Xbox Series X News
Feature 10 New Xbox Indie Games That Should Be On Your Radar In May 2026
Including plenty of Game Pass titles!
May has officially arrived, and looking at the array of indie games heading to Xbox over the next few weeks, it's once again proving extremely difficult to try and narrow down this selection to just 10 games! For example, the following list misses out the likes of Coffee Talk Tokyo, Outbound and Beastro that...
News Blindfire, A Pitch-Black Multiplayer FPS, Is Going Free On Xbox Series X|S This Week
"Don't fear the dark"
Two years ago, we covered a game called Blindfire on Pure Xbox which had just been revealed at an Xbox Partner Preview Showcase, and it actually shadow dropped on the same day for £7.99 / $8.99. It never really seemed like Blindfire performed very well though — it has a "Mixed" rating on Steam and a 2.6/5 rating on the...
News 30+ Xbox Games Are Reduced By 90-95% To Kick Off The New Month
Including a whole bunch of fantastic titles!
Looking for some cheap Xbox games as we head into May 2026? Well, we've had a lot of new sales arrive on the Xbox Store over the past week (including the Golden Week Sale we previously highlighted), so as expected, we've got quite a lot of 90-95% discounts included in the pile as well. We'd say the main...
News Four Xbox Games Are Currently Set To Be Delisted In May & June 2026
Here's what's been announced so far
As the new month begins, it's time once again to look at the delistings for both May and June 2026, and there's actually quite a lot going on even beyond the four games, so bear with us — this might get a little confusing. We'll break it all down for you in a minute, but let's focus on the main delisting first...
Talking Point Have You Been Playing The New Don't Nod Title On Xbox Game Pass?
What are your first impressions of it?
This past week, the makers of Life is Strange — Don't Nod Entertainment — released their latest game in the sci-fi adventure Aphelion, and it's gotten off to an okay start on Xbox Game Pass so far. We haven't got around to playing this one for ourselves just yet (it's been pretty busy lately!), but we
Feature These 20+ Games Are Coming To Xbox Next Week (May 4-8)
Including at least two more Game Pass additions!
Welcome to your Xbox games roundup for May 4-8! We haven't got any major AAA releases over the next few days, but there's still plenty to look forward to in terms of indies, including Mixtape which is launching on Xbox Game Pass! Here's what's coming to Xbox next week: New Xbox Releases (May 4-8):...
News Xbox Adds Backgrounds, Profile Themes & Gamer Pics Based On New Logo Designs
Rolling out to all users now!
Hot on the heels of promising some customisation options based on the new Xbox logo (and indeed off the back of us covering some other dynamic backgrounds, thanks Microsoft!), the team has unleashed a raft of new backgrounds, profile themes and gamer pics centred around Xbox's fresh logo design. Yep, all of this stuff...
News Three First-Party Titles Get New Dynamic Backgrounds On Xbox Series X|S
With a bonus third-party addition!
Recently, we covered that Team Xbox was working on a dynamic background for its fancy new logo - and whilst that one is still in works for now, we have had a batch of new game-themed backgrounds added to Xbox Series X|S recently, including three first-party additions. The first of those is for Diablo 4 — to...
News The Outer Worlds To Be Partially Delisted, Free 'Spacer's Choice Edition' For Those Affected
The remaster is being given away for free to base game owners
There's some interesting stuff happening with The Outer Worlds in the near future, as it's just been announced that the game is getting partially delisted, with the Spacer's Choice Edition now becoming the main version of it. It's a little bit confusing, so bear with us — the "base...
News Forza Horizon 6 Download Sizes Revealed On Xbox & PC, And They're Huge
Get ready to clear some SSD space!
It's May 1st today, folks, which means it's officially Forza Horizon 6 month! Yep, Xbox's next big open-world racer is right around the corner - and today, the game's download size has been revealed across console and PC. Get ready for a pretty big install, Forza fans. Forza Horizon 6 clocks in at roughly 144GB on...
News The Next Plague Tale Release 'Is Almost Here', Launches On Xbox Game Pass In 2026
A new update from Asobo Studio
Things are starting to ramp up with Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy now! After what felt like a period of going dark on things, developer Asobo Studio recently revealed some fresh screenshots for the title, and now the team is back with a teaser that the game is almost ready for prime time. In its
PSA Battlefield Hardline Is Super Cheap Right Now Ahead Of Its Delisting On Xbox
Available for literally less than a buck!
Back in March, EA announced plans to delist Battlefield Hardline and subsequently close down the multiplayer servers, with the first of those happening very soon as the team prepares to pull the game from storefronts later this month. Well, we're here to tell you that the game is ridiculously cheap on the...
News Free Play Days: Try These Xbox Games For Free (April 30 - May 3)
Some new Xbox freebies to choose from!
Welcome to your latest selection of Xbox Free Play Days titles! Microsoft has currently added four games to the program this weekend - including an extended trial for Sony's Predator: Hunting Grounds. Here's a look at the full list: Dragon Ball FighterZ
News Four Games Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (April 30)
A busy day for XGP!
Welcome to your latest Xbox Game Pass roundup! Today, Microsoft is bringing four games to the library across Xbox Series X|S, PC and cloud. Here's everything new on Xbox Game Pass for April 30th: Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era (PC) - Ultimate, PC: "Heroes of Mi
Following its successful Kickstarter campaign a few years ago
A few years ago, a developer by the name of Iván Ruiz Lozano published a Kickstarter campaign for a "Zelda-Like" game known as Elementallis, and it not only got funded in 24 hours, but ended up raising five times as much as it needed! Flash forward to 2026, and Elementallis has just...
News Trepang2 Is Now Live On Game Pass, Here's How It Looks On Xbox Series X|S
"Fight back, find the truth and face a threat even deadlier than yourself"
As we mentioned back at the start of the week, single-player FPS Trepang2 is out today on Xbox Game Pass for Ultimate, Premium and PC subscribers, and we thought you might want to see how it looks on Series X and S! This game sees you playing as an escaped soldier with...
News Open World RPG 'The Blood Of Dawnwalker' Gets September 2026 Release Date For Xbox Series X|S
Update: There's a new Story Trailer as well
We saw a whole bunch of games being debuted for the first time at the Xbox Games Showcase earlier this month, and one of those was the open world RPG The Blood of Dawnwalker, which is coming to Xbox at some point in 2026. Following that reveal, we've now got a massive 21-minute gameplay deep dive for The...
Review Kiln (Xbox) - A Fun Addition To Xbox Game Pass, But Can Its Flame Stay Lit?
Glazed and confused
How do you define a "good" or "successful" game? That's what I've been thinking about while playing the new Xbox first-party title Kiln over the past few days, as although I've had lots of fun with it, I also worry about how many people it'll appeal to in the long-term. But does that matter? Can we not just enjoy this for what it...
News Forza Horizon 6 Dev Reveals New Details On Events, Progression & Post-Launch Plans
Via a new Discord Q&A
Ahead of launch in just a few weeks' time, Playground Games has given us some new details on what we can expect from Forza Horizon 6, via an official Discord Q&A. Thanks to IGN, the major points from this Q&A have now been shared - including details one some of the game's new events, when certain features will be unlocked, and
Roundup Here's What The Reviews Are Saying About 'Aphelion' On Xbox Game Pass
The latest title from Don't Nod!
Sci-fi adventure Aphelion is rolling out now on Xbox Game Pass as the next game from Life is Strange maker DON'T NOD Entertainment - and that means early reviews for the title are now hitting the web too. We're going to gather some of these up down below for you to take a look at, then, so you can get a better idea...
News 'Working On It' - Asha Sharma Confirms Dynamic Background For New Xbox Logo Is In The Works
Heading to Series X|S soon!
New Xbox boss Asha Sharma has been very active on social media since taking on her new role, and now, on the back of the team's brand-new logo reveal, Sharma has confirmed online that it's being turned into an Xbox Series X|S dynamic background as we speak. Heading over to Twitter, fan account Xbox Studio asked if the...
News Xbox Continues To 'Actively Investigate' Issue With Backwards Compatible 360 Titles
Update: Now fixed!
Over the past couple of weeks, we've spotted an ongoing issue with backwards compatibility in regards to Xbox 360 titles on Xbox Series X, in which players are getting an error message that prevents them from signing into Xbox Live. There's a massive Reddit post about this over in the Xbox Support community with over 250 comments...
News Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Headlines Batch Of New Free Demos On The Xbox Store
Lots added over the last month or so!
We have a bunch of new free demos on the Xbox Store to tell you about, folks. Microsoft rarely advertises these, so every now and then it's worth a browse to see what's been added as of late - and we have a big one headlining this new batch of free trials on Xbox. That major addition is a demo for Final Fantasy...
News Waiting For Alien: Isolation 2? Here Are Some Great Horror Alternatives On Xbox
Spooky springtime shenanigans
As some of you may have seen, SEGA and Creative Assembly just teased the next Alien: Isolation game as part of Alien Day 2026 - and we've chucked their short trailer up above for you to take a quick look at. It doesn't show us much, but it does get us excited for what the team is cooking up, and we're now in the mood to...
News Xbox Is Kicking Off The Week With Two New Game Pass Additions (April 28-29)
One on Tuesday, one on Wednesday, and then a bunch on Thursday
Welcome to a new week! As April comes to a close, we've got loads of games heading to Xbox Game Pass over the next few days, so we thought we'd break them down a bit — starting with the first two for Tuesday and Wednesday. The first of these is Aphelion, which is a brand-new "day one"...
News 'I've Ordered A Series X, I'm Back In' - Lapsed Xbox Fan Attracts The Attention Of Asha Sharma
"Hell yes"
Since Asha Sharma has taken up her new role as Xbox boss, she's been quite open with fans online. Indeed, we've seen Sharma chat very publicly with Xbox followers since taking over a few months ago - and this past week, one of her to-the-point responses to a lapsed fan went viral on Twitter. In short, an Xbox fan known as '
Feature These 30+ Games Are Coming To Xbox Next Week (April 27-May 1)
Including six more Game Pass additions!
Welcome to your Xbox games roundup for April 27 - May 1! We've got a very busy week ahead of us, with no less than six Game Pass titles on the way including Aphelion and Trepang2, while other major releases include Invincible Vs and the latest expansion for Diablo IV (Lord of
News Asha Sharma Says Xbox Is Investing To Make Series X|S Consoles A 'First-Class Experience Again'
That's how important they are to the new leadership
In yesterday's big Xbox statement from Asha Sharma and Matt Booty, there was a mention in one of the priority sections about how they wanted to "stabilize Gen9 as a healthy and high-quality base", with Gen9 referring to the ninth generation of Xbox consoles in the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S...
Guide Xbox Adds More Perks For Game Pass Members (April 2026)
The latest freebies for XGP subscribers
The Xbox Game Pass Perks program is continuing to add a bunch of freebies for Game Pass members throughout April 2026, including for the likes of Sea of Thieves, Minecraft, FragPunk, PUBG: Battlegrounds and various other games. Since we first published this article at the start of April, we've also see
Roundup Here's What Was Revealed At The ID@Xbox April 2026 Showcase
The full list of all reveals from today's Xbox event
Weren't able to catch April 2026's ID@Xbox 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...
News Assassin's Creed: Black Flag Resynced Formally Unveiled, Heading To Xbox In July 2026
"Totally rebuilt from the ground up..."
After plenty of rumours, speculation and even a cheeky mention from Ubisoft itself earlier this week, the company has properly unveiled Assassin's Creed: Black Flag Resynced; a new "from the ground up" remake of 2013's Assassin's Creed 4. This new version, which you can take a look at via the game overview...
News Xbox Engineer Hints At More 'Fun Surprises' And Features Based On Fan Feedback
There's apparently an internal roadmap
We've seen lots of new Xbox features rolling out across console and beyond over the past few weeks, and earlier in April, Xbox boss Asha Sharma revealed that a new team dedicated to fan feedback had been created as well. Last night, Xbox engineering lead Eden Marie revealed that she's part of this fan fe
News Free Play Days: Try These Xbox Games For Free (April 23-26)
Featuring a Sony-developed title!
Welcome to your latest Xbox Free Play Days lineup! This week, we've got four games available as part of the program - including Sony San Diego's MLB The Show 26, as pictured above. Here's your full list of FPD games this weekend: Age of Mythology: Retold
News Xbox First-Party Title 'Kiln' Is Available Today With Game Pass Ultimate (April 23)
Spring roadmap also revealed!
Today's Xbox Game Pass update brings us the latest Microsoft first-party release in Kiln; a new multiplayer brawler from the folks over at Double Fine Productions. You'll see this one roll out on XGP later today, and ahead of that launch, the team has also revealed a Spring 2026 roadmap for the game. So, we'll give you...
News Three Games Are Available Today Across Various Tiers Of Xbox Game Pass (April 21)
Two are new to Premium only, one is new to Ultimate & PC
Today marks our first Xbox Game Pass drop of the week, with three games joining various tiers of the service — two being brand-new to just the Xbox Game Pass Premium tier, and one joining Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC. The highlight here is undoubtedly Vampire Crawlers, which is a spin-off...
News Xbox Rewards Points Are Being Turned Into An Actual Currency For Buying Games On Console
No more having to redeem Xbox Gift Cards
At the moment, if you want to buy a game with your Microsoft / Xbox Rewards points on console, you have to go to the Rewards dashboard and redeem an Xbox or Microsoft Gift Card in order to add funds to your account. That option isn't going away, but Xbox Rewards points will soon become an actual currency on...
News These 10 Games Are Coming To Xbox Game Pass (April 21-May 5)
The final batch of April, plus another one for May!
Microsoft has today unveiled another 10 games coming to Xbox Game Pass later this month and at the start of next month, including a couple we hadn't heard about before in the form of Trepang2 and Final Fantasy V. Here's everything coming to Xbox Game Pass from April 21 throu
News 50+ Xbox Games & DLC Are Reduced By 90% In The Post-Spring Sales
Plenty of incredible bargains still to be found!
OK, so the Xbox Spring Sale might be over for another year, but that doesn't mean the discounts have to stop — in fact, as part of the post-spring sales, Xbox has reduced over 600 games via an ID@Xbox Unhalloween Sale, a Publisher Spotlight Series Sale and a Beyond Spring Sale (the latter one being...
Feature These 30+ Games Are Coming To Xbox Next Week (April 20-24)
Including four more Game Pass additions!
Welcome to your Xbox games roundup for April 20-24! We've got some really interesting games launching over the next few days, including the single-player adventure Tides of Tomorrow from the Road 96 team, beat-'em-up Jay and Silent Bob: Chronic Blunt Punch, popular MMO Al
News Samson Dev Announces Console Release Window For 2026, Likely Including Xbox
"We can confirm that Samson is planned to launch on consoles this fall"
There's been a lot of talk about Samson recently - the Steam game that racked up a ton of attention prior to its release, but then struggled to live up to the hype with "Mixed" reviews when it launched a week ago. Nevertheless, the developer hasn't waited around to push out a...
News Here's What Pragmata And Mouse: PI For Hire Look Like On Xbox Series X|S
Two of this week's biggest releases
We've actually had quite a lot of big releases on Xbox this week, and two of the biggest are Capcom's Pragmata and the indie sensation Mouse: PI for Hire, so we thought we'd give you a look at both of these running on Xbox. Let's start with Pragmata — we actually covered an Xbox and Switch comparison for the...
Roundup All The Xbox Reveals From The Galaxies Spring Showcase 2026
New trailers and announcements for upcoming Xbox games
It feels like we're getting so many showcases of upcoming games at the moment, and the latest one arrived today in the form of the Galaxies Spring Showcase that featured announcements and updates for over 50 titles. Inevitably, a bunch of the reveals were for games that are coming to Xbox, so...
News Metro 2039 Is Coming To Xbox This Winter, Gorgeous In-Engine Gameplay Revealed
Welcome to the new world
As part of today's 'Xbox First Look' broadcast, the team at 4A Games has finally revealed the next entry in the Metro series; Metro 2039. This is (somehow) an even darker, grittier look at the world taking a turn after nuclear disaster, and it seems like it'll be a real showpiece for current-gen systems. You can take a look...
News Free Play Days: Try These Xbox Games For Free (April 16-19)
Including this short but sweet co-op adventure!
Xbox Free Play Days has returned once again for the next few days, and although we've only got two games as part of the selection this time around, one of them is a short but sweet co-op adventure that you'll easily be able to complete. That game is South Park: Snow Day!, which may not be the most...
News Three Games Are Available Late This Week With Xbox Game Pass (April 16-17)
Including a couple of big first-party games
Welcome to your latest Xbox Game Pass update! Over the next two days, we've got three games coming to the service - two all-new for XGP and one that's moving over from Ultimate to Premium. Here's the lowdown on everything coming to Xbox Game Pass this Thursday and Friday (April 16-17): NHL 26 (Series...
News Xbox Exec Reveals That Blizzard Is Helping Out With Development On Fable
Shiny, shiny cinematics
Fable is certainly one of Xbox's biggest releases of the year, and a new comment from Matt Booty gives us a little bit more insight into its development, and how an unlikely Microsoft team is helping bring the upcoming RPG to life. In a new chat on the Official Xbox Podcast, the exec touches on how some of the teams are...
News Eight Xbox Games Are Currently Set To Be Delisted In April & May 2026
Update: New titles added to the list
A couple of days ago, we highlighted three Xbox games that are shutting down their servers in April 2026, but when it comes to games that are being delisted, there are actually a few differences that you might want to be aware of. The two Fortnite games that we mentioned in that article are getting delisted by...
Guide Pragmata Release Date, Release Times & Everything You Need To Know On Xbox
A new Capcom experience is upon us!
Pragmata is about to join the ranks as Capcom's second big release of 2026 following Resident Evil Requiem, and after some very good critic reviews, we're keen to see what the fans make of this one when it launches on Xbox this week. So, on the back of that positive early reception, we're going to go over...
News Three Classic Gothic Games Have Just Been Announced For Xbox Series X|S
"The original Gothic Trilogy is coming to Xbox"
We're finally getting some classic Gothic Games on Xbox in just a few months' time! THQ Nordic has announced today that Gothic Classic, Gothic 2 Complete Classic and Gothic 3 Classic will all be available on Xbox this year, each going live for €29.99 on the following dates: Gothic Classic –...
Roundup Here's What The Critics Think Of Mouse: P.I. For Hire Ahead Of Its Xbox Launch
Up for some classic cartoon shootin'?
MOUSE: P.I. For Hire has had us standing to attention since it was first revealed, with its unique rubber hose animation grabbing us almost instantly. Well, the Fumi Games shooter is out on Xbox later this week, and a host of reviews are now out in the wild. So, we've gathered a bunch of these up for you to...
