Xbox Series X - News
November2023
News 'Spirittea' Is Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (November 13)
A new cosy life sim heads to Xbox Game Pass
After a new Xbox Game Pass title to dig into? We have a new addition to the library today! The Stardew Valley-inspired Spirittea is heading to the service as Microsoft continues to build out its November 2023 Game Pass library.
News Xbox Celebrates New Series X Wraps With Free Dynamic Backgrounds
Here's what they look like
Earlier this year, Microsoft announced special Xbox Series X console wraps, which are able to give the higher tier model a new look at an affordable price. While the Starfield design was the primary focus at the time, alongside this was actually the reveal of an 'Arctic Camo' and 'Mineral Camo' design. These other themes...
Feature These 30+ Games Are Coming To Xbox Next Week (November 13-17)
Including three Game Pass titles!
Welcome to your Xbox games roundup for November 13-17! We've got some very intriguing stuff coming to Xbox over the next few days including Teardown, Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realms of Ruin and much more, along with three Xbox Game Pass titles in the form of Coral Island, Per
News Robots At Midnight Announced Exclusively For Xbox Series X|S Consoles
Windows release also confirmed
During the Golden Joystick Awards earlier on, the indie Toronto studio Finish Line Games (Cel Damage HD, Skully) unveiled its new action-adventure RPG Robots at Midnight. It's been announced for Xbox Series X|S consoles and will arrive alongside a PC release (including the Microsoft Store). Here's a bit about the...
News Call Of Duty: MW3 Removes Some Maps Due To Unfavourable Spawns
The team is investigating the issue
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 arrived on the Xbox and various other platforms this week, and it seems there have been some teething issues. One, in particular, that has created some problems for players is a multiplayer spawn glitch, where players restart in the same location over and over again. Activision and...
News Starfield Wins Xbox GOTY At Golden Joystick Awards 2023
Baldur's Gate 3 crowned the "Ultimate" GOTY
The Golden Joystick Awards 2023 took place earlier today, and Starfield took home the Xbox Game of the Year award! Bethesda's epic RPG managed to beat Dead Space, Hi-Fi RUSH, Planet of Lana, Chants Of Sennaar and Pentiment
News Warhammer 40K: Darktide Anniversary Update Arrives For Free On Xbox This Month
First part in November, second part in December
If you've been enjoying your time with Warhammer 40K: Darktide on Xbox Game Pass so far, you'll be glad to hear we're getting a free two-part update - the first portion arriving later this month, and the second arriving in December. Known as "The Traitor Curse", this update celebrates the first...
War never changes (but it could at least have tried)
A brand new re-release of a bunch of Metal Gear Solid games that take in the series' history from 1987 right up to 2004 should, you would think, be cause for much celebration. Hideo Kojima's jaw-dropping stealth spectaculars remain as vitally important as ever, absolute must-plays for any student...
News My Time At Sandrock Climbs Into 'Top Paid' Xbox Chart Following Popular Launch
The follow-up to My Time at Portia
Last week saw the release of My Time at Sandrock on Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, serving as a sequel to the current Xbox Game Pass title My Time At Portia - and it seems to have proved popular so far. Although reviews have been poor for the Nintendo Switch version (our sister site Nintendo Life gave...
Poll Will You Be Buying Baldur's Gate 3 For Xbox Series X|S?
Is it in the plans?
We're getting closer and closer to the arrival of Baldur's Gate 3 on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, and it feels like the most recent breakthrough with the Series S version means we'll hopefully still be playing it before the end of 2023. Xbox is late to the party though, and both PC and PS5 owners have had the chance to enjoy...
Talking Point Xbox Series X|S Has Been Out For Three Years, And It's Now Hitting Its Stride
Happy third birthday, Xbox Series X|S!
We're officially three years into the current generation of Xbox gaming! Yep, Xbox Series X|S hit the market three years ago today, bringing super-fast SSD speeds and plenty of 120FPS gaming to Xbox fans around the world on November 10, 2020. We must admit though, it's been a bit of a weird generation so far,...
News Former Xbox Boss Reflects On His Famous Tattoo As Halo 2 Turns 19
"We at Xbox changed blockbuster gaming marketing forever"
This week marks 19 years since Bungie's global hit Halo 2 arrived on the original Xbox. While we're not quite at the two-decade milestone just yet, there are already some celebrations going down. Former Xbox boss Peter Moore has used it as an opportunity to reflect on that famous Halo 2...
News Xbox Teams Up With BTS's Jungkook For Surprise Performance In Times Square
A custom Series X was created for the occasion too
Last night was pretty spectacular for fans of BTS superstar Jungkook, as Xbox partnered with the singer to help deliver his surprise performance in Times Square, as well as putting together a beautiful custom Xbox Series X design. That custom Series X (seen below) was given away as part of a Twitch...
Report Modern Warfare 3's Campaign Had 'Shortest' Dev Time For A New Call Of Duty In Years
It was assembled in "roughly 16 months"
Alongside the launch of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 today, Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier has published a story about the game's rushed development. One bit of information, in particular, is the mention of the campaign's development cycle. Prior to the "harsh reviews", developers were "forced" to finish...
News Xbox Wants 'All Of The Games' In Its Portfolio To Matter, Not Just Huge IP
Matt Booty: From Halo to Psychonauts "and everything in between"
Following its acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Microsoft and Team Xbox now have more studios (and games) than ever. If there was any concern about how all this is going to be managed or if certain franchises will be overshadowed by others, there's apparently no need to worry...
News Xbox's Matt Booty Suggests Hellblade 2 Will 'Come Later' In 2024
Possibly after Ara: History Untold and Towerborne
We've been waiting for the arrival of Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 ever since it was first announced back at The Game Awards 2019, and it sounds like we've still got a while left to go until it finally releases for Xbox Series X and Series S. In a new interview with Matt Booty (Xbox President of Game...
News Xbox Series X Drops To $449.99 With Free $75 Gift Card In The US
The Black Friday deals have begun!
So, you want a good deal on the Xbox Series X this Black Friday? Even though we've got a couple of weeks to go until BF officially starts, there's already an excellent offer for the Series X courtesy of Dell Technologies. Dell has reduced the Xbox Series X by $50 to just $449.99 right now, and you also get a $75...
News 'Braid, Anniversary Edition' Gets April 2024 Release Date For Xbox
It's been a long time coming!
The relaunch of Pure Xbox was only a few months old when we last reported on Braid, Anniversary Edition, and although back then it was supposed to be coming out in early 2021, it's now got a fixed release date of April 30, 2024. We've definitely been waiting a long time for this one then, but hopefully it'll be worth...
News Microsoft Signs Deal To Bring Paramount Plus To Xbox In Many More Countries
It's coming to an "expanded audience"
Well, this is pretty cool if you're a fan of Paramount Plus! It's been announced today that Microsoft and Paramount have teamed up to bring the service to Xbox in many more countries around the world. Specifically, Paramount Plus will be accessible on Xbox in Australia, Austria, Canada, France, Germany,...
Review Wild Hearts - Koei Tecmo & EA's Monster Hunter-Like Arrives On Xbox Game Pass
How does it hold up?
Update (Thu 9th Nov, 2023): With Wild Hearts arriving on Xbox Game Pass as part of EA Play today, we thought we'd re-share this review from earlier in the year so you can get an idea of what it's like, and whether it's worth a download. Keep in mind the game has also received multiple patches since release, as documented on the...
News Alan Wake 2 'Update 10' Now Live On Xbox, Includes 100+ Fixes In Total
Hopefully no more audio issues on Series X|S
Remedy continues to be hard at work on pushing out updates for Alan Wake 2 across Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S (along with PS5 and PC), and the latest patch - "Update 10" - is now officially available to download. The big Xbox-specific highlight here is the improvements to audio, which hopefully means...
News New 'Taxi Life' Game Features 286 Miles Of Roads, Coming To Xbox In February 2024
This could be another hit simulator
It's been a pretty fun generation so far if you're a fan of simulator games, with the likes of Police Simulator: Patrol Officers and even Lawn Mowing Simulator often finding their way into the "Top Paid" Xbox games list. Developers certainly aren't slowing down when it comes to creating new sims for the platform,...
News Free Play Days: Try These Xbox Games For Free (November 9-12)
Included with Game Pass Core & Game Pass Ultimate
Xbox's latest set of Free Play Days titles is now live - with four games making up this week's promotion. We do have a few Xbox Game Pass titles in here this weekend, but none are available on Game Pass Core - so there are some good options here for members of Microsoft's entry-level subscription...
News Three Games Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (November 9)
Including a brand-new AAA release!
Welcome to your biggest Xbox Game Pass drop of the month so far! We have three titles heading to the library today, including a major AAA launch in Like a Dragon Gaiden and your latest addition to the EA Play selection with Wild Hearts. Here's an introduction to each of today's new Xbox Game Pass arrivals:
News Return To The Skies In Flight Simulator's Free Content Update
Nordics & Greenland available now
Ahead of the launch of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, the existing release Microsoft Flight Simulator has received a new content update 'World Update XV'. This new update focuses on the Nordics & Greenland and adds 90 "hand-made" points of interest, 10 triangulated irregular network cities, 5 hand-crafted...
News Overwatch's League Shutdown Might Cost Activision Blizzard (And Now Microsoft) $120m
Update: Blizzard seemingly confirms "new direction"
Update [Thu 9th Nov, 2023 02:00 GMT]: A Blizzard rep has now told Engadget it's "transitioning from the Overwatch League" and evolving "competitive Overwatch in a new direction". "We are grateful to everyone who made OWL possible and remain focused on building our vision of a revitalized esports...
News 'Clockwork Revolution' Dev inXile Talks About Benefits Of Working Under Xbox
"They trust us"
It's well-known how Microsoft likes to let its studios within Xbox do their own thing nowadays, and it seems it's no different for Wasteland developer inXile Entertainment, who is currently working on its RPG-inspired game, Clockwork Revolution. In an appearance on 'The Fourth Curtain' podcast recently, the studio head of InXile,...
News Microsoft Appoints Former Forza Boss As New Xbox Game Studios Head
Matt Booty recently moved into a new role
Last month, Xbox revealed a company reshuffle with multiple executives moving into new roles. One of these individuals was Matt Booty, who is now 'President of Game Content and Studios' overseeing Bethesda and leaving behind his old role as Xbox Game Studios head. If you're wondering who is replacing this...
News Larian Achieves Breakthrough With Baldur's Gate 3 On Xbox Series S
"I think this will benefit all platforms too"
We're still waiting on that all-important release date for Baldur's Gate 3 on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, and we're keeping our fingers crossed that it's not too far away at this point - especially after today's news. Larian Studios CEO Swen Vincke took to Twitter a few hours ago to reveal the BG3...
News RoboCop: Rogue City Analysis Shows Big Performance Gains On Xbox Series X
A new Unreal Engine 5 game tested
Robocop: Rogue City launched last week as an actual current-gen only game - partly down to it being built on Epic's latest Unreal Engine 5 technology. Despite being somewhat rudimentary in nature, UE5's Rogue City seems to be pushing the consoles quite a bit - and Xbox Series X is handling it quite well. As you can...
News Microsoft Adds New Feature To Help Track Games Leaving Xbox Game Pass
This could come in pretty handy!
For a good while now, Microsoft has typically updated us all on what's leaving Xbox Game Pass through its regular Xbox Wire roundups. These roundups are clear and concise enough, but they don't give players much time to find such info before the titles leave the library - usually around two weeks or so. However, the...
News Multiple Xbox Games Are Reduced By 90-95% This Week (November 7-14)
From as low as $0.99!
Looking for some cheap Xbox games in this week's Xbox sales from November 7th to 14th? There are some pretty interesting 90% and 95% discounts on Xbox this week in the form of ultra-cheap indie titles such as American Fugitive, Bomber Crew and Hotshot Racing, all of which are definitely worth such a small fee. Below, we've...
News Xbox Game Pass Leads To Huge 'Player Engagement' Spike For Gotham Knights
"The initial surge on PS+ did not match that of GP"
Gotham Knights was a pretty major Xbox Game Pass drop last month - sure, the game didn't get the best reception at launch, but a relatively new 'Batman' game is always going to make a splash on Game Pass - and that it seemingly has! As posted out by Circana's Mat Piscatella (NPD), 6% of all...
News Lords Of The Fallen Dev Shares 'Free Content Plan' For 2023 On Xbox
The dev has big plans for its new soulslike
Lords Of The Fallen launched last month on Xbox to a somewhat mixed reception, but that hasn't slowed the team down at all. In a new developer update, Hexworks & CI Games have provided a brand-new DLC roadmap for the rest of the year, and it looks stacked with new content for the soulslike action-RPG...
News Xbox Reiterates It Will Have Stronger Relations With Square Enix Going Forward
Final Fantasy 14 Online arrives on Xbox "Spring 2024"
Square Enix and Xbox's partnership appears to be blossoming once again following the announcement earlier this year that Final Fantasy 14 Online would be coming to the green machine in Spring 2024. At the time, Phil Spencer mentioned how Microsoft and Xbox would be "partnering closely" with...
News Xbox's 'Buy Two, Get One Free' Sale Contains Really Random Selection Of Games
From Starfield to, err, Pure Farming 2018?!
Xbox's latest set of deals is now available, with more than 300 offers live for at least the next week or so across various Xbox promotions. However, we have another sales promo that expires later this week (on November 10th), and it features a very random selection of titles. Yep, it's one of those 'buy...
Guide Call Of Duty: MW3 Release Date, Release Times & Preload Details On Xbox
Everything you need to know for the Xbox launch
Your latest Call of Duty game is almost here with the release of Modern Warfare 3, although with Activision's new method of offering an early access window for the game's campaign, knowing exactly when to play can get confusing. So, we've gathered up all the details you need to know for accessing MW3...
News Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 Hailed As 'True Smash Bros. Rival' Amidst Impressive Reviews
"The sequel takes so many steps beyond its predecessor..."
Today marks the release of Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 on Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S (along with various other platforms), and considering the first game only racked up a Metacritic score of 65, we're very pleasantly surprised to see the sequel faring much better than that...
What's the story, Morning Glory?
If there's one group of gamers who've been eating better than most lately, it's definitely Like A Dragon/Yakuza fans. Over the past few years we've seen Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio fully invest in revisiting, remaking and remastering important parts of its long-running RPG series, continuing to add stunning new entries to...
News 'The Finals' Had An Extremely Successful Beta Ahead Of Its Full Free-To-Play Launch On Xbox
"An unforgettable week for us"
The Finals' open beta has now officially wrapped up, and it looks like it's been a very successful week or so for the team at Embark Studios. After a bumpy first day or two while the team smoothed over some launch issues, the open beta managed to bring in 7.5 million players while it was live on Xbox, PlayStation and...
Deals 300+ Games Included In This Week's Xbox Sales (November 7-14)
Including Sifu and lots of simulator games!
Ready for another week of Xbox deals? We've got just over 300 games on sale for the next week across a variety of sales including "Publisher Spotlight", "Sales & Specials" and "ID@Xbox Simulator" promotions! You'll find some of our handpicked highlights in the table below, but if you're interested in...
News Antstream Arcade Unveils New Games Coming To Xbox, Including An Unreleased SNES Title
And a first look at its "biggest update ever"
The cloud-streaming retro paradise known as Antstream Arcade is continuing to go from strength to strength across all of its platforms including Xbox right now, with a bunch of new games and major features on the way. We highlighted a lot of these features in our last roundup about Antstream, such as a...
News Alan Wake 2 Dev Working Towards 'Full Fix' For Audio Issues On Xbox Series X|S
A "workaround fix" is now live
Alan Wake 2 got its first big patch last week; an update that attempted to rectify some of the audio issues that players have experienced so far, along with applying a bunch of other bug fixes and gameplay changes. Well, it seems that this patch didn't fix everything audio-related, as Remedy has announced its next set...
News These 1400+ Games Are Included With Antstream Arcade On Xbox
The full list of retro titles
Update: This list of Antstream Arcade games on Xbox is now up to date as of December 11th, 2023. Original story: This week marks the release of Antstream Arcade on Xbox, which serves as the "biggest content drop in Xbox history" with over 1400 retro games arriving as part of the cloud-streaming service on Friday, July...
News Roboquest 1.0 Launches Today With Xbox Game Pass (November 7)
The full quest is here
We have a new Xbox Game Pass launch today in the form of Roboquest's full 1.0 release! The early access version of RyseUp's shooter has been available in the library for a while now, but the team is now ready to fully launch into Game Pass. Here's a bit more about the full version of Roboquest as it arrives on Xbox Game Pass...
News Forza Motorsport Update 2 Launches Next Week, Here Are The Patch Notes
Includes a brand new track
Following a sneak peek of the Forza Motorsport Update 2 late last month, Turn 10 Studios has now released the full outline of what to expect. As previously mentioned, this update includes an additional track location (Yas Marina) along with four unique layouts to master. Apart from this, there's a bunch of other new...
News Blizzard Open To StarCraft Revival Under Microsoft, New Idea Requires 'Vision And Passion'
Blizzard president: "I'll bet on that team"
Now that Microsoft and Xbox's acquisition of Activision Blizzard has gone through, there are many fans out there calling for the return of series like StarCraft. Believe it or not, but the last entry released was the remaster of the original title back in 2017, so what are the future plans for this famous...
Roundup Here's What The Critics Are Saying About Like A Dragon Gaiden
Out this week on Xbox Game Pass!
We're busy with all sorts of game releases as of late, and one of the newest ones to arrive on the scene is Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name. It stars the once-legendary yakuza Kazuma Kiryu who has gone into hiding but is thrust back into conflict by a mysterious figure. Multiple reviews for this...
News Assassin's Creed Mirage Update Out Today, Here's What's Included
Chromatic aberration options & more
Assassin's Creed Mirage took the series back to its stealth roots when it arrived on Xbox Series X|S last month, and with the game's launch now out of the way, Ubisoft is focused on improving the experience with updates. According to the official social media account, the highlights include the ability to switch...
News Blizzard Excited To Have More Independence Under Xbox
A "new era" has begun
During BlizzCon 2023's opening ceremony, Blizzard's president Mike Ybarra mentioned how it was a "new era" for the company under Xbox and Microsoft Gaming, so what exactly does he mean by this? In a new interview with The Verge, Ybarra elaborated on how this essentially translates to more creative freedom and empowerment -...
News Xbox Fans Turn Up In Numbers As Fortnite Sets Astonishing New Records
"We're blown away by the response"
This past Friday saw the arrival of the "Fortnite OG" mini-season, bringing the original map from Fortnite's battle royale back into the fold for the first time in years, and it's safe to say it's been an absolute smash hit for Epic Games so far. According to analyst Mat Piscatella of Circana (formerly NPD), 38%...
News Halo Infinite Dev Posts Lengthy Response To 'Increased' Bundle Prices
"I understand this isn't necessarily what everyone wants to hear"
Halo developer 343 Industries has finally begun implementing a long-promised Halo Infinite feature - customisation items that work across different 'Spartan Cores' within multiplayer. While this feature's addition is certainly welcome, it's brought an unfortunate consequence that's...
News Xbox Signs New AI Partnership To 'Assist And Empower' Game Creators
"Our goal is to deliver state-of-the-art AI tools"
Xbox has announced today that it has entered into a partnership with the company "Inworld AI" in an attempt to "empower game creators with the potential of generative AI" in dialogue, story and quest design. Inworld describes itself as the "leading Character Engine for AI NPCs", and Microsoft...
News Ark: Survival Ascended Set To Make Console Debut On Xbox Next Week
Featuring PC and (eventually) PS5 crossplay
It was announced back at the Xbox Partner Preview event last month that Ark: Survival Ascended would be coming to Xbox in November, and now the development team has revealed that November 14th is the targeted release date. In a community update, it was explained that the Xbox vers
News Phil Spencer: We Will Think Of Nintendo & PlayStation Users As 'Part Of The Xbox Community'
Phil talks the future of Xbox
Phil Spencer has been busy in the wake of Xbox's Activision Blizzard deal finally being approved last month, but that hasn't stopped the Xbox boss from sitting down for another lengthy interview. This time, Phil talked to Japanese outlet Famitsu about plenty of different aspects of the Xbox brand, including its future...
Guide Xbox Adds More Perks For Game Pass Ultimate Members (November 2023)
Ready for battle
It's time for another batch of Xbox Game Pass Perks for November 2023! We haven't got too many to shout about so far, but Battlefield 2042 fans will find a Season 6 Field Kit to enjoy, and we're also highlighting the Fallout 76 5th Birthday Bundle that technically arrived back in October, but only at the tail end of the month. Here...
News Xbox's Dynamic Background Collection Grows With New 'EA Sports WRC' Effort
Kickin' up dust
EA is back again with another dynamic background for Xbox Series X|S - the company seems to be one of the biggest supporters of the feature so far! Following last week's UFC 5 addition comes a new effort for Codemasters' brand-new racer; EA Sports WRC. As is becoming the norm, we'd like it if this one was a bit more 'dynamic', but...
News BG3 Dev Responds To Latest Xbox Release Date Leak: 'News To Me'
"The plan is still before the end of the year"
Over the past few days, there was a supposed "leak" via eXputer revealing Baldur's Gate 3 would be arriving on Xbox Series X|S systems on 6th December. Larian's director of publishing Michael Douse has now responded. Taking to social media, he mentioned how this was the first he had essentially heard...
News Here Are The First Impressions Of The Call Of Duty: MW3 Campaign
What do the critics think?
As you likely know by now, "early access" for the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 campaign is now underway and we've even got some early reviews from a number of outlets, sharing their first impressions. Unfortunately, it's not going down very well so far, with some critics now beginning to reveal their own thoughts on the...
Feature These 20+ Games Are Coming To Xbox Next Week (November 6-10)
Including another big week for Game Pass!
Welcome to your Xbox games roundup for November 6-10! The big release of next week is obviously Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, but we've also got a big week coming up for Xbox Game Pass with the arrivals of Football Manager 2024, Dungeons 4
News New Overwatch 2 Tank Hero 'Mauga' Unveiled At BlizzCon 2023
Try him out this weekend in a "limited-time trial"
As part of the BlizzCon 2023 celebrations, the class-based free-to-play shooter Overwatch 2 has unveiled a brand new hero. Introducing Mauga - a brand new tank hero. He'll be available in a "limited-time trial" this weekend before his release in Season 8. Here's a bit about him, courtesy of...
News Fortnite Revives Chapter 1 In Its New 'OG Season'
A blast from the past
Epic's popular battle royale is returning to its roots this season with the launch of Fortnite 'Chapter 4: Season OG'. This season will allow players to drop into 'Chapter 1 Season 5' with each major update to follow bringing in a different phase of the battle royale's past. This includes Shopping Carts, ATKs, assault rifles,...
Guide BlizzCon 2023: Every Diablo, Overwatch & Warcraft Announcement
Everything from the opening ceremony
It's BlizzCon this weekend and in case you somehow missed it, Blizzard is now operating under Microsoft and Xbox. This means all of Blizzard's offerings are now technically a part of the Xbox brand, so there could potentially be all sorts of exciting announcements in the future. On day one of BlizzCon 2023, Xbox...
News Diablo 4's First Expansion Vessel Of Hatred Announced, Coming 'Late 2024'
Featuring a class "never-before-seen" in Diablo
Diablo IV got off to a strong start when it was originally released earlier this year - quickly becoming Blizzard's "fastest-selling game of all time" and biggest launch ever - bringing in more than 10 million players in the first month. Since then, there have been some teething issues with the game's...
News Phil Spencer Says 'The Future Of Blizzard Is Brighter Than Ever' Under Xbox
As he welcomes Blizzard fans to BlizzCon 2023
On day one of BlizzCon, Microsoft's Gaming CEO Phil Spencer appeared at the very beginning of the show to discuss the future of Blizzard under Xbox. In a nutshell, the company's gaming boss believes "the future of Blizzard is brighter than ever" under Xbox. Phil went into a bit more detail about this,...
News Metacritic Data Suggests 2023 Has Been The Best Year In Gaming For 20 Years
"2023 is one of the best years ever for video game releases"
There's no denying it's felt like a fantastic year for video games so far. 2023 has delivered some absolute bangers such as Alan Wake 2, Resident Evil 4 Remake and Baldur's Gate 3, alongside other platform exclusives like Nintendo's Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Data from Metacritic
News Vampire Survivors Is Bringing A New Story Mode To Xbox Game Pass
In the form of 'Adventures'
Hot on the heels of its winter update, developer Poncle has announced another major content drop for Vampire Survivors - with an entirely new game mode in the mix for version 1.8. 'Adventures' will debut in the game's next big update, "coming soon" to the Xbox Game Pass title
News Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 Is 'Anything But Masterful', Says Digital Foundry
"The execution leaves much to be desired"
Digital Foundry's initial look at Konami's new Metal Gear Solid Collection is here, and the results aren't great if we're totally honest. While the team working on this collection has put effort into the front end menus, cramming in some nice bonus features, the games themselves get subpar treatment overall...
News 'Massive' Payday 3 Update Hits Xbox Game Pass, Here Are The Full 1.01 Patch Notes
"The first patch for PAYDAY 3 is finally here"
Payday 3 launched on Xbox Game Pass back in September, and the dev team was fairly quick to address some major server issues that plagued the game around launch. However, a broader patch was delayed multiple times through October, but it's now finally here as we move into November. Payday 3 update 1.01...
News Activision Explains Larger File Sizes For Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
"Due to the increased amount of content"
If you're struggling to find space for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 on your Xbox, you're probably not alone. In fact, Activision has now issued a statement via social media addressing the game's file sizes across all platforms. The reason it's so much "larger than last year" is tied to the "increased...
News Mortal Kombat 1 DLC Fighter Omni-Man Gets Brutal Gameplay Trailer
Available in early access next week
If you're a fan of Amazon's hit animation Invincible, you're going to want to check out the DLC for Mortal Kombat 1, which features Omni-Man. Following a teaser trailer, NetherRealm has now dropped an extended gameplay trailer for this upcoming character. It provides a full showcase of his move set, his...
News Microsoft Employees Will Reportedly Lose 'Free Xbox Game Pass Ultimate'
Update: Phil Spencer confirms this won't be happening
Update [Sat 4th Nov, 2023 11:00 GMT]: Microsoft is now reportedly "reversing" the decision to remove a free Xbox Game Pass Ultimate employee benefit after complaints (via The Verge). Phil Spencer investigated the situation himself and issued the following update to all employees via the...
News Some Xbox Fans Aren't Happy About 'Intrusive' Call Of Duty: MW3 Ads
Boot up your Xbox and take a look
The marketing for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is well and truly underway, and now that Microsoft has finalised the acquisition of Activision Blizzard, it seems it's even getting in on the action. Today, alongside the "early access" preload and campaign launch of Modern Warfare 3, Microsoft is running large ads...
News Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3's Campaign 'Early Access' Is Now Live
"The next chapter in Modern Warfare is here"
Update [Fri 3rd Nov, 2023 00:05 GMT]: The campaign "early access" for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 has officially gone live. You can choose between the Vault Edition and cross-gen / standard edition. Original story [Thu 2nd Nov, 2023 01:00 GMT]: The release of Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is...
News Xbox Adds Another New Dynamic Background For Xbox Series X|S Owners
Celebrating the arrival of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
To celebrate the arrival of Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 this month, a new MW3-themed dynamic background is now available to Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S owners. To apply it, you'll need to head over to the Settings menu > Personalisation > My Background > Dynamic Backgrounds...
News Immortals Of Aveum Gets 'Performance Boosts' On Xbox, Free Trial Coming Later This Month
The EA shooter is getting multiple updates in November
EA and developer Ascendant studios have announced multiple new updates for the magic-based shooter Immortals of Aveum - with the first of these patches arriving today. The team has been vague on details for today's patch — simply stating that it "provides performance boosts on consoles and PC"...
News Xbox Series X|S Sales Had A Strong Week In Japan, Rarely Beating Out PS5
The pair of Xbox consoles had a solid week in the region
Japanese outlet Famitsu has released its latest hardware and software sales figures for the region, revealing a solid week for Xbox Series X|S sales - at least in comparison to PS5. According to the outlet (via VGC), Xbox Series X and S sold a combined 3,301 units last week, while PS5 and PS5...
News Zombie MMO 'The Day Before' Re-Emerges With Steam Release Date
The console version is coming with the 1.0 launch
This game sure is becoming a roller coaster ride, eh? And that's before it's even out! Yep, open world zombie MMO The Day Before is back again with a brand-new Steam release date - roughly 10 months after its developer lost the rights to the game's name back in January. Well, they have t
News Halo Infinite's Networking Is Being 'Fundamentally Changed' To Address De-Sync Issues
"We decided to pursue fundamental changes"
Pretty much since the launch of the game in late 2021, the Halo Infinite community has been very vocal about player de-sync issues in online multiplayer. Well, it looks like our prayers are being answered as 343 provides a huge update on the future of its under-the-hood multiplayer tech. Taking to Twitter...
News Free Play Days: Try These Xbox Games For Free (November 2-5)
Included with Game Pass Core and Game Pass Ultimate
Xbox Free Play Days is back! After a somewhat pointless promotion last weekend which only featured Fallout 76 (a title that's included in both Game Pass Core & Ultimate anyway), Microsoft has delivered four games this weekend. So, here's your full Free Play Days selection for the coming...
News Two Games Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (November 2)
Update: One release has been delayed
: Unfortunately, PlateUp! has been delayed on console, and is now set to launch on Xbox sometime in 2024. Therefore, today's Xbox Game Pass update only includes Thirsty Suitors. [Original Article]: As we tick over into November, Xbox Game Pass adds two more titles to its library! Game Pass members have a couple...
News Alan Wake 2's First 'Big Update' Fixes Audio Issues & More On Xbox Series X|S
Version 1.0.0.8 is now live
Alan Wake 2's first update dropped earlier this week, fixing a few small issues, but developer Remedy is already back with another patch - and this one is a biggie. The team is calling patch 1.0.0.8 its first "big update", and it fixes quite a few issues that fans have noticed since launch. These include various audio...
News New Xbox Policy To Block Unauthorised Accessories
Update: Microsoft issues official statement
Update #2 [Thu 2nd Nov, 2023 03:00 GMT]: Microsoft has provided another update to the same source, confirming connections via the USB and 3.5mm ports on the Xbox Adaptive Controller will not be impacted by this new policy. Third-party devices designed for accessibility should also continue to work through...
News Xbox App Dev Gets WebView2 Support, Includes 'Better Performance'
And some other "significant improvements"
Microsoft has today announced WebView2 for Xbox is now available to developers. It's been a "top" request from both WebView2 and Xbox media app developers. As highlighted by Windows Central, Microsoft had already released Chromium-based Edge support to improve the performance on Windows, but developers were...
Roundup Here's What The Critics Think Of Day One Game Pass Release 'Thirsty Suitors'
Coming to the Xbox Game Pass library tomorrow!
Thirsty Suitors will mark one of our very first November 2023 Game Pass drops - it hits the library on launch day tomorrow, November 2nd. Just ahead of release, some early reviews of the game are starting to live, so we thought we'd round up some initial impressions of this upcoming Game Pass indie...
News Grounded Set To Be Transformed By New Forge-Like 'Playgrounds' Update
"Build a whole new game yourself"
It's fair to say that Grounded has evolved quite a bit over the years, especially in the run up to its big 1.0 launch just over a year ago. While Obsidian has continued to add to and improve the title since, the team's upcoming 1.3 update might be its most transformative yet. Basically, the Grounded developer is...
News 343 Adds New Big-Team Infection Mode To Halo Infinite
As an "experimental" playlist
343 Industries has been doing good work with Halo Infinite over the last few seasons, adding plenty of new maps, modes, weapons and more into the multiplayer mix in recent months. Sometimes, the team gets a little experimental with its new modes, and that's exactly what it's done with the new 'Workshop BTB Infection' m
News Remedy 'Excited' About Max Payne 1 & 2 As Remakes Reach 'Production Readiness Stage'
"We are excited about the project"
Alan Wake 2 may have only just landed, but developer Remedy is already full steam ahead on future projects. Control 2 is in the works over at the Finnish developer, but it's the Max Payne remakes that seem to be progressing quickly as the team provides a fresh update on the project. Remedy is going back and...
Deals All 10+ Backwards Compatible Games In This Week's Xbox Sales (October 31 - November 7)
Here are this week's back compat discounts
Xbox's latest round of digital deals went live yesterday, with more than 300 titles discounted across various different promotions. As per usual, those deals include a set of backwards compatible classics on offer via Xbox's digital storefront. <related ids="157710"> So, we've gathered all of those...
News Xbox Game Pass Hit 'Lies Of P' Gets First DLC Tease, New Update Coming This Month
Sitting down with the game's director
The Lies of P development team has just dropped a new 'director's letter' on its YouTube channel, discussing upcoming plans for the Xbox Game Pass soulslike. Alongside a new balance-focused update arriving later this month, the team has shown off some teasers for its first DLC pack. It looks like we may be...
News 'The Finals' Dev Responds To Criticisms About Use Of AI Voiceovers
"Making games without actors isn't an end goal"
Embark Studios' new arena-battle FPS The Finals has been getting a lot of attention recently, but it's not all good news. During a recent podcast, the game's audio designers Carl Strandberg and Andreas Almström mentioned how AI and text-to-speech were used on commentary and other vocalisations in the...
News 'Shooter-Skater' Rollerdrome Gets Xbox Game Pass Release Nov 28th
"Enter the Rollerdrome"
Private Division and Roll7 have announced they'll be releasing Rollerdrome on Xbox Game Pass via Xbox, PC and cloud later this month on 28th November. The title was released last year on other platforms and is described as a "hybrid shooter-skater", where players participate in the new brutal blood sport of Rollerdrome...
News Baldur's Gate 3 Xbox Release Still On Schedule For 'This Year', Larian CEO Confirms
Release date to be announced when it's "done"
Baldur's Gate 3 is still expected to arrive on the Xbox Series X and Series S before the end of 2023. The team at Larian Studios has already reassured Xbox fans on a number of separate occasions, and the latest update comes from studio founder and CEO Swen Vincke. In a post on social media, Vincke gave...
News PlayStation Studio & Former Halo Dev Bungie Cuts Staff After Game Delays
Update: 8% of staff reportedly gone
Update [Wed 1st Nov, 2023 00:00 GMT]: Following the initial announcement of layoffs at Bungie, a new report by Bloomberg has now revealed the the decisio
October2023
News Alan Wake 2 'Excellent' On Xbox Series X & The Best Console Version, Digital Foundry Concludes
"Xbox Series X improves on PS5 performance"
Digital Foundry's technical verdict on Alan Wake 2 for Xbox Series X|S is here, and it's pretty good news all round. The tech-focused outlet deems the Xbox Series X version the best console release so far, while Series S fares rather well for a less-powerful machine too. To sum things up, Xbox Series X...
Review Robocop: Rogue City - A Slice Of 1980s Nostalgia That Feels Purposefully Old School
This tin man's got heart
There's just something about RoboCop. Maybe it's an age thing, maybe you just had to be there, but the ultra-violent tin cop sits alongside the likes of Knight Rider, Terminator and lots of other 1980s goodies as a property that immediately gets our excitement levels right up to the max as soon as it's mentioned. We'll sit...
Deals 300+ Games Included In This Week's Xbox Sales (October 31 - November 7)
Featuring a 'Best Rated Games' sale
Xbox's latest set of digital deals is now live, and we have hundreds of discounts to gaze over this week! Headlining the promotions this time out is a 'Best Rated Games' sale, alongside a 'Game Pass Family Time' promo and our usual array of spotlight sales & specials. So, we've picked out some of the top...
Review Jusant: Not Quite The 'Peak' Of Xbox Game Pass, But Still A Fun Adventure
Ready for a climb?
Jusant describes itself as an action-puzzle climbing game with "meditative vibes", and when you combine that with the talented Life is Strange and Tell Me Why studio DON'T NOD, the concept has long sounded like a winning formula to us. But what about the execution? In a year that's been overflowing with new Xbox releases and "day...
News Codemasters' EA Sports WRC Gets Free Trial Today On Xbox Game Pass Ultimate
Thanks to EA Play
EA is now officially the WRC license holder, and the company's first release from developer Codemasters is almost here. EA Sports WRC arrives for Xbox Series X|S on November 3rd, and Game Pass members can try the game out for absolutely free - starting today! Yep, thanks to a new EA Play trial, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members can...
News Another Seven Games Will Leave Xbox Game Pass Soon (November 15)
Your latest set of departures
Microsoft has revealed another seven games set to leave the Xbox Game Pass library in mid-November 2023. There's a fair old mix in today's roundup, with some bigger games leaving alongside a few Game Pass indies. <related ids="157698"> Here's what's leaving Xbox Game Pass in mid-November 2023: Xbox Game Pass:...
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