Timeline
Saturday22nd Nov 2025
News It's Official! The Xbox 360 Is 20 Years Old Today
We're celebrating the big day with a fond look back
20 years, eh, where does the time go?! Yep, Microsoft's Xbox 360 console launched on November 22nd, 2005 - which means the system has now hit the ripe old age of 20. To celebrate, we've been looking back at what made this gaming machine one of the very best - from the system itself to its launch...
Friday21st Nov 2025
Poll How Important Is The Xbox Play Anywhere Program To You?
Has it influenced your buying decisions?
Yesterday, in our live thread for the Xbox Partner Preview showcase here at Pure Xbox, there was a bit of discussion about Xbox Play Anywhere and how important it's become to Microsoft in recent times. A few members of the PX community asked if we could put a poll together on it in the future, and so we're...
News The ROG Xbox Ally's Dashboard Will Soon Be Available On Standard Windows PCs
Update: Rolling out now to Insiders
You've probably seen us talking about the "Xbox full-screen experience" on the ROG Xbox Ally - a fancy name for the dashboard and overall interface that's been adopted by the ASUS handheld since it launched last month. Microsoft suggested at the time that this dashboard would roll out to other Windows handhelds...
Talking Point Do You Have Any Plans For Xbox 360's Big Birthday Weekend?
Dusting off the old machine? Playing some back compat classics?
This weekend, Xbox 360 will be 20 years old, and we've started the celebrations early here at Pure Xbox. I've been drifting about a lot in Project Gotham Racing 3,
News Xbox Brings Back Two Regular Black Friday Promotions, Including $1 Game Pass Trials
Only for Essential & Premium though
We've provided a bunch of coverage on Xbox's massive Black Friday digital sale already, including all of the backwards compatible deals and the games that are now at their lowest price ever on the Microsoft Store. However,
Hands On Perfect Dark Zero Is A Bizarre Time Capsule Of The Early Xbox 360 Days
The name's Dark, Joanna Dark
As we celebrate the Xbox 360's 20th anniversary this week, I've been going back to one of its launch titles in the form of Perfect Dark Zero to see how it holds up and whether its mixed reaction over the years has been justified. My personal history with Perfect Dark is a little muddled - the first memory I have of the...
News Ubisoft Has Two Major Releases Planned By April 2026, One Being The Prince Of Persia Remake
What could the other be?
Ubisoft has provided new financial results this week covering its 2026 fiscal year, and the company has shared within those results a list of releases coming by the end of Q4 - and one of those titles is unannounced at this stage. This mystery title — which is due out by April 2026 — sits alongside a batch of mobile...
News Thank Goodness You're Here! Is Bringing Its Absurd 'Slapformer' To Xbox This December
Crossing over from Switch and PlayStation
Over the past year-or-so, you may have heard about an indie game called Thank Goodness You're Here! that's proved a hit across PC, Nintendo Switch and PlayStation, and now it's finally getting an Xbox release on December 9th, 2025. The game is a self-described "comedy slapformer" that takes place in...
News NACON Is Kicking Off The Xbox Birthday Celebrations With This 360-Inspired Controller
It seemingly comes with a mini blades dashboard(!!)
This weekend marks the 20th anniversary of Xbox 360, and accessory maker NACON is getting in early with its announcement of a new limited-edition controller for Xbox and PC. Well, we say early, but this special edition 'Revolution X Unlimited' pad doesn't actually launch until next February...
News Silent Hill 2 Remake Comparison Shows Difference Between Xbox Series X And Series S
Here's how both Xbox versions stack up
In case you haven't heard yet, the Silent Hill 2 Remake was quietly released on Xbox just a few hours ago! There's been a lot of speculation about how this game will run on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, and the YouTube channel Fuzion Xbox Testin
News Battlefield 6 Is An Absolute Smash Hit, The Best-Selling Game On Xbox In 2025 So Far (US)
The region's highest single-month game sales since MWII!
Circana's Mat Piscatella has again taken to social media in recent days to share game sales data for the US in 2025, and perhaps unsurprisingly Battlefield 6 is an absolute smash hit, especially on Xbox and PC. On those two platforms specifically, the new EA shooter is officially the...
News Beloved YouTuber Shares How Xbox 360 Helped Them 'Process Grief And Find Peace Again'
The power of gaming in full effect
When it comes to the big, wide world of YouTube, there are a few names that we're particularly fond of in the gaming space, and one of those is My Retro Life - an awesome channel featuring tons of old-school home video footage. It's run by a guy named Tyler, and his dad captured a lot of the footage back in the...
News Silent Hill 2 Remake Is Rolling Out Now On Xbox, And It's Discounted By 50% At Launch
With Xbox Play Anywhere support as well!
Have you been waiting over a year for Silent Hill 2 to come to Xbox? Well, you don't have to wait any longer! Konami and Bloober Team are releasing the game on the Xbox Store today, complete with an immediate 50% discount. Despite bizarrely not appearing at the Xbox Partner Preview event, Silent Hill 2...
Thursday20th Nov 2025
News Expedition 33 Wins GOTY As Xbox Takes Home Two Awards At The Golden Joysticks 2025
Full list of winners revealed
Today wasn't just about the Xbox Partner Preview Showcase - it's also been a night for celebrating the best games of the past 12 months, with the Golden Joystick Awards taking place over in London. Unsurprisingly, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was the talk of the show, with the game taking home four awards including the...
News Total Chaos Gets Its First Official Review Following Surprise Xbox Game Pass Launch
"An action-packed accessible survival horror FPS"
You may have heard by now that two games have been shadow dropped onto Xbox Game Pass following today's Xbox Partner Preview showcase, and one of those is the survival horror title Total Chaos. The surprise nature of this reveal means there are barely any impressions for the game thus far, but we...
News The Mound: Omen Of Cthulhu Is A Co-Op Survival Horror Game Arriving In 2026
"Stay clear-headed and tame the jungle"
All of the Xbox Game Pass titles in today's Xbox Partner Preview showcase kinda stole the spotlight, but let's not forget about The Mound: Omen Of Cthulhu - a co-op survival horror game that looks very promising indeed! With up to three other players, you'll need to "stay clear-headed and tame the jungle" as...
News Hollow Knight, Is That You? 'Crowsworn' Is Launching On Xbox Game Pass In 2026
"Explore a dark world inhabited by men and monsters"
Yet another of today's Xbox Partner Preview announcements came in the form of Crowsworn, which is a Hollow Knight-like platformer that's heading to Xbox Game Pass at some point in 2026. The game is specifically described as an "action packed platformer" in which you can use a "wide array of...
News Zoopunk Looks Pretty Epic, And It Kinda Reminds Us Of Biomutant
From the creators of F.I.S.T.: Forged In Shadow Torch
One of the games that made a definite impression at today's Xbox Partner Preview showcase was Zoopunk, which is a new 3D action-adventure game that's coming to Xbox consoles and PC at some point in the future. While we don't have that many details on this one just yet, the reveal trailer is...
News Armatus Brings Its Gothic-Tinged Roguelite To Xbox Game Pass In 2026
The game that kicked off today's Xbox showcase
Today's Xbox Partner Preview showcase began with a first look at Armatus - a third-person roguelite shooter "set in the demon-infested ruins of Paris". It's coming to Xbox in 2026, and it'll also be available with Game Pass from day one! An exhaustive blog over on Xbox Wire mentions how Armatus is...
News Xbox Announces 9 Titles Coming To Game Pass At November's Partner Preview Showcase
An absolutely stacked show for XGP
This evening's Xbox Partner Preview showcase moved at a blistering pace, with nine Xbox Game Pass titles headlining the 16-game strong show. It stands to reason that you may have missed some of these reveals! So, we're here to round up every single title that was unveiled today for Xbox Game Pass - including the
News Vampire Crawlers Is A Survivors Spin-Off, And It's Set For Xbox Game Pass In 2026
A dungeon-crawling roguelike deckbuilder
Who knew we'd be getting a Vampire Survivors spin-off as part of today's Xbox Partner Preview event?! This game is known as Vampire Crawlers, and it's a dungeon-crawling roguelike deckbuilder that'll see you taking part in "high-speed, high-chaos card battles". The trailer gives you an idea of what to...
News Dave The Diver Finally Announced For Xbox, And It's Splash-Landing Today!
What kept you, Dave?
We've been waiting a long time for the indie adventure RPG Dave the Diver to finally make its debut on Xbox, and not only has it been announced as part of today's Xbox Partner Preview Showcase, but it's also a surprise shadow drop! Yep, you'll soon see the game on the Xbox Store where we think it'll be priced at £16.99 /...
News Horror Adventure 'Reanimal' Gets Free Demo & February 2026 Release Date For Xbox
From the creators of Little Nightmares 1 and 2
It's been a while since we last heard about the horror adventure game Reanimal, but it's resurfaced today as part of the Xbox Partner Preview showcase with both a release date and a free demo! This "unsettling" journey is brought to us by the creators of Little Nightmares 1 and 2 (Tarsier Studios), and...
News Xbox Shadow Drops Two Game Pass Titles At The November 2025 Partner Preview
Available on XGP today!
As part of today's Xbox Partner Preview event, Microsoft has brought two new titles to Xbox Game Pass - yes, two XGP shadow drops on one day! The games in question are Total Chaos and CloverPit; both bringing different flavours of horror to the service on
Roundup All The Reveals From 2025's Xbox Partner Preview Showcase
Missed the event? Here's a recap
Missed the Xbox Partner Preview November 2025 showcase earlier today? No worries! You can always go back and watch the on-demand version for yourself, and we've also detailed all the important reveals in this article. The following list is everything that was revealed during the stream: Armatus brings its...
Poll How Would You Grade November's Xbox Partner Preview Event?
Did you enjoy the show?
The dust is now beginning to settle on the Xbox Partner Preview showcase for November 2025! If you haven't had a chance to watch it yet, you can catch the full thing over at our live coverage page, and we've also provided a separate recap of everything that happened as part of the show. So, all things considered, what grade...
News 'Tides Of Annihilation' Is Looking Pretty Impressive So Far, And It'll Be Xbox Play Anywhere
A big trailer at the Xbox Partner Preview!
Upcoming action-adventure game Tides of Annihilation has just got a meaty trailer during today's Xbox Partner Preview event - and we must say, it's looking like a pretty impressive romp so far. We still don't have a proper release date for this one yet, but it's now available to wishlist on Xbox Series X|S...
News Free Play Days: Try These Xbox Games For Free (November 20-23)
Your latest set of free Xbox trials
Welcome to another Xbox Free Play Days weekend! Microsoft is bringing six games to the program starting today - including Expeditions: A MudRunner Game, Police Simulator: Patrol Officers and more. We've also got a generous three-hour trial of Ready or Not running right now, so we'll link to a separate piece on...
News Want To Play Ready Or Not? It's Now Got A Free 3-Hour Trial On Xbox
A trial that's accessible until late February 2026
SWAT game Ready Or Not has been one of the most popular Xbox releases of the year, and everyone can now try it on Series X and Series S (as well as PS5) courtesy of a free trial that's accessible until February 20th of 2026. All you need to do is go to the Ready or Not Xbox Store page and look for...
Live Watch The 2025 Xbox Partner Preview Showcase Here
Likely the final Xbox showcase of the year!
Welcome to the Xbox Partner Preview event for November 2025! This is the fourth version of the showcase we've seen so far, with the most recent arriving in October of last year, and it's unsurprisingly focused around third-party games. It's set to last around 30 minutes in all, and here's a bit of what...
News These 30+ Games Are At Their 'Lowest Price Ever' In The Xbox Black Friday Sale 2025
Some big games at their lowest-ever prices
The big Xbox Black Friday Sale is now underway for 2025, and with over 2000 games being discounted for the next couple of weeks, it's no surprise that many of them have reached their "lowest price ever" in the process. If we go by DekuDeals, there are actually well over 500 titles that have reached a new...
Rumour Steam Machine To Be 'Priced Like A PC' Rather Than Traditional Xbox Or PS Console
A potential sigh of relief for Microsoft & Sony?
With the Steam Machine being announced last week, there was a lot of discussion surrounding its potential price point and whether it could end up competing with the likes of Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo in the console department. Digital Foundry mentioned how they hoped it could come in at around
News This Xbox Game Studios Adventure Deserved More Nominations At The Game Awards 2025
Maybe even GOTY?
Earlier this week, The Game Awards host Geoff Keighley unveiled all of the nominations for this year's show; which goes ahead on Thursday, December 11th. A variety of Xbox first-party titles were nominated for numerous awards here - including DOOM: The Dark Ages, Indiana Jones, The Outer Worlds 2 and more. Ho
PSA You Can Start Banishers: Ghosts Of New Eden Early Before It Joins Xbox Game Pass
And it's well worth it!
We've already seen some great Xbox Game Pass additions this week (including two today), but we're also looking towards next week and particularly Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden, which is a great story-driven action-RPG from 2024. It's not arriving on Xbox Game Pass
News Mafia: The Old Country 'Free Ride' Update Heads To Xbox Series X|S Today
Introducing first-person driving, photo mode & more
Mafia: The Old Country brought its classic third-person adventure to Xbox earlier this year, and today, the team at Hangar 13 is bringing the game's new 'Free Ride' update to all platforms. Available November 20th as a free update for existing owners, the Free Ride update adds "several exciting...
News Black Ops 7's Messy Campaign Is Being Detached From 'Endgame' Mode This Week
You'll soon be able to skip the story to play Endgame
At the moment, a bonus 'Endgame' mode unlocks for Black Ops 7 players who've suffered through the game's cobbled-together story campaign - but thankfully, the team is about to drop the campaign completion requirement for its bonus extraction mode. Yep, developer Treyarch has announced that...
Deals All 70+ Backwards Compatible Games In The Xbox Black Friday Sale 2025
A huge list of original Xbox and Xbox 360 titles
With the Xbox Black Friday Sale 2025 officially kicking off today, we've naturally got a whole bunch of backwards compatible discounts from the original Xbox and Xbox 360 eras in the mix, spanning over 70 classic games in all! You'll find some amazing stuff here, from Fable to old-school Tomb Raider,...
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
Deals Xbox Black Friday Sale 2025 Now Live, 2000+ Games Discounted
One of the biggest Xbox sales of the year!
It's time for the Xbox Black Friday Sale 2025! This year's version of the Black Friday sale features discounts for over 2000 titles in all, and as always we've got some great deals - including for a whole heap of 2025 releases! In the table below, we've picked out just a few major highlights from the Xbox...
Wednesday19th Nov 2025
News 16 Xbox Reveals Teased For Thursday's Partner Preview Showcase
"What do you think will be announced?"
We're less than 24 hours away from the November 2025 Xbox Partner Preview showcase, and Xbox has teased on social media today that we'll be getting 16 reveals as part of the event. You can see this in in the image above and below, which was shared on Twitter just over an hour ago: We've got few ideas about...
News Xbox Asks 1,500 Players To Sum Up Whether Gaming Is 'Time Well Spent' In New Survey
Here's what they said
Over the years, every one of us has probably been told that we're wasting our time playing games, but there are obviously numerous benefits that come with a hobby like ours, and Xbox has been trying to get to the bottom of it. Microsoft recently partnered with Edelman Data & Intelligence to conduct a survey in which 1,500...
News Xbox 360 Was Influenced By Fear Of Sony Dominating The Living Room, Says Former Boss
"What can we create that looks good next to the television?"
Amidst all the ongoing celebrations for the Xbox 360 turning two decades old later this week, Eurogamer has been speaking to former Xbox boss Peter Moore about his history at Microsoft and his experiences with the Xbox 360. Perhaps the most interesting bit in "Part 1" of the interview...
News Here's What The First Reviews Are Saying About Disney Dreamlight Valley: Wishblossom Ranch
The big new expansion for the Xbox Game Pass hit
It's been a while since we last talked about Disney Dreamlight Valley here at Pure Xbox, but it continues to prove a huge hit on Xbox Game Pass, and it's getting a major new expansion today known as Wishblossom Ranch. In fact, this expansion is available to purchase right now on the Xbox Store,...
News Bandai Namco Announces Tales Of Berseria Remastered, Coming To Xbox In February 2026
"Devour daemons. Enact revenge!"
Tales of Berseria is about to make its Xbox debut in just a few months' time! Bandai Namco has announced that the game is getting remastered for Xbox Series X and S (as well as PS5, Switch & PC) on February 27th, 2026. This game first released for PlayStation consoles back in 2016 before getting a PC port in 2017,...
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 Neon Inferno Is Getting Some Impressive Reviews Ahead Of This Week's Xbox Release
There's a free demo as well!
In the mood for a new hybrid side-scroller and gallery-shooter on Xbox? Neon Inferno might fit the bill! This game is officially arriving on the Xbox Store on November 20th for Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, and the first reviews have been pretty darn good on the whole, so it's well worth considering at the...
Feature Seven Things We Miss About The Xbox 360 Era In 2025
As we rapidly approach its 20th anniversary
It's almost time for the 20th anniversary of the Xbox 360! We'll be celebrating that milestone this Saturday (November 22nd), and in the meantime we thought we'd look back two decades to see what we miss about the 360 era in 2025. While Xbox has grown and evolved in so many great ways since 2005, there...
Opinion This Xbox 360 Launch Game Is Still One Of The Best Console Racers Ever
It never gets old!
Hey, it's me, Ben here - and I'm going to talk about PGR again, okay?! It's been at least a year since I've climbed out from under my rock to talk about one of my favourite racing series ever, and with the Xbox 360's 20th anniversary coming up, I just can't help myself once again! This time, I'm going to focus on Project Gotham...
Talking Point Do You Think GTA 6 Will Actually Launch On Xbox A Year Today?
November 19, 2026 is the new date... or is it?
Earlier this month, we got the somewhat inevitable news that GTA 6 has been delayed again. Yep, Rockstar Games has given us another date for its upcoming open-world epic, with November 19, 2026, now circled on the calendar. The question is, do we actually think it'll launch on that day - exactly a year...
News DOOM: The Dark Ages Adds 'Ripatorium 2.0' In Its Third Big Update, Out Now On Xbox & PC
Quietly released last night
Last night, the folks behind DOOM: The Dark Ages quietly released the third major update for the game so far, with this one primarily revolving around the Ripatorium arena mode, which has now been turned into Ripatorium 2.0. There are loads of changes to Ripatorium in here, including a switch to a round-based format and...
