Timeline
Monday17th Nov 2025
News Xbox President Talks Positive & Resistant Feedback From Fans, How It's Shaping The Future
"Our players deeply care about what Xbox is"
Earlier today, a new interview with Xbox president Sarah Bond was shared on YouTube by the folks at Fortune Magazine, and Bond had a particularly interesting response to a question about "redefining" the identity over at Xbox. After spending a fair bit of the interview discussing the idea of "playing...
News Two Xbox Game Pass Titles Nominated For GOTY At The Game Awards, But Microsoft Misses Out
No first-party games in the GOTY list
Geoff Keighley & co. have just announced the nominations in each category for their upcoming The Game Awards show, and while two day one Game Pass titles make the main Game of the Year list, Xbox Game Studios misses out on any top-tier nominations. The Game Awards' 2025 GOTY is as follows:
News Sarah Bond Insists Hardware Is 'Absolutely Core' To Xbox, Teases Powerful Next-Gen Console
"Hardware is absolutely core to everything we do at Xbox."
Xbox president Sarah Bond has been speaking with Fortune Magazine as part of a lengthy interview for YouTube today, where she's provided a few extra hints about what to expect from the next Xbox console and future Xbox hardware. Sarah was questioned during the interview about how important...
News Xbox Partner Preview November 2025 Showcase Confirmed For This Week
Featuring 007: First Light and more
At the tail end of October, Windows Central's Jez Corden dropped a report detailing an Xbox Partner Preview event coming this month - and now an official Xbox Wire post has all the details on the upcoming third-party focused showcase. Microsoft's next Xbox Partner Preview takes place at 10am PT / 1pm ET / 6pm GMT...
News Cities: Skylines 2 Changes Developer, Console Version Still In The Works For Xbox Game Pass
"Iceflake Studios will be taking the lead"
We've now passed the two-year mark since Cities: Skylines 2 released for PC Game Pass, and after another couple of years attempting to optimise the console version for an Xbox Game Pass launch, Paradox Interactive has parted ways with the game's developer; Colossal Order. In an update on Paradox's forums,...
Hands On Black Ops 7 Is Amazing On The ROG Xbox Ally X, As Long As You're Not Offline
Good luck playing this on a plane
I mentioned last week how I've spent the past month barely turning on my Xbox Series X at all because of the ROG Xbox Ally X, and therefore all of my time with Black Ops 7 has been spent on the new premium handheld device so far. It was revealed ahead of launch how Call of Duty: BO7 was being optimis
Guide Xbox Adds More Perks For Game Pass Members (November 2025)
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 November 2025, including for the likes of Albion Online, The First Descendant, Apex Legends and a whole lot more. Fortnite Crew is certainly stealing th
News Xbox Dev Obsidian Says It Hasn't Used Generative AI 'At All' So Far
Even with releasing 3 games in a year
The use of AI in video games is a hot topic at the moment - especially in the wake of the whole Tim Sweeney, ARC Raiders debacle from last week. We've also seen reports that Black Ops 7 contains some use of AI recently, but fellow Xbox studio Obsidian Entertainment has come to definitively say that it hasn't...
Poll What Are Your First Impressions Of Black Ops 7 On Xbox Game Pass?
Happy with the new Call of Duty?
We're still working away on our full Black Ops 7 review here at Pure Xbox, having delivered our initial campaign thoughts late last week. We weren't shy in saying that we didn't exactly have a great time with Black Ops 7's story mode - but we're now checking in to see what you think of the new Call of Duty ga
News 'Where Winds Meet' Expected To Release For Xbox Following Major Success On PC & PS5
It's a PlayStation console exclusive for now though
If you've happened to venture away from the Xbox ecosystem over the past few days, you may have noticed that a new game called Where Winds Meet has been proving extremely popular across Steam and the PlayStation Store. This is a free-to-play open-world action-adventure RPG featuring a...
Sunday16th Nov 2025
News Call Of Duty: Black Ops 7 Gets Small Post-Launch Update, Here Are The Patch Notes
Just two days after launch
If you've been playing Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 today, you may have noticed that it's suddenly asking for an update - and that's because Treyarch has released the first post-launch update since it launched on November 14th. There are only a few minor adjustments here across two areas of the title - Multiplayer and...
Saturday15th Nov 2025
Talking Point Xbox Is 24 Years Old Today, What Do You Expect From Next Year's 25th Birthday?
A big anniversary is coming in 2026
Today is November 15th, 2025 - which means Xbox is officially 24 years old! Yep, Microsoft brought the OG Xbox and its accompanying games lineup to market almost a quarter of a century ago to this day; with The Rock and Bill Gates introducing it to the world back in 2001. We of course want to wish the system (and...
News Two Games Are Confirmed For Xbox Game Pass In December 2025 So Far
An early look at next month
As we always do around this time of the month, we're taking an early look today at what's ahead for December 2025's Xbox Game Pass selection, with two titles having been confirmed for the service next month already. The headline game so far is definitely Routine; this long-in-development sci-fi adventure looks well worth...
Feature These 40+ Games Are Coming To Xbox Next Week (November 17-21)
Along with a couple of Game Pass titles!
Welcome to your Xbox games roundup for November 17-21! We've got another very busy few days ahead for new releases, with highlights including SpongeBob SquarePants: Titans of the Tide, R-Type Delta: HD Boosted,
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (November 15-16)
Is a COD weekend on the cards?
It's time for another weekend! It's been a busy old week in the world of gaming again — especially with Valve announcing a slew of new hardware — but we're here to talk about games this weekend, with Black Ops 7 leading the charge on Xbox Game Pass. Here's what we're playing over the next fe
Xbox console exclusive games you can enjoy in 2025
What are the best Xbox exclusives you can play in 2025? The Xbox ecosystem has been home to some truly stellar Xbox exclusives over the years, top-notch titles that you'll only find on Microsoft's family of consoles and PC. What's more, the vast majority of these titles are now available via Xbox...
Guide All Xbox Games With Mouse & Keyboard Support
The latest keyboard & mouse list for Xbox One, Series X, Series S
Update: Our latest update to this list has added the likes of Routine, A.I.L.A, Surviving Mars: Relaunched,Great God Grove, Fate Seeker 2, Turok 2: Seeds of Evil, Pigeon Simulator, Voidtrain, The Finals, Dusk, The Outer Worlds 2, Post Trauma, Pacific Drive, Ball x Pit, Little Rocket...
News Stalker 2 Team Shares Parting Message Ahead Of Xbox Game Pass Departure
"One of the most glowing partnerships we've ever had"
In case you hadn't seen, Stalker 2 is part of the batch of games leaving Xbox Game Pass in early November, with the date specifically being November 15th - it should have disappeared off the service by the end of Saturday. To mark its departure, a lengthy message has been shared on social media...
Friday14th Nov 2025
News Helldivers 2 On Xbox Helped Us 'Give The Players What They Want', Says Arrowhead CEO
It's worked out great for everyone
Sony's experiment with bringing Helldivers 2 to Xbox has undoubtedly been a success, with the company highlighting earlier this week how the game was doing "extremely well" thanks in part to its launch on the Xbox Series X and S. Arrowhead Game Studios has always insisted that the decision was nothing to do with...
News Valve 'Excited' By ROG Xbox Ally And Insists It's A 'Sign Of Success' For Steam Deck
Friendly words towards Xbox's handheld competitor
It's been a good start for Xbox's new PC handhelds - we gave the ROG Xbox Ally X an "excellent" 9/10 review at Pure Xbox (with many other critics being hot on it), and the X model is said to be generating too much demand right now. But what does Valve think about it? This is the company that sparked...
News Xbox Fan Lists 13 Games That Are Currently Hidden From Players' Libraries
The issue seems to have picked up again
Back in December of last year, we highlighted a post from an Xbox fan known as UpstairsNo9249 who had advised that Microsoft had been quietly (and perhaps accidentally) removing access to a handful of games even if you owned them. The issue was fixed in some cases, but now it's apparently reared its ugly head...
News Xbox Game Studios & Activision Are Finally Teaming Up With 'Minecraft Blast'
It's a mobile game, though...
Ever since Xbox started acquiring these big developers and publishers, we've probably all thought about the synergy we might possibly see from Microsoft's gaming division, but that hasn't really happened just yet. At large, these developers and publishers within Xbox seem pretty separate - but finally, we're at least...
News Hi-Fi RUSH Is Now Published By Krafton, And It's Staying On Xbox Game Pass
"Players can continue to play without interruption"
More than a year after Krafton first announced that it'd be buying Hi-Fi RUSH and its developer from Microsoft, the team has detailed exactly what's happening today as the publishing of its colourful musical adventure moves over to the PUBG maker. In short, from November 14th, Hi-Fi RUSH will be...
Guide When Will The Xbox Black Friday Sale 2025 Be Revealed?
Up to 1000+ discounts set to be included!
The Xbox Black Friday 2025 sale is almost upon us, during which hundreds of Xbox digital titles are expected to be discounted for a couple of weeks, possibly even extending into December 2025 as well. The official date of the sale hasn't been announced at the time of writing, but it should be just a few...
News Here's Your First Look At Black Ops 7 Running On Xbox One & One X
Unsurprisingly unstable
Yesterday, we shared a comparison for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, and we weren't exactly shocked to see that the game runs perfectly both fine on both systems. It was the Xbox One version that we were most interested in, as the original XB1 is now 12 years old and still getting brand-new...
News Developing For Xbox Can Be Difficult, So Microsoft Is Taking Major Steps To 'Remove Barriers'
Making it more Steam-like, you might say
We've heard a bit in the past how some indie developers have found it tough to bring their games to Xbox for whatever reason - stuff like the The Mortuary Assistant, for example, where it ended up having to be delayed on Xbox alone. It's not a common thing that crops up, but Microsoft understandably wants to...
News Former Xbox Exec On Steam Machine: Choice Is Good, Not Everything Needs A Winner Or Loser
"Where YOU find YOUR fun is all that matters"
Following the announcement of Valve's new console-like Steam Machine the other day, there's inevitibly been a lot of talk about how it might affect the future of Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo if it ends up proving a popular system. However, former Xbox exec and all-around Xbox legend Major Nelson has...
News ROG Xbox Ally X Demand Has 'Exceeded Expectations' And ASUS Is Ramping Up Production
An impressive start for the X in particular
It's been a month now since the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X handhelds first debuted on the scene, and we've been waiting over the past few weeks to hear from ASUS about how well they've fared in terms of sales. In an
Crap Ops
Where do I even start with the Black Ops 7 campaign? Following last year's fantastic effort led by developer Raven Software, Black Ops 7 contains a messy, stitched-together story mode that barely constitutes as a Call of Duty campaign whatsoever. Intrigued? Well, I'll do my best to explain what's going on here, but the long and short of it...
Thursday13th Nov 2025
Feature Xbox Series X|S: How Their Prices Have Changed Over The Past Five Years
It's been a weird console generation
It's typically the case that whenever a console generation begins and a new batch of systems are released into the world, you'll save a bit of money by waiting as long as you can - hold off until there's a discount you can't pass up. That's happened at times during the Xbox Series X, Series S and PS5 era, but...
News Red Dead Redemption To Receive Free Xbox Series X|S Upgrade This December
Update: Rockstar Games reveals all
There's been a lot of talk about Red Dead Redemption 2 potentially getting an upgrade for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, but in the meantime, the first game in the series has suddenly been rated for multiple current-gen platforms. The ESRB has specifically rated Red Dead Redemption for Xbox Series X, Xbox Series...
News Seven New Games Added To Xbox Retro Classics, Including A PS1 Title From 1997
November's batch of new additions has arrived
Microsoft has added seven new games to its Xbox Retro Classics library for November 2025, following the four that joined the lineup around this time in October. We've actually got a PS1 title in the mix for November as well! The Lost Vikings 2 is that game, which is a puzzle-platformer that received...
News Free Play Days: Try These Xbox Games For Free (November 13-16)
Your latest set of free Xbox titles for the weekend
Xbox Free Play Days is now live! Ahead of the coming weekend, Microsoft has added five games to the program - with one of those being Grand Theft Auto Online which we covered earlier this week here at Pure Xbox. As for the other four titles, well, here's your full list of Free Play Days games...
News Black Ops 7 Comparison Shows Difference Between Xbox Series X And Series S
Here's how both Xbox versions stack up
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 has started to release around the world, so we've already got a comparison for it! The excellent Xbox Fuzion Testing is first on the scene again, sharing an initial look at both Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S gameplay over on YouTube, including some very preliminary performance...
News Fallout Season Two Gets 'Official Trailer' Ahead Of December Launch
"Just about a month before you’re back in the Wasteland"
Ready for Fallout Season Two? We're only just over a month away! As we get closer and closer to its December 17th arrival, Prime Video has shared a look at the "Official Trailer" for the second season, which follows the Teaser Trailer that was unveiled a couple of months ago. You can check...
News Analyst Questions Whether Next Xbox & PS6 Could Slip To 2028 Following GTA Delay
"Sony and Microsoft will have wanted a much earlier release [for GTA 6]"
Microsoft has yet to say anything about when to expect the next Xbox console (and neither has Sony about the PS6), but speculation and the odd rumour here and there have settled on 2027 as being the most likely year as things stand. It's unlikely that anything's set in stone...
News 25+ Games Reduced By 80-90% In Xbox's Generous New Warner Bros. Publisher Sale
Heavy discounts for some classic Xbox games!
This week's new batch of Xbox deals have been a little more subdued than usual, but with the Xbox Black Friday Sale 2025 set to arrive imminently, it's probably no surprise that they're keeping things quiet. Before we get to the big BF sale, we wanted to highlight a new Warner Bros. Publisher Sale that's...
Random Valve's Steam Machine Is Reminding Folks Of Those Old Xbox Series S Mockups
Project Lockhart, anyone?
Okay, we've got to admit, Valve's new Steam Machine is pretty cute, right? The little 'GabeCube', as it's affectionately being named in some corners of the internet, is Valve's new attempt to bridge the gap between console and PC hardware - in the wake of its successful
News Three Big Fixes Coming To Fallout 4 Next Week, Mod Storage To Increase By 50x On Xbox Soon
"We’re actively investigating issues you’re encountering"
We've already talked about how Fallout 4: Anniversary Edition didn't get off to the best of starts the other day, but Bethesda is quickly on the case - promising an important hotfix update for next week, and two bigger patches incoming. Firstly, the hotfix for next week will include...
News Xbox Game Pass Users Are 'Moving To New Zealand' Again To Play Black Ops 7 Early
Some regions can play before others...
It's finally almost time for the launch of Black Ops 7 on Xbox, with the game officially releasing this week on November 14th. However, as is becoming the norm each year, fans have already started talking about plans to 'visit New Zealand' to begin playing a little early. Yes, the biggest open secret in the...
News Square Enix Is Cutting Down Its Western Workforce, Focusing On Japanese Development
More layoffs afoot
New financials from publisher Square Enix, alongside reported information from outlet IGN, show that the Final Fantasy maker is shrinking down its Western workforce to further focus on Japanese development. Those financial reports include a note that says "review and optimization of overseas studio development or
News Valve Says It Focused On 'Own Audience' For Steam Machine Rather Than Xbox, PS5 & Switch
In an interview following yesterday's reveal
We've already heard from Xbox boss Phil Spencer on his thoughts about yesterday's Steam Machine reveal, with Spencer "welcom new options for players to access games everywhere", but how does Valve feel about the comparisons to Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo's efforts in the console space? Speaking to
Wednesday12th Nov 2025
Talking Point What Does The 'Steam Machine' Mean For Xbox's Next-Gen Console Plans?
Multiple ways of looking at it
Following Valve's big hardware announcement earlier today, we've noticed a lot of chatter on social media about how the Steam Machine could cause major problems for Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo, and particularly in terms of Xbox. A few weeks ago, it was suggested that the next Xbox console would potentially...
News Steam Machine Specs Revealed, Here's How They Compare To Xbox Series X|S
Valve's new console-like PC for 2026
With Valve announcing its new Steam Machine today, the good folks over at Digital Foundry have been hands on with the device as part of the reveal, and they've also shared a list of specs to give us an idea of its potential horsepower. That also means we can do some comparisons with the Xbox Series X and S!...
News Xbox Boss Phil Spencer Shares His Thoughts On Valve's New 'Steam Machine'
"Congrats on today's announce"
In case you haven't seen it yet, Valve has announced a bunch of new hardware for 2026 today including a console-like PC known as the "Steam Machine", and Xbox boss Phil Spencer has been reacting to the reveal on social media. Spencer responded to Valve's announcement post on Twitter, highlighting that Xbox's focus on...
News Valve Announces New Hardware, Including A Steam Machine That'll Compete With Xbox
Coming in 2026
In typical Valve fashion, the Steam owner has today announced a new lineup of gaming hardware coming in 2026 - including the Steam Machine which sounds a lot like it'll compete with the likes of Microsoft and Xbox. As detailed in the video up above, this new Steam Machine is basically a home console version of its
Reaction As Gran Turismo 7 Gets A Major 2025 Expansion, Forza Motorsport Deserved More
The Xbox racer is on hiatus
Last night, we were tuning into Sony's State of Play event to see what Xbox-related announcements would show up, as you do. Thankfully, there were quite a few relevant reveals, but one of the most interesting trailers of the evening was for a new Gran Turismo 7 expansion. GT7 Power Pack adds a bunch of cool stuff like...
News Call Of Duty Dev Clarifies Skill-Based Matchmaking Options In Black Ops 7
"Here's what you'll see on day one"
Last month, developer Treyarch announced that it was removing skill-based matchmaking from Black Ops 7 multiplayer following some early beta testing of this change in direction - and now the team has detailed exactly how this will all work at launch, and there are some caveats. Black Ops 7's multiplayer playlists...
News Backbone Pro: Xbox Edition Announced, And It's Available To Buy Today
"Redesigned from the ground up"
If you're in the market for a premium Xbox mobile controller that works across both Android and iOS (iPhone 15 and above), you might be interested in the Backbone Pro: Xbox Edition, which has just been announced today. This is a pretty darn expensive controller at £169.99 / $179.99, but it comes with loads of...
News Epic Games CEO Comments On ARC Raiders And Its Use Of AI Voice Generation
Stemming from a controversial review
Earlier this week, outlet Eurogamer put out a controversial review on ARC Raiders - one where the game's use of AI voice generation massively affected the site's overall score, which ended up being a 2/5. As you can imagine, this has kicked up a bit of a frenzy online - so much so that Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney...
