Timeline
Monday8th Dec 2025
News Paramount Fights Back Against Netflix With 'Superior All-Cash Offer' For Warner Bros.
It's not over yet!
Last week, it was announced by Netflix that the company was buying Warner Bros. in a deal worth over $82 billion, but now Paramount has launched an all-cash tender offer to acquire all of Warner Bros. Discovery's outstanding shares for $30 per-share (in cash). In a statement released today, Paramount chairman David Ellison...
Talking Point Four Years On, Did Halo Infinite Ever Live Up To Expectations?
With major updates done, what's your final verdict?
Xbox has reminded us that Halo Infinite launched four years ago today (the full campaign version anyway), so we want to check in with the Pure Xbox community on your feelings about this particular series entry almost half a decade later, especially with the game's major updates now wrapping up...
News Xbox Dev Reveals That Sony Asked About Microsoft Flight Sim Going To PS5 Years Ago
The 2024 edition hits PlayStation today
Back in September, we learnt that Microsoft Flight Simulator was jetting off to PS5 this year - and now an interesting interview with an Xbox developer talks about the series' interesting journey to PlayStation platforms. Speaking with XDA, Microsoft's Flight Sim lead dev Jorg Neumann talked about the...
Opinion Backwards Compatibility Still Adds So Much Value To Xbox Series X|S In 2025
10 years after back compat was first announced!
I've just been doing a little storage space cleanup on my Xbox Series S today, removing some bits and pieces I just don't have the time for at the moment and installing one or two older titles that I fancy dipping back into sometime this week. And, once again it struck me that backwards compatibility...
News Seven More Games Set To Be Delisted On Xbox In December 2025
Update: The OG Yakuza 0 is disappearing as well
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 confirmed to...
News Four Xbox First-Party Releases Mentioned In GamesRadar's Top 25 Games Of 2025
And guess what was number 1?
As we get closer and closer to the voting for Pure Xbox's Game of the Year 2025 (look out for it this Saturday!), we've got more "Best Of" roundups to highlight from across the internet, with this latest one coming from GamesRadar. Those folks have picked out their top 25 games of the year, with four Xbox first-party...
News Red Dead Redemption Free Upgrade Still Not Working For Some As Players Voice Frustrations
Will Rockstar respond?
If you were around the gaming world last week, you may have seen the drama surrounding Red Dead Redemption - where Rockstar's free Xbox upgrade wasn't working for most people on the launch of its new current-gen release. Well, the team fixed the issue for lots of players pretty quickly, but now a week later, some owne
News OD's Reveal Trailer 'Full Of Hints' As To How The Game Will Play, Says Hideo Kojima
Also says it's going to be a "challenging" game to make
Back in September, Kojima & co. finally showcased a gameplay teaser for OD — their upcoming Xbox title — and despite the trailer being typically cryptic, the legendary game maker says that it was "full of hints" as to how the game will actually play. Speaking with anaweb and translated by
News Xbox Series X|S Had No Black Friday Deals, So They Lost To A Console We've Never Heard Of (US)
Struggled in the UK too
There's been an unfortunate narrative doing the rounds on social media this weekend about Xbox consoles, and it's all to do with some new Black Friday 2025 data that suggests the Series X and Series S sold poorly during BF week. Specifically, Mat Piscatella of the analysis group "Circana" took to Bluesky on Sunday to share...
Guide Xbox Adds More Perks For Game Pass Members (December 2025)
Update: Few more added to the list
The Xbox Game Pass Perks program is continuing to add a bunch of freebies for Game Pass members throughout December 2025, including for the likes of Fortnite, The Crew Motorfest, Delta Force and so many other games. We expect many more to come over the next few weeks, and we'll update this guide when we spot them...
Sunday7th Dec 2025
News The ROG Xbox Ally Has Just Received Its First Major Discount
Available until late December or while stocks last
Just under two months since the ROG Xbox Ally first arrived, it's just received its first major discount! Xbox has officially reduced its price by $100 in the US until December 20th, although only at certain retailers. This brings the price of the standard ROG Xbox Ally down from $599 to $499 USD...
Saturday6th Dec 2025
Poll What Are Your First Impressions Of Routine On Xbox Game Pass?
Enjoying the new sci-fi adventure?
Our latest day one Game Pass release has been out for a few days now in the form of sci-fi horror game Routine, after what was a rather lengthy development period for the Lunar Software title. So, are you enjoying the game on XGP after all this time? We introduced this one as an Xbox Game Pass title back in 2022,...
News Here's What Might Leave Xbox Game Pass In January 2026
Some early predictions
What's leaving Xbox Game Pass in January 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 30+ Games Are Coming To Xbox Next Week (December 8-12)
Including five Game Pass titles!
Welcome to your Xbox games roundup for December 8-12! Even though it's getting close to Christmas, there's still a lot to talk about in terms of new releases right now, with the likes of Terminator 2D: No Fate, Thank Goodness You're Here!,
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (December 6-7)
Kicking back with some Marvel Cosmic Invasion?
It's another weekend, folks! We've seen some fairly steady Xbox activity this past week as we approach our first December weekend - with plenty to play over the next few days such as Marvel Cosmic Invasion, Octopath Traveler 0, Routine and more on the platform. Here's what we're playing this weekend:...
Friday5th Dec 2025
News Xbox Studio Rare Is Getting Inundated With Requests For A New Banjo-Kazooie Game
Following the "Mumbomania" project in Dreams for PS5
Alright, so you probably saw the news about this "Banjo-Kazooie: Mumbomania" project that was cross-posted to Pure Xbox by our friends at Push Square yesterday - a game made in Dreams for PS5 that's gone viral this week. The gist is that someone made their own version of Banjo-Kazooie inside of...
News The Bloodlines 2 Team Is Giving Away A ROG Xbox Ally X For Free
How's your luck?
Since the release of the ROG Xbox Ally and Ally X a couple of months ago, it's been hard to find any kind of discounts or giveaways for the two devices, but we've just come across something via the Bloodlines 2 team on social media. As you can see below, they're giving away a free ROG Xbox Ally X, which is pretty crazy considering...
News Xbox Finishes Off The Week With Two New Game Pass Reveals, Both For Next Month
The earliest two of 2026 so far
We've been kind of waiting for Xbox to give us some release dates for early 2026 when it comes to Xbox Game Pass — until this week, we only had two of them — and now we've finally got our first couple of next month. These two games are MIO: Memories in Orbit, which was revealed at the PC Gaming Show last night,...
News Fallout Creator Rejoins Xbox Studio Obsidian, Hints That He's Not Working On New Vegas 2
"Don’t bother guessing, you’re not going to guess right."
In a new update on their personal YouTube channel, long-time game developer and Fallout creator Tim Cain has announced that they've returned to Obsidian Entertainment; the Xbox studio responsible for Avowed, Fallout New Vegas, The Outer Worlds series and more. Naturally, this rekindling...
News GTA 5's Michael De Santa Returns In Major New 'Safehouse' Update For GTA Online
"This is a nice neighborhood!"
We don't often talk about GTA Online updates these days at Pure Xbox, but this one's extra special! A Safehouse in the Hills in the name of the new update that's coming on December 10th, and it features a very familiar face. Yes, GTA 5's Michael De Santa — one of the main three characters in the single-player...
News Avatar: Frontiers Of Pandora Third-Person Looks Cool, But A Little Janky
Changing the game
After months of waiting since its initial announcement, third-person mode is now live in Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora - and the folks over at IGN have shared some extended gameplay of the new mode which you can take a look at above. Pulling things out to an over-the-shoulder perspective, the new third-person option in Avatar:...
News Metroid Prime 4 Has A Stronger Connection To Xbox And Halo Than You Might Think
"Lots of former 343 devs on this"
Apparently, something is happening over in Nintendo land this week. There's some kind of long-awaited sequel that's been in the works for 18 years? "Metroid"..."Prime"... they call it? That's a new one to us! Seriously though, the new release of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond actually has a connection to Xbox, and...
News Netflix Is Buying Warner Bros. For Even More Money Than Xbox's ActiBlizz Deal
Update: WB confirms gaming division is included
In an announcement that's sending shockwaves throughout the entertainment world, streaming giant Netflix has announced its intentions to buy Warner Bros. - for a whopping $72 billion (or $82.7 billion as a "total enterprise value"). Going off Netflix's statement on this, the move doesn't mention...
News Keeper Update Adds New Video Modes & PC Ultrawide Support On Xbox Game Pass
The game's first major update!
Since Keeper released back in October we've not really heard much from its developer Double Fine, but to close out the year, the team is here this week with a brand-new update for the Xbox title. Live now on Xbox, PC and Game Pass, Keeper's December update introduces Noir Mode for that black-and-white look, High...
News Xbox Winter Demo Fest 2025 Begins Next Week, And A Few Have Gone Live Already
Here's a sneak peek
We've got a new Xbox Demo Fest taking place next week! This is the annual winter version of the event, which is officially known as the "Indie Selects Demo Fest" - featuring over 30 games that are free to try from December 9th. We'll obviously have a full roundup of all the demos for you ASAP, but they're being kept under wraps...
News Clockwork Revolution Dev Shares New Message About Its Eagerly Anticipated Xbox RPG
"This is the most complex game I've ever worked on"
Clockwork Revolution has a bit of hype behind it within the Xbox fanbase - heck, even boss Phil Spencer sounds pretty excited about what inXile is cooking up. And, while info on the title remains scarce, the team has delivered a new message about the game as part of the latest PC Gaming Sho
It's all about cloud streaming
Back in the middle of 2023, Microsoft was still in a difficult position in regards to acquiring Activision Blizzard. The UK Competition and Markets Authority had made it clear that changes needed to be made before they'd approve the deal going through, and one of those changes ended up being a surprise agreement with...
Thursday4th Dec 2025
Roundup All The Xbox Reveals From The PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted 2025
Over 15 of them!
We're not done with showcases in 2025 yet! The PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted 2025 showcase has just concluded this evening, and it included a few Xbox reveals as part of the event. Everything that featured an Xbox logo can be found down below, which includes some brand-new announcements for the likes of Starship Troopers: Ultimate...
Series S is cutback, but "retains enough of its character"
Silent Hill 2 finally came to Xbox last month after a year-long wait, and its release was quickly followed up with some brief Xbox Series X|S comparisons. Now though, the tech experts over at Digital Foundry have delivered their verdict - and despite the
News ESPN To Host The First Ever 'Xbox Bowl' In Texas Later This Month
"We’re proud to welcome Xbox as the title sponsor"
It's been announced today that Xbox has joined forces with ESPN to become the title sponsor of December 18th's college football bowl game between Missouri State and Arkansas State. The entire event is getting some major Xbox branding as a result, with the logo being a big Xbox controller as seen...
News Wreckreation Dev Suffers 'Heartbreaking' Situation Less Than Two Months Since Launch
"The reality we now face is stark"
Earlier this year, we highlighted the then-upcoming launch of Wreckreation - an open world driving and building game made by Three Fields Entertainment, which itself is made up of various former Burnout and Need for Speed developers. Unfortunately, the release seems to have gone terribly for them. In a long...
News Four Huge New Sales Have Just Gone Live On Xbox, 500+ Games Discounted
Black Friday is over, but the sales continue!
As if Xbox hadn't given us enough deals to take advantage of over the past few weeks via Black Friday 2025, we've now got another four huge new sales that have just begun on the Xbox Store - and most are lasting for two weeks. Specifically, these are the Beyond Black Friday Sale (which is DLC-focused),...
News Free Play Days: Try These Xbox Games For Free (December 4-7)
New free trials now live on Xbox!
Xbox Free Play Days is here for the next few days! We've got six games playable as part of the program this week - with one of those in Destiny 2 bringing loads of premium expansions to the program as well. Here's your full Free Play Days rundown this week: Astria Ascending Bassmaster Fishing Descenders Destiny 2...
News Left 4 Dead Creator Is Making A New 'Four-Player Co-Op Shooter', But It Might Not Come To Xbox
Developer Bad Robot Games signs deal with Sony
Bad Robot Games has today announced a new "four-player co-operative shooter" being led by Left 4 Dead's original creator Mike Booth - but there's a chance this attempt to rekindle that L4D flame may not see the light of day on Xbox. Although this development studio has been working away for a number of...
News Skill-Based Matchmaking Is Becoming More Prominent Again In Black Ops 7 Multiplayer
The Season 01 patch notes reveal all
With Season 01's launch arriving today for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, developer Treyarch has dropped the new season's patch notes - and they contain some controversial updates on the game's skill-based matchmaking system. As we covered a few times in the run up to launch, the team
News 'Replaced' Finally Has An Xbox Game Pass Release Date, Four Years Since It Was Revealed
It's an Xbox console exclusive at launch too
We've been talking for a very long time here at Pure Xbox about Replaced — a narrative-driven 2.5D platformer that we've been eager to play for years — and now it's finally got a release date of March 12th, 2026! For those who haven't heard of it before, Replaced will see you attempt to "expose the...
News The God Slayer Is Bringing Its Open World RPG To Xbox, And It's Getting Help From PlayStation
Part of the PlayStation China Hero Project
A few hours ago, we were treated to the reveal of a new open world RPG from Pathea Games (My Time At Sandrock, Let's School) called The God Slayer, and it's got a particularly interesting connection to the folks at PlayStation. This game is part of the PlayStation China Hero Project,
News Obsidian Is Busy With Updates As Grounded 2 Gets New Patch Ahead Of January Content Drop
Avowed & Grounded 2 set for big 2026 updates
Obsidian is back again with another update on one of its 2025 titles, as the team prepares even more content for 2026. This time, Grounded 2's December patch has now arrived for Xbox, PC and Game Pass players, with a larger 'Winter Update' also planned for next month.
"Seeking a permit to expand production in Vietnam"
As the Xbox Series X|S generation continues and another one is on the horizon, it's being reported this week that a subsidiary of manufacturing company Foxconn is planning to expand its Xbox production over in Vietnam. This report comes from Reuters, which mentions that Fushan Technology, which is...
News Ubisoft Confirms Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time Will Be Skipping The Game Awards
"Sorry to disappoint..."
Last month, Ubisoft confirmed that its Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake was set to launch before April 2026, which led to rumours of the game potentially showing up at The Game Awards next week ahead of a reported January release. Well, the team has now confirmed that sadly, the title won't be showing up at TGA...
News Xbox Is Giving Away Free Gift Cards To Various Users This December
"Here's an Xbox Gift Card on us!"
Anyone fancy a free Xbox gift card for the holidays?! Well, we've spotted Xbox giving these away to some lucky users for the month of December, and they're being received across console, PC and even Xbox Cloud Gaming. At first glance this does seem to be quite rare, although there are multiple examples online of...
News Three Games Are Available Today Across Various Tiers Of Xbox Game Pass (December 4)
Including a brand-new day one launch!
Welcome to your latest Xbox Game Pass roundup! Today, we've got three games coming to the service; one that's brand-new to Ultimate subscribers and two that are moving over to the Premium tier. So, we'll gather up these new XGP additions for December 4th down below: 33 Immortals (Console, PC, Cloud) - XGP...
Wednesday3rd Dec 2025
News Digital Foundry Compares Xbox Series S & Switch 2 In New Assassin's Creed Shadows Analysis
The Series S version wins out
Just like September's interesting analysis of Star Wars Outlaws on Switch 2 and Series S, Digital Foundry returns with a fresh look at another Ubisoft title that's been ported over to the Nintendo system this week - and once again, this one uses the Xbox Series S version as its jumping off point. Yes, in its latest
News Rolling Stone's Top 25 Games Of 2025 Features Two Xbox First-Party Titles
Here's the full list
We recently mentioned how three Xbox first-party games had made the cut in the AP's top 10 releases of 2025, and now we've got another list from Rolling Stone — a top 25 of 2025 roundup — that includes two Xbox first-party titles in theirs. The two games are Ninja Gaiden 4 and
News This Thursday's PC Gaming Show Could Include Some Xbox Game Pass Reveals
"PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted Powered by Xbox Game Pass"
We're still a week away from the last major gaming showcase of 2025 in the form of The Game Awards, but this Thursday's PC Gaming Show sounds well worth watching - even from an Xbox perspective. The PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted showcase is said to be "powered by Xbox Game Pass", which basically...
News Need A Reason To Play Fallout 76 Again? It's Just Released A Massive New Update
41GB in size on Xbox
A couple of months ago, Bethesda announced that the largest update in years for Fallout 76 would be dropping in December 2025, and that update is now officially available across all platforms as of last night. The update is called "Burning Springs", and it introduces a whole bunch of new content to Fallout 76 including a new...
News When Will The Xbox Countdown Sale 2025 Be Revealed?
Yep, we've still got one massive sale to come!
The Xbox Black Friday Sale might be almost over for another year, but we've still got one massive sale to come before the month is finished - the Xbox Countdown Sale 2025! This is typically one of the biggest sales of the year for Xbox, with potentially over 1000 games set to be discounted during late...
News Xbox Crowns Its Biggest Third-Party Game Pass Launch Of 2025
It's Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
It's been a pretty amazing year in terms of the titles that have been added to Xbox Game Pass, with multiple Game of the Year candidates having arrived on the service at launch, but one in particular has dominated the attention. That game is of course Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which has been crowned today as the...
News Three Games Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass Essential (December 3)
The cheapest version of Game Pass grows again!
We've already talked today about the two games that have been added to Xbox Game Pass Premium, but we've also got three games joining the Xbox Game Pass Essential lineup - the cheapest version of Game Pass available right now. Game Pass Essential, which was last updated at the start of October, is...
News Avowed Is Getting Its 'Biggest Update Yet' To Mark The Xbox Title's One-Year Anniversary
Coming February 2026!
Back in the summer, Xbox developer Obsidian reassured fans that Avowed's Fall 2025 update was still on track - but plans have since changed, and this update has now morphed into a bigger content drop set to arrive in February 2026. To mark the game's one-year anniversary next Feb., Obsidian says that it's delivering "our...
