News Microsoft CFO Admits Xbox Revenue Was 'Below Expectations' In FY26 Q2
But the CEO highlights PC & cloud gaming as positives
- Xbox
- Microsoft
- Earnings
Hands On Highguard Feels Smooth & Solid On Xbox, But Desperately Needs More Ways To Play
One trick pony
- Xbox
- Features
- Hands On
- Highguard
- Xbox Series X
News Two Games Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (January 29)
Including a massive AAA addition
- Xbox
- Xbox Game Pass
- Microsoft
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
Talking Point Will The Next Xbox Console Be Revealed In 2026?
It IS the 25th anniversary of Xbox after all
- Xbox
- Talking Point
- Features
- Next Xbox
Talking Point Three Years Later, What Do You Think Of The GoldenEye 007 Port For Xbox?
Do you ever play it anymore?
- Xbox
- GoldenEye 007
- Polls
- Features
News Xbox Achievements Have Been Visually Redesigned, Showing Up In The New Cloud Gaming UI
Makeover time
- Xbox
- Achievements
- Xbox Cloud Gaming
- UI
Latest News
TodayThu, 29th Jan 2026
News Last-Gen's Kingdom Come: Deliverance Expected To Get Free Xbox Series X|S Upgrade Very Soon
4K, 60FPS and more
Hot on the heels of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 delivering sprawling RPG greatness in 2025, the team at Warhorse Studios is seemingly planning a big upgrade for Xbox One's Kingdom Come: Deliverance, with the last-gen title expected to get an Xbox Series X|S patch very soon. As shared by our friends over at Push Square, the...
- Xbox
- Kingdom Come Deliverance
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
- Free Upgrade
News Two Games Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (January 29)
Including a massive AAA addition
Welcome to your final Xbox Game Pass update for January 2026! Today's lineup is being headlined by the mighty Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, which arrives for Xbox Series X|S and PC just over a year after launch. Here's what to expect from that, alongside today's other Xbox Game Pass addition (January 29): M
- Xbox
- Xbox Game Pass
- Microsoft
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
News Microsoft CFO Admits Xbox Revenue Was 'Below Expectations' In FY26 Q2
But the CEO highlights PC & cloud gaming as positives
Last night, Microsoft unveiled its latest earnings release for the period spanning October 1st - December 31st of 2025 (known as FY26 Q2), and unfortunately it didn't make for great reading in terms of Xbox. Microsoft specifically highlighted the release as showcasing "Cloud and AI Strength"...
- Xbox
- Microsoft
- Earnings
YesterdayWed, 28th Jan 2026
News Albion Online Is Finally Making Its Xbox Console Debut After Nine Years
The popular MMORPG is on its way to Xbox Series X and S!
It was all the way back in 2017 that Albion Online first arrived on PC, and the free-to-play MMORPG is still going strong here in 2026. Better yet, the team has just announced that it's finally making its Xbox console debut this year! You can see this in the following roadmap for Spring 2026,...
- Xbox
- Albion Online
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
News Two Games Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (January 28)
Your penultimate January additions
Welcome to your latest Xbox Game Pass roundup! Our second-to-last January update brings two titles to the library, including one that's new-to-Xbox in the form of Drop Duchy. Here's some extra detail on today's two new Game Pass additions (January 28): Anno: Mutationem (Console, PC, Cloud) - Ultimate, Premium,...
- Xbox
- Xbox Game Pass
- Microsoft
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
News Digital Foundry 'Highly Impressed' With Final Fantasy 7 Remake On Xbox Series X And S
Series S beats Switch 2!
With Final Fantasy 7 Remake now out in the wild on Xbox consoles for the very first time, the folks over at Digital Foundry have taken a look at how the game is shaping up on both current-gen machines - and the team seems genuinely surprised at how well the Series S version holds up in comparison to other consoles. Yep,...
- Xbox
- Final Fantasy 7 Remake
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
- Nintendo Switch 2
News Xbox Achievements Have Been Visually Redesigned, Showing Up In The New Cloud Gaming UI
Makeover time
It's been a long time since Xbox has done anything with its achievements system, but multiple people have been spotting that since the new Xbox Cloud Gaming dashboard went live yesterday, a redesign has been put in place. Just to be clear, this is a visual redesign and not a functional one — they still work exactly the same way as...
- Xbox
- Achievements
- Xbox Cloud Gaming
- UI
Talking Point Three Years Later, What Do You Think Of The GoldenEye 007 Port For Xbox?
Do you ever play it anymore?
Can you believe it's been three years this week since GoldenEye 007 finally arrived on Xbox?! Yes, Microsoft somehow did the impossible in January of 2023 when arguably the most influential FPS of all time arrived on Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, introducing various quality-of-life features including native...
- Xbox
- GoldenEye 007
- Polls
- Features
News Grounded 2 Unveils New Early Access Roadmap As 'Toxic Tangle' Update Goes Live
"Did someone say roadmap?"
Just like with the first game, Obsidian is working hard on Grounded 2 during its early access period, releasing a bunch of updates including the Toxic Tangle update that officially dropped yesterday. You can see a trailer for that update up above, and here's a little synopsis for it: "It's time to tangle with The Toxic...
- Xbox
- Grounded 2
- Roadmap
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
Hands On Highguard Feels Smooth & Solid On Xbox, But Desperately Needs More Ways To Play
One trick pony
Highguard is another one those online PvP shooters that puts all of its eggs in one basket, to a fault. The new Xbox FPS — from some of the folks behind Titanfall and Apex Legends — has actually launched and feels super solid to play, but it needs more than just the one sprawling competitive mode as the only way to engage with it...
- Xbox
- Features
- Hands On
- Highguard
- Xbox Series X
News Halo Space Mod Goes Viral, Dev Says They Tried To Pitch Something Similar To Microsoft
"We pitched a few ideas but didn’t hear back."
We've talked a little bit here at Pure Xbox about mods going viral recently, and one that was getting a lot of attention on social media earlier this month is the Halo Reach: Slipspace Beta - a PvP space combat experience for Halo: Reach as part of Halo: The Master Chief Collection on Steam. Now, to...
- Xbox
- Halo
- Halo Reach: Slipspace Beta
Tuesday27th Jan 2026
News Two Games Have Quietly Been Cancelled For Xbox Over The Past Week
Here's hoping we'll see them in the future
Last week, there was a bit of media attention on a game called "1348 Ex Voto" following its release date announcement (March 12th) and surprise cancellation for Xbox — to be honest, we'd never even heard of it before then! The action-adventure game set in Medieval Italy looks pretty cool though, and...
- Xbox
- 1348 Ex Voto
- Nickelodeon Splat Pack
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
Talking Point Will The Next Xbox Console Be Revealed In 2026?
It IS the 25th anniversary of Xbox after all
For some time now, we've speculated that the next Xbox console could be revealed in 2026, especially considering it's the 25th anniversary of Xbox on November 15th, 2026 — surely a perfect date to reveal the next system, right? Well, that might have been the case this time last year, but with recent...
- Xbox
- Talking Point
- Features
- Next Xbox
News Code Vein 2 Is Getting A Range Of Review Scores Ahead Of Its Full Xbox Release This Week
5/10? 9/10? It depends who you ask!
One of this week's biggest Xbox releases is Code Vein 2, which brings its action-RPG / soulslike sequel to Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S on January 29th, and the review scores are a bit all over the place right now. It seems the vast majority of reviews are for the PS5 version of Code Vein 2, which currently...
- Xbox
- Code Vein 2
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
- Round Up
News Microsoft Unveils New Dashboard For Xbox Cloud Gaming On The Web
"A first look at our new web interface on your browser"
If you're a big fan of playing games via Xbox Cloud Gaming on the web, you might be interested to know that Microsoft is rolling out a new dashboard for it, and you can actually start using it today if you want to. For now, it's still just in a "Preview" phase, but you can activate the new...
- Xbox
- Xbox Cloud Gaming
- Dashboard
News One Of Metacritic's Top Games Of 2023 Is Available Today On Xbox Game Pass
The Talos Principle 2 is waiting for you
Today marks yet another brand-new addition to Xbox Game Pass, and while some may look at The Talos Principle 2 and immediately gloss over it, you should be aware that it was one of Metacritic's top-rated
- Xbox
- The Talos Principle 2
- Metacritic
- Xbox Game Pass
- Xbox Series X
News MLB The Show 26 Releases This March, No Sign Of Xbox Game Pass
You'll have to cough up the big bucks for this ball game
We've got a date for the new MLB The Show game! Sony has revealed today that MLB The Show 26 will officially release for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S on March 17th, 2026 — but there's no sign of a day one Xbox Game Pass launch. From MLB The Show 21 through to 24, every game in the series...
- Xbox
- MLB The Show 26
- Xbox Game Pass
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
News Final Fantasy 7 Remake Off To Impressive Start In The 'Top Paid' Xbox Charts
Square Enix will be pleased
Arguably the biggest Xbox release of 2026 so far has been the long-awaited arrival of Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade, but how well has it actually sold across Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S in its first week? Well, we don't have specific figures just yet, but the "Top Paid" Xbox charts have just updated for the first...
- Xbox
- Final Fantasy 7 Remake
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
- Xbox Charts
News Carmageddon: Rogue Shift Is Bringing Its 'Brutal Roguelite' To Xbox Next Week
We're definitely checking this one out!
We're already busy prepping our Next Week on Xbox article for next week, and one game that's standing out to us in the list is Carmageddon: Rogue Shift — a return of the classic vehicular combat series that debuted back in 1997. This version of Carmageddon looks and sounds pretty ambitious, taking the form...
- Xbox
- Carmageddon: Rogue Shift
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
Monday26th Jan 2026
Roundup Here's What The Reviews Are Saying About Highguard, Out Now On Xbox
A massive free-to-play release from former Titanfall devs!
There's been speculation over whether it would launch on time, but the free-to-play release of Highguard has officially arrived on Xbox today, and the first reviews have just started going live across the web! For those who aren't aware, this is a PvP raid shooter made by developers behind...
- Xbox
- Highguard
- Round Up
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
News Highguard Comparison Shows Difference Between Xbox Series X And Xbox Series S
Here's how both Xbox versions stack up
Today's big Xbox release is that of Highguard - a new free-to-play title developed by people who worked on the Titanfall and Apex Legends games, and one that's been getting a ton of attention since being unveiled at The Game Awards. We've already talked about the reviews for Highguard — they range from...
- Xbox
- Highguard
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
- Comparison
News Xbox Studios Boss Talks GTA 6 And The Need To 'Space Out' New Releases In 2026
It's going to be a challenge!
2026 is set to be a major year for Xbox Game Studios, with multiple tentpole franchises receiving new releases over the next 12 months, and studios boss Craig Duncan is hyper-aware of how important it is to schedule these correctly. In an interview with GamesRadar, Duncan admitted that releasing Keeper,
- Xbox
- Xbox Game Studios
- GTA 6
News In The US, 66% Of Xbox Series X|S Sales Were Digital-Only In 2025
PS5 was at almost 50% too
With Microsoft's continued console price hikes over the last few years, the team's all-digital offerings have become a more enticing proposition for consumers, and that appears to have reflected in the 2025 console sales split for Xbox Series X|S in the US. Circana's Mat Piscatella has recently shared some "fun facts"...
- Xbox
- Microsoft
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
- Console Sales
Time Extension A new native port
Rare's classic N64 title, Banjo-Kazooie, has been recompiled for a new native PC port which brings a host of improvements to the game. Banjo: Recompiled makes use of the N64: Recompiled project to statically recompile the beloved 1998 title into a native PC port. The venture has been spearheaded by Mr-Wiseguy, creator of
- Nintendo
- N64
- Recompilation
- Banjo-Kazooie
News Fantastic Far Cry Upgrades Could Be Followed Up By More 60FPS Patches From Ubisoft
Strength through unity
Ubisoft has been at it with its back catalogue recently, upgrading the likes of Far Cry 3, The Division and more to play at 60FPS on modern consoles. It doesn't sound like the team is planning to stop there either, as Insider Gaming's Tom Henderson suggests that more of the company's classics could get performance boosts in...
- Xbox
- Far Cry
- Ubisoft
- Assassins Creed
- 60FPS
Rumour Xbox Might Be Planning A Second Developer Direct Showcase For 2026
We're up for it!
Over the past few years, the Xbox Developer Direct showcase has always taken place at around the same time in mid-late January, and the 2026 version of the event was no exception. However, with this year marking the 25th anniversary of Xbox, and so many exciting first-party games on the horizon for Microsoft, it's been rumoured...
- Xbox
- Xbox Developer Direct
- Showcase
- Rumours
Feature 30 Upcoming Games That Will Support Xbox Play Anywhere In 2026
Not the full list by any means, but a sneak peek!
One of the big topics of last week here at Pure Xbox was the excellent Xbox Play Anywhere program, and we hope you won't mind if we gush over it just once more — we wanted to bring you a list of upcoming games for it! So, Xbox Play Anywhere is very much an ever-changing thing, with games randomly...
- Xbox
- Xbox Play Anywhere
- Features
News Fable Likely To Be A Huge Hit On PS5 As Sony-Hosted Trailer Hits 1 Million Views
Doubling Xbox's number already
Following Xbox and Playground's latest look at Fable, we learned that the upcoming RPG is launching day one on PS5 - and if the first Sony-hosted trailer is anything to go by, that could be a pretty shrewd move by Microsoft. In the wake of Fable showing up at Xbox Developer Direct, PlayStation uploaded the title's new...
- Xbox
- Fable
- PS5
- Microsoft
- Playground Games
News Xbox's Blizzard Team Announces Multiple Showcases Laying Out The Company's Future
Diablo, Overwatch, WoW & more to feature
Blizzard has today announced four upcoming showcases detailing the future of Diablo, Hearthstone, Overwatch and World of Warcraft - as it hones in on a big year of 35th anniversary celebrations. Yep, Blizzard turns 35 in 2026, and it's going to announce news regarding these big f
- Xbox
- Blizzard
- Activision
- Diablo
- Overwatch
Sunday25th Jan 2026
News Six New Demos Have Been Added To Xbox In 2026 So Far, Including Three Major Ones
Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Tides is one of the latest
At some point over the past few months, Xbox has changed how it orders the "Game Demos" section on the Microsoft Store — instead of being sorted by new additions, it's now prioritising the most popular demos at any one time. That's all well and good, and it means a lot of the AAA titles rise to...
- Xbox
- Demos
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
Feature Why Is Nobody Talking About One Of The Best Xbox Exclusives Of 2025?
This deserves to be a chart-topper
It's becoming rarer than ever to see new Xbox exclusives these days, with Microsoft employing a multiplatform strategy for some of its new releases, but there are still plenty of examples if you go looking for them hard enough. For example, we talked about a game back in December called
- Xbox
- Features
- Rhythm Doctor
- Xbox Exclusives
Feature Fable Could Finally Be Xbox's Big 'Game Of The Year' Contender, But There's One Problem
Hey, hey I wanna be a rockstar
There's been a long-running narrative for some time now that Xbox never quite seems to make the Game of the Year cut, particularly at The Game Awards showcase that happens each and every December. There's no doubt that Microsoft has produced some great games in recent years, but that big TGA award always seems to...
- Xbox
- Fable
- Game Of The Year
- 2026
- GTA 6
Retro Recap All The Classic Gaming News From The Past Week (January 25th 2026)
Time Extension Sonic! Smurfs! Lara Croft! 2DS!
Welcome to Retro Recap, a regular feature we run each and every weekend which rounds up all of the best retro gaming news and content of the past week in one place. Fatboy Slim Opens Up About His Smurfs Video Game Soundtrack: One of the biggest names in the 'Big Beat' revolution that swept global music charts in...
- Retro Recap
- Features
Saturday24th Jan 2026
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 Highguard, Bratz Rhythm and Style, Prince of Persia The Lost Crown, Delta Force, Techtonica, Anno 117: Pax Romana, Discounty, Routine, A.I.L.A, Surviving Mars: Relaunched, Great God Grove, Fate Seeker 2, Turok 2: Seeds of...
- Xbox
- Xbox One
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
- PC
Feature These 20+ Games Are Coming To Xbox Next Week (January 26-30)
Including FIVE new Game Pass titles!
Welcome to your Xbox games roundup for January 26-30! We've got a few big games releasing over the next few days, with the highlights arguably being Code Vein 2 and free-to-play shooter Highguard, while Xbox Game Pass is giving us a whopping five new titles to
- Xbox
- Features
- Weekly Roundup
- Xbox One
- Xbox Series X
Deals All 40+ Backwards Compatible Games In This Weekend's Xbox Sales
Including the first three Fables!
With all the focus being on the Xbox Developer Direct showcase this week, we've not been paying an awful lot of attention to the various sales on the Microsoft Store over the past few days, but we have noticed that plenty of backwards compatible games are discounted right now! Most of these are part of the...
- Xbox
- Deals
- Xbox Countdown Sale
- Backwards Compatibility
- Discounts
News Clockwork Revolution Dev Talks Choice & Consequence In Its Upcoming Steampunk RPG
"inXile very much hangs its hat on reactivity"
Clockwork Revolution is one of the most exciting Xbox Game Studios titles being built over at Microsoft HQ right now, despite the team keeping things largely under wraps so far. Phil Spencer has expressed his personal hype for it, and we're right there with him; desperate to see more of this steampunk...
- Xbox
- Clockwork Revolution
- inXile
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (January 24-25)
Recent XGP addition? Dev Direct inspiration?
It's time for another weekend! It's been a rather busy week on Xbox with some good Game Pass additions and Microsoft's Developer Direct showcase, so it's safe to say we're ready to sit back and relax in front of our TVs over the next few days. Here's what we're playing this weekend: Ben Kerry, Staff...
- Xbox
- Features
- Talking Point
- What Are You Playing
Friday23rd Jan 2026
News Xbox Studios Boss Shares Update On Progress For State Of Decay 3
"I have done a number of visits to that studio..."
It's been a long time since we last heard anything on the upcoming Xbox first-party title State of Decay 3, but the head of Xbox Game Studios was actually questioned about it in an interview this week with GamesRadar. When asked about whether we'll see more of the game in 2026, Xbox Game Studios...
- Xbox
- State of Decay 3
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
News Playground Games Explains Fable's Open World & How It Compares To The Forza Horizon Series
"There's tons to explore..."
With this year's Fable reboot, the series is going truly open world with the backing of Forza Horizon specialists Playground Games, and that leads to questions about the size of the world and how it compares to other genre examples. In a new interview, Playground's Ralph Fulton has talked about just that - and how it all...
- Xbox
- Fable
- Forza Horizon
- Playground Games
News Forza Horizon 6 Is Tweaking Progression In The Hopes Of Addressing A Common Series Complaint
Making your way through the ranks
Xbox has finally lifted the lid on Forza Horizon 6 this week, and while lots of the focus so far has been on open-world Japan and what Playground Games is packing into the world, we've spotted a nice bit of fan service that could have a major impact on how Horizon 6 plays. Kicking off its gameplay overview at Xbox...
- Xbox
- Forza Horizon 6
- Playground Games
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
News Forza Horizon 6's Controversial Game Pass Upgrade Costs As Much As The Game Itself
Here in the UK at least
Forza Horizon 6 made a big splash at last night's Xbox Developer Direct, with an impressive showing that finally gives us a glimpse at Playground's vision for open-world Japanese racing. It's launching soon too — with a May release date on Xbox — but folks are starting to spot that the game's DLC is l
- Xbox
- Forza Horizon 6
- Xbox Game Pass
- Premium Upgrade
- Microsoft
News Xbox Exec Explains Why Some Games Are 'Day One' For PS5, And Others Aren't
"We're going to try and be more consistent"
There have been some excellent interviews with the likes of the Halo: Campaign Evolved and Gears of War: E-Day teams going live over at
- Xbox
- Xbox Game Studios
- PS5
Time Extension Audio director Dan "Toasty" Forden reflects on an incredible 37-year career
In October 2025, Dan Forden, the legendary sound designer and composer behind the Mortal Kombat series, announced his retirement from the games industry and the Midway successor Netherrealm, after 37 years in the business. For many fans of the series, the announcement...
- Interviews
- Features
- Mortal Kombat
- VGM
News Xbox Has Just Quietly Added Two Sims Classics To PC Game Pass
Via the EA Play program
We weren't expecting any Xbox Game Pass additions on the day of the Xbox Developer Direct except perhaps a shadow drop at the event itself (which didn't happen), but instead we ended up getting two surprise PC Game Pass titles! These are some absolute classics as well, with The Sims 1 and
- Xbox
- PC
- Sims
- PC Game Pass
Opinion Xbox Dev Direct 2026 Was Great, And One Game Clearly Stole The Show
We'll all be chicken chasing later this year
Xbox Developer Direct is always one of my favourite events of the year. Not only is it so much easier to cover from a Pure Xbox perspective than other showcases (!), but it also gives four games (or occasionally one or two more) a chance to breathe — a chance to escape from the rapid pace of the Xbox...
- Xbox
- Xbox Developer Direct
- Opinion
- Features
News Free Play Days: Try These Xbox Games For Free (January 22-25)
Five games, and they're all well worth playing!
In the midst of all the Xbox Developer Direct news on Thursday, we didn't get a chance to tell you about this week's Xbox Free Play Days games — and there's too much good stuff here for you to miss out on! Four games are technically included with Xbox Free Play Days this week, and they're all well...
- Xbox
- Free Play Days
- Xbox Game Pass
- Microsoft
Talking Point What Are Your Favourite Fable Memories?
Time Extension We'd love to know your favourite anecdotes from across Lionhead's classic series
Last night's Xbox Developer Direct 2026 Showcase saw Playground Games reveal the latest look at its upcoming reboot of the Fable series, and it's inevitably got me waxing all nostalgic about all of the hijinks I got up to in Lionhead's original trilogy. From the joyful...
- Talking Point
- Features
- Fable
- Xbox
Thursday22nd Jan 2026
News Fable Showcases Stunning Gameplay Deep Dive, Arrives On Xbox, PC & PS5 Later This Year
A fabled reveal
After what feels like an absolute eternity since it was first announced, Xbox and Playground Games have finally pulled back the curtain on the upcoming Fable reboot - and wow, this could be an Xbox game for the ages if all comes together in Autumn 2026. The Forza Horizon specialists are set to deliver a sprawling open world RPG with...
- Xbox
- Fable
- Developer Direct
- Playground Games
- Xbox Game Pass
Roundup Here's What Was Revealed At The Xbox Developer Direct 2026 Showcase
All the big announcements!
Weren't able to catch January 2026's Xbox Developer Direct 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 article...
- Xbox
- Xbox Developer Direct
- Showcase
- Features
- Xbox Series X
