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TodayFri, 24th Jan 2025

  • News Xbox Unveils The 'Excellence Awards' And Reveals All The 2024 Winners

    "The games you loved most in 2024"

    Today, we're being formally introduced to the Xbox Excellence Awards, which seeks to highlight the games that fans "loved most" in the previous year - with trophies being sent to the devs and publishers who created them. "These teams create unforgettable gaming experiences that engage and inspire players of all...

    • Xbox
    • Xbox Excellence Awards
    • Xbox Series X
    • Xbox Series S
    • PC
  • News 'Raft' Has Dominated The Xbox Charts Since Shadow Dropping In December

    "Experience the thrill of survival at sea"

    If you're a fan of PC gaming, you may have come across a title over the past few years called "Raft" - which takes the form of a solo and multiplayer survival adventure that's racked up hundreds of thousands of Steam reviews so far. Those Steam reviews are "Very Positive" as well, so it stands to reason...

    • Xbox
    • Raft
    • Raft: The Final Chapter
    • Charts
    • Top Paid
  • News 'Xbox Play Anywhere' Makes A Welcome Appearance At Developer Direct 2025

    Will it have a bigger role to play in the future?

    We've long been fans of Xbox Play Anywhere here at Pure Xbox, but it's not always been promoted as well as we'd like - Microsoft makes it very difficult to see a full list of games that actually support the Play Anywhere program. In fact, fans have discovered that over 1,100 Xbox games are included...

    • Xbox
    • Xbox Play Anywhere
    • Xbox Developer Direct
  • Deals All 20+ Backwards Compatible Games In The Xbox Lunar New Year Sale 2025

    Including more Ninja Gaiden!

    The massive Xbox Lunar New Year Sale for 2025 has officially kicked off today, and as you'd expect, it includes a bunch of backwards compatible titles from the original Xbox and Xbox 360 eras - around 20 of them in all. You'll find some definite highlights in the mix, including a massive range of Call of Duty titles...

    • Xbox
    • Deals
    • Xbox Lunar New Year Sale
    • Backwards Compatibility
    • Discounts
  • News Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown Is Free To Play On Xbox This Weekend

    A surprise fifth addition to Xbox Free Play Days!

    When Xbox unveiled this weekend's batch of Free Play Days titles yesterday, they didn't tell us about a surprise fifth addition that would be added today! It's arguably the most interesting as well - the new Test Drive game from last year. Yes, from January 24th (today) until 9am UTC on January...

    • Xbox
    • Test Drive Unlimited
    • Free Play Days
    • Xbox Series X
    • Xbox Series S
  • Deals Xbox 'Lunar New Year' Sale Now Live, 600+ Games Discounted

    The biggest sale of the year so far!

    It's time for the Xbox Lunar New Year Sale 2025! Yes, after yesterdays huge Developer Direct showcase, Xbox has only gone and treated us to the biggest Xbox sale of the year so far - with over 600 games reduced until February 6th. There are some massive AAA games in here as well, from the likes of Call of Duty:...

    • Xbox
    • Deals
    • Lunar New Year
    • 2025
    • Xbox One
  • Roundup The First Previews Are In For DOOM: The Dark Ages

    Get ready to rip and tear this May

    Well, it's now officially confirmed - DOOM: The Dark Ages is releasing for Xbox, Game Pass, and other platforms on May 15, 2025. This title has obviously been in the pipeline for some time now, and with this in mind, multiple outlets have already experienced guided previews of the new prequel entry. The first...

    • Roundup
    • Xbox
    • Xbox Game Pass
    • DOOM: The Dark Ages
    • Xbox Series X

YesterdayThu, 23rd Jan 2025

  • Guide Xbox Developer Direct 2025: Event Date, Start Times & Where To Watch The Showcase

    We're getting VERY close now!

    It's almost time for the Xbox Developer Direct! Yep, the 2025 edition of Microsoft's dev-focused showcase returns this Thursday (which is today!), with multiple titles confirmed for the show already. In this guide, we're going to tell you everything you need to know about the Xbox Developer Direct 2025 ahead of it...

    • Xbox
    • Guides
    • Xbox Developer Direct 2025
    • Microsoft
  • Guide Xbox Game Pass Perks: Everything You Can Claim In January 2025

    A new year of Xbox Perks has begun!

    The Xbox Game Pass Perks program is a neat little bonus for members of the 'Ultimate' tier who can benefit from a series of cool freebies, and to kick off January 2025, there are loads of free Xbox Perks that you can claim right now! We're doing things a little differently with these guides in 2025 - instead of...

    • Xbox
    • Perks
    • January 2025
    • Guides
  • News Multiple Xbox Game Pass Titles Seemingly Leaked For February 2025

    Next month is shaping up very nicely!

    As things stand, we only know about two games for Xbox Game Pass next month in Far Cry New Dawn and Avowed, but a new report from Insider Gaming is suggesting that three more will be added to the list very soon. These three games are Cras

    • Xbox
    • Xbox Game Pass
    • Rumours
    • Xbox Series X
    • Xbox Series S
  • Live Watch The Xbox Developer Direct 2025 Showcase Here

    Three major titles and at least one surprise

    The time has arrived for Xbox Developer Direct 2025! Today's show promises closer looks at DOOM: The Dark Ages, South of Midnight and the third-party Xbox Game Pass title Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, while we're also getting at least one

    • Live Chat
    • Xbox
    • Xbox Developer Direct
    • Showcase
  • Feature Xbox Developer Direct 2025: The Full List Of Reveals, Including Two Surprises

    Missed the event? Here's a recap

    Weren't able to catch the Xbox Developer Direct 2025 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
    • Roundup
    • Features
  • News Surprise! Ninja Gaiden 2 Black Launches Today On Xbox Game Pass

    A shadow drop for this Unreal Engine 5 remaster

    Shadow drop alert! In addition to the surprise announcement of Ninja Gaiden 4 at 2025's Xbox Developer Direct showcase, we've also been treated to the surprise launch of Ninja Gaiden 2 Black on

    • Xbox
    • Ninja Gaiden 2 Black
    • Xbox Game Pass
    • Shadow Drop
  • Reaction Xbox's Killer January Showcase Proves That Its Games Pipeline Is Finally Ready

    ALL of this in the next few months?!

    Well, that's a wrap on Xbox Developer Direct 2025, and wasn't that just an awesome showcase again from Team Green? We got a look at four new Xbox titles; three of which received release dates spread over the next few months. Oh, and who can forget about that fifth shadow drop title? Yep, The Ninja Gaiden 2

    • Xbox
    • Features
    • Reaction
    • Xbox Developer Direct
    • Microsoft
  • News Xbox Game Pass Hit Palworld Was So Successful It's Spawned A New Publisher

    Pocketpair Publishing is a-go!

    The team behind Xbox Game Pass mega-hit Palworld has announced 'Pocketpair Publishing', a new game-making company set up to help fund games by other developers. The team's Publishing Manager says "we've been working on this for so long" and that "big things" are coming for the publisher moving forward. Speaking of...

    • Xbox
    • Xbox Game Pass
    • Palworld
    • Pocketpair Publishing
  • News Xbox Reveals Ninja Gaiden 4, Coming Day One To Game Pass In Fall 2025

    What a way to start the Dev Direct!

    It had been rumoured before today's Xbox Developer Direct 2025 event that a legendary Japanese IP would make a surprise appearance, and it's turned out to be Ninja Gaiden 4 - launching in Fall 2025 on Xbox Game Pass! The game, which is officially being published by Xbox Game Studios, will feature a

    • Xbox
    • Ninja Gaiden 4
    • Xbox Game Pass
    • Xbox Series X
    • Xbox Series S
  • Poll How Would You Grade 2025's Xbox Developer Direct?

    Give us your verdict

    The dust is now beginning to settle on 2025's Xbox Developer Direct showcase! If you haven't had a chance to watch it yet, you can catch the full thing over at our live coverage page, as well as check out our recap of everything that happened as part of the show. So, all things considered, what grade would you give the Xbox...

    • Xbox
    • Xbox Developer Direct
    • Showcase
    • Polls
    • Features
  • News Free Play Days: Try These Xbox Games For Free (January 23-26)

    Included with Xbox Game Pass

    Xbox Free Play Days is back! After an EA-fueled return last weekend, the program continues into 2025, with four titles making up the lineup this weekend. Here's this week's full Xbox Free Play Days selection: A Little To The Left (two-hour trial) For Honor Train Sim World 5 Way of the Hunter You'll need a...

    • Xbox
    • Xbox Free Play Days
    • Xbox Game Pass
    • Xbox One
    • Xbox Series X
  • News Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Brings Its Stunning RPG To Xbox Game Pass This April

    Not to be overlooked!

    We've been excited for Sandfall Interactive's Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 ever since it was announced for Xbox Game Pass a little while ago, but after watching today's Xbox Developer Direct Showcase, it's become a must-play! The game, which now has a r

    • Xbox
    • Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
    • RPG
    • Xbox Game Pass
  • News EA Says Two Of Its Major AAA Titles 'Underperformed' In 2024

    Announces lower financial forecast as a result

    Publisher and game maker EA has dropped a new financial report as it looks ahead to 2025, and the results aren't exactly rosy for the team's late 2024 releases. CEO Andrew Wilson says that "Dragon Age and EA SPORTS FC 25 underperformed" last year, while the company "expects a return to growth" in its...

    • Xbox
    • EA
    • Xbox One
    • Xbox Series X
    • Xbox Series S
  • News DOOM: The Dark Ages Punches Onto Xbox Game Pass In May 2025

    Right around the corner!

    Id Software is back, and their next game is out sooner than you might think! Bethesda's FPS expert has announced that DOOM: The Dark Ages is launching in just a few short months on May 15, 2025 - and it'll be available day one on Game Pass now that the studio is a part of Team Xbox. This has all been announced during...

    • Xbox
    • Xbox Game Pass
    • DOOM: The Dark Ages
    • Xbox Series X
    • Xbox Series S
  • News Xbox's South Of Midnight Brings Folklore Magic To Game Pass This April

    See you in the bayou

    Compulsion Games has today announced the launch date for South of Midnight, its upcoming southern folklore inspired adventure for Xbox Series X|S. We're finally getting hands on with this one on April 8th, 2025, and we're glad - because it looks bloody beautiful! As part of the team's extended deep dive at Dev Direct, we've got...

    • Xbox
    • South of Midnight
    • Xbox Game Pass
    • Xbox Series X
    • Xbox Series S
  • News Banjo-Kazooie Revival Would Be 'Instantly Hated' By Some Fans, Says Original Composer

    "I have zero hope for another Banjo game"

    Earlier this week, we covered a story about the CEO of Moon Studios questioning why Xbox hadn't decided to make a new Banjo-Kazooie game yet - he suggested that a talented developer could "rival 3D Mario" in the process. This story attracted the attention of original Banjo-Kazooie composer Grant Kirkhope,...

    • Xbox
    • Banjo-Kazooie
  • News Xbox Is Hiring For Someone To Lead An Unnamed Dev Team, Starting Next Month

    Job post spotted

    An interesting Xbox job post has been spotted online today, leading to questions about whether this role is for an unannounced team or project over at Xbox Game Studios. Microsoft is looking for "an experienced Executive Producer" to "lead a game team" - but what that team is within Xbox remains a mystery at this time. Furthermore,...

    • Xbox
    • Microsoft
    • Xbox Game Studios
    • Industry News

Wednesday22nd Jan 2025

  • News Seven Games Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (January 22)

    Across the Standard & Ultimate libraries

    Welcome to your latest Xbox Game Pass update! Today, we have seven titles coming to Microsoft's Game Pass service - five new additions to the Standard library and two fresh titles for Game Pass Ultimate members. Here's the full list of new games for January 22nd, along wi

    • Xbox
    • Xbox Game Pass
    • Microsoft
    • Xbox One
    • Xbox Series X
  • News Xbox Is Adding Support For Even Bigger Storage Devices In 2025

    Starting with Xbox Insiders

    The current limit for external hard drive size on Xbox is already pretty big, but the team is expanding that capability, starting out with Xbox Insiders this month. Microsoft's current limit of 16TB will soon be removed - allowing players to utilise even more storage space on Xbox in 2025. Going off the team's wording on...

    • Xbox
    • Microsoft
    • Xbox Insiders
    • Xbox Storage
    • Xbox One
  • Talking Point Have You Been Tempted To Switch To Xbox Game Pass Standard?

    The library is growing fast!

    Last year, Microsoft launched Xbox Game Pass Standard, phasing out its 'Console' tier of the subscription service at the same time. When it was revealed, we questioned the need for its existence, especially given how great Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is and the extras that are included in that service. However, with Game...

    • Xbox
    • Features
    • Talking Point
    • Xbox Game Pass Standard
    • Microsoft
  • Talking Point The Dev Who Greenlit Insomniac's Xbox One Classic Is Retiring

    We wish we'd have seen more

    Today, Insomniac Games has announced that its legendary CEO Ted Price is retiring from the company, after more than 30 years at the helm. While Insomniac has always been closely aligned with PlayStation — Sony now owns the studio outright — the team did produce an Xbox One classic back in 2014 - and Ted Price played a...

    • Xbox
    • Features
    • Talking Point
    • Insomniac Games
    • Sunset Overdrive
  • News SEGA Launches New 'SEGA Account' System Offering Bonus In-Game Goodies

    You can register now

    SEGA has this week launched a new online profile system called SEGA Account. It gives fans access to a "host of benefits" when playing SEGA and Atlus titles and using their titles' online services. This will include a bunch of exclusive bonuses for select games, starting with the upcoming release of Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza...

    • Xbox
    • Sega Account
    • Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii
    • Xbox Series X
    • Xbox Series S
  • News 'Silent Hill F' & Another Long-In-Development Xbox Game Rated In South Korea

    Could we be seeing these soon?

    Today, a couple of new video game appearances on the South Korean ratings board have us intrigued as to when these titles might show up again. First off, Konami's Silent Hill F has been rated in the region, alongside a long-in-development Xbox title - Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2. The latter has been stuck...

    • Xbox
    • Silent Hill F
    • Vampire The Masquerade Bloodlines 2
    • Xbox Series X
    • Xbox Series S
  • News Black Ops 6 Season 2 Brings Back Classic Maps & Modes On Xbox Game Pass

    Alongside another new Zombies level!

    Treyarch and Activision have announced the next season of Black Ops 6 and Warzone, set to kick off on January 28th with lots of new content. Season 02 of Black Ops 6 will bring five multiplayer maps, a brand-new Zombies experience, new weapons and more to the Xbox Game Pass FPS. Of those five multiplayer maps

    • Xbox
    • Black Ops 6
    • Call Of Duty
    • Warzone
    • Xbox Game Pass
  • News Xbox's Indiana Jones Voice Actor Wins 'Best Acting' Prize At New York Game Awards 2025

    Beating out some stiff competition

    Indiana Jones and the Great Circle may have launched too late to pick up any prizes at The Game Awards last month, but not all ceremonies have such a cutoff date, and a new prize for the 2024 title has now come in. Presented at the New York Game Awards this month, Troy Baker's performance has netted them the 'Best...

    • Xbox
    • Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
    • Xbox Game Pass
    • Microsoft
    • Troy Baker

Tuesday21st Jan 2025

  • News Six Games Will Leave Xbox Game Pass In Late January 2025

    Including a modern-day classic we gave 10/10 to!

    It's that time again! Microsoft has revealed the next batch of games leaving Xbox Game Pass in late January today, which includes six titles in all - with the likes of Death's Door and Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem amongst them. In fact, Death's Door is one of those games that received an extremely ra

    • Xbox
    • Xbox Game Pass
    • Leaving Soon
  • News These 13 Games Are Coming To Xbox Game Pass (January 22 - February 4)

    Including another Ubisoft addition!

    It's that time again! Microsoft has officially revealed the second batch of Xbox Game Pass titles for January 2025 today (as well as the first title for February) which includes 13 games in all - although some are already part of certain tiers. Prior to now, it had already been confirmed that Eternal Strands,...

    • Xbox
    • Xbox Game Pass
    • Roundup
  • Feature Far Cry New Dawn Got A Mixed Reception, But It'll Be A Great Addition To Xbox Game Pass

    Expectations got in the way

    Today, Microsoft has delivered its latest roundup for Xbox Game Pass, filling in some blanks between now and early February for its subscription service. The one title that immediately sticks out here is Far Cry New Dawn, and we actually think this is a really solid addition to the library - especially with its...

    • Xbox
    • Features
    • Far Cry New Dawn
    • Xbox Game Pass
    • Ubisoft
  • News Multiple Xbox Games Drop To 'Lowest Price Ever' In This Week's THQ Nordic Sale

    We might be grabbing some of these!

    Xbox always refreshes its deals on a Tuesday, and we've got a couple of new sales that have gone live on the Microsoft Store - one is a Publisher Spotlight Sale, and the other is dedicated to THQ Nordic and Handy Games titles. You'll find some great stuff in the Publisher Spotlight Sale (we've included some...

    • Xbox
    • Deals
    • THQ Nordic
    • Roundup
  • News Xbox's First New Controller Of 2025 Is The 'Pulse Cipher' Special Edition

    Launching in early February

    Anyone fancy a new Xbox controller to start the year? Microsoft has unveiled one today in the form of the Pulse Cipher Special Edition, which follows on from the Sky Cipher and Ghost Cipher editions that were released last year. Obviously the big difference is the blood-red colour scheme that leaves a striking impression...

    • Xbox
    • Controllers
  • News Xbox Fans Hoping For 'Marcus Fenix Collection' News After Phil Spencer Revisits Gears Classics

    What's Phil planning?

    Remember a few years ago when some sort of Gears of War remastered collection seemed to be constantly churning away in the rumour mill? Well, those rumours have died down quite a lot over the last year or so - but Xbox boss Phil Spencer's recent gaming activity is getting people's hopes up once again. Basically, Phil has been...

    • Xbox
    • Gears of War
    • Marcus Fenix Collection
    • Phil Spencer
    • Microsoft
  • News Here's 20 Minutes Of 'Eternal Strands' Ahead Of Next Week's Xbox Game Pass Launch

    Exclusively captured by Pure Xbox!

    Eternal Strands has been one of the most highly-anticipated Xbox Game Pass titles of January 2025 for quite some time now, and we're pleased to confirm we've been playing it here at Pure Xbox over the past few days! You can see 20 minutes of our footage in the first video down below, followed by a look at the...

    • Xbox
    • Eternal Strands
    • Xbox Game Pass
    • Videos
  • Talking Point What Release Dates Will We Get At Xbox Developer Direct This Year?

    Filling out the 2025 calendar

    As we continue to get closer and closer to the arrival of the Xbox Developer Direct showcase this Thursday, we thought we'd use this opportunity to ponder over the various release dates that could be announced at the event. We already know what's going to be there, of course - DOOM: The Dark Ages,

    • Xbox
    • Talking Point
    • Features
  • News Xbox 'Investigating' Reports Of Laggy Media Apps After Extended Playback

    There's a workaround if you need it

    An Xbox console is much more than just a games machine (as Don Matrick tried to tell us a decade ago) and many of us spending hours watching content on there, so ideally we want our TV apps to be running smoothly at all times. That's usually the case, but Xbox is actually investigating an issue at the moment that...

    • Xbox
    • Media
    • Netflix
    • TV
    • Xbox Insider
  • News Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders Is Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (January 21)

    A new day one arrival

    Welcome to your latest addition to Xbox Game Pass! Today, Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders hits the library as a wintery follow-up to the much-loved Lonely Mountains: Downhill - and it's a day one XGP launch to boot. Here's what you can expect from Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders when it comes to the Game Pass catalogue today:

    • Xbox
    • Xbox Game Pass
    • Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders
    • Xbox Series X
    • Xbox Series S

Monday20th Jan 2025

  • Rumour Leaker Names Multiple Xbox Games Potentially Releasing On Switch 2

    Microsoft might be going big with this thing

    Last week, Nintendo officially announced the Switch 2 as its next console, set to launch worldwide in 2025. Off the back of that announcement, we touched on how we'd like to see Microsoft support the console in a big way with new Xbox ports - and it sounds like we might be about to see that become a...

    • Xbox
    • Microsoft
    • Nintendo
    • Switch 2
    • Rumours
  • Feature Five Guesses For The 'Legendary' Surprise At Xbox Developer Direct This Week

    Based on the big rumour so far

    Happy Xbox Developer Direct week! January's big Xbox showcase is now just a few days away, and the big question on everyone's mind is what the fourth surprise will be at the event - it's been purposely teased by Team Xbox: "...visit a surprise location to see another studio’s brand new game." The rumour that's...

    • Xbox
    • Xbox Developer Direct
    • Features
  • News PS5 Pro Surprisingly Loses To Xbox Series X In HDMI Bandwidth Test

    "The Xbox Series X can do 4K120 at full RGB/444"

    Did you know that the Xbox Series X has better HDMI 2.1 bandwidth than the PS5? You might know that, because it was tested a few years ago by a YouTuber named Vincent Teoh, and he's returned to test the PS5 Pro recently as well. As it turns out, the PS5 Pro features the same spec as the PS5 in this...

    • Xbox
    • PS5 Pro
    • HDMI
    • Random
  • News Resident Evil 6 ESRB Rating Spotted Ahead Of Xbox Developer Direct

    Could it be this "legendary Japanese IP"?

    Today, a new ESRB rating for Resident Evil 6 has been spotted online, with Capcom's 2012 Xbox 360 title looking set for another re-release in some form. To be clear, the Japanese developer hasn't announced a new version of RE6 in any way at this time - so the exact nature of this rating is still quite...

    • Xbox
    • Resident Evil 6
    • Capcom
    • Xbox Series X
    • Xbox Series S
  • News Xbox Could 'Rival 3D Mario' With A New Banjo-Kazooie Game, Says Ori Developer

    "...and probably sell similar numbers"

    We've been hearing for years and years and years about how Xbox might do something with the Banjo-Kazooie IP at some point in the future, but as things stand, it doesn't seem like anything particularly noteworthy is happening. A lot of people have shown support for it, including the CEO of Moon Studios (best...

    • Xbox
    • Banjo-Kazooie
    • Ori
  • Talking Point It's Been Three Years Since Xbox Announced The Activision Blizzard Deal

    Covering Xbox has been a whirlwind ever since

    Well folks, over the weekend, we officially passed the three-year mark since Xbox first announced its intentions to purchase mega-publisher Activision Blizzard. Yep, January 18th, 2022 was when the news first sent shockwaves throughout the industry - the most expensive gaming acquisition ever. Of...

    • Xbox
    • Features
    • Activision Blizzard
    • Talking Point
    • Microsoft
  • Talking Point What Are Your Plans For This Week's Big Xbox Event?

    Will you be watching it live?

    With the Xbox Developer Direct for 2025 now just a few days away, this is our chance to do what we always do - ask you what your plans are for it! In other words, will you be watching this live, or just catching up after the event? If you're not a big fan of the lengthy summer showcases, the nice thing about Developer...

    • Xbox
    • Xbox Developer Direct
    • Showcase
    • Talking Point
    • Features