Tag: Microsoft - Page 3
News Two Games Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (January 28)
Your penultimate January additions
Welcome to your latest Xbox Game Pass roundup! Our second-to-last January update brings two titles to the library, including one that's new-to-Xbox in the form of Drop Duchy. Here's some extra detail on today's two new Game Pass additions (January 28): Anno: Mutationem (Console, PC, Cloud) - Ultimate, Premium,...
News Fable Likely To Be A Huge Hit On PS5 As Sony-Hosted Trailer Hits 1 Million Views
Doubling Xbox's number already
Following Xbox and Playground's latest look at Fable, we learned that the upcoming RPG is launching day one on PS5 - and if the first Sony-hosted trailer is anything to go by, that could be a pretty shrewd move by Microsoft. In the wake of Fable showing up at Xbox Developer Direct, PlayStation uploaded the title's new...
News In The US, 66% Of Xbox Series X|S Sales Were Digital-Only In 2025
PS5 was at almost 50% too
With Microsoft's continued console price hikes over the last few years, the team's all-digital offerings have become a more enticing proposition for consumers, and that appears to have reflected in the 2025 console sales split for Xbox Series X|S in the US. Circana's Mat Piscatella has recently shared some "fun facts"...
News Forza Horizon 6's Controversial Game Pass Upgrade Costs As Much As The Game Itself
Here in the UK at least
Forza Horizon 6 made a big splash at last night's Xbox Developer Direct, with an impressive showing that finally gives us a glimpse at Playground's vision for open-world Japanese racing. It's launching soon too — with a May release date on Xbox — but folks are starting to spot that the game's DLC is l
News Free Play Days: Try These Xbox Games For Free (January 22-25)
Five games, and they're all well worth playing!
In the midst of all the Xbox Developer Direct news on Thursday, we didn't get a chance to tell you about this week's Xbox Free Play Days games — and there's too much good stuff here for you to miss out on! Four games are technically included with Xbox Free Play Days this week, and they're all well...
News Microsoft Is Hosting A Huge 'Buy One, Get Two Free' Sale Featuring Lots Of Xbox Indies
Live for the next week on the Microsoft Store
Xbox has just set live another one of its eclectic 'Buy One, Get Two Free' sales on the Microsoft Store; this one featuring lots of different indie titles across multiple genres. There are some more well-known indies on this list such as Valheim, Untitled Goose Game, A Little To The Left, Poppy Playtime...
News Here's What's Included In The Xbox January 2026 Update
PC, handheld and cloud are the focus
The Xbox January 2026 update is now being highlighted by the folks over at Xbox Wire, and as usual with these updates in recent months, it's not really very console-focused — the updates encompass everything nowadays. Having said that, the Xbox PC app has gotten some fresh updates, Xbox Cloud Gaming is...
News Xbox 'Developer Direct Sale' Now Live With Big Discounts On Xbox Game Studios Titles
Microsoft debuts a new Dev Direct sale
Ahead of Xbox Developer Direct airing tomorrow, January 22nd, the Microsoft Store is hosting a new Dev Direct sale - featuring a bunch of Xbox Game Studios titles at up to 80% off. This particular promo contains everything from Psychonauts and Jade Empire on the OG Xbox to South of Midnight,
News Halo Studios Admits That The Series Needs A Bigger Playerbase As PS5 Community Awaits
"There are people who've never been exposed to Halo"
Halo: Campaign Evolved is set for a PS5 launch later this year, as the team at Halo Studios plots its first-ever multiplatform release. It's a big shift for the Halo series, but ultimately, it sounds like one the famous Xbox IP needs to make for it to thrive in the future. In a new interview with
News Xbox Reporter Says Bethesda's Fallout 3 & New Vegas Remasters 'Aren't Imminent'
We might be waiting a while to play them
Earlier this month, we heard that Xbox and Bethesda were working away on new versions of Fallout 3 and New Vegas thanks to a big report from Windows Central - but now the same source is warning us that the pair of Fallout remasters/remakes are a while away from releasing just yet. Yep, ahead of
News Three Games Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (January 21)
Including a MASSIVE addition from Kojima Productions
Welcome to your latest Xbox Game Pass roundup! Following yesterday's XGP update that mapped out the rest of January, we have three big titles landing in the library today, including Kojima's once-PS4 exclusive Death Stranding. Here's some more details on tha
News These 10 Games Are Coming To Xbox Game Pass, Multiple Major Additions (January 21 - February 3)
More big titles for XGP!
Microsoft has today revealed another new roundup of Xbox Game Pass titles for January 2026, with 10 games joining the service from January 21 - February 3, including multiple major additions in Space Marine 2 and Death Stranding and Ninja Gaiden Ragebound! Don't forget that
News Loads Of Leaked Fable Concept Art Shows Open World Environments, Dungeons & More
Full gameplay reveal coming this week
It's been a long time coming, but things are really kicking into gear now with Playground's Fable reboot. We've got the team's full gameplay reveal coming later this week via Xbox Developer Direct, and ahead of that showcase in a few days' time, a load of fresh Fable concept art has leaked online. Coming by way...
News Two Games Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (January 20)
Two big additions to XGP
Welcome to your latest Xbox Game Pass update! Today, two big additions are arriving on the service, including a well-loved survival horror title from Capcom in the form of Resident Evil Village. Here's a quick introduction to that, alongside today's other XGP arrival, which is a day one release! MIO: Memories In Orbit...
News Footage From Xbox's Cancelled ZeniMax Online Game Leaks, Looks Very Cyberpunk
Here's what the ESO dev was working on
Back in July of last year, Microsoft cancelled The Elder Scrolls Online dev's next game — Project Blackbird — despite reports that some Xbox execs were "blown away" by it previously. Unfortunately, the public never got to see the title in action, but now, some footage of the canned MMORPG has leaked online,...
Guide Xbox Developer Direct 2026: Event Date, Start Times & What To Expect From The Showcase
It's going to be a big show for Microsoft
It's almost time for Xbox Developer Direct 2026! Yep, this year's edition of the team's January showcase takes place this week, with three games confirmed for the show already. So, we're going to gather up all the details you need to know for this next Xbox showcase, including when it begins, which games...
Report Microsoft Is Set To Launch An Xbox Cloud Gaming Ad-Tier This Year
Messages are already popping up for some users
Late last year, we heard that Microsoft had started doing internal tests for an ad-supported tier of Xbox Cloud Gaming, and while this hasn't gone live for the public yet, a new report — along with some concrete evidence from other sources — suggests that the new tier is real and will launch in the...
News Three Games Are Confirmed For Xbox Game Pass In February 2026 So Far
An early look at Feb's lineup
As we always do around this time of the month, we're taking an early look today at what's ahead for February 2026's Xbox Game Pass selection, with three titles having been confirmed for the service next month already. The headline game so far is definitely High on Life 2; this absurd-looking sequel aims to level up...
Talking Point How Do You Feel About Xbox Game Pass In 2026?
Is it still your primary way to play Xbox games?
It's been a good few months now since Microsoft overhauled its Xbox Game Pass service, with Premium taking hold as the platform's mid-tier option whilst Ultimate got a bunch of ne
"We were very short on memory"
The folks over at Digital Foundry have today put out an extensive piece on the making of Assassin's Creed Shadows for Switch 2, and with Xbox Series S most closely resembling Nintendo's hybrid system, we thought we'd have a quick look for anything relevant in here — and a
News Bethesda's Fallout Resurgence Is In Full Swing As FO4 Hits Almost 100K Daily Players On Xbox
Madness!
At this point, it's safe to say that Amazon's Fallout TV show has been a massive success not only in itself but also for the franchise at large, and some new data from the Christmas period shows how big of an impact the show has had on older Fallout games for Microsoft and Bethesda. Coming from GamesIndustry.biz (with data supplied by...
News Four New Games Added To Retro Classics On Xbox Game Pass In January 2026
Three Activision classics, one 90s Sierra title
We have our first Xbox Retro Classics games of the new year! Four titles have been added to the library here in January 2026, including three old school games straight from Activision's '80s catalogue. Here are those new additions to Xbox Retro Classics this month: Keystone Kapers (1983) (Atari...
The PlayStation 2025 charts are in
Sony has this week revealed the top 20 best-selling PS5 games digitally throughout 2025, and Microsoft has a large presence on the list — with Black Ops 7, Black Ops 6, Forza Horizon 5, Oblivion Remastered and more making the cut. Forza Horizon 5 is perhaps the most impressive performer here; the four year old...
A festival of games
Well, after plenty of rumour and hearsay suggesting that Forza Horizon 6 could be a first half of 2026 title, a new leak has narrowed that down to May, and if this date is real — as multiple
News ARC Raiders Is Handing Out A Free Gift On Xbox To Celebrate Huge Sales & Player Numbers
Here's how to claim it
The ARC Raiders team is handing out a DLC freebie on Xbox right now as a result of some massive new player numbers and sales milestones for the title, but you've got to be quick to claim it. Anyone who logs into ARC Raiders before 3pm PT / 6pm ET / 11pm GMT / Midnight CET today, January 13th, will be eligible to claim the...
News Call Of Duty On Switch 2 Looks Imminent As 'Nintendo' Files Appear In COD App
Call of Datamine
Last month, we heard from Xbox reporter Jez Corden that Microsoft's Call of Duty series would soon move over to Nintendo platforms, and over the last few days, some evidence has cropped up to suggest that COD on Switch 2 is imminent. As covered in an update by our friends over at Nintendo Life, social media account
News Forza Horizon 5 Hits Huge Sales Milestone In Its First Year On PS5, According To New Estimates
Absolutely flying
We've consistently heard that Forza Horizon 5 has been selling very well on PS5 since its debut last April, and now the head of Alinea Analytics — one of the firms keeping us updated on those sales — has a new update for us here as we enter 2026. According to
News Xbox's Avowed Gets Permanent Price Drop To Coincide With Upcoming PS5 Release
Now available at $50
Avowed arrived on Xbox and PC almost a year ago now, and to coincide with last week's announcement of a PS5 release, Microsoft has dropped the price of the base game on all platforms — with a plan to launch at the same price on the Sony system next month. Yep, head over to the Microsoft Store or Steam and you can now grab...
News Three Games Are Available This Week With Xbox Game Pass (January 12-15)
Including a massive new addition
Welcome to your latest Xbox Game Pass roundup! We've got three new titles coming to the main PC/Ultimate library this week, including tomorrow's huge addition of Ubisoft open-world affair Star Wars Outlaws. Here's a full overview of what's new on Xbox Game Pass this week (January 12-15): Quarantine Zone: The Last...
Guide Xbox Game Pass: All Games Coming Soon In January 2026
All the confirmed reveals so far
Looking for a complete list of games coming to Xbox Game Pass in January 2026? 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 the service over the next few weeks...
News StarCraft, Wolfenstein 3 & Fallout New Vegas Remake Could All Be In The Works Over At Xbox
With other big games also mentioned
As we shared earlier today in relation to Developer Direct, well-known Xbox reporter Jez Corden has put out a huge report/predictions piece on the future of Xbox in 2026 and beyond — and it namedrops some absolutely massive releases, even if they're still to be confirmed by their respective Microsoft development...
News Xbox Reporter Teases What Might Be Shown At Developer Direct, Including A Potential Surprise
Update: Microsoft confirms three games for the event
Xbox Developer Direct is right around the corner now, having been confirmed by Microsoft last month, and attention is quickly turning to predicting just what might show up at Xbox's annual January s
News The UK Games Industry Had Its Biggest Year Since 2020 Last Year
UK games revenue rose 7.4%
GamesIndustry.Biz has shared some news from the folks over at the Entertainment Retailers Association that suggests 2025 was a pretty big year for gaming in the UK. The ERA gathered data from multiple sources to show that UK customers spent £5.4 billion on gaming in 2025, which is up 7.4% on the year before. "This is the...
News Four Games Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass Premium (January 7)
Four more titles make the jump from Ultimate
Welcome to your latest Xbox Game Pass roundup! Today's all about Microsoft's mid-tier service in the form of XGP Premium; where four games move over from the Ultimate library today, including some heavy hitters. Here's all four games available with Xbox Game Pass Premium today (January 7):
News These 11 Games Are Coming To Xbox Game Pass, Including Two Major Additions (January 6-22)
Your first official XGP roundup of 2026!
Microsoft has today revealed its first official roundup of Xbox Game Pass titles for January 2026, with 11 games joining the service from January 6-22, including two major additions in Star Wars Outlaws and Resident Evil Village! A couple of games have already arrived on Xbox Game Pass this morning in the...
News Two Games Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (January 6)
Two surprise additions to kick off 2026!
Welcome to your first Game Pass update for 2026! Today, we have two surprise additions to the library, including Little Nightmares: Enhanced Edition which delivers a new ray-traced version of Tarsier's classic to Xbox Series X|S and PC. Here's some more detail on that, alongside your other Xbox Ga
News Former Elder Scrolls Online Boss Says Xbox Cancellation Drove Him To Leave Bethesda
Project Blackbird was a new IP at the studio
Back in July, when Microsoft cancelled a bunch of projects amidst a huge shakeup for its Xbox division, The Elder Scrolls Online boss Matt Firor left the company — and now, roughly six months later, the former ZeniMax leader has gone into a bit more detail about why he chose to leave amidst this...
Talking Point What Have You Bought In The Xbox Countdown Sale This Year?
The promo ends in just a few days' time!
One of the biggest Xbox sales of the promotion calendar is about to wrap up this week with the conclusion of the Xbox Countdown Sale 2025, and we want to know what you've picked up during this particular edition of the Microsoft end-of-year promo. With lots of our gaming being done through Xbox Game Pass...
News Xbox Console Sales 'The Worst On Record' In 2025 As Microsoft Shifts Focus (UK)
"Sales of Xbox consoles were down 39%"
Over the last year or so, it's not been particularly positive news when it comes to Xbox console sales, with Microsoft continuing to focus its efforts on PC and ROG Xbox Ally in recent months. That trend has been felt here in the UK, where Xbox Series X|S sales are down almost 40% in 2025; leading to "the worst...
News Three Xbox Games Are Shutting Down Their Servers In January 2026
The closures we know about so far
A new year unfortunately brings 12 more months of server closures throughout the gaming industry, and as we look ahead to the rest of January 2026, there are three games confirmed to be shutting their servers on Xbox so far. The most notable of the three is undoubtedly BioWare and EA's Anthem, which was delisted on...
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...
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...
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 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...
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...
"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 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 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...
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 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...
