Report Xbox Planning Major Overhaul Of Game Pass With 'À La Carte' Options
Details revealed via a new report
- Xbox
- Xbox Game Pass
- Microsoft
- Reports
Report Xbox To Release Next-Gen Handheld In 2027 & Expensive Helix Console In 2028
Lots more details revealed by Fortune
- Xbox
- Project Helix
- Handhelds
- Reports
News These Nine Games Are Coming To Xbox Game Pass (October 21 - November 3)
Microsoft reveals the latest batch
- Xbox
- Microsoft
- Xbox Game Pass
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
News Xbox Exec Shows Off New Version Of The Blades Dashboard They've Been 'Cooking Up'
"Do we like this experiment?"
- Xbox
- Blades Dashboard
- Xbox 360
- Xbox Labs
News Three Price Tiers Revealed As Xbox Rolls Out 'Cloud Playtime' To Insiders
A new way to access Xbox Cloud Gaming
- Xbox
- Cloud Playtime
- Xbox Cloud Gaming
News Mass Effect 5 Cancelled As Legendary Developer BioWare Closes Down
"There is nothing easy about writing these words."
- Xbox
- BioWare
- Mass Effect
- Industry
Latest News
TodayWed, 21st Oct 2026
News Three Price Tiers Revealed As Xbox Rolls Out 'Cloud Playtime' To Insiders
A new way to access Xbox Cloud Gaming
We've heard for a while now that Xbox has been interested in offering a new way to pay for Xbox Cloud Gaming without requiring access to Xbox Game Pass, and it's being trialled with Xbox Insiders from today. They're calling this service "Cloud Playtime", and at least initially, it's being offered in three...
- Xbox
- Cloud Playtime
- Xbox Cloud Gaming
News Mass Effect 5 Cancelled As Legendary Developer BioWare Closes Down
"There is nothing easy about writing these words."
In some absolutely shock news today, it's been announced that legendary development studio BioWare is closing down after 30 years, and the next entry in the Mass Effect series has been cancelled as a result. BioWare shared a statement on social media confirming this, also shouting out games like...
- Xbox
- BioWare
- Mass Effect
- Industry
News Xbox CTO Issues Statement On How Project Helix OS Is Being 'Built On Windows'
Which perhaps confusingly means it'll likely follow the Series X and S
Yesterday, when Fortune published their big piece about Xbox, mentioning there had been internal clashes between the Xbox and Windows teams about the operating system for the next generation of Xbox hardware, people started to question what kind of OS we might actually be looking...
- Xbox
- Project Helix
- Windows
- Operating System
- Console
News Multiple Big Features Slated For Cyberpunk 2077 Update 2.5 On Xbox This Wednesday
Including cross-platform mod support!
Today, we've already mentioned how Cyberpunk 2077 has suddenly become part of the Xbox Play Anywhere initiative, and it's also getting a big update across Xbox Series X and S (and other platforms) this Wednesday. The update will be update 2.5, which is also known as the "Edgerunners 2 Update". It includes all...
- Xbox
- Cyberpunk 2077
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
- Updates
News Cyberpunk 2077 Has Just Been Added To Xbox Play Anywhere
Time for another Afterlife
I've talked a fair bit on Pure Xbox about my love for Xbox Play Anywhere and how it's my favourite feature. Well, I'm feeling quite happy about it again, because the fantastic Cyberpunk 2077 appears to finally support Xbox Play Anywhere, meaning you get a free Xbox PC version included alongside the console one! Rollout...
- Xbox
- Cyberpunk 2077
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
- Xbox Play Anywhere
Roundup Here's What The First Previews Are Saying About Stranger Than Heaven
"Stranger Than Heaven has become my most anticipated game of 2027"
The first round of previews for Stranger Than Heaven have landed and they're mostly very positive. Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio is best known for its zany Yakuza series, and its next game is set to be an ambitious, era-spanning evolution of its signature style. Set over a fifty-year period,...
- Xbox
- Stranger Than Heaven
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
- Round Up
Report Xbox Valued At Over $100 Billion By Private Equity Firms In 'Short-Lived' Discussions
Asha Sharma recently stated that Xbox isn't for sale
There certainly are a lot of reports coming out about the business side of Xbox this week, and one of them is that a group of private equity firms recently valued the Xbox business as being worth between $100 billion and $150 billion. This is coming from The Information, which says that the...
- Xbox
- Industry
- Reports
Report Xbox Planning Major Overhaul Of Game Pass With 'À La Carte' Options
Details revealed via a new report
We've heard rumours in recent months about how Xbox might be planning some kind of overhaul to Game Pass in the near future, and now the folks at Fortune have also reported that something big is coming to the service. The outlet says that "according to people familiar with the strategy", Xbox Game Pass will soon...
- Xbox
- Xbox Game Pass
- Microsoft
- Reports
News Three Xbox Games Are Out Today, Including A Spooky Post-Apocalyptic FPS (October 21)
Oh, hail yeah!
Welcome back to your daily fix of new Xbox releases! Today, admittedly, is a bit of a slow day for new stuff. Sandustry (PC) is now available for Xbox Game Pass Premium members, having enjoyed a stint on Ultimate and PC Game Pass. As for general releases, Hail to the Rainbow looks quite interesting. A somewhat spooky FPS with a...
- Xbox
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
- Round Up
- Xbox Game Pass
News Xbox Exec Shows Off New Version Of The Blades Dashboard They've Been 'Cooking Up'
"Do we like this experiment?"
For years and years and years at this point, people have been clamouring for the return of the iconic "Blades" dashboard from the early days of the Xbox 360 era, and Xbox boss Asha Sharma actually teased it earlier this year. Now, Xbox CTO Scott Van Vliet has taken to social media to reveal that he's been "cooking up"...
- Xbox
- Blades Dashboard
- Xbox 360
- Xbox Labs
YesterdayTue, 20th Oct 2026
News These Nine Games Are Coming To Xbox Game Pass (October 21 - November 3)
Microsoft reveals the latest batch
Microsoft has revealed the next official roundup of Xbox Game Pass titles for October 2026, with nine games joining various tiers of the service from October 21 - November 3, including the likes of Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade, Terrible Lizards, The Séance of Blake Manor, and many others. We're very...
- Xbox
- Microsoft
- Xbox Game Pass
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
News Shrek 2 Remastered Gets Official November Release Date For Xbox Series X|S
Update: Date revealed at the ID@Xbox Showcase
Well, well, well! Ahead of its apparent announcement at the ID@Xbox Showcase next week, internet sleuths have discovered an official Xbox Store page for Shrek 2 Remastered, which is coming to Xbox Series X and S. The page reveals that it's being developed by Aspyr Media, known for ports of the likes of...
- Xbox
- Shrek 2 Remastered
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
Report Xbox To Release Next-Gen Handheld In 2027 & Expensive Helix Console In 2028
Lots more details revealed by Fortune
More details have been shared today about what to expect from Xbox's hardware plans over the next couple of years, with Fortune reporting that a next-gen handheld is set for 2027 along with the Project Helix console in 2028. In terms of the handheld, the outlet simply describes it as a "next-generation handheld...
- Xbox
- Project Helix
- Handhelds
- Reports
News AMD FSR 4.1 Announced For Xbox Series X|S And ROG Xbox Handhelds
"And there's even more ahead with Project Helix..."
Today, AMD and Xbox announced plans to bring FSR 4.1 to the ROG Xbox Ally X and Xbox Series X|S consoles in the future. Until now, Sony hardware has dominated the upscaling conversation with its QSSR tech, but it looks like Xbox is set to have its own horse in the race.
- Xbox
- AMD
- FSR 4.1
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
News Xbox 25th Anniversary Controller Comes With Exclusive Dynamic Background
X25 Controllers launched today!
If you're the proud owner of a new Xbox 25th Anniversary Special Edition Controller, you're likely to have received a fresh dynamic background too. To celebrate its 25th anniversary, Xbox has launched these gorgeous translucent green controllers to match the special edition Xbox Series X. The controllers shipped...
- Xbox
- Microsoft
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
- Dynamic Backgrounds
News For The First Time Since The Xbox 360, Fight Night Is Making A Comeback
It's been 15 years since the last one
EA's Fight Night series has long been a favourite of the original Xbox and Xbox 360 era, and 15 years since the latest entry, it's just been announced that it's finally making a comeback! The news was revealed a couple of hours ago via a new account on social media, and even in that short space of time, it...
- Xbox
- Fight Night
- EA
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
News Final Fantasy Resonance Is Launching On Xbox To Extremely Impressive Reviews
The game arrives this Thursday
We've got a new Final Fantasy heading our way this Thursday in the form of Final Fantasy Resonance, which returns the series to the HD‑2D pixel-art world, and the critics are already heaping a whole ton of praise on it. Most of the reviews so far have been for the PS5 and Switch 2 versions, but there are a few Xbox...
- Xbox
- Final Fantasy Resonance
- Review Roundup
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
Roundup Here's What Was Revealed At The ID@Xbox October 2026 Showcase
The full list of all reveals from today's Xbox event
Weren't able to catch October 2026's ID@Xbox 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...
- Xbox
- ID@Xbox
- Showcase
- Features
- Xbox Series X
News Xbox Announces Eight Titles Coming To Game Pass At October's Indie Showcase
All the Xbox Game Pass reveals from today's ID@Xbox event
Today's Xbox indie showcase is officially in the books, and as we expected, it contained a decent amount of Xbox Game Pass reveals to dig into. We're going to delve into the XGP titles for this article, but if you want to know more about all of the games showcased today, then be sure to...
- Xbox
- Xbox Game Pass
- Showcase
- ID@Xbox
- Indie Games
News New Steam Deck Project Allows For Native Xbox PC Support, But With A Few Catches
It's known as Xodus Nexus
Ever since the Steam Deck first released back in 2022, there have been calls for Xbox and Valve to team up on native Xbox / PC Game Pass support, but it's unfortunately never happened to any major extent. Until now, the only way to access Xbox Game Pass titles through the Steam Deck has been through Xbox Cloud Gaming,...
- Xbox
- Xodus Nexus
- Steam Deck
- Xbox Game Pass
News Seven Xbox Games Are Out Today, Including The Next Great Co-Op Adventure (October 20)
DMZ is also happening today!
Welcome back to your latest fix of new games launching on Xbox today! There appears to be seven newbies arriving today, along with early access to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4's new DMZ mode. However, We Were Here Tomorrow takes the spotlight as the next big co-op adventure from the stellar We Were Here series. At...
- Xbox
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
- Round Up
Live Watch The Xbox Indie Showcase (October 2026 Edition) Here
18 games, including World Premieres
It's time for the ID@Xbox Showcase - October 2026 edition! As usual with these events, we're expecting lots of new indie game reveals, trailers, updates and release dates, along with a few Xbox Game Pass confirmations as well. "... a showcase that will be jam-packed with exclusives, first looks, and new games...
- Live Chat
- Xbox
- ID@Xbox
- Showcase
Monday19th Oct 2026
News With Two Months To Go, These Are Metacritic's 10 Best Xbox Games Of 2026
Just before GTA 6 takes over
We're getting closer and closer to producing our Pure Xbox Game of the Year roundup for 2026, and with that in mind, we recently asked you which games you considered your personal GOTY picks before December rolls around. But what about Metacritic? As you likely know, Metacritic produces an average rating based on the...
- Xbox
- Metacritic
- Best Xbox Games 2026
News Samson Developer Issues Statement As Studio Is Forced To Close
"We’re discussing continued support for Samson."
It was literally just a couple of days ago that we published a "Hands On" piece about what it's like playing Samson on Xbox Series X, but unfortunately the development studio behind that game has now been forced to close. In a statement published on Twitter, Liquid Swords founder Christofer...
- Xbox
- Samson
- Liquid Swords
Guide How To Watch This Week's Xbox Indie Showcase, Including Start Times & What To Expect
Featuring a likely appearance from Shrek 2 Remastered!
It's almost time for another Xbox showcase! The next one taking place is the ID@Xbox Showcase in partnership with IGN, featuring 18 games including multiple World Premieres (and most likely a ton of Xbox Game Pass titles!). "IGN and Xbox are teaming up once again to bring you a brand-new...
- Xbox
- ID@Xbox
- Showcase
- Guides
News Microsoft Employee Shares Their 'Truth' About AI Usage At Xbox & Beyond
"Gaming is the only industry where leaders are afraid to talk about AI."
There's obviously been a lot of talk over the past few years, and particularly in the past few months, about how AI is making huge waves within the gaming industry and changing how we think about both playing and developing games. Just a few days ago, Asha Sharma unveiled...
- Xbox
- AI
News Xbox Appears To Be Ditching Security Seals From New Physical Releases
Signed, not sealed, delivered
If you've bought a physical Xbox game lately, you may have noticed the security sticker seal has vanished. Well, this appears to be a new packaging initiative, with reports suggesting that several recent releases have shipped without the added layer of sticky security. According to VGP Video Games Plus, an independent...
- Xbox
- Physical Releases
- Discs
- Industry
News Xbox Hiring For Role Involving Physical Games, But What About The Future Of Discs?
"...coordinate the launch of physical Xbox games..."
Over the weekend, we've seen quite a few people bringing up a new job role that's just been advertised by Microsoft, specifically hiring for an "Xbox Games Supply Strategist". The reason it's getting so much attention is because this role involves physical games - the job description states that...
- Xbox
- Physical Releases
- Discs
- Industry
News Star Wars: Galactic Racer Might Be Getting Xbox Play Anywhere Support
Toxic Commando also spotted on the Xbox PC app
Scrib doon, because it looks like Star Wars: Galactic Racer and John Carpenter's Toxic Commando could be getting Xbox Play Anywhere support in the near future. The news comes from Narrow_Leek2452, a fairly reliable source known for their X
- Xbox
- Star Wars Galactic Racer
- PC
- Xbox Play Anywhere
- Xbox Series X
Poll So, What Do You Think Of Valor Mortis?
Let's get your votes in for the Xbox Game Pass title
Valor Mortis has been on Xbox Game Pass since October 13th, so just about a week now, and with that in mind, we'd love to know what the Pure Xbox community verdict is on it! Xbox-specific reviews were few and far between on Metacritic, but the PS5 and PC versions earned the first-person soulslike...
- Xbox
- Valor Mortis
- Polls
- Xbox Game Pass
- Xbox Series X
Sunday18th Oct 2026
Feature I'm Playing Samson On Xbox Series X, And Here's What I Think So Far
A couple of hours with the Driver / GTA mashup
Like many other Xbox fans, I've been intrigued by Samson ever since it was first announced. The game received a pretty bad reception when it released on PC, but the Xbox release a few weeks ago seemed to attract more positivity. So, I had to give it a go. I've only put a couple of hours into Samson so...
- Xbox
- Samson
- Xbox Series X
- Features
- Hands On
News Insignia Brings Back Online Multiplayer For Lots More Xbox Games, Including Burnout 3
The replacement service for Xbox Live 1.0
It's been around six months since we last talked about Insignia — the unofficial replacement service for Xbox Live on the original Xbox — and that's mainly because it stopped growing its list of supported games for quite a while. In recent days though, the team have suddenly become very active in adding...
- Xbox
- Insignia
- Original Xbox
- Xbox Live
Retro Recap All The Classic Gaming News From The Past Week (October 18th 2026)
Time Extension Dungeon Master! M2 ShotTriggers! Schrödinger's Cat!
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. ScummVM Now Supports FTL's Legendary 1987 Adventure Dungeon Master: Wonderful news for all dungeon crawlers, as the ScummVM team...
- Features
- Retro Recap
News Nine Games Are Leaving Xbox Game Pass In Late October 2026
The latest official batch of departures
Microsoft has revealed the next eight games leaving Xbox Game Pass in late October 2026, with all of these being highlighted as "leaving soon" on the official Xbox phone app. There are some pretty big favourites in here, including LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga and the always popular Deep Rock Galactic,...
- Xbox
- Microsoft
- Xbox Game Pass
- October 2026
- Leaving Soon
News Xbox Officially Adds Support For A 'Modern, Powerful And Production Ready Game Engine'
"Defold is a free, powerful, all-in-one game engine"
Here's a cool little story we came across during the week! Xbox officially now supports another game engine in the form of something called Defold, which is a totally free engine that's described as "powerful", "lightweight" and "performant". "Defold is a modern, powerful and production ready...
- Xbox
- Engine
- Industry
- Defold
Saturday17th Oct 2026
Feature 25+ Of The Best Discounted Games We Could Find From The Xbox Store Sales
Bargains for up to 90% off!
When it comes to buying games from the Xbox Store, we sure appreciate a hefty discount attached to 'em. This week, Xbox hasn't had the courtesy of whipping a proper sale up for you all, so instead we've sifted through deal-after-deal to pick out some reduced bangers. We still managed to find a lot of majorly discounted...
- Xbox
- Features
- Deals
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
Feature These 20+ Games Are Coming To Xbox Next Week (October 19-23)
Including one of the biggest Xbox first-party releases of 2026!
Welcome to your Xbox games roundup for October 19-23! We're starting to feel the presence of GTA 6 around the corner as the major new releases begin to dry up, but there are still some really interesting new games on the way including Final Fantasy Resonance and the massive Xbox...
- Xbox
- Features
- Weekly Roundup
- Xbox One
- Xbox Series X
Talking Point Are You Expecting Any Surprises For Xbox's 25th Anniversary?
It's literally less than a month away
We're now less than a month away from the date of Xbox's 25th anniversary (November 15th), and for the moment, not a whole lot has been revealed about how Xbox will mark the occasion. They've been celebrating all year, of course, but when it comes to the actual date itself, are there any surprise showcases or...
- Xbox
- Talking Point
- Features
- 25th Anniversary
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (October 17-18)
Are you getting a head start on the campaign in Modern Warfare 4?
Once again we've made it to the weekend! You should know the drill by now, but if not, this is the place to share your weekend gaming plans with your fellow Pure Xbox community pals. This week has felt like one of the longest years in recent months. In other words, I'm tired and...
- Xbox
- Features
- Talking Point
- What Are You Playing
Friday16th Oct 2026
News Here's What The Reviews Are Saying About Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 4's Campaign
Out now for those who pre-ordered digitally
Here we go! The campaign for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is officially available now in early access for anyone who pre-ordered the game digitally, which means the first reviews are starting to arrive as well. The good news here is that most people seem to be high on it, with the general consensus...
- Xbox
- Modern Warfare 4
- Campaign
- Review Roundup
News 10 Xbox Games Are Out Today, Including Modern Warfare 4 Campaign Early Access (October 16)
Did you pay the Capt. Price for Early Access?
It's Friday, people! Which means we have your last daily fix of the week to share with you all. First up is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 which is launching into Campaign Early Access at roughly 10am PDT / 6pm BST today. This gives anyone who preordered the digital versions of the FPS early access to...
- Xbox
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
- Round Up
- Xbox Game Pass
News One Of 2025's Most Successful Co-Op Games Is Finally Coming To Xbox Next Week
It's called PEAK, and you should definitely keep it on your radar!
Back when PEAK was first released in June of 2025 for PC, we talked about how it "might" release for Xbox at some point in the future, but there was no way of knowing when exactly that would be. Well, surprise! PEAK now officially has a release date of October 22nd, 2026 for Xbox,...
- Xbox
- PEAK
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
- Co-Op Games
News Forgotten Monkey Survival Sim Getting Free Xbox Series X|S Upgrade This December
Time to grow up
As far as my current-gen upgrade wishlist goes, the Xbox One animal evolution sim Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey certainly was not in my top three. But hey ho let's go, because the game is set to evolve December 8th on Xbox Series X|S. Panache Digital Games has entirely rebuilt the game in Unreal Engine 5, and whilst this is...
- Xbox
- Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey
- Upgrade
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
Talking Point Which Games Have Been The Most Impressive On Xbox Series S In Your Opinion?
The little console that could
Ever since the Xbox Series S was first released almost six years ago, people have been speculating that it might "hold back" the industry and ultimately become too difficult to develop for in the late stages of the console generation. However, as we get closer and closer to the arrival of Xbox Project Helix, the Xbox...
- Xbox
- Xbox Series S
- Talking Point
- Features
News Xbox's New OLED ROG Ally Is Getting Huge Praise From This Former PlayStation Exec
"My new favorite portable gaming PC"
Yesterday, we highlighted many of the initial reviews for the ROG Xbox Ally X20 which indicated that it was a very impressive albeit expensive device, which pretty much lines up with what we expected. Another person who's made their thoughts known about the Xbox Ally X20 is Shuhei Yoshida, who you may remember...
- Xbox
- ROG Xbox Ally X20
- PlayStation
- Shuhei Yoshida
Roundup All The Biggest Xbox Reveals From The Galaxies Autumn 2026 Showcase
Including a couple of world premieres!
Last night, the Galaxies Autumn Showcase 2026 aired a whole bunch of existing and upcoming Xbox games such as Stuntman: Hollywood, There are No Ghosts at the Grand, Spine, Guns of Eschaton, and so many others. Looking at this from an Xbox perspective, the focus was mainly on what's coming over the next few...
- Xbox
- Round Up
- Galaxies Autumn 2026 Showcase
News The Finals Season 12 Respec Order Changes, New UI, and Overhauled Sponsorships Get Detailed
Steam Hype Dust off your contestant shoes, its PRIMETIME!
Gearing up for season 12, Embark has been really hammering home the idea that this chapter of The Finals, the world's greatest game show, is going to be the best yet, with trailers focusing on specific items being added, the new destruction mechanics, reworked sponsor systems and much more (which you...
- Updates
Thursday15th Oct 2026
Nintendo Life "It's one of the most special jobs that I've ever done"
If you're keeping an eye out for our Castlevania: Belmont's Curse review, we're working on it. In the meantime, Ollie recently had the chance to speak to the voice of Rose herself... Since entering the voice acting scene in 2015, Abby Trott has been making huge waves in the animation and...
- Features
- Interviews
- Nintendo Switch
News The First Review Has Dropped For Final Fantasy Resonance, Hints At Campaign Length
I'm starting to think this isn't the final fantasy
October is stacked with exciting releases, and one upcoming title that has us particularly gassed is Final Fantasy Resonance. Square Enix's latest entry in the renowned JRPG franchise has received its first review, which also details how long it'll take to beat the main story and a full completion...
- Xbox
- Final Fantasy Resonance
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series S
News Free Play Days: Try These Xbox Games For Free (October 15-18)
Presenting your latest batch of weekend freebies!
Thursday is back again, and so it's time for a new batch of Xbox Free Play Days titles! There's six games in total, with NBA 2K27 leading the charge this week. The timing is great too, as the basketball simulation series is supporting Xbox Play Anywhere for the first time in its history, allowing...
- Xbox
- Free Play Days
- Xbox Game Pass
- Microsoft
- Xbox Series X
