Timeline
Thursday12th Mar 2026
News Nintendo 3DS Classic 'Bravely Default' Releases On Xbox Today In Its HD Remaster Form
Shadow drop alert!
Surprise! Square Enix has announced that after 14 years, the Nintendo 3DS classic Bravely Default is officially coming to Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and Xbox PC today, and we've spotted that you can already buy it on the Xbox Store! For those who aren't aware, Bravely Default was a very popular RPG back in the 3DS days, racking...
News Forza Horizon 6 Dev Wants A 'Rich' Tokyo, Japan As Team Admits FH5 Map Didn't Resonate
"This map is rich and full of things to do"
In Playground Games' latest collaboration with IGN, the team discusses building Tokyo / Japan for the Forza Horizon 6 map, and how it's taken feedback on board from past Forza Horizon titles to create a "rich" experience for franchise fans. Indeed, the above video kicks off with a rather candid...
News Microsoft's 'This Is An Xbox' Post Taken Down As Fans Wonder If The Controversial Ad Is No More
Maybe it's not an Xbox after all
Remember Microsoft's late 2024 'This is an Xbox' ad campaign? The one that proved pretty controversial amongst long-time Xbox fans? Well, despite the marketing slogan cropping up multiple times since its introduction well over a year ago, it's looking like Microsoft might be starting to erase its existence. First...
News Free Play Days: Try These Xbox Games For Free (March 12-15)
Including a big Activision title!
Microsoft's latest Free Play Days lineup is starting to roll out now on Xbox - and we've got five games playable as part of the program this week, including Activision Blizzard's Diablo 4. Here's your full Free Play Days selection for the coming weekend: Bassmaster Fishing Diablo 4 Killing Floor 3 Tropico 6
Known as PlayFab Foundation Mode
Yesterday, amidst all the headline-grabbing Project Helix news at GDC 2026, it was also announced that PlayFab Foundation Mode is being rolled out for free to all Xbox developers and publishers, and that seems a pretty big reveal! Everyone who ships a game on Xbox from now on will get access to PlayFab's core game...
Roundup Toxic Commando Is Out Today On Xbox, And The First Reviews Have Arrived
The game launches later today
We've been keeping a close eye on John Carpenter's Toxic Commando for a while - an "intense FPS" that's launching on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S today (March 12th) along with a bunch of other platforms. In the trailers, it's painted itself as being a four-player World War Z (and Left 4 Dead) style experience, and...
News One Of 2025's Biggest Indie Titles Joins Xbox Game Pass Premium Today (March 12)
Silky
Welcome to today's Xbox Game Pass update! While we don't have any new titles joining the main Ultimate library, one major indie title is making the jump to Game Pass Premium - meaning middle tier XGP subscribers can now jump into this one at no extra cost. Here's some more information on today's new Xbox Game Pass Premium addition (March 12):
Wednesday11th Mar 2026
News Xbox Reveals New Details On 'Project Helix' Next-Gen Console, Says Devs Will Get It In 2027
"Delivering leading performance and ushering in the next generation"
Following the announcement of Xbox's Project Helix console a few days ago, we've been treated to our first concrete details on the next-gen device today as part of GDC 2026, including when developers will get their hands on it. As we know, Project Helix will support both console...
News Xbox Says Backwards Compatibility Program Will Be Revived For 25th Anniversary
But we're not sure what's being released
As part of a keynote at this year's GDC event, Xbox's VP of Next Generation — Jason Ronald — has teased that Microsoft's backwards compatibility program is being revived in some fashion this year. Now, we'll be upfront here and say that we don't know for sure if this means more unreleased games will be...
News 'Xbox 25' Fanta Collab Hints At What We Might Be Getting With Call Of Duty 2026
Getting the band back together?
Infinity Ward is back at the helm of Call of Duty this year, which means that naturally, a new Modern Warfare title is likely for Fall 2026. We've already heard various rumours and reports that this is the case - and now a new Xbox x Fanta collaboration gives us our strongest hint at 'Modern Warfare 4' so far. Shared...
Feature 10 New Xbox Indie Games That Should Be On Your Radar In March 2026
A hectic month's worth of indie goodness!
Considering how busy March has been with the Project Helix announcement and the Xbox leadership changes at the tail-end of last month, we haven't had a chance to highlight many indie games for March yet - so let's change that! We've already seen some great indie games in March up to this point, including a...
News Xbox Fan Shares Project Helix UI Concept, This Time Based On The 360 NXE Dashboard
"THIS should be the Xbox Project Helix dashboard!"
Earlier this week, we shared a Project Helix dashboard concept from Xbox superfan Klobrille, who based their design off the fan-favourite 'Blades' dash from the Xbox 360 era. Now, fellow enthusiast Colt Eastwood has shared their own concept on what the Project Helix UI could look like - this time...
News 'Abyssus' Brings Its Otherworldly FPS To Xbox Game Pass This Summer
"Blast through the corrupted denizens of a sunken civilization"
Abyssus has been out on PC for a good few months now, and it's sitting at a 'Very Positive' rating on Steam with almost 3,000 user reviews thus far. The roguelite FPS from DoubleMoose Games has had a pretty good start, then, and it's now been announced for Xbox Game Pass later this...
News 'Hello, My Name Is Retired' - Xbox's Phil Spencer Embraces The Humour At GDC 2026
He's also referring to himself as Asha Sharma's assistant
The annual Game Developers Conference is officially underway for its 2026 edition, and both former Xbox boss Phil Spencer and new Xbox boss Asha Sharma have been taking photos with attendees over the past 24 hours. In regards to Phil Spencer specifically, he's been spotted wearing a couple...
News Three Xbox Games Are Being Delisted In March 2026
You haven't got long left to grab these
Earlier this month, we highlighted a few games that are shutting down their servers in February and March 2026, and we also mentioned that Yakuza 3 Remastered was set to be delisted on February 12th. Well, a lot more games have been added to the "delisted" pile since then, so we thought we'd put together a...
Tuesday10th Mar 2026
News Microsoft's 2026 GDC Booth Showcases An Impressive Look At The History Of Xbox Consoles
As the team "builds for what's next"
The 2026 edition of the Game Developers Conference gets underway this week, and Microsoft is there in a big way this year, with a huge display showcasing the storied history of its Xbox gaming brand. Indeed, alongside the team "building for what's next" at GDC, a collection of important moments throughout the...
News Forza Horizon 6 Tracks, Events & Open-World Activities Detailed In New Gameplay
A more in-depth look at FH6
Our next look at Forza Horizon 6 has again come via IGN First this week, but this one is a much more in-depth glimpse at the Xbox racer, as Playground Games details new event types, in-game tracks, open-world activities and more ahead of launch this May. The core of the video focuses on just what players can get up to in...
News Crimson Desert Has Three Different Performance Modes On Xbox Series X
Plus three on ROG Xbox Ally X and two on Series S
Open-world action adventure game Crimson Desert is right around the corner, releasing for Xbox and other platforms on March 19th, and we've been treated to the official console specs today. It turns out that Crimson Desert has three difference performance modes on Xbox Series X, with those being...
News Fortnite Price Hikes Are Coming, And They'll Affect Xbox Game Pass Ultimate
Fortnite Crew members get less V-Bucks per month
Epic Games has today announced sweeping changes to the Fortnite economy, starting March 19th for all players across all platforms. The main change here is that from that date, players will get less V-Bucks for their money. Before these changes come into effect, $8.99 grants you 1000 V-Bucks - and...
Guide How To Complete Marathon's "Introducing: Traxus" Contract Mission
Say hello to Traxus Heavy Industries
With the release of Marathon only a few days ago, many people, myself included, have been hooked on this game's immersive, at times slightly confusing world. A significant moment of confusion came from the game's many quests, and one in particular was that of the introduction to Traxus, the “unequivocal leader...
News Capcom Confirms Resident Evil Requiem Story Expansion For Xbox Series X|S
Photo mode and other DLC coming over the next few months
Hot on the heels of its successful Resident Evil Requiem release, Capcom has confirmed that a story expansion is in the works for its ninth mainline Resi game, with development now underway on the upcoming DLC. Director Koshi Nakanishi confirmed the news on social media (thanks, Nintendo...
Roundup All The Biggest Xbox Reveals From The MIX Spring Showcase 2026
Including the remaster of a cult classic FPS!
Last night, to kick off GDC 2026, Kinda Funny Games partnered with The MIX to deliver a Spring Game Showcase full of indie titles that are coming to various platforms, with some of them penned in for Xbox. This was an absolutely stacked show as well, and as you'd probably expect, the majority of games...
News Two Games Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (March 10)
Including a massive Xbox RPG
Welcome to your latest Xbox Game Pass update! Today, we've got two games joining the XGP library, including the absolutely mammoth RPG Cyberpunk 2077 from the folks over at CD Projekt RED. Here's a quick refresher on that one, alongside today's other addition to Xbox Game Pass: Construction Simulator (Console, PC,...
Monday9th Mar 2026
News Digital Foundry Speculates Whether There'll Be An Xbox Series S Successor Next-Gen
"They're talking about a range of devices..."
Just a few hours ago, we shared a discussion about Project Helix and the sort of price we can possibly expect it to launch at, and while it's sounding like that particularly device will be pretty high-end, another outlet has speculated on whether Microsoft will return to the lower end of the market with...
Feature 30 Xbox Series X|S Games To Look Forward To In March-December 2026
Ten months of fantastic new games are ahead of us!
Update: As mentioned, we're updating this feature on a monthly basis, and it's now been adjusted for March. We've taken a few games away, added a few in, and changed a handful of dates around for games like Replaced. With 2026 now starting to kick into gear, it's time to look ahead at what this...
Roundup Here's What The Reviews Say About Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection
Capcom's latest MH launches on Xbox this week!
Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection arrives on Xbox Series X|S later this week, and while we haven't had chance to check this one out yet here at Pure Xbox, plenty of reviews have just gone live, so we're going to round some of those up here in this article. It sounds as though folks are...
News Tech Journalist Predicts A Price Of 'At Least $1,000' For Xbox Project Helix
"They’ll probably charge $1,000 or more for this thing..."
Ever since Sarah Bond began talking about the next-gen Xbox as a 'Premium' high-end device, it's been assumed that the cost will be much higher than what we're used to seeing from a traditional console - and now tech journalist Moore's Law Is Dead has predicted that Project Helix could end...
News Xbox Must Live Up To Expectations Of Fans Who Have 'Counted On Us', Says Microsoft Boss
Satya Nadella stresses the importance of appealing to Xbox devotees
We mentioned earlier today how Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella had pledged to "always invest in gaming" at a recent internal Q&A, and one of the other key things he mentioned at the event was the desire to appeal to devoted Xbox fans. The Microsoft boss mentioned this numerous times...
News Assassin's Creed Unity's 60FPS Upgrade Is Seemingly Broken On Xbox Series X|S
The lighting is all wonky right now
Last week, Ubisoft's latest current-gen 60FPS upgrade was applied to 2014's Assassin's Creed Unity, and early footage suggested that the frame rate was looking rock solid, despite concerns over the game's resolution. Now though, it seems as though the game has a different visual issue on Xbox Series
News Xbox Superfan Shares Blades Dashboard Concept For 'Project Helix' Console
Would you like to see this for the next-gen system?
With Project Helix now out in the wild at least in terms of name and concept, folks have started speculating on what exactly this console will look and play like, with Xbox seeking to merge console and PC in a bigger way than ever before. That obviously leads to questions about what the user...
News Microsoft CEO On Xbox's Future: 'We'll Always Invest In Gaming'
Satya Nadella says it's one of the main identities of the company
Last week, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella appeared at an internal Q&A session alongside new Xbox boss Asha Sharma, and some quotes from that event appeared online courtesy of Windows Central last night. A recent photo even showed that he was wearing an Xbox hoodie as part of it:
Sunday8th Mar 2026
News Xbox's Phil Spencer Was Asked About Retirement A Year Ago, And Here's What He Said
"I don't want Xbox to be afraid to innovate"
We've finally now managed to grasp that Phil Spencer is actually leaving Xbox in the very near future — he's currently sticking around until the summer to help Asha Sharma get settled in as Microsoft Gaming CEO — and it's reminded us of a few things that were said about his potential retirement over...
News The 10 Most Wanted Backwards Compatibility Games According To 'Xbox Game Preservation'
Could we get any of them in 2026?
It's been many years now since Xbox's backwards compatibility program officially closed down in terms of new additions, but that hasn't stopped people requesting a whole bunch of titles should it ever start up again in the future. We've come across a new resource recently called Xbox Game Preservation that aims to...
Guide Xbox Adds More Perks For Game Pass Members (March 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 March 2026, including for the likes of The Division 2, Call of Duty: Warzone, EA Sports College Football 26 and various other games. We expect more to come over the next few weeks as well. As we've men
Saturday7th Mar 2026
Talking Point Are You Happy With Xbox Game Pass Ultimate In 2026?
Or do you think Essential or Premium are better options?
Almost six months ago now, Microsoft overhauled its Xbox Game Pass subscription service; bringing in the likes of XGP Premium and bumping the price of its Ultimate tier. While Ultimate's core messaging still revolves around day one games — particularly from Xbox Game Studios — we are...
News Here's What Might Leave Xbox Game Pass In April 2026
Some early predictions!
What's leaving Xbox Game Pass in April 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 10+ Games Are Coming To Xbox Next Week (March 9-13)
Including three new Game Pass titles!
Welcome to your Xbox games roundup for March 9-13! We've got lots of big titles on the way over the next few days, including the Fatal Frame 2 Remake, John Carpenter's Toxic Commando, WWE 2K26 and
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (March 7-8)
Anything on the cards?
Welcome to another weekend! We've got some bits and pieces we want to try out over the next few days, and it's been another busy time on Xbox Game Pass recently, giving us plenty to play right now. So, here's what we're playing this weekend: Ben Kerry, Staff Writer: I haven't played an F1 game in donkeys' years - and with...
News Super Battle Golf Set For Eventual Xbox Release Following Console Announcement
It's been achieving "incredible" sales on Steam
The Steam Top Sellers charts are always filled with certain indie games that end up making a big splash out of nowhere, and Super Battle Golf is one of those titles — it's been a particularly big hit on the likes of YouTube and Twitch recently. It takes the form of an online multiplayer golf game in...
Friday6th Mar 2026
News Microsoft Rewards Reduces 'Daily Set' Points Across Multiple Regions
Seemingly a permanent change
We constantly go on about how much we love Microsoft Rewards here at Pure Xbox, but we do have a bit of bad news to bring your way today, as the "Daily Set" points have unfortunately been reduced by 50% across multiple regions. If you don't know what we mean, "Daily Set" refers to the three daily tasks you can complete...
Talking Point Will 'Project Helix' Be A Niche Device, Or An Xbox Console For The Masses?
A curious next-gen is ahead of us
With Microsoft making the surprise announcement of 'Project Helix' this week — the codename for its next-gen Xbox console — we've started to wonder about the exact nature of this device. We finally know for sure that it'll play PC games as well as Xbox titles, and we know that it "will lead in performance"...
News 'This Is Actually Next Level' - WWE 2K26 Owners Are Loving The New Ragdoll Physics
It's out now in early access, full release next week
Today marks the official early access release for WWE 2K26 on Xbox Series X and Series S (along with other platforms) if you happen to have bought one of the more expensive versions, with the standard version releasing next Friday. We've already talked about all the new features in the game, like...
News Marathon's Final Reviews Are Mostly Being Held Back, So Here's What Xbox Players Are Saying
Following its launch on Series X and S last night
We fully intended to bring you some initial impressions of Marathon when it released on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S last night, but then Microsoft went and revealed the next Xbox console (Project Helix) and plans had to change! Nevertheless, there aren't many formal reviews to speak of for...
News With Xbox's 'Project Helix' Revealed, How Likely Is A 2027 Release Date?
It seems pretty likely to us
The next generation of Xbox is upon us! The new console has officially been announced as Project Helix (or at least, its codename has), and therefore we could be getting on our hands on it within the next couple of years. For the past 12 months, we've been hearing rumours that the next Xbox console could get a 2027...
News Forza Horizon 6's 'Low-Traffic' Gameplay Was Done On Purpose, Says IGN
"The traffic was intentionally tuned down..."
Yesterday, IGN released some extended gameplay footage from Forza Horizon 6 as part of its 'IGN First' coverage for the month of March, and while it did a decent job at showing us Playground Games' rendition of open-world Japan, the video immediately came under fire for looking 'empty' and devoid of...
Guide Next Xbox Console: Everything We Know So Far About Microsoft's Next-Gen System
Your all-in-one guide to the console known as Project Helix!
With the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S generation now having spanned multiple years, it's no surprise that we're looking ahead to what the next Xbox console will deliver for us, which is expected to arrive in the not too distant future. In this all-in-one guide, you'll find everything...
News Capcom Is Ready To Unleash Pragmata Early As Release Date Gets Brought Forward
That's pragmatic
As part of its latest Spotlight Showcase this week, the team at Capcom has announced that its upcoming action game Pragmata will now release a little earlier than previously planned. Yep, instead of the prior release date of April 24th, Pragmata will now launch on Friday, April 17th. With the announcement that the title will...
Thursday5th Mar 2026
News Windows & Steam Support Will Make Project Helix 'The Most Open Xbox Ever', Says Report
"We know it'll essentially be a gaming PC at its core"
With Xbox officially announcing today that its next Xbox console known as "Project Helix" will be integrating both console and PC games, there's been a lot of discussion about what kind of PC games the console will actually support. Jez Corden at Windows Central — someone who has led the...
News 'It Will Lead In Performance' - Xbox's Price Tag For Project Helix Could Be Pretty High
Will it be the most expensive new Xbox console ever?
If you haven't seen the news yet, it's been announced today that the new Xbox console is being called Project Helix for the time being (that's its codename), and it will definitely support PC games as well as console games. Interestingly, new Xbox boss Asha Sharma mentioned during her reveal of...
News Xbox Announces New 'Project Helix' Console, Says It Will Play PC Games
"Great start to the morning with Team Xbox"
It's official! Xbox has announced today that the next Xbox console has a codename of Project Helix, and as all the rumours had suggested, it will play both console and PC games when it launches in the future. The news was revealed by new Xbox boss Asha Sharma on Twitter with the following statement:...
