Tag: Microsoft - Page 2
News Four Games Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (November 20)
Update: We've got two surprise shadow drops!
Welcome to your latest Xbox Game Pass roundup! We've got two new additions to the library today, including Ubisoft's The Crew Motorfest which is a pretty big arrival for PC and Ultimate players. Here's what's coming to Xbox Game Pass today (November 20): Monsters Are Coming! Rock & Road (PC) (PC, U
Guide Xbox Partner Preview Showcase November 2025: Date, Start Times & What To Expect
A new Xbox event coming this week
As confirmed a few days ago, Microsoft will host its latest Xbox Partner Preview showcase this week - featuring a bunch of third-party titles with a focus on Xbox Play Anywhere and Xbox Game Pass. So, we're going to detail exa
News Three Games Are Available Across Multiple Xbox Game Pass Tiers Today (November 19)
A "day one" PC launch and two Premium additions
Welcome to a new Xbox Game Pass update! We've got three titles joining various different Game Pass tiers today, including a brand-new PC launch on GPU and a couple of titles moving over to XGP Premium. Moonlighter 2 is that brand-new launch — which arrives in early access on PC today (and consoles...
News These Nine Games Are Coming To Xbox Game Pass (November 19 - December 2)
Your latest roundup of new additions
Microsoft has today unveiled its latest roundup of new Xbox Game Pass titles, giving us a full picture of exactly what's coming to each tier over the last couple of weeks in November (and first couple days in December!). There's some really good stuff in here as well, such as the Ubisoft racer The Crew...
News Two Xbox Game Pass Titles Nominated For GOTY At The Game Awards, But Microsoft Misses Out
No first-party games in the GOTY list
Geoff Keighley & co. have just announced the nominations in each category for their upcoming The Game Awards show, and while two day one Game Pass titles make the main Game of the Year list, Xbox Game Studios misses out on any top-tier nominations. The Game Awards' 2025 GOTY is as follows:
News Xbox Partner Preview November 2025 Showcase Confirmed For This Week
Featuring 007: First Light and more
At the tail end of October, Windows Central's Jez Corden dropped a report detailing an Xbox Partner Preview event coming this month - and now an official Xbox Wire post has all the details on the upcoming third-party focused showcase. Microsoft's next Xbox Partner Preview takes place at 10am PT / 1pm ET / 6pm GMT...
News Xbox Dev Obsidian Says It Hasn't Used Generative AI 'At All' So Far
Even with releasing 3 games in a year
The use of AI in video games is a hot topic at the moment - especially in the wake of the whole Tim Sweeney, ARC Raiders debacle from last week. We've also seen reports that Black Ops 7 contains some use of AI recently, but fellow Xbox studio Obsidian Entertainment has come to definitively say that it hasn't...
Talking Point Xbox Is 24 Years Old Today, What Do You Expect From Next Year's 25th Birthday?
A big anniversary is coming in 2026
Today is November 15th, 2025 - which means Xbox is officially 24 years old! Yep, Microsoft brought the OG Xbox and its accompanying games lineup to market almost a quarter of a century ago to this day; with The Rock and Bill Gates introducing it to the world back in 2001. We of course want to wish the system (and...
News Two Games Are Confirmed For Xbox Game Pass In December 2025 So Far
An early look at next month
As we always do around this time of the month, we're taking an early look today at what's ahead for December 2025's Xbox Game Pass selection, with two titles having been confirmed for the service next month already. The headline game so far is definitely Routine; this long-in-development sci-fi adventure looks well worth...
News Hi-Fi RUSH Is Now Published By Krafton, And It's Staying On Xbox Game Pass
"Players can continue to play without interruption"
More than a year after Krafton first announced that it'd be buying Hi-Fi RUSH and its developer from Microsoft, the team has detailed exactly what's happening today as the publishing of its colourful musical adventure moves over to the PUBG maker. In short, from November 14th, Hi-Fi RUSH will be...
News Seven New Games Added To Xbox Retro Classics, Including A PS1 Title From 1997
November's batch of new additions has arrived
Microsoft has added seven new games to its Xbox Retro Classics library for November 2025, following the four that joined the lineup around this time in October. We've actually got a PS1 title in the mix for November as well! The Lost Vikings 2 is that game, which is a puzzle-platformer that received...
News Free Play Days: Try These Xbox Games For Free (November 13-16)
Your latest set of free Xbox titles for the weekend
Xbox Free Play Days is now live! Ahead of the coming weekend, Microsoft has added five games to the program - with one of those being Grand Theft Auto Online which we covered earlier this week here at Pure Xbox. As for the other four titles, well, here's your full list of Free Play Days games...
Reaction As Gran Turismo 7 Gets A Major 2025 Expansion, Forza Motorsport Deserved More
The Xbox racer is on hiatus
Last night, we were tuning into Sony's State of Play event to see what Xbox-related announcements would show up, as you do. Thankfully, there were quite a few relevant reveals, but one of the most interesting trailers of the evening was for a new Gran Turismo 7 expansion. GT7 Power Pack adds a bunch of cool stuff like...
News Call Of Duty Dev Clarifies Skill-Based Matchmaking Options In Black Ops 7
"Here's what you'll see on day one"
Last month, developer Treyarch announced that it was removing skill-based matchmaking from Black Ops 7 multiplayer following some early beta testing of this change in direction - and now the team has detailed exactly how this will all work at launch, and there are some caveats. Black Ops 7's multiplayer playlists...
News Sony's Purchase Of Former Xbox Studio Bungie Isn't Exactly Going To Plan
Destiny 2 continues to underperform for PlayStation
Almost four years ago now, Sony announced that it was acquiring former Halo maker Bungie for $3.6 billion. At the time, it was a shock announcement — especially considering the studio's old ties to Xbox — but it was clear that PlayStation wanted to move further into the live service market with...
News Two Games Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (November 12)
Including a brand-new day one release!
Welcome to your latest Xbox Game Pass roundup! Today, Microsoft is bringing two games to the service, including a "day one" addition in the form of cozy survival title Winter Burrow. Just keep in mind that both of these are only available for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass members, meaning the...
Poll Now That The Dust Has Settled, Which Xbox Game Pass Tier Are You Subscribed To?
Or did you cancel your subscription?
Just over a month ago now, Microsoft dropped a bombshell with its overhauled Xbox Game Pass plans. At the start of October, the company introduced a new tier in the form of Game Pass Premium, while bumping up the prices of PC and Ultimate; the latter with its new
News Hit PS5 Exclusive Stellar Blade May Be On The Way To Xbox In The Near Future
Developer Shift Up is "considering additional platforms"
Stellar Blade has been a massive hit on PS5 and PC, and earlier in the summer, we heard that a Switch 2 port was reportedly being considered by developer Shift Up. Well, now we're hearing that the game is being considered for "additional platforms" more generally - and that's coming straight...
News Former Nintendo President 'Surprised' That Xbox Hasn't 'Fully Embraced' Switch 2
Some games have been announced, but not many
Since Nintendo's Switch 2 announcement earlier this year, Microsoft has begun to support the new hybrid console, announcing various ports such as Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, and Fallout 4: Anniversary
News Three Games Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (November 11)
Your latest roundup of new titles
Welcome to another Xbox Game Pass roundup! We've got three new additions to XGP today, including two that are available to Premium subscribers as well as Ultimate/PC players. Here's a summary of what's new on Xbox Game Pass today (November 11): Great God Grove (Series X|S, PC, Cloud) - PC, Premium Ultimate:...
Feature Five Years On, Xbox Series S Is Still A Fantastic Place For Current-Gen Gaming
And will remain relevant for many years to come
Does anyone else remember 'Project Lockhart'? Casting our minds back to early 2020, about six months before Xbox Series X launched, Lockhart was this mysterious entry-level console that still hadn't been officially revealed. It dominated the headlines for months, before Microsoft officially unveiled it...
News The Original Modern Warfare 2 Appears In Xbox Game Pass Premium Ad
Is it coming to Microsoft's new service?
On the eve of Black Ops 7 dropping into Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, another Call of Duty title could be on its way to the service. An Xbox user has seen a Game Pass ad pop up on their console dashboard that appears to include the ori
News Seven Xbox Games Are Shutting Down Their Servers In November & December 2025
Update: More added into the mix!
It's that time again! As the new month kicks into gear, we thought we'd bring you a fresh update on all the Xbox games that are currently planned to close their servers over the next couple of months. Here are the Xbox games shutting down their servers in November and December 2025: Dirt 3 (November 8) D
News These 11 Games Are Coming To Xbox Game Pass (November 5-14)
Your latest roundup of new additions
Microsoft has today unveiled its latest roundup of new Xbox Game Pass titles, giving us a full picture of exactly what's coming to each tier over the first couple of weeks in November. Before we get into the list though, don't forget that two games have already joined Xbox Game Pass today in the form of Football...
News Two Games Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (November 4)
Both day one releases!
Welcome to your latest Xbox Game Pass roundup! We're kicking things off today with our first November additions to the library - including Football Manager 26 on both Xbox and PC. It's worth noting that FM26 won't be available until later today, and it'll be arriving in two different versions - the normal release for PC, and...
News Delisted Xbox 360 Games Are Apparently Reappearing As 'Coming Soon' In Certain Regions
Left 4 Dead, Batman and more appear
Xbox backwards compatibility is pretty amazing, especially the Xbox 360 library which is quite extensive considering it was retroactively introduced to modern Xbox consoles in 2015. However, not all 360 games — or even all of the titles that were added to the program back in 2015 — are available digitally...
News Gears Of War's Art Director Likes How E-Day Is Returning To The Series 'Horror Game' Roots
"If Gears 1 was Alien, the rest of the franchise was Aliens"
With Gears: Reloaded and Gears: E-Day, Microsoft is making a bet on returning to the series' roots right now - and original Gears of War art director Jerry O’Flaherty, for one, seems quite happy with this new direction from Xbox HQ. Speaking in a new interview with
News Epic Details Exactly When Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Players Can Access Fortnite Crew
"A perk for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers"
Back at the start of October, Microsoft announced that Epic's Fortnite Crew subscription would soon be included in the overhauled Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription - and now the Fortnite developer has given us an exact date of when the bonus service can be access
News Xbox Exclusive Contraband Sees Screenshots Leak Shortly After Microsoft Cancellation
It was first announced in 2021
Back in August, it was confirmed that Microsoft and Avalanche Studios had officially stopped development on Xbox exclusive Contraband, four years after the game was first revealed. In that four years, we'd seen practically nothing on what the game would actually look like - but now, some early screenshots have leaked...
Guide Xbox Game Pass: All Games Coming Soon In November 2025
All the confirmed reveals so far
Looking for a complete list of games coming to Xbox Game Pass in November 2025? It can be pretty difficult to keep track of all the comings and goings in the world of Xbox Game Pass every month, so we've put together this handy guide to provide an overview of what's coming to Xbox Game Pass in November 2025. Here's...
News Microsoft Shares Initial List Of ROG Xbox Ally Games That Support Advanced Shader Delivery
"Launch faster, play smoother, game smarter"
With ROG Xbox Ally now out in the wild, Microsoft is bringing its PC and console gaming tech closer together - and as part of the team's October 2025 Update, an initial list of ROG Xbox Ally games that support 'Advanced Shader Delivery' has been shared. If you keep up with PC gaming at all (we admit that...
News 14 Titles Added To Xbox Stream Your Own Game, Including Some Brand-New Releases
Another batch of games have been added
As part of its big October 2025 update, Microsoft has named 14 more titles that have been added to the Xbox Stream Your Own Game service - including brand-new releases such as ARC Raiders and Jurass
News Microsoft Highlights 50+ Xbox Play Anywhere Titles Added To The Program Last Month
Hollow Knight: Silksong, Silent Hill F and lots more!
As part of the Xbox October 2025 Update, Microsoft has highlighted more than 50 Xbox Play Anywhere titles added to the program last month - including major games such as Hollow Knight: Silksong, Silent Hill F,
News Free Play Days: Try These Xbox Games For Free (October 30 - November 2)
A new batch of free titles
Xbox Free Play Days has arrived! As we roll into November, Microsoft has added seven games to the program this week - including a longer trial of its 2024 shooter Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. Here's your full list of Free Play Days titles this weekend: Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Catan Dead by Daylight
Poll Which Was Your Favourite Xbox Game Pass Title From October 2025?
Lots to choose from!
October is about to come to a close, and before we look ahead at what's coming to Game Pass next month (be on the lookout for our November guide at the weekend), we want to look back at what's been a packed October for Xbox Game Pass subscribers. Now, technically we have one more addition to XGP this month in the form of...
PSA The Next Few Months Could Be Very Busy With Xbox-Related Showcases
Showcases for six months straight? Why not!
If it feels like we're getting Xbox showcases pretty much every month at the minute, that's because, well... we basically are! Aside from July (which makes sense given June's Xbox Games Showcase), we've had monthly showcases in the back half of 2025 so far - including August's Gamescom Opening Night Live,...
News Is Xbox Down? Huge Azure Server Outage Causes Issues Across Microsoft Services
Update: things are slowly returning to normal
We're seeing reports online that a huge Microsoft Azure server outage is causing issues across Xbox, Windows and other Microsoft services that are connected to the web. As shared by The Verge, Microsoft has confirmed Azure Portal issues on the service's status page, while Microsoft 365 has addressed the...
News DOOM Co-Creator Was 'Midway Through' New Project Before Xbox Pulled Funding
Romero Games gives us an update
Back in July — as part of mass layoffs at Xbox — John Romero's new project had its funding pulled, before the game was ever properly announced to the public. In the wake of finding out, studio Romero Games put out a statement saying
News Xbox Confirms Its First Two Game Pass Titles For December 2025, And They Both Look Brilliant
We could be in for a strong end to the year!
Prior to yesterday's Xbox indie showcase, Microsoft hadn't confirmed any Game Pass titles for December 2025, and while 12 XGP additions were shown off in total during the event - we want to focus on the first two games now confirmed for the service in December. Arriving first — on December 4th — is
News Four Games Are Available This Week With Xbox Game Pass (October 28-31)
One being a huge first-party release!
Welcome to your latest Xbox Game Pass roundup! We're gathering up everything coming to XGP this week, including Xbox's big new release in The Outer Worlds 2. Here's everything coming to Xbox Game Pass from October 28th-31st: Halls of Torment (Series X|S, PC, Cloud) - PC, Premium, Ultimate (October 28):
News Microsoft Reportedly Still Has Plans To Make Its Own Xbox Handheld
After shelving it to develop ROG Xbox Ally
This afternoon, we shared a huge report from Windows Central that breaks down a bunch of what Microsoft is working on for the next-generation of Xbox - and in that report, we've spotted a little tidbit that hints Team Green still has plans to make its own handheld console at some stage. That's right,...
News Huge Xbox Report Details 'Ambitious' Next-Gen Console With Free Online Play
Microsoft seemingly has big plans for next-gen
Chatter about Microsoft's next-gen console has been on the rise recently, with multiple execs — including Xbox president Sarah Bond — coming out and talking about future plans as of late. Now though, Windows Central has put out a huge report giving us fresh details and crucia
News Xbox Journalist Says Microsoft Has Another Showcase Planned For November 2025
Following this week's indie event
This week, we have an ID@Xbox showcase confirmed for Tuesday, October 28th - but that may not be the final Xbox showcase for 2025, looking at a new report. According to Windows Central's Jez Corden, Microsoft has an Xbox Partner Preview event in line for next month. Corden says that the show is planned for...
News Halo Co-Creator 'Absolutely Loves' What Xbox Is Doing With The Campaign Evolved Remake
"I absolutely love where this is going"
Halo Studios unveiled its Combat Evolved remake last week in the form of Halo: Campaign Evolved, and over the weekend, co-creator on the original game — Marcus Lehto — has heaped praise on Xbox's direction with this brand-new version of the original Halo. Taking to social media yesterday, Lehto gave his...
News Xbox Has More Competition From TikTok Than PlayStation, Claims Microsoft Exec
"Our biggest competition isn’t another console"
In the wake of Microsoft's announcement of Halo: Campaign Evolved heading over to PS5 next year, Xbox executive Matt Booty reckons that the platform has more competition from the likes of TikTok than another gaming console these days. Speaking in a new interview with The New York Times, Booty talked...
News Xbox Details All Of The New Content Packed Into Its Halo: Campaign Evolved Remake
There's a lot of new stuff!
Halo: Campaign Evolved has been announced as a major remake of the first Halo game coming in 2026, which of course means that the bulk of this Halo experience will be overhauled content from the OG release. However, Halo Studios is using the opportunity to also add a bunch of new content to the first Halo - and it's...
News Phil Spencer Addresses AI & Developer Creativity At Xbox Game Studios
"I really leave it up to the teams..."
In a new panel at the Paley International Council Summit, Phil Spencer sat down with Double Fine Studio Head Tim Schafer to discuss a whole host of gaming-related topics - and the Xbox boss had some interesting things to say about AI use and developer creativity over at Microsoft's gaming division. Despite the...
News Two Games Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (October 24)
Featuring a shadow drop!
Welcome to your latest Xbox Game Pass roundup! Initially, today was going to just be a one game update - but we got an awesome shadow drop late last night in the form of driving survival game Pacific Drive - so we're going to include that one in today's roundup as well. Without further ado, here's what's new on Xbox Game...
News Microsoft's 'This Is An Xbox' Ad Evolves As Holiday Marketing Ramps Up
"This is an Xbox - yup!"
Almost a year ago now (yep, it's been that long), Microsoft unveiled its 'This is an Xbox' marketing campaign which defined a huge shift in messaging for the company - and this year the whole thing has evolved, as Microsoft tweaks its advertising strategy for Holiday 2025. You can check out the new advert up above, which...
Report Xbox Has Been Asking Its Studios To Hit 'Higher Profit Margins' Since 2023
Right as the Activision Blizzard deal closed...
Bloomberg's ever-reliable gaming journalist Jason Schreier (along with colleague Dina Bass) has today put out an extensive report on Xbox, and how Microsoft is now asking the division to deliver "higher profit margins" in the wake of its massive acquisition of Activision Blizzard. The report says that...
