News Metacritic Unveils Its Top 20 Games For The First Half Of 2026
And Xbox takes #1 spot!
- Xbox
- Metacritic
- Best Xbox Games 2026
News Seven Games Are Confirmed For Xbox Game Pass This Week (July 13-17)
Starting off with Ascend to Zero on Monday
- Xbox
- Xbox Game Pass
News Xbox Seems To Be Making A Fortune On The New Black Ops Ports For PS5
They've been spotted trending higher than GTA 6
- Xbox
- Black Ops 1
- Black Ops 2
- PlayStation
News These Are The Top 10 Microsoft Rewards 'Feedback Portal' Requests After One Week
The most upvoted bits of feedback from MS & Xbox Rewards fans
- Xbox
- Microsoft Rewards
- Xbox Rewards
- Feedback Portal
Review Turtle Beach Pacific Skyline - The New Xbox Controller With GTA 6 Vibes
It certainly looks the part
- Xbox
- Reviews
- Controllers
- Turtle Beach
News Multiple Old Xbox Games Are Suddenly Getting Millions Of Views On Social Media
Kelly Slater, Bee Movie, Ed, Edd n Eddy and others!
- Xbox
- Xbox Nostalgia
- Random
Latest News
TodayMon, 13th Jul 2026
News Metacritic Unveils Its Top 20 Games For The First Half Of 2026
And Xbox takes #1 spot!
Every now and again, we like to highlight the best games of the year according to the folks over at Metacritic, and they've actually published their own list over the past few days to cover the top 20 games from the first half of 2026. We've mentioned before how Metacritic is a little weird in how it does this — the idea...
- Xbox
- Metacritic
- Best Xbox Games 2026
News Multiple Old Xbox Games Are Suddenly Getting Millions Of Views On Social Media
Kelly Slater, Bee Movie, Ed, Edd n Eddy and others!
If you're not a big user of social media these days, we absolutely wouldn't blame you, but it's part of the job here at Pure Xbox - and one of the things we've noticed is a new account called "Xbox Nostalgia" that's been getting attention. There's nothing particularly mind-blowing about this...
- Xbox
- Xbox Nostalgia
- Random
News Xbox Fan Supposedly Wins Legal Battle Over Hacked Account & Missing Games
"They have to restore my acc with all my games"
Here's an interesting story we came across over the weekend! The likes of Eurogamer, Windows Central and Tom's Hardware have all been picking up on a Reddit post
- Xbox
- Random
- Industry
News 32 Packs Of DLC For Black Ops 2 Are Now Free To Claim On Xbox
Hopefully the base game gets a discount soon as well
The release of Call of Duty: Black Ops 1 and 2 on PlayStation didn't bring about any changes to the Xbox versions in terms of how they play, but a few changes were evidently made to the how they've been priced on the Microsoft Store. To be honest, we don't tend to track DLC price changes all that...
- Xbox
- Black Ops 2
- Call of Duty
- DLC
News The Elder Scrolls Online Is Planning A 'Revised Roadmap' Following Xbox Layoffs
"The plan is still to deliver great content"
In the wake of the Xbox layoffs last week, there's been some concern amongst Elder Scrolls Online players that the game could stop adding new content or even be closed entirely, but that doesn't appear to be the case at first glance. The folks over at Eurogamer have been highlighting a few quotes related...
- Xbox
- The Elder Scrolls Online
- ESO
- Bethesda
Guide Microsoft Rewards & Xbox: How To Make 10,000 Points Per-Month (Overhaul Edition)
How to get Microsoft Rewards points fast
We know how amazing Microsoft Rewards is, but did you know that if you live in a certain region and you have access to all the MS Rewards benefits on offer, you can make around 10,000 Microsoft Rewards points per-month? That's the equivalent of almost £10 / $10 worth of free Xbox credit every single month!...
- Features
- Xbox
- Microsoft Rewards
- Guides
News Xbox Seems To Be Making A Fortune On The New Black Ops Ports For PS5
They've been spotted trending higher than GTA 6
When Activision shadow dropped the new ports of Black Ops 1 and Black Ops 2 on PlayStation consoles last week, it quickly became obvious that people were lapping them up despite the lack of any real improvements to either game. Now that we're a few days on, we're starting to see just popular these...
- Xbox
- Black Ops 1
- Black Ops 2
- PlayStation
News Seven Games Are Confirmed For Xbox Game Pass This Week (July 13-17)
Starting off with Ascend to Zero on Monday
Welcome to a new week, and a particularly busy one for Xbox Game Pass! We've got seven games arriving over five days as things stand, so to prevent them getting lost in the shuffle, we thought we'd provide you with a quick roundup. The week is kicking off with Ascend to Zero on Monday, which has been...
- Xbox
- Xbox Game Pass
YesterdaySun, 12th Jul 2026
Retro Recap All The Classic Gaming News From The Past Week (July 12th 2026)
Time Extension Super Mario Bros. Special! Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure! Evercade price hike!
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. The Story Of Hudson Soft's Bizarre Super Mario Bros. "Spin-Off": Super Mario Bros. Special, for the...
- Features
- Retro Recap
Random Xbox Owner Goes Viral After Wild Gecko 'Appears' Inside Their Series X
"Now you have to buy the Gex Trilogy"
It was around this time last year that we published a big guide to cleaning your Xbox Series X in order to reduce the fan noise and instances of it overheating, but it's also a good idea to keep it clean for other reasons as well! Case in point: one of the top threads over in the Xbox Reddit community this...
- Xbox
- Xbox Series X
- Random
- Gecko
- Gex
News These Are The Top 10 Microsoft Rewards 'Feedback Portal' Requests After One Week
The most upvoted bits of feedback from MS & Xbox Rewards fans
Back on Tuesday, we highlighted the introduction of a new Microsoft Rewards Feedback Portal that would allow Microsoft and Xbox Rewards fans to share their top feature requests. This is obviously very similar to the Xbox Player Voice program that was implemented recently, so they're...
- Xbox
- Microsoft Rewards
- Xbox Rewards
- Feedback Portal
Review Turtle Beach Pacific Skyline - The New Xbox Controller With GTA 6 Vibes
It certainly looks the part
Whenever companies contact us about reviewing new Xbox controllers, we obviously have to be quite picky about how many we cover, and it typically comes down to whether they have any unique qualities that make them stand out. The Turtle Beach Pacific Skyline is pretty much your standard Xbox controller in terms of how it...
- Xbox
- Reviews
- Controllers
- Turtle Beach
Saturday11th Jul 2026
Feature These 40+ Games Are Coming To Xbox Next Week (July 13-17)
Including seven Xbox Game Pass additions!
Welcome to your Xbox games roundup for July 13-17! We've got quite a lot happening over the next few days, including the releases for The Mound: Omen of Cthulhu, Moss: The Forgotten Relic and various other exciting indie games, along with seven Xbox Game Pass additions highlighted by Densha
- Xbox
- Features
- Weekly Roundup
- Xbox One
- Xbox Series X
News Five Games Are Confirmed For Xbox Game Pass In August 2026 So Far
An early look at what's to come
As we always do around this time of the month, we're taking an early look today at what's ahead for August 2026's Xbox Game Pass selection, with five games currently scheduled to arrive in a few weeks' time. We've got two absolutely massive additions here in Beast of Reincarnation and Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy,...
- Xbox
- Xbox Game Pass
- August 2026
- Microsoft
Poll What Do You Think Of Assassin's Creed Black Flag In General?
Either the original or the new version
The biggest release of this week (along with DOOM: The Dark Ages Revelations) has been Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced, and if you weren't aware already, it's a remake of the original Black Flag from 2013. The Xbox Series X and S mark the third console generation that Black Flag has appeared on,...
- Xbox
- Assassin's Creed Black Flag
- Polls
- Features
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (July 11-12)
How about some Black Flag Resynced?
Weekend time! As we head into another hot couple of days here in the UK, we're planning to check out a bunch of new Xbox Game Pass titles, a few new Free Play Days additions, and possibly the new releases of Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced and
- Xbox
- Features
- Talking Point
- What Are You Playing
Friday10th Jul 2026
News Xbox Sends Out Brief Statement Regarding 'Inaccurate' id Tech Reports
They say dozens of people are still working on the engine
With the Xbox layoffs dominating the headlines this week, it's no surprise that we've been seeing countless stories, reports, rumours and speculation about the state of Xbox's game studios as we head into the second half of 2026. DOOM: The Dark Ages developer id Software is one company...
- Xbox
- id Software
- id Tech
- Industry
News Xbox Teases Potentially Major Console Update That Will Be 'Worth The Wait'
Insiders might be getting access to it next week
We've seen a lot of Xbox console updates being implemented ever since Asha Sharma took charge as Xbox CEO a few months ago, and it looks like we're getting primed for yet another exciting one in the near future. Brad Rossetti, who is the lead of the Xbox Insider program, noted earlier today that all...
- Xbox
- Updates
- Console
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
News Digital Foundry Shares Its Initial Analysis Of Black Ops 1 For PS5 Vs. Xbox
"This is a deeply odd state of affairs"
We mentioned last night how Activision had released new ports of Black Ops 1 and Black Ops 2 for PlayStation consoles, and in the initial footage that was doing the rounds, it seemed like very little had changed compared to the original Xbox 360 (and PS3) releases from back in the 2010s.
- Xbox
- Black Ops 1
- Black Ops 2
- PS5
- Digital Foundry
News Xbox Summer Sale 2026 'Teaser' Now Live, 300+ Games Discounted
Game Pass members get the deals a few days early!
It's time to kick-off the Xbox Summer Sale 2026! This year's promotion has begun with a few days of exclusivity for Game Pass members, before the sale is blown open to all Xbox players in the near future - seemingly on July 15th. Otherwise known as the Xbox "Ultimate Game Sale" 2026, this teaser...
- Xbox
- Deals
- Summer Sale
- Xbox One
- Xbox Series X
News Two Games Are Getting New Additions Today On Xbox Game Pass (July 10)
"...to make your adventures more thrilling than ever before"
Today's a weird day for Xbox Game Pass, because even though two games are technically arriving on the service in some ways, we also think it's a stretch to call either of these brand-new XGP releases. In the case of Palworld, that game's been on Xbox Game Pass since all the way back in...
- Xbox
- Xbox Game Pass
- Palworld
- Wuthering Waves
Random The Internet Is Going Crazy For This Early 2000s Activision Surfing Game
Time Extension The people yearn for Kelly Slater's Pro Surfer
If you told me I'd be waking up to an outpouring of love for Activision and Treyarch's Kelly Slater's Pro Surfer, a 24-year-old sports game, I probably wouldn't have believed you. After all, it's not exactly a game that comes up naturally in many conversations today, with most people I know typically...
- Random
- News
- Activision
- Xbox
News PUBG Is Getting Two New Graphics Modes For Xbox, Full Resolution & FPS Details Revealed
Along with various other console improvements
It's been a while since we last talked about PUBG here at Pure Xbox, but we did cover its new Xbox Series X and S versions back in November of 2025, and now they're about to get some substantial improvements in the near future. The key thing here is that two new graphics modes are coming to both the...
- Xbox
- PUBG
- PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
News Forza Horizon 6 Reportedly Tops The List Of Steam Releases For Gross Revenue In 2026
"Pulling revenue three times faster than Forza Horizon 5"
In the midst of what's been a challenging week in Xbox land to say the least, we've noticed the folks over at Alinea Analytics reporting that Forza Horizon 6 appears to be the "top new game of the year by Steam revenue". We already knew that FH6 was doing well both in terms of sales and...
- Xbox
- Forza Horizon 6
- Steam
News DOOM Developer Addresses Concerned Fans With Message About Xbox Layoffs
"We're going to keep building the great games and tech..."
We've already mentioned today how Xbox has issued a brief statement regarding the status of id Tech — the game engine used by id Software — and now the DOOM developer has also issued a separate statement of its own. A lot has been reported about the studio in recent days, including that...
- Xbox
- DOOM
- id Software
- Industry
Thursday9th Jul 2026
News Two Games Are Available Today Across Various Tiers Of Xbox Game Pass (July 9)
New additions to XGP Premium & Ultimate today
We're back with another Xbox Game Pass update for you! Two games are joining the service today — well sort of — one game is new to the Ultimate, Premium and PC tiers, whilst the second is moving down a tier and into XGP Premium. Tamashika is a zany, fast-paced arcade shooter with some seriously...
- Xbox
- Xbox Game Pass
- Gears of War
- Tamashika
News Black Ops 1 & 2 Now Live On PS5, Here's Some Early Footage Compared To Xbox
A surprise shadow drop
As you may have seen, the Call of Duty: Black Ops and Black Ops 2 ports have shadow dropped on PS5 (and PS4) today, and there already seems to be a ridiculous amount of interest in both of them on the platform. It's still very, very early days here, but we wanted to at least provide you with some early footage so you can...
- Xbox
- Call of Duty
- Black Ops
- Black Ops 2
- PS5
News Video Game Retailer Urges Xbox To 'Stand Behind Consumer Choice' By Supporting Physical
They've shared an open letter to the Xbox CEO
There's been a lot of talk over the past couple of weeks about PlayStation's decision to stop releasing physical games in 2028 and whether Xbox might go down the same path, and at the moment it seems they're undecided. In the meantime, we've come across an open letter from "North America's premier...
- Xbox
- Physical Releases
- Industry
News 30 Games Have Just Been Added To Xbox Play Anywhere
Thirty cheers for XPA! Hip-hip...
I'm a giddy little lad whenever I notice a new console purchase suddenly appear on the Xbox PC app thanks to its inclusion in the Xbox Play Anywhere ecosystem, and just this week it looks like we've been treated to another 30 titles. Get in! Having access to my console games on PC and handheld devices is exactly...
- Xbox
- Xbox Play Anywhere
- PGA Tour 2K
- Buckshot Roulette
News Free Play Days: Try These Xbox Games For Free (July 9-12)
Presenting your latest batch of weekend freebies*
Thursday has swung right back around again, and so it's time for a new batch of Xbox Free Play Day titles! There are three games to get stuck into this weekend, and we're especially stoked that some of you will get to experience the brilliant sci-fi survival game The Alters for the first time. In...
- Xbox
- Free Play Days
- Xbox Game Pass
- Microsoft
- Xbox Series X
Report id Software Pitched New Perfect Dark Before Xbox Layoffs
Amongst other ideas
id Software has been put through the ringer of late as layoffs continue to sweep through Xbox Game Studios, resulting in 3,200 job cuts. Half of the id Software team were let go just moments before shipping DOOM: The Dark Ages Revelations DLC. Not the pat on back they sorely deserved. According to a report from
- Xbox
- id Software
- DOOM
- Perfect Dark
- Layoffs
News Subnautica 2 Adaptive Measures Update 1.1 Arrives On Xbox, Here Are The Patch Notes
You can sprint now, that's cool!
If you've snorted a water slug today, it's likely you will have noticed that Subnautica 2's first Early Access update "Adaptive Measures" is live right now. Update 1.1 is mostly comprised of minor adjustments to make a better, smoother experience, but there are a few new bits to dive into as well. Here's how a...
- Xbox
- Subnautica 2
- Updates
- Patch Notes
- Xbox Series X
News MOUSE: P.I For Hire's 'Biggest Update Yet' Lands On Xbox, Here Are The Patch Notes
Time to revisit?
Psst, hey 'Big Cheese', it looks like we've got another batch of patch notes for you today. MOUSE: P.I For Hire has just received its "biggest update yet" introducing a bunch of new features and quality of life fixes. Update v1.2.1 is available now on Xbox Series X|S implementing a level revisiting feature, uncapped VRR, stability...
- Xbox
- MOUSE: P.I For Hire
- Updates
- Patch Notes
- Xbox Series X
Wednesday8th Jul 2026
Report Xbox Cancels Avowed 2 And Puts Obsidian To Work On New Fallout Game
Multiple projects said to have been dropped at Obsidian
A new report has come out today about the future of Xbox studio Obsidian, with Bloomberg's well-known reporter Jason Schreier claiming that the company will focus on a new Fallout game going forward, and not a sequel to Avowed. Schreier says that progress on Avowed 2 had been "going well" and...
- Xbox
- Obsidian
- Avowed 2
- Fallout
- Reports
Roundup The First Reviews Have Arrived For Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced
"Yo-ho, yo-ho, great review scores for me"
Listen up you scallywags, Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced reviews have dropped and they are glowing! I've personally played several hours of the Black Flag remaster myself and thought it a jolly roger of a time. If you're interested in knowing how the game performs across both Xbox Series X and S...
- Xbox
- Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced
- Xbox Series S
- Xbox Series X
- Review Roundup
Roundup Here's What The Previews Are Saying About The Blood Of Dawnwalker
Drawing comparisons to The Witcher
The first wave of previews for The Blood of Dawnwalker are out in the wild, and it's sounding pretty darned good. 'Dawnwalker' is being developed by Rebel Wolves, a relatively new-ish studio spearheaded by former CD Projekt Red developers. It's described as an open-world dark fantasy RPG that sees you wield...
- Xbox
- The Blood of Dawnwalker
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
- Round Up
News 300+ Xbox Games Have Injected 300,000G Worth Of Easy Achievements
It's that time of year again!
One of life's greatest gifts is listening to the popping sound an achievement makes when you're on the hunt for gamerscore. Now that we've entered into the second half of 2026, Microsoft's semi-annual cap on developers adding new achievements to their games has reset, resulting in so, so many easy opportunities to...
- Xbox
- Achievements
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
- Microsoft
News Xbox Game Pass Members Are Being Treated To A Surprise New Release Today (July 8)
"Buckshot Roulette" has been a massive hit on Steam
How's this for a surprise Xbox Game Pass addition?! Despite not being mentioned at all in yesterday's roundup of upcoming Game Pass titles, Buckshot Roulette has launched straight into the service for Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC and cloud across the Ultimate, Premium and PC tiers...
- Xbox
- Xbox Game Pass
- Buckshot Roulette
News Xbox Fan Claims To Know The Start Date & 'Initial' Games For Summer Sale 2026
But will we get a teaser event as well?
Back at the end of June, we highlighted the upcoming Xbox Summer Sale 2026 and predicted that it would either start on July 16th or July 23rd, and it looks like we were mostly on the money - but perhaps off by a single day. An Xbox fan known as "Bloomy" has taken to the CheapAssGamer and TrueAchievements...
- Xbox
- Xbox Summer Sale
- Xbox Ultimate Game Sale
News Xbox Game Pass Reportedly Drops To 30M Subscribers, But Has 'Started To Grow Again'
It was confirmed the service lost millions of subscribers last year
It's been almost 10 years now since Xbox changed the gaming industry with the introduction of Xbox Game Pass, and it's played a key role in shaping the brand and how people engage with it ever since. There's a lot of discussion about Game Pass on social media at the moment due to a...
- Xbox
- Xbox Game Pass
News Here's What DOOM: The Dark Ages Revelations DLC Looks Like On Xbox Series X|S
Solid 60FPS on Xbox Series S
It has been a tumultuous few days for the developers at id Software, currently dealing with the loss of half the studio as part of Microsoft's untimely Xbox Reset. Amid the layoffs, the team released Revelations, its first major DLC for DOOM: The Dark Ages yesterday onto Xbox Series X|S. We thought we'd take a gander at...
- Xbox
- DOOM The Dark Ages
- DLC
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
Tuesday7th Jul 2026
News These 11 Games Are Coming To Xbox Game Pass (July 9-21)
July is going to be a blast!
Today Microsoft has announced the next official batch of Xbox Game Pass titles for July 2026, with 11 games joining the service from July 9-21. Xbox is already poised to have a big month with Halo: Campaign Evolved coming in late July, but an extra Tony Hawk's game, and the overwhelmingly popular Planet Crafter bulk up...
- Xbox
- Microsoft
- Xbox Game Pass
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
News AC Black Flag Resynced Comparison Shows Difference Between Xbox Series X And Series S
How the Xbox versions stack up
In the midst of everything happening in regards to the Xbox layoffs yesterday, the embargo lifted for Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced content, and therefore we've officially got some footage of the Xbox Series X and S versions. There are a few sources for this, including over at the YouTube channel Game Friend -...
- Xbox
- Assassins Creed
- Black Flag Resynced
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
News Compulsion Games, Double Fine & Undead Labs Issue Xbox Departure Statements
EX Game Studios
As a new dawn breaks on news that Xbox is cutting 3,200 jobs and releasing four development teams from its Xbox Game Studios umbrella, three of those studios have issued statements about their departure from Xbox. In case you missed it, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma confirmed Compulsion games and Double Fine will return to independent...
- Xbox
- Compulsion Games
- Double Fine
- Undead Labs
- Xbox Game Studios
News 'They Will Report Directly To Me' - Mojang And King Singled Out By Xbox Boss
For having the largest monthly active players
In the midst of layoffs across the majority of Xbox, Microsoft has announced Mojang and King will play a more centralised role in its future plans. Within a lengthy "resetting XBOX" post on Xbox Wire, CEO Asha Sharma addressed the strategy to reduce 3,200 Xbox jobs through FY27, devest several studios,...
- Xbox
- Asha Sharma
- Mojang
- King
News Xbox Layoffs Cut id Software In Half As DOOM: The Dark Ages DLC Launches
"Xbox decided half the team was deemed useless"
DOOM: The Dark Ages Revelations, the first major DLC for the bombastic shooter, launches today onto Xbox Series consoles (along with PC and PS5). It should have been a day of celebration for the team at id Software, a chance to revel in reviews and give themselves a proper good pat on the back...
- Xbox
- DOOM
- DLC
- Layoffs
- Id Software
News 'It's A Franchise We Love' - Toys For Bob Keen To Work With Xbox On Banjo-Kazooie Game
Make it happen, Asha
The folks over at Toys for Bob are busy working on Spyro: A Realm Reborn for Xbox right now, which we absolutely can't wait for, but they've also indicated their interest in bringing back one of the most classic Rare IPs of all time. Yes, the Crash Bandicoot 4 and Spyro Reignited Trilogy studio is keen to work on a new...
- Xbox
- Banjo-Kazooie
- Toys For Bob
News Xbox CEO Sets Ambitious Goal Of Reaching 'More Than A Billion People Each Day'
She says she knows it's achieveable
New Xbox boss Asha Sharma certainly had a lot to say in her statement regarding the Xbox layoffs and studio departures yesterday, and one particular line from the conclusion has been generating a lot of discussion ever since. While insisting that the changes being made at Xbox are "about a bigger future, not a...
- Xbox
- Industry
- Asha Sharma
- Xbox Boss
News Microsoft Rewards Adds New 'Feedback Portal' Feature Inspired By Xbox Player Voice
Share your suggestions
We've got a cool new feature being implemented for Microsoft Rewards! If you've ever had any suggestions about how to improve the program, Microsoft is now officially asking for your input as part of a new Feedback Portal. This works exactly the same way as the Xbox Player Voice feature that was introduced back in May,...
- Xbox
- Microsoft Rewards
- Xbox Player Voice
Monday6th Jul 2026
News Xbox Announces 3,200 Job Cuts And Four Studio Departures
The news we were dreading
We've been waiting ages for Xbox to announce what's happening with the layoff situation, and it's now been confirmed that 3,200 roles are being eliminated throughout fiscal year 27, with 1,600 of those taking place today. In addition, Compulsion Games (We Happy Few, South of Midnight) and Double Fine Productions...
- Xbox
- Industry
- Layoffs
- Xbox Game Studios
