Tag: Xbox Series S
Talking Point What Do You Want To See From Xbox In 2025?
As Microsoft redefines the meaning of Xbox
As we near Xbox's final major release of 2024 with Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, we've started to look back on the year in general - and think about what we hope to see from the team in 2025. It's been a bumpy old ride being an Xbox fan at times this year, and we're wondering what you think next year...
News Cities: Skylines 2 Dev Struggling To Get Xbox Version Running For Game Pass Release
"Further optimizations are needed"
Paradox Interactive's sprawling city builder Cities: Skylines 2 launched on PC Game Pass over a year ago now, and at the time, its console version was delayed due to optimisation issues. Since then, the game has been delayed and
News Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Isn't On Xbox Yet, But The Director Clearly Wants To See It Happen
"I think it's a great hardware platform"
It feels like we're constantly hearing from people at Square Enix about their desires to bring more Final Fantasy titles to Xbox, and although it has happened in some ways recently, we're still waiting on a few of the big ones. Take
Poll What Do You Think Of Stalker 2 On Xbox Game Pass So Far?
It's a divisive title
Well, our Stalker 2 review is now out in the wild, and as you may have seen, we've struggled with quite a few aspects of GSC Game World's new shooter. We reckon there's a proper game buried in here, but we're still waiting on quite a few issues getting sorted to properly discover it. We will say though, here at the Pure Xbox...
Feature These 10+ Games Are Coming To Xbox Next Week (November 25-29)
Including another two Game Pass titles
Welcome to your Xbox games roundup for November 25-29! Things are quietening down a bit over the next few days, but we've still got some interesting games on the way, along with two highly-rated Xbox Game Pass additions! Here's what's coming to Xbox next week: New Xbox Releases (November 25-29):
News Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Rolls Out Xbox Series X|S Update After Bumpy Takeoff
The developer issued an apology earlier this week
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 took to the skies this week and it's admittedly not been the best start for this new Xbox, PC and Game Pass release. The development team at Asobo has already issued an apology following the turbulent launch, and now the team has officially launched a new patch for...
News Stalker 2 Hits Massive Sales Milestone Despite Being In Xbox Game Pass
Wallet stalker
Microsoft, and the Xbox Game Pass team, has done its fair share of marketing when it comes to putting Stalker 2 in the public eye - but it doesn't seem to have had too much of an effect on traditional game sales, even this close to release. Just two days after it hit physical and digital store shelves on Nov. 20, developer GSC Game...
News Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown Is Still Getting A New Map Next Month
We now have a release date
Prior to the extremely rocky launch of Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown, developer KT Racing committed to a year one roadmap for the game, and now the first major content drop of that roadmap is upon us - the return of Ibiza. Now dated for December 11th, Ibiza returns from
Review Stalker 2 (Xbox) - GSC Game World's Long-Awaited Sequel Is A Mess
Zoned Out
There are many reasons why an endeavour as complex as creating a huge open-world video game sometimes doesn't pan out the way it should or could; absolutely millions of things that can and will go wrong at the best of times, no matter how much hard work goes in. Add in the stress of being at war during the development of your project -...
News Multiple UK Retailers Undercut Microsoft With New Xbox Series S Deals
Black Friday sales aplenty
Yesterday, Xbox UK unveiled its official plans for Black Friday this year, with some solid deals to be had across Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and their associated accessories. However, as we hit one week until the big day itself, loads of retailers over here have slashed prices even further - especially for Xbox Series S...
Roundup Avowed's Latest Previews Are In, And It's Already Being Touted As 'One Of 2025's Best Games'
Xbox's next big Game Pass release sounds very promising
Ahead of Avowed's Xbox Game Pass launch early next year in February, the latest round of previews for this upcoming action-RPG have now gone live. Based on this latest build, the consensus seems to be it's looking quite promising right now - with most outlets and critics talking up the game,...
Guide Stalker 2 Poppy Field: Where To Find It & Complete The Quest
Smell the poppies
Ever since Stalker 2's Poppy Field has been shown off in pre-release footage on Xbox, fans have wanted to explore this particular section of the map - and the good news is that you can do it fairly early on in the game. Here's how to find the Stalker 2 Poppy Field and complete the related quest: Stalker 2 Poppy Field...
Guide How To Use The Flashlight In Stalker 2 On Xbox
This helps prevent the game being too dark!
Stalker 2 has lots of different mechanics and button configurations involved, and some of them can be hard to spot at first - especially on an Xbox controller! We're seeing reports of Stalker 2 being too dark for some players, and while some of that could be to do with display settings, there is also a...
News Xbox UK Reveals Black Friday Plans For Series S, Controllers And More
Time to spend some Rewards points!
Back on Monday, we highlighted some of the US-specific deals that Xbox will be hosting during Black Friday this year, which includes $50 off the Xbox Series S - and now we've also got details about what the UK branch will be doing. Once again, the Xbox Series S will be on sale in the UK, but this time at £40 off...
News Avowed Third-Person Mode Looks Super Slick In New Xbox Preview Footage
Coming to Game Pass next Feb!
Obsidian RPG Avowed isn't too far off launching on Xbox Game Pass early next year, and ahead of that release, we have a batch of new press previews to dig into - including more of an extended look at the game's third-person mode. Yep, if you didn't know it, Avowed is playable entirely from a third-person perspective -...
Guide Stalker 2 Invisible Enemy: How To Defeat Bloodsuckers & Poltergeists
Take 'em down!
Stalker 2's open world always has plenty of chaos to throw at you, but some of its more formidable foes are basically invisible when you first engage with them. Yep, the game's 'Poltergeist' and 'Bloodsucker' enemies come in various invisible forms, but they can be beaten with the right approach. Stalker 2 Invisible Enemy:...
News Free Play Days: Try These Xbox Games For Free (November 21-24)
Included with Xbox Game Pass
Welcome to your latest Xbox Free Play Days roundup! This week, we've got six games available in the program - including EA's F1 24 that launched earlier in the year. Here's your full Xbox Free Play Days lineup for the coming weekend: Dead By Daylight Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 Hell Let Loose F1 24
News Stalker 2 Already Has A Respectable Player Count, Despite Some Launch 'Issues'
Xbox Game Pass will only boost the numbers
Stalker 2 is now officially available across multiple platforms including its "day one" release on Xbox Game Pass release, and we've now got some actual data, showing some early signs of how the game is performing. Although there have been concerns after multiple patches and updates were dropped, new data...
News GSC Game World 'Absolutely Committed' To Fixing Issues In Stalker 2 On Xbox
"We haven't released anything of this scale before"
Stalker 2 developer GSC Game World has released a statement on the launch of its sprawling sequel on Xbox Game Pass - reassuring fans that fixes are coming for some of the title's biggest issues. If you haven't seen by now, Stalker 2 contains its fair share of bugs and glitches on day one, with...
Guide Stalker 2: Best Performance Options & VRR Settings On Xbox
How to get the best out of your Xbox experience
Stalker 2 is officially landing on Xbox Series X and S today, and we have a few performance options and Xbox settings worth going over here to get the best out of your experience. First off, let's talk gameplay modes. On Xbox Series X we have a 30FPS Quality mode and a 60FPS Performance mode. Over on...
Guide Stalker 2: Best Controller Settings On Xbox Series X And S
Get yourself ready for the Zone!
Stalker 2 hits Xbox Game Pass today, and while this marks the series' first day one launch on console, the game's controller settings do feel a little finicky out of the box. So, we've spent a good few hours playing around with how Stalker 2 controls on Xbox, and we have some recommended settings here for Series X...
News Stalker 2 Console Comparison: Here's How Xbox Series X And S Perform
Both Xbox systems compared!
Stalker 2 is dropping on Xbox Game Pass today, and ahead of launch, we've been playing around with both Xbox versions of the title to see how they perform. Xbox Series X and S have slightly different setups for Stalker 2 - with Series X having two graphical modes to choose from, as oppos
News Stalker 2 Review Roundup: Here's What The Critics Think So Far
Reviews are now out in the wild
Here at Pure Xbox HQ, we need a little longer putting together our official review for Stalker 2, but there are a bunch of early impressions now available as the review embargo lifts for this Xbox Game Pass title. So, we've gathered up some of these early reviews to show you wha
Deals Get 10% Off Xbox Game Pass, Gift Cards And More In Our Black Friday Sale
Discounted credit and subscriptions!
The Black Friday sales are well and truly underway with tempting deals starting to appear at retail, as well as within Xbox's own digital sale, of course. Now, we're getting in on the action too! To help you save as much as possible this Black Friday, we're giving you a mighty 10% off everything at our store...
Guide Black Friday Xbox Deals 2024: Consoles, Games, Xbox Game Pass, Accessories And More
Early deals are now live!
It's that time of year again, folks – yes, Black Friday is right around the corner, and early Black Friday deals are already starting to appear! Kicking off on Friday 29th November and running right through until Cyber Monday on the 2nd December, this year's sales are already starting to offer up some great deals and...
News Stalker 2 Releases Another Xbox Series X|S Update Ahead Of Launch
Déjà vu
If you thought you were ready for Stalker 2, you might want to double-check because multiple Xbox Series X|S users are now reporting a new patch has been rolled out. Yes, we're talking about a completely new one! Following yesterday's update which was around 139GB, this latest update is apparently prompting anyone with the game...
News Here's A First Look At Assassin's Creed Syndicate's 60FPS Update For Xbox Series X|S
As well as how to fix any crashing issues
Yesterday, Ubisoft announced that Assassin's Creed Syndicate would be getting a 60FPS update for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, and that update is now available - you can jump into it right now on your current-gen console! But how is it looking so far? Well, thanks to The Xbox Tester on YouTube, we can...
News These Five Games Are Coming To Xbox Game Pass (November 20-27)
November's second wave is here
Microsoft has revealed the second batch of titles joining Xbox Game Pass in November 2024, which includes the previously confirmed Stalker 2 and Nine Sols along with the surprise addition of Aliens: Dark Descent. We've also got two games entering XGP "Standard" - these are already available with Xbox Game Pass...
News Stalker 2 Rolls Out Massive Xbox Series X|S Update Ahead Of Launch
The install size was already huge
Ahead of the anticipated arrival of Stalker 2 on Xbox Game Pass this week, it appears the new entry has received an absolutely massive update on Xbox Series X|S. As highlighted on social media and elsewhere online, multiple users are reporting how although the sequel already required an install of roughly 146GB,...
News Finally, Assassin's Creed Syndicate Is Getting An FPS Boost On Xbox
We've been waiting SO long
Yes, it's finally happening! Ubisoft has announced today that Assassin's Creed Syndicate will be getting a boost to 60 frames per-second for free on Tuesday, November 19th, and it'll be available for both Xbox Series X and Series S. The update will be a whopping 31GB on Xbox (compared to less than 1GB on PS5!), and will...
News 'Off The Grid' Update Adds Xbox Series S Version, Here Are The Patch Notes
Free to play via the Xbox Store
Remember when Off The Grid was all the rage back in early October? Well, it's quietened off a little bit since then, but progress is very much ongoing on the title, and it's even just been released on Xbox Series S for the first time. Originally, Off The Grid had a strange rollout where you had to access it via the...
News Xbox Series S Will Be Discounted For Black Friday, Confirms Microsoft
"Legendary adventures are ready for you!"
Welcome to Black Friday week! In addition to the huge Xbox Black Friday Sale 2024 that's currently ongoing on the Xbox Store, we're expecting a bunch of hardware and accessories discounts in the coming days - including for consoles. In fact, the Xbox Series X is already discounted by $50 in the US right now...
Guide Stalker 2: Release Date, Release Times & Download Size On Xbox Game Pass
The big day is almost here!
After a bunch of delays, Stalker 2 is turning out to be one of the most anticipated Xbox Game Pass titles for the end of 2024 - and the good news is that its release date is right around the corner! So, ahead of that launch, we're going to tell you everything you need to know about Stalker 2 and its Xbox Game Pass...
Feature These 10+ Games Are Coming To Xbox Next Week (November 18-22)
Including two MASSIVE Game Pass titles!
Welcome to your Xbox games roundup for November 18-22! We've got a bunch of major releases on the way over the next couple of days, two of which are launching day one on Xbox Game Pass in the form of Stalker 2 and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. Don't forget about the free-to-play launch of the popular
News Microsoft Is Now Advertising Pretty Much Every Gaming Device As An Xbox
"This is an Xbox"
We've been hearing for months and months, years even, that any device with Microsoft's games on it is an 'Xbox' of some sort. The company has been pushing PC, Mobile and Xbox Cloud Gaming for ages at this point - but today's absolutely massive new marketing campaign is their biggest move in this direction yet. Launched earlier on,...
News 'Atomfall' Officially Launches On Xbox Game Pass In March 2025
We have a date!
It's all happening in the world of Xbox, folks! Today, longtime Sniper Elite developer Rebellion has announced the official release date for Atomfall; its brand-new IP coming to Xbox Game Pass. You can go hands on with this new survival-action game on March 27th, 2025 - da
News Black Ops 6 Season 01 Update Now Live, Here Are The Full Patch Notes For Xbox
New content available now
Last week, developer Treyarch began teasing some of the content coming to Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 in Season 01 - and now we have the full rundown of everything included in today's Black Ops 6 update on Xbox.
Review Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake (Xbox) - Square Enix's Beloved Classic Gets A Makeover
Square Enix's HD-2D boom continues
Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake is a full remake of "one of the greatest RPGs of all time" according to Square Enix. Originally released as
News South Of Midnight Game Length & Xbox Tech Specs Revealed
Coming to Game Pass in 2025
Yesterday, Xbox shared a lengthy documentary on its upcoming 2025 game South of Midnight, and Kinda Funny's Parris Lilly has followed this up by revealing some important information about the Compulsion Games title. With Parris recently visiting the Canadian Xbox Game Studio, the presenter can reveal that South of M
News Is Xbox Successful Right Now? Phil Spencer Shares His Thoughts
"We need to be creative and adaptive..."
It's been a weird year for Xbox, right? There have been plenty of successes (and hopefully more to come with the likes of Stalker 2, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 and Indiana Jones on the way), but a few negative moments as well. We've seen jobs that have been lost,
News Xbox Boss Says Everything Is On The Table When It Comes To PS5 Ports
"I do not see sort of red lines in our portfolio"
Ever since Microsoft started releasing some of its titles on Sony's PS5, there've been rumours that certain franchises won't ever move over - but Xbox boss Phil Spencer has thrown that notion out of the window in a new interview. Chatting with Bloomberg, the Microsoft Gaming CEO said that there ar
Reminder Seven Games Are Leaving Xbox Game Pass This Friday (November 15)
Some big titles in here
We have seven more titles leaving the Xbox Game Pass library this Friday, including some major releases that we'll be sad to see go. Nevertheless, you've got a couple more days to try some of these out and see what you think. Here's the full list of games exiting the service on November 15: Date Game Platform November...
News Sea Of Stars Local Co-Op Update Arrives For Free On Xbox Game Pass
Welcome to 'Dawn of Equinox'
Sea of Stars was a bit of an Xbox Game Pass banger last year, and now, the game's 'Dawn of Equinox' update is set to almost reinvent the classics-inspired RPG. Arriving this November, the upcoming patch adds three-player local co-op, an overhaul to the gam
News 'Project TH' Is An Ambitious New Shooter That's Heading To Xbox Series X|S
We're getting Splinter Cell vibes
This looks like an Xbox Game Pass title to keep an eye on! Project TH is an action-adventure title that was first announced a couple of years ago, and it's now been confirmed for Xbox Series X and Series S (as well as Game Pass). You can check out the original trailer from 2022 up above, which indicates that...
News WD Black's New 2TB Expansion Card Is Good News For Series X|S Owners
More competition leads to better prices
We're now past the four-year mark in the Xbox Series X|S generation, and we still only have two manufacturers creating Expansion Cards for both consoles. That's not great - but at least a new variant has arrived this week! WD Black has quietly released the 2TB version of its Xbox Expansion Card to retailers...
Generation game
A couple of years ago now, we took at look at the Gen 2 'Turtle Beach Stealth 600' headset here at Pure Xbox - and at the time, we were impressed with the results. Excellent battery life and a comfy overall setup meant that the Stealth 600 was definitely something we could recommend, even if the build quality felt a little lacking...
News Death Stranding Director's Cut 'Quite Remarkable' On Xbox Series S
"Xbox Series S is absolutely fascinating"
Shortly after the surprise release of Death Stranding Director's Cut on Xbox, we put out a quick comparison of the game running on Series X and S - and now the folks over at Digital Foundry have taken a closer look at the Kojima Productions title.
News Xbox Drops Extended Indiana Jones Gameplay Ahead Of Game Pass Release
A new adventure awaits
We're now officially less than a month out from Indiana Jones and the Great Circle hitting Xbox Game Pass, and ahead of launch, the team has just unleashed a new deep dive video with lots of fresh gameplay tucked into it. So, we've thrown this MachineGames deep dive up above - and it's safe to say that the team's new Indiana...
Exclusivity-Endedman
Death Stranding seemed to cause way more division that we thought it would when it released back in 2019. Some folk found it boring and bland, others were confused by the (confusing) plot, nonplussed by the lack of action, whilst more still just sorta thought it was way too long and ponderous. Make no mistake, it still reviewed...
Talking Point What's Your Favourite Memory Of The Xbox Series X|S Generation So Far?
Both consoles turn FOUR this Sunday!
As we mentioned earlier this week, this Sunday marks the fourth anniversary of the Xbox Series X and Series S, with both consoles having launched on November 10th, 2020. And once again, we're using this opportunity to reminisce! This time around, we're keen to find out your favourite memory (or memories!) of the...