includes loads of 2025...
News 180+ Titles Were Added To Xbox 'Stream Your Own Game' In September
Including plenty of major new releases
We've spoken already about how Xbox is putting a lot of attention into its "Stream Your Own Game" program at the moment, and that's been very evident over the past few weeks as almost 200 titles have been added to the list. There have been plenty of new AAA releases in the mix here as well, including the likes...
News Xbox Users Seeing Game Pass Dashboard Ad That Mentions Price Hike & New Benefits
And a new date existing subscribers might find useful
Yesterday, Microsoft dropped some megaton news with its complete overhaul of Xbox Game Pass, and literally the day after this big switch happened, folks are beginning to see new pop-up dashboard ads that give an overview of the service's price and feature changes. As first spotted by Tom Warren...
News Xbox May Have Accidentally Leaked Mortal Kombat 1 For Game Pass
It's been spotted in an XGP banner
It looks like we've got another big Xbox Game Pass addition on the way soon! Microsoft has been busy updating all the marketing material for Game Pass over the past 24 hours, and it seems one specific title has slipped through the net. We're obviously talking about Mortal Kombat 1, which is appearing in a new Xbox...
Roundup Here's What The Reviews Are Saying About Digimon Story Time Stranger
There's a free demo as well!
In and amongst the madness of this week's Xbox Game Pass news, we've got a big new release from Bandai Namco on the way in just a few hours' time - a monster-taming RPG in the form of Digimon Story Time Stranger. This game has been getting good feedback for a while now thanks to its
Wednesday1st Oct 2025
News ROG Xbox Ally X Owner Shares Their 'Quick Review' After Receiving It Two Weeks Early
We're not jealous at all
The ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X aren't releasing until October 16th, but it seems a few people have managed to get one early - and Amazon France appears to have been the culprit in a specific case that's getting attention. Yesterday, the likes of Windows Central reported on someone who had taken to the ROG Ally...
News Xbox Game Pass Is Getting A Major Overhaul With New Names, Games & Price Changes
Say hello to "Essential, Premium, and Ultimate"
Microsoft is announcing today that Xbox Game Pass is getting a major overhaul, with the service now being split into "Essential", "Premium" and "Ultimate" tiers. In the process, we're getting new games and some price changes. Essential is now the new name for Xbox Game Pass Core, and it's the...
News Four Games Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass Essential (October 1)
Update: Microsoft has changed things around a bit
Welcome to your latest Xbox Game Pass update! Today's refresh focuses purely on the Xbox Game Pass Core library, which grows by three new titles as Microsoft builds out the service. These are three excellent games as well, with the always-popular Disney Dreamlight Valley jo
News Here's A Breakdown Of All The New Prices For Xbox Game Pass As Of October 2025
Specifically the UK, US, Canada, Europe and Australian prices
You've probably already heard today that Xbox Game Pass is getting a major overhaul with new names, games and price changes, and it's that last bit we want to highlight in this article specifically - what's changing, and by how much? As we've mentioned, Xbox Game Pass Essential and...
News 'Ubisoft+ Classics' Joins Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Hugely Expanding The Library
A massive new perk for GPU members
As part of today's massive overhaul to Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft has integrated the 'Ubisoft+ Classics' library into its Game Pass Ultimate tier, in a similar fashion to EA Play. Just like that EA Play library, Ubisoft+ Classics focuses on the company's back catalogue, with more than 30 Ubisoft titles featured...
News Xbox Reveals New Conversion Rates For Game Pass Premium & Ultimate
Here's a look
With Xbox announcing an overhaul to Game Pass today which involves new tiers and prices, there's inevitably been a change to the conversion rates that apply when you jump from one tier of the service to another. These conversion rates have often proved popular as a method for buying cheap memberships and converting to a higher tier,...
News Xbox Game Pass Premium May Be The Best-Value Tier Right Now, With Almost 50 Games Added
Is this the new go-to?
Well, the dust is sort of settling on all of today's fresh Game Pass news, and while the list of new benefits afforded to Ultimate subscribers is no-doubt cool, we reckon XGP Premium might now be the best-value tier for Xbox console players. <related ids="188807"> Coming in at $14.99/£10.99 a month (compared to...
News 40+ Games Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (October 1)
An absolute MEGA drop
As you may have already seen by now, Microsoft has announced some massive changes to Xbox Game Pass including a complete overhaul of the service's tiers - and that's brought us a big refresh to the main Ultimate library starting today, October 1st. The bulk of these new additions are from
Guide Call Of Duty: Black Ops 7 Beta: Release Date, Launch Times & Game Pass Early Access Details
Everything you need to know
The Black Ops 7 beta is upon us! Yep, ahead of the next Call of Duty worldwide launch on November 14th, developer Treyarch is unleashing a pretty extensive free beta for the game across all platforms this month. Xbox Game Pass users get benefits relating to this beta as well, and there are a selection of rewards you can...
News Fortnite Crew's $11.99 Subscription Is Heading To Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Members
As part of the new offerings for XGPU
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is about to get some major benefits as a result of a sharp price increase and general overhaul to the Game Pass service, and one of those benefits will soon be an included subscription to Fortnite Crew. For those who don't play it very often, Fortnite Crew is a service that gives you...
News Sarah Bond Says Fans Will Soon Be Able To Play PlayStation Studios Games On An Xbox Device
She's talking about ROG Xbox Ally, of course
Much has been said recently about Microsoft's push to put Xbox games onto rival platforms, including PS5, and with the recent announcement of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 moving over, the team clearly isn't slowing down. However, we now know that the definition of 'Xbox' is changing, and Sarah Bond has...
News Xbox Cloud Gaming Expands With 'Unlimited' Usage & Special Perks For Game Pass Members
The higher the tier, the better the service
In the midst of all the craziness about new tiers, price changes and a bunch of new games for Xbox Game Pass, you may have missed that Xbox Cloud Gaming is getting some significant improvements across all tiers of the service. Firstly, Xbox Cloud Gaming will now be available in "unlimited" fashion to...
News Xbox Rewards Is Buffing Its Points In Some Cases, And Nerfing Them In Others
Xbox Game Pass users getting the biggest benefits
A new month has kicked off for Microsoft and Xbox Rewards, and alongside the news that Xbox Game Pass redemptions are apparently being taken away from the service soon, people are noticing that the points have been buffed for the Xbox Rewards service specifically! This seems to apply to various...
News Grounded 2 Gets Its First Major Update On Xbox Game Pass
Say hello to our hairy and scary friend
Obsidian Entertainment has just dropped its first major content update for Grounded 2 in early access, and this one is for you fans of our eight-legged friends out there. The team's new 'Hair and Scary' update introduces AXL; the "giant tarantula boss" who's made made their way into Brookhollow Park this...
News Fallout 76 Is Bringing Its Largest Update In Years To Xbox This December
It's called "Burning Springs"
The amazing Fallout 76 isn't slowing down anytime soon, as Bethesda has announced today that it's getting its largest update since 2020 this December in the form of something called "Burning Springs". Burning Springs is a free update that'll allow players to "explore post-nuclear Ohio, meet new characters and factions,...
News Rock Band 4 Is Getting Delisted This Weekend Along Some Of Its DLC
Time to spend some Xbox credit
We've got some very bittersweet news to bring you today, as although Rock Band 4 is celebrating its 10th anniversary in just a few days' time, it's going to coincide with the game being delisted and some of its DLC suffering the same fate. The anniversary is on October 6th, but a day earlier on October 5th, the...
News Ubisoft Forms 'Vantage Studios' To Work On Some Of Its Biggest Franchises
Including Assassin's Creed, Far Cry & more
After several months of planning and seeking other forms of investment, Ubisoft's move to create a spin-off games company to work on some of its biggest franchises is now up and running. Coming straight from the company itself, Ubisoft and Tencent have now created 'Vantage Studios' to develop and distribute...
