Guide Xbox Game Pass Essential: Full List Of Games (December 2025 Update)
Here's everything you can play on Game Pass Essential
News Xbox Launches New $1 Game Pass Ultimate Offer For The Holidays
Perfect if you're not a subscriber already
Guide Xbox Game Pass In 2026: The Full List Of Everything Announced So Far
The complete list of all games
News Here's What The Red Dead Redemption Upgrade Looks Like On Xbox Series X|S
How the new Xbox versions stack up
News Xbox 360 User Shows What'll Happen When It Reaches Date Limit On December 31st, 2025
The final date you can set the console clock to
Feature All New Games Coming To Xbox In January 2026
Release dates for every January Xbox launch
News - December, 2025
Wednesday31st Dec 2025
Guide Xbox Game Pass In 2026: The Full List Of Everything Announced So Far
The complete list of all games
Xbox Game Pass is already starting to fill up for 2026, and if you're looking for a list of everything coming to Game Pass in 2026, you've come to the right place! Below, we've picked out the complete list of games announced for Xbox Game Pass in 2026 so far, and we'll keep updating this as more are announced...
Feature The Top 10 Xbox Game Pass Titles Of 2025, As Determined By Your Votes
You voted, we've got the results!
A few days ago, we asked you to vote on your favourite Xbox Game Pass titles of 2025, made up of a list of 74 games plus an "other" category where you could tell us about any additional games you wanted to vote for. The response was significant, with almost 3,000 votes in all, so we thought we'd give you the...
News Sword And Fairy 4 Remake Likely Coming To Xbox, But The Studio's Still Waiting On Dev Kits
"We joined ID@Xbox early this year..."
Earlier this week, Sword and Fairy 4 Remake received a ton of attention when a new trailer revealed that it was the spitting image of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and there's inevitibly now a lot of hype surrounding its release. The game was only announced for "PC and consoles" when the trailer arrived, but...
News 50+ Games Added To Xbox 'Stream Your Own Game' To Finish Off 2025
It's been a ridiculously busy year for the program
It's been a while since we last talked about Xbox's Stream Your Own Game program here at Pure Xbox, but rest assured that it continues to grow at a rapid rate, with over 50 games added in the past month alone! Xbox doesn't do a good job at highlighting the latest additions to the program, but...
News Xbox Gives 'Huge Shoutout' To Obsidian For Their Multiple First-Party Releases In 2025
"They really locked in"
As we come to the end of what's been a busy year for Xbox first-party releases, one company in particular is getting special praise for their output in 2025, having released three separate (and major!) games over the past 12 months. That company is Obsidian, which gave us Avowed back in February, Grounded 2 back in July, and...
Tuesday30th Dec 2025
News Xbox 360 User Shows What'll Happen When It Reaches Date Limit On December 31st, 2025
The final date you can set the console clock to
Did you know that you can't manually set the Xbox 360's console clock to anything later than December 31st, 2025? That technically means we're all doomed when 2026 rolls around then, right? It's the Y2K situation all over again! We've come across numerous concerned Xbox 360 owners as a result of this...
News 'Nintendo Buying Xbox' Begins Trending After Hoax Goes Viral On Social Media
You wish, Mario
You won't be surprised to hear that we're always tracking the latest trends related to Xbox, and one that totally caught us by surprise over the past 24 hours was that Nintendo was "buying Xbox". Naturally, we had to do a bit of research into this and figure out what was going on. It turns out that a Facebook page known as Nintendo...
News Xbox Is Sending Out Forza Horizon 6 Gift Packages Ahead Of Its 2026 Release
Only to influencers though
Next year will obviously mark the release of Forza Horizon 6, and it sounds like Xbox is gearing up to share more news on the title very soon, with multiple influencers receiving special gift packages over the past few days. These packages contain various goodies like a custom numberplate, "Greetings from Japan" postcard...
News The First Gaming Showcase Of 2026 Has Been Revealed, And It's As Soon As Next Week
Say hello to the New Game+ Showcase
We're assuming January 2026 will turn out to be quite busy for gaming showcases, with the Xbox Developer Direct showcase set to be the main event over the coming weeks, but we've also got a new show happening next week. This is known as the "New Game Plus" showcase, which is said to be bringing 45 games our way...
News Stalker 2 Team Shares 'Atmospheric Teaser' Ahead Of Major Unreal Engine Upgrade In 2026
"Something to look forward to"
It's been a busy year for the team at GSC Game World, with Stalker 2 not only receiving a whole bunch of updates and patches over the past twelve months, but also getting released on PS5 in November. Looking ahead to 2026, they've just shared a special New Year's Message hinting at what's to come, including a "major...
Talking Point If You Were Releasing A Game, Which Month Of The Year Would You Pick?
It's a tough one for Xbox to answer in 2026!
We've already talked quite a lot recently about Xbox's stacked first-party lineup for 2026 and how they'll need to work around the release of GTA 6 in November along the way, and we've seen plenty of discussion from the Pure Xbox community about which months you'd personally choose to release a game in...
Monday29th Dec 2025
News Xbox Owner Thinks They've Found A 'Major Design Flaw' That Impacts Game Performance
Related to having lots of friends and messages
Over the weekend, a pro Halo player known as Brett Leonard (or "Naded") took to social media to highlight what they think is a "major design flaw" on Xbox consoles that's actually hurting performance in games. Leonard first posted about this on December 18th, suggesting that "Xbox messages are tied to...
News Latest Sales Estimates Suggest Xbox Sold Over Two Million Series X|S Consoles In 2025
Despite the price increases
With just a handful of days left of 2025, the folks over at VGChartz have shared their latest console sales estimates today (that go up to November), and they suggest that Xbox has sold over two million Series X|S consoles this year. Compared to 2024, this is said to be a -45.1% decrease on the previous figure of 4.79...
Report Xbox & PlayStation Could Delay Next-Gen Consoles Due To RAM Price Increases
"The industry as a whole is concerned about RAM availability"
Back in November, we shared a report from Moore's Law Is Dead on YouTube that suggested Xbox Series X|S prices could increase again soon due to RAM shortages, and there's concern that it might delay the next Xbox console as well. Well-known ins
News Xbox & Microsoft Dominate The List Of 'Most Covered' Gaming Companies In 2025
But Nintendo still wins the individual category
The good folks at GamesIndustry.biz recently published their annual "Year in Numbers" roundup of the games industry for 2025, and the most interesting bit from an Xbox perspective relates to the "most covered companies" section. Over the past two years, Xbox has led this category with 308,834 articles...
News Halo 2's E3 Demo From May 2003 Has Leaked Online, And Here's A Look At Some Footage
Incredible stuff!
Bungie's Halo 2 unsurprisingly proved a smash hit when it arrived on the original Xbox in November 2004, but over a year prior to that, the company showed off the game at June's E3 2003 event. To mark the appearance, the company built a special E3 demo that would mark the first gameplay footage of Halo 2 to be seen by the public,...
Saturday27th Dec 2025
Feature All New Games Coming To Xbox In January 2026
Release dates for every January Xbox launch
Welcome to our roundup of all new Xbox games coming out in January 2026! Below, we've listed every Xbox game with a January 2026 release date, including all confirmed Xbox Game Pass titles for January 2026 so far. Without further ado, here are all the new games coming to Xbox in January 2026: The...
Poll What Were The Best Xbox Game Pass Additions In 2025?
It's been a busy old year for XGP!
Phew, what a busy year it's been for Xbox Game Pass in 2025! We've seen so many great games being added to the service over the past 12 months, a few of which have been Game of the Year contenders including Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Blue Prince, Hollow Knight: Silksong and a whole lot more. And of course, it's...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (December 27-28)
Any Christmas presents to get stuck into?
It's the final weekend of the year! Not a whole lot is going on right now when it comes to Xbox, but we're betting you've got a massive backlog to get stuck into this weekend, including any Christmas presents you might have received! Here's what we're playing over the next few days: Fraser Gilbert, Editor:...
Friday26th Dec 2025
Feature Pure Xbox's Game Of The Year 2025: The Results You Didn't See
Including how many votes Expedition 33 got!
Yesterday, we published our Pure Xbox Game of the Year results for 2025, and the winner was crowned as Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 by a huge margin (no surprise!), followed by Xbox first-party titles Avowed and DOOM: The Dark Ages. The GOTY feature is always focused on the games themselves rather than...
Talking Point Which Xbox Games Have You Managed To Finish In 2025?
Reaching the credits
So, with Christmas out the way and just a few days left of 2025 to go, we thought this would be a good opportunity to ask about the games you've played this year - and more specifically the games you've managed to finish. It's not uncommon for many of us to play tens if not hundreds of games without finishing them in a calendar...
Thursday25th Dec 2025
Feature Pure Xbox's Game Of The Year 2025
Another expedition comes to an end
Here we go, it's officially time for the Pure Xbox Game of the Year 2025 roundup! A couple of weeks ago, we asked the Pure Xbox community to vote on your favourite Xbox releases of the past twelve months, and you responded with over 1,000 more votes than we saw last year (5,597 compared to 4,209). We thank you...
News Merry Christmas And Happy Holidays From The Pure Xbox Team!
And thank you for your constant support
Today's the day, folks! If you're celebrating Christmas, we hope you have a wonderful day filled with joy and hopefully some Xbox presents, maybe even including a console or two for some members of the PX community! We're naturally slowing down a little bit in terms of content at the moment, but you'll still...
Wednesday24th Dec 2025
News Multiple Games Are Releasing For Xbox On Christmas Day, Including An All-Time Classic
Terrible idea, or secretly genius?
At the start of every week, we often like to highlight some new releases from our "Games Coming To Xbox Next Week" article the previous Saturday, but truth be told there wasn't a lot to get excited about this time around. That said, we've since learned about Taxi Chaos 2, which shadow dropped on the platform...
News Marvel's Blade Director Shares Brief End Of 2025 Update On The Game's Progress
"It will be a special game"
It's been a long time since we last heard anything about Bethesda's upcoming Xbox first-party game Marvel's Blade, but one of the game's directors has shared a brief update on its progress as we come to the end of 2025. Responding to someone on social media, director Dinga Bakaba advised that the development team is...
News YouTuber Thinks They've Found More Evidence Of Xbox Making A New Spyro Game
To be developed by Toys for Bob
It's been rumoured for almost two years now that developer Toys for Bob might be working on a new Spyro game, especially since the company entered into a formal agreement for Xbox to publish its next title. Back in March of 2024, YouTuber 'Canadian Guy Eh
Poll How Many Xbox Games Have You Actually Bought In 2025?
A few? A dozen? How about over 50?!
It's been an amazing year for top-quality games in 2025, with multiple Game of the Year candidates releasing on Xbox over the past 12 months, but there's only so much money and spare time to go around — we can't go buying all of them! Xbox Game Pass is always a big factor in this as well, with many of those...
Feature Nobody's Really Heard Of It, But This Is One Of My Xbox Games Of The Year For 2025
A hidden gem
When we asked you to vote on your Pure Xbox Game of the Year a couple of weeks ago, the game that received the least votes out of everything was Despelote (with two). That's not a reflection of the game itself, but rather that not many people have come across it — on the Xbox Store, for example, it doesn't even have enough scores to...
Tuesday23rd Dec 2025
Feature Xbox Game Pass Is Looking Great For 2026, But Only Six Games Have Release Dates So Far
A quick look at what's to come
With Xbox Game Pass getting a big overhaul a few months ago, all eyes are on Microsoft to deliver a big lineup in 2026 - particularly for Ultimate subscribers who are now paying $30 a month for the privilege of being subscribed. When it comes to Xbox first-party, we have some massive games planned for next year...
News Taxi Chaos 2 Has Surprise Launched On Xbox Today, Inspired By SEGA's Crazy Taxi Series
Shadow drop alert
One of the games that didn't get mentioned in our "Games Coming To Xbox Next Week" roundup over the weekend was Taxi Chaos 2, and yet it's suddenly arrived on the Xbox Store today as a shadow drop! This is obviously a sequel to the original Taxi Chaos from 2021, which at the time felt like a straight clone of SEGA's Crazy Taxi...
Opinion This Xbox Game Studios Gem Is My Game Of The Year For 2025
Midnight delight
There are some fantastic candidates for Xbox GOTY this year, as is typically the case by the time the end of December draws near. Clair Obscur is bringing in the plaudits en masse, Split Fiction is up there with the best that 2025 has to offer, and DOOM: The Dark Ages is a devilishly awesome effort from Bethesda as well. But, having...
News These Are The Top-Selling Games In The Xbox Countdown Sale 2025
The hottest deals right now
We're fast approaching a week since the massive Xbox Countdown Sale began on the Xbox Store, and just before Christmas rolls around, we thought we'd have a look at the top-selling games in that sale as things stand. When we used to do these roundups, we'd typically highlight either the UK or US versions of the "Top Paid"...
Rumour Xbox 'Nearly Done' With First Version Of Call Of Duty For Nintendo Switch
Set to arrive in 2026
Back in November, we mentioned that Sledgehammer Games was looking for a developer with Nintendo Switch experience, suggesting the Call of Duty franchise could be making its way to Switch in the near future, and now it's being reported that Xbox is "nearly done" bringing its first COD experience to the platform. This is...
News Xbox Exec Pays Respects To Beloved Influencer And 'Incredible Human', Lamarr Wilson
"Rest In Peace Lamarr"
If you've followed Xbox closely over the past few years, you may have come across an extremely popular influencer known as Lamarr Wilson — he's even appeared on the Xbox YouTube channel before, as you can see below. The tech world was rocked over the weekend when it was revealed that Wilson had passed away last month,...
News Hell Let Loose Unveils Huge Roadmap Of Content For 2026, But There's A Catch On Xbox
This might be the time to buy it
It's been a very successful six and a half years for Hell Let Loose since its initial release on PC back in mid-2019, and it sounds like the game is going to evolve substantially once again in 2026 according to a new roadmap. As shared on social media yesterday, Hell Let Loose is scheduled to add multiple new maps,...
News 007 First Light Suffers Delay, Will Now Release When GTA 6 Was Supposed To
It's taken over the old May 2026 window from Rockstar Games
We've been eagerly awaiting the release of 007 First Light on Xbox next year, so we're a little saddened (but not too surprised) to hear it's been pushed back slightly from March to May of 2026. Specifically, 007 First Light will now launch on May 27th, 2026. This is one day after the date...
Monday22nd Dec 2025
News As Forza Motorsport Winds Down, Gran Turismo Is Experiencing A 'Phenomenon' At PlayStation
Similar games, different outcomes
Much has been said about how Forza Motorsport is essentially winding down after two years on the market, with the team recently confirming that no major new content would be added to the game in 2026. That obviously comes as a shame for those who enjoy a more simulation-focused experience than what Forza Horizon...
News Here Are The Top 10 Xbox Games Of 2025 According To Metacritic
So many GOTY candidates!
We're getting closer and closer to the Pure Xbox Game of the Year 2025 roundup (you'll see it on Christmas Day!), but before we get there, we thought we'd highlight the highest-rated Xbox games of 2025 according to Metacritic. We're not surprised to see that the list is stacked this year, with six games reaching an average...
News PBA Pro Bowling 2026 Reviews Suggest It's One Of The Best Bowling Games Ever On Xbox
Who do you think you are? I am!
The latest edition in the PBA Pro Bowling series (PBA Pro Bowling 2026) quietly released on Xbox last week, and it just so happens that it's been getting excellent reviews - "Very Positive" on Steam based on almost 100 reviews (97% of which are positive) and a 4.6/5 rating on the Xbox Store based on 37 reviews (78% of...
News Microsoft Says It's 'Incorrect' That Xbox Division Is Now Targeting 30% Profit Margins
But the goals are still ambitious
Over the past couple of months, you may have come across this idea that Microsoft has placed a target of 30% profit margins on the Xbox division — and this stems from a report that first mentioned it back in October. At the time, Bloomberg noted how these profit margins were "well above the industry average" of...
News Legendary Game Designer Vince Zampella Has Suddenly Died, Aged 55
The Call of Duty, Titanfall creator has died in a car accident
We have some very sad news to report on this evening, as it's emerged that legendary game designer Vince Zampella — the figurehead behind some of the most influential first-person shooters of the last two decades — has suddenly died in a car accident aged 55. As reported on by NBC,...
News New Xbox 'Investigation' Highlights The Dangers Of Banned (And Hacked) Accounts
Do everything you can to keep it safe
We've spoken before how about crucial it is to keep your Xbox account safe, and a new "investigation" highlights how much a problem you could face if your account gets blocked — and specifically if it gets banned. Windows Central editor Jez Corden says he's been "investigating" reports of banned Xbox accounts...
Talking Point What Games Are You Playing Over Christmas Break?
What's in your plans over Xmas and New Year?
The festive season is truly upon us now as we officially enter Christmas week, which has us thinking and planning and batting off family conversations as we hunker down; trying to tackle our gaming backlogs while we have the chance. And this year, we seem to have a near-endless stack of games to play...
Talking Point Which Xbox Games Deserved More Love This Year?
Anything you wanna shout about?
With The Game Awards now wrapped up and lots of this year's releases getting their fair share of attention at the show (and elsewhere), we want to take a little time to discuss the Xbox games that deserved a bit more love throughout 2025. As is the case pretty much every year, many games tend to fall by the wayside...
News Battlefield 6 Players Think They've Spotted Evidence Of AI-Generated Cosmetics
"Two barrels on the M4A1, sure."
We're guaranteed to see more and more examples of AI-generated content in games over the coming years, and Battlefield 6 players think they've spotted an example in the form of a "Player Card Sticker" as part of its cosmetics. A couple of days ago, someone took to the Battlefield subreddit to angrily point out how...
Sunday21st Dec 2025
News Xbox's Phil Spencer Shares Lengthy Video Message After Winning 'Industry Icon' Award
"I'm honoured to accept this Industry Icon award"
An event called the Grand Game Awards took place on Friday, celebrating "the best achievements in the gaming industry across the [Middle East and North Africa] region and beyond", and Xbox boss Phil Spencer was recognised as being an "Industry Icon" as part of it. Phil appeared in a video message to...
Saturday20th Dec 2025
News 50+ Games Are Reduced By 90-95% In This Year's Xbox Countdown Sale
HUGE discounts for great games!
Looking for some cheap Xbox games during the Xbox Countdown Sale 2025? We've got an absolutely massive list of 50+ games that are reduced by 90-95% in this winter sale, including so many classics such as Dragon Age: Inquisition, Mass Effect Legendary Edition, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and ot
Talking Point Will Any Of Xbox's 2026 Releases Become GOTY Contenders Next Year?
We have a huge 12 months ahead!
With The Game Awards 2025 now firmly in our rear-view mirrors and Xbox missing out on a GOTY nomination once again, we've started thinking about next year's event and whether anything that comes out of Microsoft HQ will earn a nomination in 2026. To be clear, we are talking about the Geoff Keighley December bonanza...
Feature These Games Are Coming To Xbox Next Week (December 22-26)
Just a handful of releases for Christmas week
Welcome to your Xbox games roundup for December 22-26! This is obviously Christmas week, so releases are few and far between, but we've still got a handful of new games on the way over the next few days. Here's what's coming to Xbox next week: New Xbox Releases (December 22-26): Injection π23...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (December 20-21)
Something from the Xbox Countdown Sale 2025?
Welcome to the last weekend before Christmas! Yep, we've got plenty of games that may or may not already be wrapped under that big living room tree right now, but that's not stopping us from adding to our digital backlogs via various ongoing sales as well. Of course it's not! Here's what we're playing...
Friday19th Dec 2025
News 10 More Games Set To Be Delisted On Xbox In December 2025
Update: Three additional indie titles added to the mix
As the final month of 2025 draws closer, it's time to take a quick look at what's being removed from the Xbox Store before the year is out, with six games currently set to be delisted in December 2025. Four of these are from publisher Outright Games, although only the Steam versions are...
News Nex Playground CEO Talks Comparisons To Xbox & PS5, And Why Their Console Is So Affordable
"We are not going to compete with high-end graphics"
Earlier this month, we mentioned how Xbox had lost Black Friday in terms of hardware sales to a console we'd never heard of (in the US), and that console was known as the Nex Playground. This is a family-focused console that retails for just $249 USD, and works a lot like the Xbox Kinect.
News Digital Foundry Delivers Its Verdict On The Final Fantasy 7 Remake Demo For Xbox
Series X|S compared to PS5 & Switch 2
Earlier this week, Square Enix dropped a Final Fantasy 7 Remake demo on Xbox Series X|S, and early comparison videos gave us an idea of how the game is shaping up on both Xbox consoles. Now though, the folks over at Digital Foundry have given us a deep
News Obsidian To Work On Two DLCs & 'Continual Improvements' To The Outer Worlds 2 In 2026
A message from the team ahead of next year
As we look towards the new year, the team over at Obsidian Entertainment has shared some words with Xbox Wire, highlighting plans to "continually improve" its sci-fi RPG The Outer Worlds 2 in 2026. As part of a general end of year message from Microsoft's studios, Obsidian's Brandon Adler t
Talking Point How Much Time Have You Spent Gaming On Xbox Consoles This Year?
Compared to other platforms?
These days, there's so much choice in terms of where to play your games, even when it comes to Xbox. The brand used to be heavily console-focused, but now it also incorporates PC, handhelds, cloud gaming and various other things. We've heard about how Xbox Cloud Gaming has grown substantially in 2025, how PC Game Pass...
News Gears Of War: E-Day Is The Coalition's 'Most Ambitious Game Yet'
"Entirely built from scratch in Unreal Engine 5"
As part of Xbox's end of year message for 2025, developer The Coalition told Xbox Wire that Gears of War: E-Day is the team's "most ambitious game yet" - as it strives to build an experience that "feels like Gears and plays like new". Touching on what its 'most looking forward to
"I feel incredibly empowered for where we sit."
Blizzard president Johanna Faries has been speaking in a wide-ranging interview with Bloomberg today, discussing how the company has changed since she became president in 2024, as well as where it's heading in the future. The most notable bit from an Xbox perspective comes at the end of the chat, when...
News Ark 2 Isn't Coming To Xbox & Game Pass Until 2028, Eight Years After It Was First Revealed
"That's our intention..."
Earlier this year, we got an update from Ark developer Studio Wildcard admitting that Ark 2 could be years away despite being revealed all the way back in 2020, and now the team says it's "our intention" to release Ark 2 in 2028 - eight years after that
News Rhythm Doctor Has Outstanding Reviews, And It's Just Launched As An Xbox Console Exclusive
"Overwhelmingly Positive" reviews on Steam
One of the games that really caught our eye at today's Xbox Tokyo Game Show 2025 showcase was Rhythm Doctor, which is a mad music game that's set to be an Xbox console exclusive when it releases on December 6th, 2025. This one's already available in early access on Steam where it has an "Overwhelmingly...
Poll How Are You Getting On With Mortal Kombat 1 On Xbox Game Pass?
Enjoying it?
The final major release of Xbox Game Pass this year was Mortal Kombat 1, which coincided with the removal of Mortal Kombat 11 from the service - a game that felt like it'd been there forever. Mortal Kombat 1 has arguably had more of a turbulent history though, with fans notably expressing their disappointment when the "Definitive...
News Dave The Diver Dev Showcases 'In The Jungle' DLC As Base Game Gets Huge Discount On Xbox
Welcome to the Jungle
Indie hit Dave the Diver may have only just launched on Xbox, but developer MINTROCKET is well into developing its 'In the Jungle' DLC at this point - and a new deep dive has given us our closest look at the expansion yet. As usual, we've thrown this extended look at Dave the Diver: In the Jungle up above; where the team...
News Halo's Master Chief Rides Onto The Field As 2025 Xbox Bowl Winner Is Crowned
Delivering the trophy in a Warthog
We've talked quite a bit about the Xbox Bowl here at Pure Xbox over the past couple of weeks, and last night marked the actual event itself. Spoiler alert, Arkansas State beat Missouri State 34-28 to win the trophy. That trophy was delivered onto the field in Texas by none other than Halo's Master Chief, who rode...
Thursday18th Dec 2025
News 'Xbox Wrapped' Ditched For 2025 Due To Ambitious 2026 Plans, Suggests Report
Update: "Some of that budget was moved through to next year"
We're getting to that time of the year where people want to look back on their Xbox habits from the past 12 months and see how many games they've played, how many achievements they've unlocked, how many Microsoft Rewards points they've earned and a whole bunch of other statistics from...
Feature Xbox Game Studios: All Microsoft First-Party Developers & What They're Working On
Including Bethesda & Activision Blizzard
At this stage, Microsoft has lots of in-house development studios making Xbox games, including all those teams across Xbox Game Studios, Bethesda and Activision Blizzard. So, as we look ahead to another year of Xbox, we thought we'd gather up every Microsoft first-party developer and what they're working on...
News Xbox Countdown Sale 2025 Now Live, 2000+ Games Discounted
The final major Xbox sale of the year!
It's time for the Xbox Countdown Sale 2025! This is the last major Xbox sale of the year and it features well over 1,000 games in all, including a big bunch of great releases from the past 12 months. Down below, we've highlighted just some of the most notable deals in the Xbox Countdown Sale 2025. To find the...
Deals All 90+ Backwards Compatible Games In The Xbox Countdown Sale 2025
Another massive list of original Xbox and Xbox 360 titles
The final major Xbox sale of 2025 has begun today in the form of the Xbox Countdown Sale 2025, and as always that means we've got loads of discounts for original Xbox and Xbox 360 backwards compatible titles in the mix. A lot of the stuff here has been seen in previous backwards compatible...
Rumour Starfield Set For Eventful Year In 2026, Including Multiple New Releases
Sources divided on whether it'll be a "Cyberpunk 2.0" moment
It's been pretty quiet for Bethesda's Starfield in 2025, but it sounds like 2026 will be a different story for the epic Bethesda RPG, with multiple new releases in the works along with new content that could make a significant impact. The folks over at Windows Central are reporting that,...
News The Walking Dead Story DLC Coming To Xbox Game Pass Shooter World War Z Next Month
"A new campaign episode featuring three thrilling stories"
Now this is a crossover we can get behind, folks. The teams at Saber Interactive and AMC have announced that The Walking Dead is coming to World War Z next month; in the form of a brand-new story campaign set in the iconic TWD universe. World War Z x The Walking Dead contains "a new...
News Free Play Days: Try These Xbox Games For Free (December 18-21)
More free trials for Xbox players
Welcome to your latest Xbox Free Play Days lineup! Microsoft has today revealed the full list of games available with the program for the coming weekend - including some Call of Duty and Fallout trials which we've covered elsewhere this week at Pure Xbox: Here's the full FPD lineup this week: Ark: Survival...
News Xbox Celebrates 'Incredible' 2025 And Thanks The Fans In End Of Year Message
"One of the most game-packed, award-winning years"
It sounds like Xbox is ready for the holiday break, as the team has shared a closing message for 2025 over on the official Xbox Wire website today. The end of year message mentions how it's been an "incredible 2025" and "one of the most game-packed, award-winning years" in Xbox history, while also...
News These 30+ Games Are At Their 'Lowest Price Ever' In The Xbox Countdown Sale 2025
Some big games at their lowest-ever prices
It's always difficult to know where to start with something like the Xbox Countdown Sale 2025 - a sale that features over 2,000 games (!) in all, and somehow you've got to whittle it down to just a few games you might want to buy. That's why we always like to do these "lowest price ever" articles with any...
News Xbox's Blizzard Team Is Preparing For Its 'Biggest Year Yet' In 2026
What could we see?
We already know that Xbox Game Studios has a pretty big year planned in 2026 with the likes of Fable, Forza Horizon 6, Gears of War: E-Day and Halo: Campaign Evolved set to land next year, and now the folks over at Blizzard Entertainment sound like they're getting in on the Xbox anniversary party as well. Speaking with
News One Xbox First-Party Game Makes Newzoo's Top-10 'Releases By Revenue' For 2025
Only on PC, though
Data firm Newzoo has shared some detailed facts and figures about the gaming industry throughout 2025 in its new 'year in review', and the company's top-10 revenue lists have some interesting entries on there - including one Xbox first-party effort that Microsoft will no-doubt be pleased about. Before we dive into this, Newzoo's...
News Perfect Dark Lead Actor Had 'Entire Chapters' Finished Before Xbox Cancellation
"I'd done entire chapters of this universe"
The whole Perfect Dark saga has been a pretty sad thing to follow since Xbox pulled funding and cancelled the game earlier this year - and now lead actor Alix Wilton Regan has given us some fresh insight into how far along the project actually was over at developers The Initiative and Crystal Dynamics...
News Splitgate: Arena Reloaded Is Getting Amazing Feedback Following Its (Free) Relaunch On Xbox
"Outstanding work to the 1047 team, SG2 is IT!"
Earlier this year, Splitgate 2 unfortunately released to quite a mixed reception, and the team ultimately decided to take the game back into a "beta" state and try again with Splitgate: Arena Reloaded in December. This version of the game is described as combining "the best of Splitgate 1 & 2,...
Wednesday17th Dec 2025
News Here's What The Divinity: Original Sin 2 Upgrade Looks Like On Xbox Series X|S
Following its shadow drop earlier this week
Earlier this week, the folks at Larian Studios quietly dropped a free Xbox Series X and Series S upgrade for Divinity: Original Sin 2, but gave us no details whatsoever on what had been added to this new version. We're still somewhat in the dark about the upgrade as things stand, but new footage reveals...
News Xbox Highlights Four Retro Classics Coming Soon To Game Pass
Big player milestone also announced
As part of the Xbox December Update, Microsoft has announced the next four titles coming to Xbox Retro Classics; the retro gaming collection that's been available to Game Pass subscribers since May 2025. Three of those titles are included in the image up above, and thankfully, Microsoft has also listed all four...
News One Of My Favourite Xbox Releases Of 2024 Has Just Received A New 'Black Razor' Edition
Any excuse to highlight this great game again
Back in March, I mentioned how I'd changed my Game of the Year for 2024 to Balatro thanks to Xbox Game Pass, and I still stand by that decision — it's such an outstanding game, and one I've now bought for multiple platforms. Before then though, I'd settled on the little-known Aaero 2 as being my 2024...
News 2025 GOTY Contender 'Dispatch' Just Got Revealed For Switch, But What About Xbox?
Update: Switch has an official release date, no sign of Xbox
If you've been craving a new Telltale Games-style narrative adventure on Xbox, you've probably had Dispatch in your sights for a while - a new PC and PS5 title that's become a Game of the Year contender since its release in October. Today, it's surprisingly been revealed for Nintendo...
News 40+ Games Were Added To Xbox Play Anywhere In November 2025
Silent Hill 2 the headline addition
As part of the Xbox December 2025 Update, Microsoft has highlighted more than 40 Xbox Play Anywhere titles added to the program last month, including major games such as Silent Hill 2, Football Manager 26, Dave the Diver and more! Many of the
News Black Ops 7 Was The Best-Selling Game In November, But Battlefield 6 Remains Top For 2025 (US)
Circana has all the details
We've heard a lot about how Battlefield 6 and Black Ops 7 have been performing in the sales department already, and now Circana has some fresh data on how both titan FPS titles have been getting on commercially in the US. First off, despite Black Ops 7 dropping off
News Seven Mega Man Games Are Heading To Xbox In The New 'Star Force Legacy Collection'
Update: Now with a March 2026 release date!
Unless we're going crazy and missed it, there was no sign of the Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection in today's Nintendo Direct - Capcom simply announced it while the show was going on. Strange! Anyway, this is a collection of seven games from the Mega Man Star Force series, with these being card-based...
Feature 15 First-Party Games Released On Xbox In 2025, But Which Was Your Favourite?
There's a lot to choose from!
When the voting began for the Pure Xbox Game of the Year 2025 a few days ago, we mentioned how Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 would likely run away with it — and spoiler alert, it's probably going to win. Look beyond that game though, and a whole bunch of first-party titles are likely to finish in the top 10. While the...
News Bethesda Drops Two Fallout Free Trials Alongside New Xbox Dynamic Background
Try Fallout 76 and Fallout 1st for free!
It's all kicking off the in the world of Fallout as Season 2 of the TV show rolls out on Amazon Prime - but don't worry, the gaming side of the equation isn't getting left behind as Bethesda rolls out a range of new perks for Xbox players. First off, two free trials are now live for the next week or so; one...
News Three Elder Scrolls 6 Developers Share How The Game Is Progressing At Bethesda
"We’re going to take our time and as long as it needs"
How is development going on The Elder Scrolls 6? It's a question we're inevitibly going to hear many times over the next few years, and it's one that Game Informer recently asked three developers at Bethesda. Specifically, the outlet questioned director and executive producer Todd Howard,...
News Call Of Duty: Black Ops 7 Free Trial Now Live On Xbox One & Series X|S
Here's how to get in
Xbox's Activision team has dropped its first free trial period for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, now live on all platforms including Xbox One and Series X|S. This first-ever free access period for this year's COD includes "a selection of Multiplayer and Zombies content including the fan-favourite 'Nuketown 2025'". Here's Xbox's...
News Square Enix Reinforces 'Close Partnership' With Xbox As FF7 Remake Director Visits Microsoft HQ
"This collaboration helps bring iconic games to even more players"
There was a time a few years ago when it seemed like Square Enix had totally fallen out with Xbox, choosing to skip the platform with a whole bunch of new releases including the Final Fantasy 7 Remake series. Xbox boss Phil Spencer and his team put in the work to repair that...
News Dying Light: The Beast Adds Nightmare Difficulty & 'New Survival Mechanics' On Xbox Series X|S
Here are all the patch 1.5 details
Developer Techland has given us a bunch of information on its latest Dying Light: The Beast update today, as patch 1.5 goes live for players on Xbox Series X and S. The headlining feature here is the new Nightmare Mode, which adds "a new difficulty level for Dying Light: The Beast - designed for seasoned players...
Tuesday16th Dec 2025
News OG Xbox Fan Spends Over A Year Making A 'Complete List' Of 630 Unreleased Games
Seriously impressive work!
We saw some absolutely amazing games releasing on the original Xbox over 20 years ago, but there were hundreds more that could have released for the system but never saw the light of day at the time. Many of these have sprung up over the years in individual articles, developer discussions, YouTube investigations and...
News Terminator: Survivors Is Now Single-Player Only & Has Ditched Its 2025 Early Access Release
We have an update from the Nacon Milan team
During Nacon Connect 2024 yesterday, the company formally unveiled Terminator: Survivors, a new open-world survival game based on the famous film franchise. The team has locked in a PC Early Access launch date, with console versions arriving later on, including Xbox. That Steam Early Access release lands...
News Final Fantasy 7 Remake Comparison Shows Difference Between Xbox Series X And Series S
Here's how both Xbox versions stack up
Today has marked the release of the Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade demo for Xbox, and therefore we can finally see how the game stacks up on both the Series X and Series S! As always, this early footage is coming from the YouTube channel Fuzion Xbox Testing, which has shown off both versions complete with...
News Hyper Realistic Shooter Unrecord Will Now 'Accelerate Development' With Tencent
"We’re confident this collaboration will help us"
Remember back in 2023 when Drama Studios' FPS Unrecord went viral for basically looking like real life? Well, news on the game has been pretty scarce since - but today, we're hearing that mega-publisher Tencent has stepped in to help fund and release the full product. Yep, coming by way of
News Forza Motorsport Won't Get Any Major Updates In 2026, But Support Will Continue
"We hope you continue racing with us in 2026"
As another year of Forza Motorsport comes to a close, the team at Turn 10 has shared what's next for the game in 2026, which includes various bits of support and fresh content but nothing in terms of major updates. In a blog post on the official Forza website, it's mentioned how the game will receive...
News IGN Highlights These Five Games As The Best Xbox Titles Of 2025
"There was no shortage of great games to celebrate"
The folks over at IGN have now crowned their best Xbox game of the year, picking from a list of fantastic titles that are said to represent "the five best games that landed on Xbox in 2025". It comes as no surprise that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 takes the win here, while everything else isn't...
News Dead Island 3 Is Officially In Development, Studio Provides Release Window Target
"The primary focus is now Dead Island 3"
Developer Dambuster Studios has released its most recent financial statements online, and the documents confirm that Dead Island 3 is now in development - with the team currently targeting a Q1/Q2 2028 release window for its Dead Island 2 sequel. The team teased a ne
News Square Enix Drops Free Final Fantasy 7 Remake Demo On Xbox Series X|S
Available now!
After confirming a January 2026 release date back at TGS in September, Square Enix has just dropped a free demo for Final Fantasy 7 Remake on Xbox Series X|S; available now for all players! The Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade Demo clocks in at roughly 20GB on Xbox Series X and S, and contains "the entire first chapter - the mako...
News Wreckreation Dev Launches Patreon Campaign To Keep Development Going
"We have four tiers to choose from, with various rewards for each"
Earlier this year, we highlighted the then-upcoming launch of Wreckreation - an open world driving and building game made by Three Fields Entertainment, which itself is made up of various former Burnout and Need for Speed developers. Unfortunately, the release seems to have gone...
News Two New Features Highlighted In The Xbox December 2025 Update
One mobile focused, one PC focused
Xbox is back again with its "December Update" of new features, and it's actually quite a small roundup this time around, highlighted by two new arrivals along with the usual set of new Play Anywhere, Stream Your Own Game (etc.) titles. The big feature is something we've already covered here at Pure Xbox, and...
PSA Silent Hill 2 Is Still Heavily Discounted On Xbox Through The New Year
Christmas gift to yourself?
Towards the end of November, Silent Hill 2 finally started rolling out on Xbox Series X|S after a year's PS5 console exclusivity, with a 50% launch discount. This was a pretty generous release offer from Konami, and we weren't sure when it was going to expire - but the Xbox Store is now showing that fans will at least be...
News Former Arkane Austin Director Was 'Shocked' That Xbox Closed The Studio After Redfall
"It is what it is."
In a new interview with former Arkane Austin lead Harvey Smith, the legendary game designer talks about his "shock" in learning that the team behind Dishonored and Prey was being closed down by Microsoft following the poor launch of co-op shooter Redfall. Speaking on an episode of the My Perfect Console podcast (via K
Roundup The First Reviews Have Arrived For Fallout Season 2
What do the critics think?
Today's the day for Fallout Season 2 on Amazon Prime! Although the official release date was set as December 17th for the first episode of the season, this was switched earlier this week to December 16th - with the release time being 6pm PT / 9pm ET in the US. You can see confirmation of this down below: With just...
Rumour COD 2027 Will Be A New Sub-Series With 'Completely New Characters' On Xbox
A direct response to Black Ops 6 & 7?
Last week, Xbox's Call of Duty team put out a statement announcing that there'll be no more "back-to-back" Modern Warfare or Black Ops games in the series following poor sales for
News Xbox Game Pass Mega-Hit Hollow Knight: Silksong Is Getting A Free Expansion In 2026
Say hello to Sea of Sorrow
After waiting years and years for Hollow Knight: Silksong to finally grace Xbox, developer Team Cherry has announced a free expansion for 2026, dubbed 'Sea of Sorrow'. In typically cryptic fashion, you can get a tiny glimpse of Sea of Sorrow in the trailer up above, ahead of its planned release next year. We'll also chuck...
News Microsoft Forces Removal Of Halo Multiplayer Mod In Counter-Strike 2
"It was fun while it lasted"
It's not often we see Microsoft taking action against mods for all sorts of popular games, but clearly the company feels a new Counter-Strike 2 mod overstepped the line, issuing a DMCA notice against something called "Project Misriah". The focus behind this mod was to bring a Halo 3-like experience to CS2's multiplayer,...
Monday15th Dec 2025
News Xbox Game Pass Premium Is Free For 14 Days With New Discord Quest
As long as you're not subscribed already
We've already highlighted how Xbox Game Pass has introduced a $1 offer for the holidays across all tiers of the service, but Discord is also providing a special promotion that allows you to get 14 days of Xbox Game Pass Premium for free! If you log into your Discord account (you'll need one already - it...
News Microsoft Rewards Is Allowing You To 'Double Your Points' Until The End Of 2025
Update: The offer has been extended!
Fancy topping up your Microsoft Rewards earnings over the next week? Well, there's a new promotion on the Microsoft Rewards dashboard that's allowing you to "double your points" until early December through Bing searches, which you can do on PC, mobile or through the Microsoft Edge browser on Xbox. To find it,...
News Xbox Announces Start Date And First Five Deals For The Countdown Sale 2025
Over 1,000 games set to be included
We've still got one more massive Xbox sale to come before the end of 2025! Microsoft has confirmed today that the Xbox Countdown Sale 2025 will officially start on Thursday, December 18th, and it'll include over 1,000 games in all. The company has also revealed the first five deals for the Countdown Sale,...
News Divinity: Original Sin 2 Receives Surprise Free Upgrade For Xbox Series X|S
"Now available on the latest generation of consoles!"
Surprise! Larian Studios has announced that the Xbox One game Divinity: Original Sin 2 has received a free upgrade for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, and it's available as of today. The team says you can access the free upgrade by searching for the "DOS:2 Upgrade Pack" on the Xbox Store, but...
News Metacritic Reveals The 10 Worst-Rated Video Games Of 2025
We think #1 is harsh!
It's that time of year again where we not only celebrate the best games of the year, but also look at the worst games of the year — and the latter is exactly what Metacritic has been highlighting over the past couple of days. In their list of the 10 worst games from across the industry, they've picked out the lowest-scoring...
News The Much-Hyped Action-RPG 'Phantom Blade Zero' Officially Has One Year Of PS5 Exclusivity
Confirmed in latest trailer
Upcoming action-RPG Phantom Blade Zero has quite a bit of hype behind it, especially now that it has attached a September 2026 release date to proceedings. However, that date is just for PS5 and PC - and it now appears there's a one-year exclusivity window in place with Sony and PlayStation. Yep, despite
News Xbox's DOOM: The Dark Ages Wins Digital Foundry's 'Graphics Of The Year' Award
December XGP title Routine also gets a mention
Over the weekend, our Pure Xbox community GOTY article went up, discussing the biggest and best games of the year from a wholistic perspective. However, if it's just graphics we're talking about, the Digital Foundry team is best positioned to give us a verdict — and this weekend, the outlet has handed...
Random Xbox Fan 'Bummed' After Winning 'Grand Prize' But Forgetting To Check Their Email
They missed out on a special King of the Hill controller
Every now and again, we've reported on situations here at Pure Xbox where people have missed out on claiming prizes for various reasons. Last year, for example, someone missed out on a custom Barbie Xbox Series S: And then two years ago, someone won Game Pass for life but ended up...
News Katamari Creator Returns To Japan And Considers His Future Following Poor Sales For 'To A T'
"If I feel that I don't belong in the games industry, I'll have to look elsewhere."
Keita Takahashi is a legend of the gaming industry, having created the Katamari franchise that began with Katamari Damacy on the PS2 back in 2004, and it's a series that still continues to achieve success to this day. His latest title that was released earlier this...
News Skyrim On Switch 2 Suffers 'Kinect-Level Input Lag', Says Digital Foundry
Only 30FPS, too
Last week, we brought you the news that Xbox & Bethesda's latest Switch 2 game was indeed Skyrim (surprise!), with the team shadow-dropping the port on Nintendo's new system with no prior announcement. You'd think a game that has its roots in the Xbox 360 era would run rather well on a 2025 system, but Digital Foundry's early...
News Stalker 2 Gets Free 'Stories Untold' Update Following Recent Xbox Game Pass Departure
"Completely free for all owners of the game"
Stalker 2 has just arrived on PS5 following around a year of console exclusivity on Xbox, and with its new multiplatform nature, developer GSC Game World has even more updates planned for the open world survival shooter. Arriving December 16th "completely free for all owners of the game", Stalker 2:...
News The Official Trophy For The 2025 Xbox Bowl Is Quite Something
All the players are getting ROG Xbox Ally systems as well
Back at the start of December, it was announced that Xbox and ESPN were joining forces to host the "Xbox Bowl" college football game between Missouri State and Arkansas State, and that game actually takes place this Thursday. Ahead of kickoff, we're now getting a look at what the actual Xbox...
Talking Point What Do You Hope To See From 'Control Resonant' On Xbox?
Remedy back to doing what it does best
One of the most exciting announcements to come out of The Game Awards this year was the reveal of Control Resonant; the next single-player offering from Remedy Entertainment.
News Star Wars: Fate Of The Old Republic Will Be Out Before 2030, Says Casey Hudson
"I'm not getting any younger!"
One of the biggest reveals from The Game Awards last week was undoubtedly Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic, despite rumours that the upcoming RPG won't be out until around 2030. Well, director Casey Hudson has now followed up on those rumours; reassuring fans that the game "will be out before then". Taking to...
Saturday13th Dec 2025
News Two Games Are Confirmed For Xbox Game Pass In January 2026 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 January 2026's Xbox Game Pass selection, with two titles having been confirmed for the service next month already. Our headline game so far, simply by nature of the fact that it's coming for both console and PC players, is...
Feature These 20+ Games Are Coming To Xbox Next Week (December 15-19)
Including two former PS5 console exclusives
Welcome to your Xbox games roundup for December 15-19! The releases are slightly slowing down as we head into the Christmas period, but we've still got loads of interesting launches over the next few days including the former PS5 console exclusives Fort Solis and Five Nights at Freddy's: Secret of the...
Poll What Is Your Xbox Game Of The Year For 2025?
Get your votes in!
It's that time of year again! We're looking to crown a Pure Xbox Game of the Year for 2025, and in order to do that, we're going to need you to vote for the best Xbox games of the past 12 months — only the top ten will make the final cut! Last year's winner ended up being Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, closely followed by...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (December 13-14)
Starting to tackle the backlog?
Welcome to our latest 'What Are You Playing' discussion! With another weekend upon us, we're starting to think about what games we might play over the next few days - and yes, those Christmas backlog plans are also creeping up! Here's what we're playing this weekend: Ben Kerry, Staff Writer: This week of Xbox Game...
Friday12th Dec 2025
News Amazon Offering Free Outfit For Tomb Raider: Legacy Of Atlantis When Linking Xbox Account
Available to claim ahead of release
While Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis didn't get a proper release date at The Game Awards aside from a broad 2026 window, the game does seem pretty far along - and publisher Amazon Games is offering the chance for fans to grab a little Tomb Raider Remake bonus for linking accounts ahead of launch. As shared by...
News Two PS5 Console Exclusives Are Finally Releasing On Xbox Next Week
Including a Five Nights at Freddy's title!
We've got a couple of PS5 console exclusives jumping over to Xbox next week! The first of these is Fort Solis, which we actually mentioned yesterday on Pure Xbox but you may have missed it considering how busy The Game Awards has been, and it's a visually-stunning walking simulator that puts a big emphasis...
News Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Adds Lots Of New Features In Today's Free 'Thank You' Update
Here are the patch notes
To finish off the night after winning eight awards at The Game Awards 2025, the team behind Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is rolling out a special "thank you" update containing a bunch of new features and improvements for the game. Some highlights include a new playable environment featuring new enemy encounters and...
News Xbox Announces Developer Direct Showcase For January, Teases 'A Lot' Of Game Releases In 2026
Playground Games will definitely be part of Dev Direct
In the midst of everything happening at The Game Awards this evening, Variety has suddenly come out with a Matt Booty interview that reveals the Xbox Developer Direct showcase will officially be returning in January of 2026. Booty says there's way too much to fit into one show, but confirms...
News 'Highguard' Is A New Free-To-Play Xbox Shooter From Some Of The Devs Behind Titanfall
And it's out next month!!
We've got a big surprise coming out of TGA today as new studio Wildlight Entertainment announced Highguard; a new free-to-play shooter coming to Xbox next month. What's the big news then, you ask? Well, some of the folks behind Titanfall and Apex Legends are at the helm of this one; which is some pretty incredible FPS...
News 'No Law' Is An Open World Cyberpunk Shooter RPG Heading To Xbox Series X|S
"Fight or sneak, shape the city with your choices"
Today's Game Awards showcase gave us our first look at No Law, an open world shooter RPG coming to Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S at some point in the future (no release date yet). Developed by Swedish team Neon Giant, the game sounds pretty ambitious as a "AAA" title that's "built entirely around...
News Two New Tomb Raider Games Revealed For Xbox, Including 'Legacy Of Atlantis' For 2026
Remake and a new entry confirmed!
Crystal Dynamics has brought its a-game to The Game Awards tonight by revealing two new Tomb Raider titles - and one is coming to Xbox as early as next year! That 2026 title is known as Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, and it's a full-on remake of the original Tomb Raider title from 1996. The second game in...
News Gears Of War: E-Day Confirmed For 2026 In New Xbox Game Pass Ad
"With Xbox Game Pass, play your way..."
Although it's been long assumed that Gears of War: E-Day was set to launch next year, the game hadn't gotten an official release window from Xbox - until now. Yep, a new Game Pass ad that premiered during The Game Awards has confirmed that Gears: E-Day is indeed coming out in 2026. You can see the tiny little
News Here's Everything That Was Revealed At The Game Awards 2025 (For Xbox)
Missed the event? Here's a recap
Weren't able to catch The Game Awards 2025 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. The...
News Black Ops 7 Sales & Players Down Massively On Last Year's Call Of Duty, New Data Shows
"Player count has halved in 12 months"
GamesIndustry.biz has shared some new data from Alinea Analytics and Video Game Insights to show that Black Ops 7 is hugely underperforming Black Ops 6 right now, especially on Steam. According to data from Alinea Analytics, "Black Ops 7 sold 401,000 copies on Steam 26 days after launch, co
Feature One Game In Particular Deserved Way More Love At The Game Awards 2025
I'm going to champion it once more
If you go back a few years to The Game Awards 2021, it felt like Hazelight Studios' It Takes Two was the "chosen one" of that event in many ways, racking up Game of the Year alongside a bunch of other awards. It was a deserved win for a fantastic co-op game that built upon the success of A Way Out a few years...
News Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Devs Bemoan Lack Of Awards At TGA 2025
"We have officially been robbed!"
For those of you who tuned in last night, The Game Awards quickly turned into the Expedition 33-fest as Clair Obscur took home a boatload of awards - and one team that doesn't seem super happy about not getting anything is Warhorse Studios; the dev behind the ex
News Lords Of The Fallen 2 Brings Its Epic Sequel To Xbox In 2026
One world. Two realms. No mercy.
Today's Gamescom Opening Night Live event has brought us a first look at Lords of the Fallen 2, which will be coming to Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S at some point in 2026. You can check out the debut trailer for the game above. You can actually wishlist it on Xbox right now if you want to as well! Here are some...
News Larian Studios Unveils 'Divinity', An RPG With 'Greater Breadth & Depth Than Ever Before'
Who needs Baldur's Gate 3 anyway?
The extremely talented folks over at Larian Studios have revealed their next project today in the form of Divinity, which is described as being "an RPG with greater breadth & depth than ever before". Those are extremely ambitious words considering Larian previously worked on Baldur's Gate 3 - not only one of the...
News Matt Booty Explains Why Xbox Ditched Its $80 Price Tag For Outer Worlds 2 & Other Games
"I’ll come back to the phrase meeting people where they are"
Earlier this year, Microsoft announced that it was ditching a planned price increase for The Outer Worlds 2 and other "full priced holiday releases", presumably in response to poor sales and negative feedback. Now, Xbox Game Studios boss Matt Booty has been discussing this in an...
News Tomb Raider: Catalyst Will Deliver The Series' Largest World Yet In 2027
And we're very excited to see it
With Amazon and Crystal Dynamics announcing two Tomb Raider titles in one fell swoop this week, 2026's Legacy of Atlantis is getting most of the attention right now - but we want to focus on Catalyst for a minute here, which "delivers
News The Xbox Mobile App Is Finally Adding A Store, And It's Now Rolling Out To Everyone
Update: Now live on the main version of the app
For ages now, we've been waiting on Xbox to add a version of the Xbox / Microsoft Store to the Android and iOS apps, as until now it's been impossible to actually buy anything on there - you've only been able to remote install games. However, the Xbox Store has officially begin rolling out on the Xbox...
News Star Wars: Fate Of The Old Republic Sounds Incredible, And It's Likely Coming To Xbox
Led by the game director of the OG Star Wars: KOTOR
Well, well, well! The Game Awards 2025 was kicked off today with the reveal of Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic, developed by the little-known Arcanaut Studios and currently in development for "PC and consoles". It's described as a spiritual successor to Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic,...
News Total War: Warhammer 40,000 Confirmed To Mark The Franchise's Debut On Xbox
"Experience the brutal fusion of galactic strategy and visceral real-time battles"
Last night at The Game Awards, we saw the reveal of Total War: Warhammer 40,000 — and even though it didn't seem to have any confirmed platforms at the time, it's now been confirmed to be coming to Xbox Series X and Series S. This will mark the franchise's debut on...
News Here's What The Early Reviews Are Saying About Terminator 2D: No Fate
It's finally here!
Terminator 2D: No Fate has finally crash-landed on Xbox after several shipping-related delays, and it sounds as though the team has delivered a solid 2D Terminator game going off the early reviews here. Today is launch day for the new Xbox title, so at the moment, we're not seeing tons of reviews for No Fate just yet. Still, our...
News Yakuza 0, Kiwami & Kiwami 2 Upgrade Issues Appear To Be Getting Resolved On Xbox
Update: Pure Xbox users are finally having success with it
Over the past few days, we've seen quite a few issues with Red Dead Redemption and allowing Xbox 360 owners of the game to upgrade to the new Xbox Series X|S version, but that seems to have been mostly resolved at this point. Unfortunately, a similar issue has cropped up for the new...
Thursday11th Dec 2025
News Deus Ex Remastered No Longer Releasing In February 2026 Due To Negative Feedback
Update: "We've listened to what you had to say"
Well here's a nice surprise from the September 2025 State of Play event! Aspyr has announced that it's remastering the original Deus Ex from 2000 in the form of Deus Ex Remastered, and it's bringing a bunch of visual improvements including new lighting, dynamic shadows, upscaled textures and more...
Friday12th Dec 2025
News Star Wars Galactic Racer Brings Its 'High-Stakes Reinvention Of Racing' To Xbox In 2026
Being created by devs from Burnout and Need for Speed
In addition to the Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic announcement that kicked off The Game Awards 2025, it was later revealed that Star Wars Galactic Racer is coming to Xbox Series X and S in 2026, and we reckon it's gonna be great! This is the third podrac
Opinion The Game Awards' Big Surprise Fell Flat, But I Have High Hopes For This New Xbox FPS
Letting my guard down
Okay, look, it's no secret that The Game Awards' reveal of free-to-play shooter Highguard didn't exactly go down well, is it? The upcoming FPS — which is out on Xbox next month — fell victim to strange TGA scheduling; where it was the final reveal in the hopes of being the 2025 show's bi
News John Carpenter's Toxic Commando Returns With New-Look Trailer, Hits Xbox In 2026
Update: We have a launch date!
It's been a while since we last heard anything about John Carpenter's Toxic Commando, but it's back today as part of Gamescom Opening Night Live 2025, and we know it's definitely coming to Xbox in early 2026. It's described as an "infectious co-op shooter" powered by the same engine behind the likes of Warhammer 40K:...
News LEGO Batman Returns With 'Legacy Of The Dark Knight' For Xbox Series X|S In May 2026
Update: The Game Awards gives us a date!
TT Games is back with a brand-new LEGO game coming to Xbox Series X|S next year - as 'Legacy of the Dark Night' evidently focuses on Batman's The Dark Knight trilogy this time around. The above trailer showcases the game in action of course, with the Batmobile taking centre stage alongside some of The Dark...
Report Xbox CFO Moves To Zenimax As Part Of New Leadership Changes
Leaving his current position after 10 years
It's being reported today that Xbox is undergoing some leadership changes — with Microsoft Gaming Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Tim Stuart moving over to Bethesda's parent company, ZeniMax Media, as a Chief Operating Officer. In Stuart's place will be Xavier Pokorzynsk, who's currently the corporate...
News Two Xbox First-Party Titles Win At The Game Awards 2025, Expedition 33 Takes 'Game Of The Year'
A massive year for Clair Obscur
The Game Awards is done and dusted for another year, and as anticipated by most people, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was the big winner in terms of the "awards" part of the show - taking home "Game of the Year" in the process. Expedition 33 received eight awards in all, including "Best Game Direction" and "Best...
News Capcom's Pragmata Launches Next April, And It's Getting A Free Demo On Xbox
New trailer to feast your eyes on!
As part of The Game Awards pre-show today, Capcom has finally revealed an official release date for its sci-fi action game Pragmata! The upcoming title will launch for Xbox Series X|S on April 24th, 2026 - and there's a free demo on the way as well. That free demo is live today on Steam, but unfortunately, console...
News Invincible VS Is A Brutal, Frenetic Fighter Coming To Xbox In April 2026
Update: We've got a release date!
A new fighting game was announced at the Xbox Games Showcase 2025 today! It's called Invincible VS, and it's a "brutal, bloody, and frenetic 3v3 tag fighter" that we'll be playing on our Xbox consoles in 2026. The trailer certainly got a lot of attention (you can watch it up above), and we're interested to see what...
News Capcom Debuts Resident Evil Requiem Leon Gameplay, Dual Protagonists Confirmed
"Their journeys and unique gameplay styles intertwine..."
Following a leak earlier this week, Capcom has revealed that Leon Kennedy is indeed starring in Resident Evil Requiem - as both them and previously-announced lead Grace Ashcroft swap protagonist duties in the upcoming RE title. Leon's campaign is set to be much more action-packed than...
News Control Resonant Is The Next Game From Remedy, Coming To Xbox In 2026
"Explore a warped Manhattan on the brink..."
Following a recent trademark for this exact name, Control Resonant is indeed real and is the next big game coming from Remedy Entertainment - due for PC and consoles in 2026. Remedy says that you can wishlist this one right away, as it works to bring the next instalment in the Control series to players...
News Exodus Is Giving Us A Mix Of Mass Effect And Starfield Vibes, Hitting Xbox In 2027
Check out the new Game Awards trailer
Today's Game Awards showcase gave us a lengthy look at the new sci-fi action-adventure RPG Exodus that's being developed by Archetype Entertainment (Wizards of the Coast), and we're impressed by what we're seeing here! It's no surprise we're getting Mass Effect vibes considering the dev studio is made up of...
Poll How Would You Grade The Game Awards 2025?
Did you enjoy the show?
The dust is now beginning to settle on The Game Awards 2025 showcase! 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 a separate recap of everything that happened as part of the show. So, all things considered, what grade would you give the...
News Capcom Unveils Mega Man Dual Override, Launching On Xbox In 2027
He's back!
It was announced today as part of The Game Awards 2025 that Mega Man will be returning in 2027 with Mega Man Dual Override, currently set to launch across a wide array of platforms including Xbox One, Series X and Series S. A small teaser trailer was also shared as part of the event, which you can watch up above. Here's a bit more...
Thursday11th Dec 2025
Live Watch The Game Awards 2025 Here
The final major gaming event of the year
Here we go! It's time for The Game Awards 2025, which marks the final major gaming showcase of the year. We're expecting plenty of big announcements over the next few hours, and many of those will relate to Xbox as well. "Celebrate the best and see what's next in video games at The Game Awards 2025, live...
Friday12th Dec 2025
Talking Point What Do You Hope To See From Xbox Developer Direct Next Month?
Announced yesterday by Xbox!
Yesterday, in and amongst all of The Game Awards madness, Microsoft's Matt Booty came out and quietly announced Xbox Developer Direct 2026 - featuring Fable and Forza Horizon 6 developer Playground Games. We certainly expected this event to go ahead next mo
News Xbox's South Of Midnight Is Heading To PS5 & Switch 2 In Early 2026
Xbox Game Studios' debut on Nintendo!
Xbox's next multiplatform port has been announced today; as Compulsion Games' deep-south adventure South of Midnight is being crafted for PS5 and Nintendo Switch 2. Seemingly revealed early ahead of the main The Game Awards showcase, The Verge's Tom Warren has shared the news on social media. Going off the art...
Thursday11th Dec 2025
News Xbox Launches New $1 Game Pass Ultimate Offer For The Holidays
Perfect if you're not a subscriber already
It's no secret that Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is getting more and more expensive as the years roll on, but today we've seen the return of the $1 offer that's proved so popular in the past — an entire month of access for less than a coffee! You can get this by going to the "Join Xbox Game Pass" page on the...
Guide The Game Awards 2025: Date, Start Times & Everything You Need To Know
Update: Taking place today!
Geoff Keighley's The Game Awards always provides a nice opportunity for publishers and developers to show off what's coming next, alongside giving the games and the talent behind them their due praise of course. With that being said, here's exactly when The Game Awards 2025 goes down - and some of what we can expect to...
News Halo 3 Wins 'Game Of The Year' As GameStop Reveals Its Full Set Of Awards For 2025
Yes, this is a thing that happened
Of all the games we expected to see winning a "Game of the Year" award for 2025, Halo 3 wasn't one of them! Nevertheless, the classic 2007 Xbox shooter has just been awarded that title by none other than GameStop. In a six-minute video, it's revealed that Battlefield 6, Donkey Kong Bonanza, Ghost of Yotei and Halo...
News The Outer Worlds 2 Gets Huge Xbox Patch, Including New FOV Slider For Third-Person Mode
Here's what's included
Xbox dev Obsidian has just dropped an absolutely gargantuan patch for The Outer Worlds 2, bringing with it brand-new features, quest changes, bug fixes and lots more besides. As noted in our headline here, new field-of-view options for third-person mode are a welcome addition - as are the fixes for quests, combat tweaks,...
News Digital Foundry Analysis Showcases 60FPS Versions Of Red Dead Redemption On Xbox
Parity, finally!
Red Dead Redemption for Xbox Series X|S is finally here, and now that most of you should have gotten your free upgrade if you were eligible, we're sure plenty of Xbox fans have been enjoying this Rockstar classic at 60FPS. Well, the folks at Digital Foundry are here as well to d
News Multiple Games Are Reduced By 90-95% In The Xbox Game Awards Sale 2025
HUGE discounts for great games!
Looking for some cheap Xbox games during the Xbox Game Awards Sale 2025? This brand-new sale went live on the Xbox Store earlier today, and in addition to a bunch of recent releases that are only slightly discounted, there are so many other great games that are reduced by up to 95%. So, let's highlight some of those...
News The Game Awards Sale 2025 Now Live On Xbox, 150+ Major Games Discounted
AAA titles galore!
With The Game Awards 2025 officially taking place later today, Xbox has unveiled its special "The Game Awards Sale" on the Xbox Store featuring discounts for over 150 major games, available for the next week. There's some seriously big stuff in here like Split Fiction, Monster Hunter Wilds, EA Sports FC 26 and
News Movie-Like Horror Adventure Game 'Fort Solis' Crosses From PS5 To Xbox Next Week
It's been a PS5 console exclusive for over two years
Back in August of 2023, horror adventure game Fort Solis made its debut on PS5 and PC as an ambitious Unreal Engine 5 title starring voice actors Roger Clark (Red Dead Redemption) and Troy Baker (Indiana Jones and the Great Circle), but it unfortunately released to some pretty lukewarm reviews...
News Free Play Days: Try These Xbox Games For Free (December 11-14)
Three games to play for free this weekend!
As expected, Xbox Free Play Days has returned for the next few days! We've got three games in the mix this week, one of which requires a Game Pass membership (The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet of Chaos) with the other two being completely free for everyone on Xbox to try. Here are the Xbox Free Play...
News The Game Awards Trailer Prices Range From 'Free' To Over '1 Million' USD, Claims Report
"According to two sources familiar with this year’s show"
With The Game Awards taking place later today, an interesting report has come out of Kotaku detailing the inner workings of the event, with a couple of sources even highlighting how much trailers apparently cost for the show. The outlet says that according to "two sources familiar with...
News Call Of Duty Is The #1 Franchise On Xbox Game Pass For 'Total Players & Hours' In 2025
Well, duh
Everyone, act surprised! Xbox has announced today that Call of Duty is the #1 franchise on Xbox Game Pass for total players and hours in 2025, in addition to being #1 in November (for the Black Ops 7 launch). It obviously makes sense that one of the world's biggest gaming IPs would command so much attention on Xbox's service, especially...
Poll What Do You Think Of Lost Records: Bloom & Rage On Xbox Game Pass?
Have you had a chance to try it yet?
It's been just over a week now since Lost Records: Bloom & Rage arrived on Xbox Game Pass following its initial release back in February of this year, and we're keen to hear how you've been getting on with it so far. This is one of those strange examples where nobody on the Pure Xbox team has managed to spend...
Tuesday9th Dec 2025
News Xbox & Activision Issue Statement On The Future Of Call Of Duty Following Black Ops 7 Backlash
"A message from the Call of Duty team..."
After what sounds like a disappointing launch for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Xbox's Activision team has put out a frank and surprisingly open message about the future of the franchise moving forward. In an address to series fans, Activision has announced that it will no longer release back-to-back Black Ops...
Wednesday10th Dec 2025
News Xbox Announces New Fallout Pip-Boy Controllers, And They're Available To Buy Now
Either standalone or through Xbox Design Lab
We've got another new Xbox controller variant today in the form of the "Fallout Pip-Boy Edition", and there are three different versions in all - available to purchase today on the Microsoft Store. The standalone one features the same basic design as the other two, but with a bright green d-pad, black...
News These Two Games Are Your Final Xbox Game Pass Additions For 2025 (December 10-11)
2026 is upon us!
Welcome to your latest Xbox Game Pass update! Today, NetherRealm's Mortal Kombat 1 joins the XGP library - playable for Series X|S, PC and Cloud players across the PC Game Pass, Premium and Ultimate tiers. We also have one more addition for tomorrow at the time of writing; that being Bratz: Rhythm & Style. So, we're going to round...
News Xbox's New Buy One, Get One Free Sale Includes A Selection Of Indie Titles
Live for the next week
Xbox has just set a new edition of its Buy One, Get One Free sales live on the Microsoft Store today - with this particular promotion revolving around a pretty slim selection of indie titles all-told. Yep, as these deals usually go, this isn't the most inspired list from Xbox here, but there are some standouts such as the...
News Xbox Working 'Very Closely' With AMD To Improve Ray Tracing & Other FSR Features In Games
As part of the new AMD Redstone technology
AMD has today unveiled its new "AMD FSR Redstone" technology, which combines the company's upscaling technology with "new machine learning (ML)-powered advancements" in FSR Frame Generation, FSR Ray Regeneration, and FSR Radiance Caching. The video above goes into detail on all of these features, such as...
News PlayStation Highlights Halo: Campaign Evolved As One Of Its 'Must-Play' Games For 2026
We're living in strange times
PlayStation has just dropped an overview trailer for what's coming to PS5 in 2026, and while we certainly wouldn't normally cover that here at Pure Xbox, one certain big green inclusion has made us reconsider. Sony is directly advertising Halo: Campaign Evolved as one of its "must-play games coming soon to PS5". We...
News Netflix Didn't 'Attribute Any Value' To Warner Bros. Games As Part Of WB Takeover Bid
"They're relatively minor compared to the grand scheme of things"
Last week, we heard how Netflix was attempting to purchase Warner Bros. in a stunning $82.7 billion deal, before Paramount ended up fighting back with a deal of their own — we'll see how this all unfolds in the coming months. One of the big questions at the time of the Netflix...
News Romero Games Has Taken Its Cancelled Xbox Shooter And Made Something New With It
"We have a lot of stuff we can put in the game"
Since Microsoft pulled funding for its unannounced game back in the summer, Romero Games has been trying to salvage the project for a future release - and now it sounds as though the DOOM co-creator has managed that feat, but not in the way you might expect. Talking in a new p
News Bethesda Boss Hints At Fallout Remasters, Says The Team Is 'Working On A Bunch Of Stuff'
"We're thoughtful about how we approach that"
In a new interview leading up to Season 2 of the TV show, Bethesda legend Todd Howard was pressed about the likelihood of fans getting some Fallout remakes and remasters - and while somewhat reserved, the Bethesda Game Studios boss did have some interesting things to say about the team's plans. When...
News Japan-Exclusive PS1 Game Finally Released In English After 26 Years, And It's On Xbox Too
Say hello to Milano’s Odd Job Collection
We're totally expecting this game to go under the radar following its release on Xbox this week, but there's an interesting story behind it! Milano's Odd Job Collection is the English version of a PS1 game that released exclusively in Japan back in 1999, and it just so happens to be making its Xbox debut in...
News New GTA Online Cutscene Leads To Speculation Over Returning Character In GTA 6
"Is this a hint?"
Last week, we mentioned how GTA 5's Michael De Santa would be returning in a new update for GTA Online called "A Safehouse in the Hills", and that update has gone live today on Xbox - you can go and check it out right now. As you can see from the "Michael Returns" video, De Santa and his wife Amanda make a fairly lengthy...
Tuesday9th Dec 2025
News Xbox Is Bringing Age Of Empires Mobile To PC Game Pass In Early 2026
The mobile version of the PC game, coming to PCGP. Got it?
The teams behind the Age of Empires and Age of Mythology series' have been sharing their plans for 2026 today, which includes a new PC release for Age of Empires Mobile - a game that's proved a hit on Android and iOS. This version will be available on PC Game Pass at launch, as well as...
Wednesday10th Dec 2025
News Geoff Keighley Talks The Game Awards & His 'Balancing Act' Of Pleasing Everyone
"Every year is different"
The Game Awards is upon us, with the 2025 edition of the event going ahead on Thursday, December 11th. TGA is always a big celebration of the industry, both in terms of what's come out over the past year and what's to come in future - and this week, host Geoff Keighley has been talking about that very balancing act in a...
Tuesday9th Dec 2025
News Xbox Winter Demo Fest Now Live, 30+ Games Available To Play For Free
Update: More titles revealed, all live until December 31st
The Xbox Winter Demo Fest for 2025 (otherwise known as the Indie Selects Demo Fest) has now kicked off, allowing you to play over 20 games for free. It's not officially being promoted at the time of writing, but we've done some sleuthing and discovered these 20+ titles that are part of it...
News Two Major AAA Games Have Just Been Added To Xbox Play Anywhere
Love to see older titles getting the treatment!
It's always great to see brand-new releases being included as part of the Xbox Play Anywhere program, but it's even more exciting when older titles suddenly join it as well, especially when they're major AAA favourites. That's exactly what's happened today, with both Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake...
News Four Games Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (December 9)
One of the biggest drops of the month!
Welcome to your latest Xbox Game Pass update! Today, we have four titles joining the main Game Pass Ultimate library - three across console and PC, and one PC-only addition. Here's all the info you need on today's Xbox Game Pass titles (December 9): A Game About Digging A
News Ex-Forza Dev Says Horizon 5 Was Impacted By COVID, New Game Is 'In A League Of Its Own'
"I didn’t leave Playground to build another Horizon"
In a new interview with Traxion, former Forza Horizon developer Gavin Raeburn has talked about their new racing game being built over at Lighthouse Games, whilst also touching on 2021's Forza Horizon 5 and how the Xbox title was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. First off, let's look at FH5...
Rumour Xbox 'Hopes' To Bring Backwards Compatibility Program To ROG Ally & Windows PC
"There is an effort being made"
It was only yesterday that we were talking about how much value backwards compatibility still brings to the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S in 2025, and I've personally really missed being able to play those games on the ROG Xbox Ally. Well, it sounds like Team Xbox "hopes" to bring those classic original Xbox and...
News Xbox Exec Teases 'Exciting' Plans For 2026 When Asked About OG Xbox Titles & Game Pass
"I can't confirm or deny what you're asking"
We've already heard about how Xbox is planning to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the brand in a big way next year, and Xbox architect Jason Ronald has been discussing this more in a new interview with the BBC in the UK. Ronald's interview was mainly about the ROG Xbox Ally
News Resident Evil Legend Leon Kennedy Confirmed For Requiem Thanks To Store Page Reveal
Thanks, PSN
Ever since Resident Evil Requiem was revealed earlier this year, it's been rumoured that series stalwart Leon S. Kennedy would star in some role - despite Grace Ashcroft being the centre of attention in marketing materials so far. Well, thanks to the ever-reliable source that is a PlayStation St
News Xbox & Bethesda Shadow Drop Another Switch 2 Game, And You'll Never Guess What It Is
How many times?!
Those of us who are enjoying Switch 2 right now are pretty intrigued to see which games Xbox brings to the platform in the near future; the team has plenty of recent games to move over, right?! Wrong, current-gen Nintendo players are being treated to The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim once again. Yep, Xbox's Bethesda team has today shadow...
News More Xbox Players Are Starting To See Success With The Free Red Dead Redemption Upgrade
"Finally got the RDR free upgrade..."
Yesterday, we posted an article about folks still not receiving their free upgrades for Red Dead Redemption on Xbox, and it looks as though Rockstar has seen the outcry and implemented a new fix. Heading over to the Xbox subreddit today, we're seeing lots of folks finally say that RDR's free Xbox Series X|S...
News Here's Your First Look At The Xbox Bowl In EA Sports College Football 26
Ahead of the real thing next week
Last week, we mentioned how ESPN and Microsoft had joined forces to host the first ever "Xbox Bowl" in Texas on December 18th, and now it's actually been added to EA Sports College Football 26 across all platforms including PS5! You can access the Xbox Bowl through Exhibition mode, and it includes some pretty neat...
News 'Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced' Gets PEGI Rating Ahead Of The Game Awards 2025
Here comes the remake / remaster!
There's been a lot of talk about an Assassin's Creed Black Flag remake (or remaster) over the past few years, and now it looks like it's about to show up very soon as it's just appeared on the PEGI website with an "18" rat
News Xbox Up For 'Best Game' At The BAFTA Awards 2026, But There's A Long Road Ahead
This is just the Longlist
Awards season continues! BAFTA has revealed its official Longlists for the BAFTA Games Awards 2026 today, which includes one Xbox title in the "Best Game" category - that being Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. These Longlists have been compiled by over 1,700 BAFTA members (made up of "experienced games professionals...
News Take-Two Hires Former Perfect Dark Leads To Spin Up A Brand-New Project
A second take
Following Perfect Dark's cancellation back in July, we heard reports that GTA maker Take-Two had tried to take over the project before talks collapsed, but it sounds as though the mega publisher liked what it saw. The same so
Monday8th Dec 2025
Guide Xbox Adds More Perks For Game Pass Members (December 2025)
Update: Few more added to the list
The Xbox Game Pass Perks program is continuing to add a bunch of freebies for Game Pass members throughout December 2025, including for the likes of Fortnite, The Crew Motorfest, Delta Force and so many other games. We expect many more to come over the next few weeks, and we'll update this guide when we spot them...
News Red Dead Redemption Free Upgrade Still Not Working For Some As Players Voice Frustrations
Will Rockstar respond?
If you were around the gaming world last week, you may have seen the drama surrounding Red Dead Redemption - where Rockstar's free Xbox upgrade wasn't working for most people on the launch of its new current-gen release. Well, the team fixed the issue for lots of players pretty quickly, but now a week later, some owne
Opinion Backwards Compatibility Still Adds So Much Value To Xbox Series X|S In 2025
10 years after back compat was first announced!
I've just been doing a little storage space cleanup on my Xbox Series S today, removing some bits and pieces I just don't have the time for at the moment and installing one or two older titles that I fancy dipping back into sometime this week. And, once again it struck me that backwards compatibility...
News Xbox Series X|S Had No Black Friday Deals, So They Lost To A Console We've Never Heard Of (US)
Struggled in the UK too
There's been an unfortunate narrative doing the rounds on social media this weekend about Xbox consoles, and it's all to do with some new Black Friday 2025 data that suggests the Series X and Series S sold poorly during BF week. Specifically, Mat Piscatella of the analysis group "Circana" took to Bluesky on Sunday to share...
News Paramount Fights Back Against Netflix With 'Superior All-Cash Offer' For Warner Bros.
It's not over yet!
Last week, it was announced by Netflix that the company was buying Warner Bros. in a deal worth over $82 billion, but now Paramount has launched an all-cash tender offer to acquire all of Warner Bros. Discovery's outstanding shares for $30 per-share (in cash). In a statement released today, Paramount chairman David Ellison...
Talking Point Four Years On, Did Halo Infinite Ever Live Up To Expectations?
With major updates done, what's your final verdict?
Xbox has reminded us that Halo Infinite launched four years ago today (the full campaign version anyway), so we want to check in with the Pure Xbox community on your feelings about this particular series entry almost half a decade later, especially with the game's major updates now wrapping up...
Roundup All The Xbox Reveals From The 11 Bit Studios Digital Showcase 2025
Nothing too crazy, but some nice updates all the same!
Today marked the first ever 11 Bit Studios Digital Showcase, which was only a small event highlighting a few titles from the Polish developer / publisher's portfolio including the likes of Frostpunk and The Alters. There were no brand-new game announcements here, but some titles have received...
News Four Xbox First-Party Releases Mentioned In GamesRadar's Top 25 Games Of 2025
And guess what was number 1?
As we get closer and closer to the voting for Pure Xbox's Game of the Year 2025 (look out for it this Saturday!), we've got more "Best Of" roundups to highlight from across the internet, with this latest one coming from GamesRadar. Those folks have picked out their top 25 games of the year, with four Xbox first-party...
News Xbox Dev Reveals That Sony Asked About Microsoft Flight Sim Going To PS5 Years Ago
The 2024 edition hits PlayStation today
Back in September, we learnt that Microsoft Flight Simulator was jetting off to PS5 this year - and now an interesting interview with an Xbox developer talks about the series' interesting journey to PlayStation platforms. Speaking with XDA, Microsoft's Flight Sim lead dev Jorg Neumann talked about the...
News OD's Reveal Trailer 'Full Of Hints' As To How The Game Will Play, Says Hideo Kojima
Also says it's going to be a "challenging" game to make
Back in September, Kojima & co. finally showcased a gameplay teaser for OD — their upcoming Xbox title — and despite the trailer being typically cryptic, the legendary game maker says that it was "full of hints" as to how the game will actually play. Speaking with anaweb and translated by
Sunday7th Dec 2025
News The ROG Xbox Ally Has Just Received Its First Major Discount
Available until late December or while stocks last
Just under two months since the ROG Xbox Ally first arrived, it's just received its first major discount! Xbox has officially reduced its price by $100 in the US until December 20th, although only at certain retailers. This brings the price of the standard ROG Xbox Ally down from $599 to $499 USD...
Saturday6th Dec 2025
Poll What Are Your First Impressions Of Routine On Xbox Game Pass?
Enjoying the new sci-fi adventure?
Our latest day one Game Pass release has been out for a few days now in the form of sci-fi horror game Routine, after what was a rather lengthy development period for the Lunar Software title. So, are you enjoying the game on XGP after all this time? We introduced this one as an Xbox Game Pass title back in 2022,...
News Here's What Might Leave Xbox Game Pass In January 2026
Some early predictions
What's leaving Xbox Game Pass in January 2026? 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 These 30+ Games Are Coming To Xbox Next Week (December 8-12)
Including five Game Pass titles!
Welcome to your Xbox games roundup for December 8-12! Even though it's getting close to Christmas, there's still a lot to talk about in terms of new releases right now, with the likes of Terminator 2D: No Fate, Thank Goodness You're Here!,
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (December 6-7)
Kicking back with some Marvel Cosmic Invasion?
It's another weekend, folks! We've seen some fairly steady Xbox activity this past week as we approach our first December weekend - with plenty to play over the next few days such as Marvel Cosmic Invasion, Octopath Traveler 0, Routine and more on the platform. Here's what we're playing this weekend:...
Friday5th Dec 2025
News Xbox Finishes Off The Week With Two New Game Pass Reveals, Both For Next Month
The earliest two of 2026 so far
We've been kind of waiting for Xbox to give us some release dates for early 2026 when it comes to Xbox Game Pass — until this week, we only had two of them — and now we've finally got our first couple of next month. These two games are MIO: Memories in Orbit, which was revealed at the PC Gaming Show last night,...
It's all about cloud streaming
Back in the middle of 2023, Microsoft was still in a difficult position in regards to acquiring Activision Blizzard. The UK Competition and Markets Authority had made it clear that changes needed to be made before they'd approve the deal going through, and one of those changes ended up being a surprise agreement with...
News Netflix Is Buying Warner Bros. For Even More Money Than Xbox's ActiBlizz Deal
Update: WB confirms gaming division is included
In an announcement that's sending shockwaves throughout the entertainment world, streaming giant Netflix has announced its intentions to buy Warner Bros. - for a whopping $72 billion (or $82.7 billion as a "total enterprise value"). Going off Netflix's statement on this, the move doesn't mention...
News Metroid Prime 4 Has A Stronger Connection To Xbox And Halo Than You Might Think
"Lots of former 343 devs on this"
Apparently, something is happening over in Nintendo land this week. There's some kind of long-awaited sequel that's been in the works for 18 years? "Metroid"..."Prime"... they call it? That's a new one to us! Seriously though, the new release of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond actually has a connection to Xbox, and...
News Avatar: Frontiers Of Pandora Third-Person Looks Cool, But A Little Janky
Changing the game
After months of waiting since its initial announcement, third-person mode is now live in Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora - and the folks over at IGN have shared some extended gameplay of the new mode which you can take a look at above. Pulling things out to an over-the-shoulder perspective, the new third-person option in Avatar:...
News GTA 5's Michael De Santa Returns In Major New 'Safehouse' Update For GTA Online
"This is a nice neighborhood!"
We don't often talk about GTA Online updates these days at Pure Xbox, but this one's extra special! A Safehouse in the Hills in the name of the new update that's coming on December 10th, and it features a very familiar face. Yes, GTA 5's Michael De Santa — one of the main three characters in the single-player...
News Xbox Studio Rare Is Getting Inundated With Requests For A New Banjo-Kazooie Game
Following the "Mumbomania" project in Dreams for PS5
Alright, so you probably saw the news about this "Banjo-Kazooie: Mumbomania" project that was cross-posted to Pure Xbox by our friends at Push Square yesterday - a game made in Dreams for PS5 that's gone viral this week. The gist is that someone made their own version of Banjo-Kazooie inside of...
News Clockwork Revolution Dev Shares New Message About Its Eagerly Anticipated Xbox RPG
"This is the most complex game I've ever worked on"
Clockwork Revolution has a bit of hype behind it within the Xbox fanbase - heck, even boss Phil Spencer sounds pretty excited about what inXile is cooking up. And, while info on the title remains scarce, the team has delivered a new message about the game as part of the latest PC Gaming Sho
News Xbox Winter Demo Fest 2025 Begins Next Week, And A Few Have Gone Live Already
Here's a sneak peek
We've got a new Xbox Demo Fest taking place next week! This is the annual winter version of the event, which is officially known as the "Indie Selects Demo Fest" - featuring over 30 games that are free to try from December 9th. We'll obviously have a full roundup of all the demos for you ASAP, but they're being kept under wraps...
News Fallout Creator Rejoins Xbox Studio Obsidian, Hints That He's Not Working On New Vegas 2
"Don’t bother guessing, you’re not going to guess right."
In a new update on their personal YouTube channel, long-time game developer and Fallout creator Tim Cain has announced that they've returned to Obsidian Entertainment; the Xbox studio responsible for Avowed, Fallout New Vegas, The Outer Worlds series and more. Naturally, this rekindling...
News The Bloodlines 2 Team Is Giving Away A ROG Xbox Ally X For Free
How's your luck?
Since the release of the ROG Xbox Ally and Ally X a couple of months ago, it's been hard to find any kind of discounts or giveaways for the two devices, but we've just come across something via the Bloodlines 2 team on social media. As you can see below, they're giving away a free ROG Xbox Ally X, which is pretty crazy considering...
News Keeper Update Adds New Video Modes & PC Ultrawide Support On Xbox Game Pass
The game's first major update!
Since Keeper released back in October we've not really heard much from its developer Double Fine, but to close out the year, the team is here this week with a brand-new update for the Xbox title. Live now on Xbox, PC and Game Pass, Keeper's December update introduces Noir Mode for that black-and-white look, High...
Thursday4th Dec 2025
News Xbox Is Giving Away Free Gift Cards To Various Users This December
"Here's an Xbox Gift Card on us!"
Anyone fancy a free Xbox gift card for the holidays?! Well, we've spotted Xbox giving these away to some lucky users for the month of December, and they're being received across console, PC and even Xbox Cloud Gaming. At first glance this does seem to be quite rare, although there are multiple examples online of...
Roundup All The Xbox Reveals From The PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted 2025
Over 15 of them!
We're not done with showcases in 2025 yet! The PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted 2025 showcase has just concluded this evening, and it included a few Xbox reveals as part of the event. Everything that featured an Xbox logo can be found down below, which includes some brand-new announcements for the likes of Starship Troopers: Ultimate...
News The God Slayer Is Bringing Its Open World RPG To Xbox, And It's Getting Help From PlayStation
Part of the PlayStation China Hero Project
A few hours ago, we were treated to the reveal of a new open world RPG from Pathea Games (My Time At Sandrock, Let's School) called The God Slayer, and it's got a particularly interesting connection to the folks at PlayStation. This game is part of the PlayStation China Hero Project,
News Four Huge New Sales Have Just Gone Live On Xbox, 500+ Games Discounted
Black Friday is over, but the sales continue!
As if Xbox hadn't given us enough deals to take advantage of over the past few weeks via Black Friday 2025, we've now got another four huge new sales that have just begun on the Xbox Store - and most are lasting for two weeks. Specifically, these are the Beyond Black Friday Sale (which is DLC-focused),...
Series S is cutback, but "retains enough of its character"
Silent Hill 2 finally came to Xbox last month after a year-long wait, and its release was quickly followed up with some brief Xbox Series X|S comparisons. Now though, the tech experts over at Digital Foundry have delivered their verdict - and despite the
News 'Replaced' Finally Has An Xbox Game Pass Release Date, Four Years Since It Was Revealed
It's an Xbox console exclusive at launch too
We've been talking for a very long time here at Pure Xbox about Replaced — a narrative-driven 2.5D platformer that we've been eager to play for years — and now it's finally got a release date of March 12th, 2026! For those who haven't heard of it before, Replaced will see you attempt to "expose the...
News Skill-Based Matchmaking Is Becoming More Prominent Again In Black Ops 7 Multiplayer
The Season 01 patch notes reveal all
With Season 01's launch arriving today for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, developer Treyarch has dropped the new season's patch notes - and they contain some controversial updates on the game's skill-based matchmaking system. As we covered a few times in the run up to launch, the team
"Seeking a permit to expand production in Vietnam"
As the Xbox Series X|S generation continues and another one is on the horizon, it's being reported this week that a subsidiary of manufacturing company Foxconn is planning to expand its Xbox production over in Vietnam. This report comes from Reuters, which mentions that Fushan Technology, which is...
News Three Games Are Available Today Across Various Tiers Of Xbox Game Pass (December 4)
Including a brand-new day one launch!
Welcome to your latest Xbox Game Pass roundup! Today, we've got three games coming to the service; one that's brand-new to Ultimate subscribers and two that are moving over to the Premium tier. So, we'll gather up these new XGP additions for December 4th down below: 33 Immortals (Console, PC, Cloud) - XGP...
News Left 4 Dead Creator Is Making A New 'Four-Player Co-Op Shooter', But It Might Not Come To Xbox
Developer Bad Robot Games signs deal with Sony
Bad Robot Games has today announced a new "four-player co-operative shooter" being led by Left 4 Dead's original creator Mike Booth - but there's a chance this attempt to rekindle that L4D flame may not see the light of day on Xbox. Although this development studio has been working away for a number of...
News Free Play Days: Try These Xbox Games For Free (December 4-7)
New free trials now live on Xbox!
Xbox Free Play Days is here for the next few days! We've got six games playable as part of the program this week - with one of those in Destiny 2 bringing loads of premium expansions to the program as well. Here's your full Free Play Days rundown this week: Astria Ascending Bassmaster Fishing Descenders Destiny 2...
News ESPN To Host The First Ever 'Xbox Bowl' In Texas Later This Month
"We’re proud to welcome Xbox as the title sponsor"
It's been announced today that Xbox has joined forces with ESPN to become the title sponsor of December 18th's college football bowl game between Missouri State and Arkansas State. The entire event is getting some major Xbox branding as a result, with the logo being a big Xbox controller as seen...
News Obsidian Is Busy With Updates As Grounded 2 Gets New Patch Ahead Of January Content Drop
Avowed & Grounded 2 set for big 2026 updates
Obsidian is back again with another update on one of its 2025 titles, as the team prepares even more content for 2026. This time, Grounded 2's December patch has now arrived for Xbox, PC and Game Pass players, with a larger 'Winter Update' also planned for next month.
News Ubisoft Confirms Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time Will Be Skipping The Game Awards
"Sorry to disappoint..."
Last month, Ubisoft confirmed that its Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake was set to launch before April 2026, which led to rumours of the game potentially showing up at The Game Awards next week ahead of a reported January release. Well, the team has now confirmed that sadly, the title won't be showing up at TGA...
Wednesday3rd Dec 2025
News Avowed Is Getting Its 'Biggest Update Yet' To Mark The Xbox Title's One-Year Anniversary
Coming February 2026!
Back in the summer, Xbox developer Obsidian reassured fans that Avowed's Fall 2025 update was still on track - but plans have since changed, and this update has now morphed into a bigger content drop set to arrive in February 2026. To mark the game's one-year anniversary next Feb., Obsidian says that it's delivering "our...
Talking Point Have You Received The Free Upgrade For Red Dead Redemption On Xbox?
How's it all shaking out for you right now?
It's no secret that today's Red Dead Redemption rollout hasn't exactly gone to plan, at least on Xbox. The game went live at midnight local time as was somewhat expected, but Rockstar's free upgrade path isn't working in the way folks expected right now - and we haven't had any official updates from th
News Xbox Crowns Its Biggest Third-Party Game Pass Launch Of 2025
It's Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
It's been a pretty amazing year in terms of the titles that have been added to Xbox Game Pass, with multiple Game of the Year candidates having arrived on the service at launch, but one in particular has dominated the attention. That game is of course Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which has been crowned today as the...
News When Will The Xbox Countdown Sale 2025 Be Revealed?
Yep, we've still got one massive sale to come!
The Xbox Black Friday Sale might be almost over for another year, but we've still got one massive sale to come before the month is finished - the Xbox Countdown Sale 2025! This is typically one of the biggest sales of the year for Xbox, with potentially over 1000 games set to be discounted during late...
News Digital Foundry Compares Xbox Series S & Switch 2 In New Assassin's Creed Shadows Analysis
The Series S version wins out
Just like September's interesting analysis of Star Wars Outlaws on Switch 2 and Series S, Digital Foundry returns with a fresh look at another Ubisoft title that's been ported over to the Nintendo system this week - and once again, this one uses the Xbox Series S version as its jumping off point. Yes, in its latest
News Need A Reason To Play Fallout 76 Again? It's Just Released A Massive New Update
41GB in size on Xbox
A couple of months ago, Bethesda announced that the largest update in years for Fallout 76 would be dropping in December 2025, and that update is now officially available across all platforms as of last night. The update is called "Burning Springs", and it introduces a whole bunch of new content to Fallout 76 including a new...
News Rolling Stone's Top 25 Games Of 2025 Features Two Xbox First-Party Titles
Here's the full list
We recently mentioned how three Xbox first-party games had made the cut in the AP's top 10 releases of 2025, and now we've got another list from Rolling Stone — a top 25 of 2025 roundup — that includes two Xbox first-party titles in theirs. The two games are Ninja Gaiden 4 and
News Three Games Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass Essential (December 3)
The cheapest version of Game Pass grows again!
We've already talked today about the two games that have been added to Xbox Game Pass Premium, but we've also got three games joining the Xbox Game Pass Essential lineup - the cheapest version of Game Pass available right now. Game Pass Essential, which was last updated at the start of October, is...
News Two Games Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass Premium (December 3)
Two more titles for Premium subscribers!
Welcome to your latest Xbox Game Pass roundup! Today's update focuses on Xbox Game Pass Premium, with two titles moving over to Microsoft's mid-tier service today (December 3). Here's a summary of your two new additions to Xbox Game Pass Premium: Monster Train 2 (Series X|S, PC, Cloud): "Monster Train...
News High On Life 2 Debuts 10 Minutes Of New Gameplay Footage As Xbox Pre-Orders Go Live
"Enjoy ten minutes of exclusive new gameplay from High on Life 2"
Looking through our big Xbox Game Pass in 2026 guide, basically everything has a "TBD" release date as things stand apart from two games - the PC-only MENACE and the highly-anticipated sequel High on Life 2. In fact, High on Life 2 is going to be with us in just over two months' time...
News This Thursday's PC Gaming Show Could Include Some Xbox Game Pass Reveals
"PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted Powered by Xbox Game Pass"
We're still a week away from the last major gaming showcase of 2025 in the form of The Game Awards, but this Thursday's PC Gaming Show sounds well worth watching - even from an Xbox perspective. The PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted showcase is said to be "powered by Xbox Game Pass", which basically...
News Here's What The Reviews Are Saying About December Xbox Release Octopath Traveler 0
It's sounding pretty darn good!
The release schedule often dies down when it comes to big launches in the month of December, but 2025 has a few tricks still up its sleeve, including Square Enix's Octopath Traveler 0 - and the early reviews are starting to trickle in for this new JRPG. So, we're going to round some of them up below to give you a...
Tuesday2nd Dec 2025
Guide Xbox Game Pass Essential: Full List Of Games (December 2025 Update)
Here's everything you can play on Game Pass Essential
Back in 2023, Microsoft finally phased out Xbox Live Gold, replacing it with Xbox Game Pass Core as a new entry-level tier to its subscription service. Since then, it's been renamed to Xbox Game Pass Essential as of October 2025. Unlike Games with Gold, which
News Red Dead Redemption's Free Upgrade Is Finally Rolling Out For Xbox Series X|S
Better late than never
The new upgrade for Red Dead Redemption is out today on all platforms, and while the game is now live and playable on Xbox Series X|S, the upgrade path from the old Xbox 360 version isn't working for lots of players - and there's some confusion as to why at the moment. When the team at Rockstar announced this ne
News Xbox Teases 2026 Game Pass Lineup As It Delivers The Service's Final Update Of 2025
Game Pass is done with updates this year
Earlier today, Microsoft dropped its December Xbox Game Pass roundup - with 14 games coming to multiple tiers of the service in the next few weeks. The update stops at December 11th with the addition of Bratz: Rhythm & Style, and that's seemingly going to be our final XGP update for 2025 as the team begins to...
News Five Games Are Leaving Xbox Game Pass In December 2025
Update: The full month has been revealed!
Microsoft has revealed the next batch of six games set to leave Xbox Game Pass in early December, with these titles appearing in the "Leaving Soon" section of the Game Pass tab on the official Xbox mobile app. While all of these are disappointing to lose, we've got three big fan favourites leaving the...
News These 14 Games Are Coming To Xbox Game Pass (December 2-11)
Your latest roundup of new titles
Microsoft has today revealed the next roundup of titles coming to Xbox Game Pass, with a batch of new additions arriving here in the first half of December 2025. We've got the day one launch of Routine to look forward to later this week, alongside Mortal Kombat 1 and more arriving later on in December. And don't...
News Routine Is Getting All Kinds Of Review Scores Ahead Of Its Xbox Game Pass Launch
Some people are REALLY loving it though
There's been a ton of interest in the long-awaited first-person horror shooter Routine ahead of its launch on Xbox Game Pass this Thursday (December 4th), and the first reviews have just started going live across the web this afternoon. And at first glance, these reviews are a little bit all over the place!...
News New Microsoft Survey Suggests Five AI Features That Could Be Added To Xbox Game Pass
"Which of these would you be most likely to use?"
Whether it's a popular move or not, Microsoft is putting a big focus on the power of AI these days, and we've already seen Microsoft Copilot getting significantly integrated into the Xbox space over the past few months. It's very unlikely they're going to stop there, as suggested in a new Microsoft...
Feature 12 Exciting Xbox Indie Games To Look Out For In December 2025
12 games to celebrate the 12th month!
Welcome to the final month of the year! With that in mind, we thought we'd put together one final list of exciting indie games to look out for - 12 games to celebrate the 12th month. And to be honest, it's still hard to nail the list down! There's so much good stuff to look forward to here, including the...
News 1997 PC Game 'Blood' Has Been Remastered By Nightdive Studios, And It Hits Xbox This Week
"Soak up 42 pulse-pounding levels dripping with Lovecraftian atmosphere"
We've got an Xbox debut 28 years in the making this week! The 1997 first-person shooter Blood, that only released on PC back in the '90s, has been remastered by Nightdive Studios and is heading to Xbox on December 4th, 2025. If you haven't come across it before, Blood:...
PSA Red Dead Redemption For Xbox Series X|S Is Part Of The $7.99 GTA+ Subscription
You can complete it in a month, right?
The rollout of Red Dead Redemption's new Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S version has unfortunately got off to a bad start, with the free upgrade having yet to activate - and there's ultimately a lot of confusion surrounding it. Update: This has now been fixed, as discussed elsewhere on Pure Xbox:
News Black Ops 7 Season 01 Maps Detailed, Free On Xbox Game Pass Ultimate This Week
Four maps arrive on day one
Ahead of launch later this week, Xbox and Activision have given us a closer look at the multiplayer maps coming to Black Ops 7 Season 01 - with four new levels coming to the Game Pass FPS later this week. The maps in question are Fate, Odysseus, Utopia and Standoff; the latter being a returning classic from 2012's Black...
Monday1st Dec 2025
News Here's What The Red Dead Redemption Upgrade Looks Like On Xbox Series X|S
How the new Xbox versions stack up
The new version of Red Dead Redemption for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S will be with us on Tuesday, December 2nd, and it's already Tuesday in some countries right now, hence why we've got some early footage! It always seems to be Fuzion Xbox Testing on YouTube that gets to this kind of stuff earlier than anyone...
Feature All New Games Coming To Xbox In December 2025
Release dates for every December Xbox launch
Welcome to our roundup of all new Xbox games coming out in December 2025! Below, we've listed every Xbox game with a December 2025 release date, including all confirmed Xbox Game Pass titles for December 2025 so far. Without further ado, here are all the new games coming to Xbox in December 2025: The...
Hands On Red Dead Redemption For Xbox Series X Makes A Great First Impression
The version I've always wanted
For whatever reason, I didn't play much Red Dead Redemption for the first decade of its life. It was only really when Red Dead Redemption 2 came out in 2018 that I felt like it was time to go back, and by that point it was playable with backwards compatibility on Xbox One, Series X and Series S - albeit with the...
News Three Games Are Available This Week With Xbox Game Pass (December 1-4)
Starting today!
Welcome to your latest Xbox Game Pass roundup! So far, we've got three games coming to the library this week, including the recent surprise addition to the lineup in Marvel Cosmic Invasion - which arrives today! Here's a look at this week's Xbox Game Pass titles, all of which are new additions to the main Game Pass Ultimate library...
News Red Dead Redemption For Xbox Series X|S Has A 50% Launch Discount
For a limited-time only!
Rockstar's new current-gen upgrade for Red Dead Redemption is starting to roll out in certain regions, and with the game now live in some parts of the world, we're seeing that this new version has a 50% launch discount on Xbox Series X|S. Available for seemingly the first two weeks after release, Red Dead Redemption has a...
News Marvel Cosmic Invasion Impresses Critics As Arcade Beat-'Em-Up Lands On Xbox Game Pass
Out now on the service!
Marvel Cosmic Invasion is kicking off December on Xbox Game Pass in a big way - and the new Marvel brawler is out now, which means early reviews are starting to trickle in for the newly-released Xbox title. So, we're going to gather up some of those early reviews down below for you take a look at. Spoiler alert; Marvel...
News Xbox Owners Show Off Their Black Friday & Cyber Monday 2025 Purchases
"Today I kept a promise my younger self never forgot."
It's been quite an underwhelming Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2025 from a console perspective for Xbox fans, with just a few small discounts scattered around for the two systems, but that's still managed to make some people happy! Over on the Xbox subreddit, there are a few people showing off...
News Halo: MCC Hit Its Highest Steam Player Count Since 2021 Over The Weekend
Masterworks
Halo: The Master Chief Collection has been a pretty steady Steam performer since it was introduced to the platform back in 2019; especially over the last three or four years where it regularly hits about 10k concurrent players at peak times. Over this past weekend though, the collection peaked a little higher than usual; hitting a Steam...
News Spec Ops: The Line Director Returns With Horror Game 'Sleep Awake' On Xbox This Week
"SLEEP AWAKE blurs the boundaries between reality and imagination."
One of the games you probably glossed over in our "games coming to Xbox next week" roundup over the weekend was Sleep Awake, which is a psychedelic horror game that's being developed by a brand-new studio. That studio is called "Eyes Out", and it's led by Spec Ops: The Line...
News MindsEye Gets 'Enhanced Gameplay' Plus A Free Trial On Xbox, And Here's How It Looks
They're still working on this one!
At the end of last week, the developers beyond the critically panned MindsEye released Update 6 for the game, adding "enhanced gameplay" alongside a Free Starter Pack that means anyone can now try it for free on multiple platforms. Specifically, the MindsEye Free Starter Pack features the Robin Hood campaign...
