In among the litany of failures across Xbox and Microsoft in general, there are at least a few dozen undeniable epic business wins. One of those is undoubtedly Minecraft.

The blocky craft 'em up adventure already had huge momentum when Microsoft acquired it, but the firm has since turned Minecraft into a cultural powerhouse, with a merchandising and licensing empire that is often overlooked in general gaming discourse. Microsoft thinks there are more opportunities like this ... and that's why it is creating a new division under Xbox today.

"XP" is a new department under Microsoft's gaming team, led by new XP CEO Kayleen Walters, former president of Minecraft.

During Xbox's internal Town Hall meeting this week, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma described "four Cs" of focus for Xbox, with the session focusing mainly on Core and Content, i.e. console growth and uplifting Xbox's first and third-party content. Sharma described XP forging ahead with the Creator and Connection segments of the plan, aimed at developing other Xbox franchises to the same heights as Minecraft itself.

Microsoft put out a blog post today outlining the vision for XP, which will essentially operate as a licensing pipeline across all of Xbox's major franchises.

"Xbox Pictures" will focus on opportunities to bring Microsoft gaming franchises to the big and small screen, in the forms of movies and TV shows. Microsoft has already revealed a range of content in this area, including content for Gears of War, Wolfenstein, Diablo, among others. Big wins here include the Minecraft movie and Fallout TV show, both of which were huge successes in their own right, and vastly boosted interest in the games.

"Xbox Products" will extend what Walters has already done for Minecraft in the form of merchandising and other product lines. Microsoft says that these will be "authentic" to the fandoms. Toys 'R' Us recently announced plans to open dozens of new stores, focusing on the new adult toy-collector cohort. I suspect Microsoft may seek to join in here ... perhaps we could see Skylanders return?!

"Xbox Places" will be a new division focusing on fan events and theme park experiences. Microsoft specifically referred to BlizzCon in the press release here, and I recently heard whispers that Microsoft was interested in extending the BlizzCon model to other major Xbox franchises. Microsoft also has a theme park for Minecraft going live in the UK next year, set as a test bed for this type of thing. Perhaps the Overwatch map "Blizzard World" will become a reality some day ...

Finally, we have "Xbox Partnerships," which will continue the work Microsoft already does bringing its universes into other brands. The recent IKEA Xbox furniture line is an example of this, as well as the Blizzard McDonalds promotion in the UK, and the recent Fanta Xbox Game Pass integrations.

Kayleen Walters spent 13 years at Lucasfilm doing the same kind of work between Disney's theme parks and merchandising empires for Star Wars, and delivered the same for Minecraft during her tenure at Xbox. Now, Microsoft is hoping to extend that even further to franchises like Fallout, Call of Duty, Candy Crush, and more.

Reaching Xbox fans outside of Xbox

Speaking on the appointment, Kayleen Walters had this to say about XP and the potential that exists in Xbox's franchises.

"XP was created from a simple but powerful belief: the world's most beloved gaming franchises have an opportunity to reach people far beyond the boundaries of the game itself. Fans don't just play our franchises. They watch them, wear them, attend them, celebrate them, and connect with them in countless ways. XP brings together the teams responsible for helping XBOX franchises show up in the world in bigger, more meaningful ways."

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Microsoft has also appointed former Reddit and Meta executive to run Minecraft in Walters' stead, with a goal of growing Minecraft's chops as a developer platform, taking on Roblox and the like.

This era of Xbox revolves around synchronizing and utilizing Microsoft's acquisitions of the last few years, identifying the clear opportunities that the Minecraft movie and Fallout TV show has presented. Other big media properties of recent years, spanning Cyberpunk, to Castlevania, to Resident Evil, have all seen significant uplift as a result of successful delivery of these shows and movies.

Of course, those movies and TV shows have to actually be good. And as the Halo TV show has taught us ... a flop can actually do more harm than good to a gaming brand and its potential. There's no guarantee Microsoft and its partners can easily emulate the success of the Fallout TV show and Minecraft movie with other properties. I would like to see them take another stab at a Warcraft movie, though.

In any case, Microsoft has explored this segment before with Xbox Entertainment Studios, which fell apart quite rapidly. Microsoft knew this segment was going to be big, as far back as 2012. Although it seems Microsoft now has the good sense to work with external experts (like Netflix and Amazon Prime) rather than try to develop some of these products in-house.

It remains to be seen if the results of this venture will actually deliver. There's definitely a clear and obvious opportunity here, and Xbox's primary competitors, Nintendo and PlayStation, are leaning heavily in this direction already.

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Splitting up with your partner usually leaves both parties on rather poor terms, or is that just me? In the case of Undead Labs, the developer behind State of Decay, that seemingly isn’t the case.

In a recent interview with Game File, Undead Labs Studio Head Philip Holt was asked why the studio is still sticking with Game Pass, and here’s what he said:

Shocking many I'm sure, as again another developer comes out in defence of Game Pass, but Holt does go on, stating:

"Even today, we have several thousand people coming through the door every day. The benefit of State of Decay is that it’s a very retentive game. Last time I looked, something like half of our monthly active users have been in the game for close to two years, and a quarter for more than five. A lot of players from Game Pass come in and they’re like ‘this isn’t for me’ and leave. There is a high churn rate. But of the players we capture, we capture for a long time. And then they become franchise fans and consume other titles, and they’re excited for State of Decay 3. It’s really helped us achieve scale."

He continues, lamenting Game Passes reach:

"How do we make the most of that for State of Decay 3? Our biggest investment by far is the four-player co-op shared world, so a large audience that comes through Game Pass becomes a huge benefit. They play State of Decay 3, it is a great experience with friends, they invite their friends, and many of them will be on other platforms. It is a vector of growth for us."

The full interview dives into a plethora of additional details, including how the studio is working with three co-development teams to keep the project on track, so I do suggest you dive in and read it yourselves. But it’s great for us Xbox fans to see Holt take this position and recognize the value of a service like Game Pass despite the split with Xbox.

Thankfully, State of Decay 3 is full steam ahead for next year. As quite the zombie fanatic, I’m excited and hopeful that the game does well. It remains the one game I wish Xbox hadn’t chucked out amid their restructuring, but alas.

Do let me know your thoughts on Holt’s comments down below!

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Xbox CTO Scott Van Vliet has taken to X (formerly Twitter) to confirm that more is coming to make development on the platform easier. Despite already rolling out numerous positive changes for developers, Van Vliet states that the company is actively working to remove further friction.

“We’ve heard the feedback from developers: bringing a game to XBOX should be easier than it is today. We agree, and we’re working to make it better. We care deeply about ID@XBOX and the developers who build for XBOX. We’re starting with some of the areas we know can create unnecessary friction, including our concept and publishing processes, and simplifying them so developers can spend less time navigating process and more time bringing great games to players. More soon.”

It’s great to see Xbox address developers directly here and whilst what exactly will change is kept rather vague for now, and doesn’t give much away, outside of simplifying concept and publishing processes, it's still nice to see acknowledged, and publicly no less.

Not long ago, I was getting quite giddy over changes made to PlayFab, specifically with the introduction of Foundation Mode. This gives developers access to backend services for free, including infrastructure for multiplayer lobbies and other essential features.

At the same time, Microsoft expressed confidence that developers could now get working within the Xbox development environment in about 30 minutes, making the onboarding process significantly simpler than before.

For folks like me, and you, it won’t really mean much if you just play games. But for developers, Xbox is making serious strides to lower as many barriers as possible. Eventually, maybe skipping Xbox won’t be an option anymore? Who knows?

Hopefully, we hear more soon about the specific changes Van Vliet is referring to. Despite not being all too technically inclined with game development, I do enjoy dabbling here and there, and as an Xbox fan, it’s exciting that more and more developers might see the platform as more viable in the future.

With that said, let me know if things like this excite you or not by commenting down below, and be sure to take part in our poll.

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After the double-whammy launch of Gears of War: E-Day and Minecraft Dungeons 2, things are quietening down for Xbox Game Pass as its next batch of new titles includes a mixture of older AAA titles like Battlefield 6 and intriguing new IP like the soulslike FPS, Valor Mortis.

Here's the full list of Xbox games coming and leaving Xbox Game Pass for the second half of October 2026.

Games leaving Xbox Game Pass (October 15)

• A Plague Tale: Requiem (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Crime Scene Cleaner (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Donut County (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Evil West (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Nova Roma (Game Preview) (PC)
• Pacific Drive (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Superball (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• The Casting of Frank Stone (Cloud, Console, and PC)

Windows Central's take

The biggest game on this list is Battlefield 6, the latest entry in EA's long-running military FPS series. The game has received generally favorable reviews, with critics praising its tight gunplay and multiplayer, but felt the single-player was lacking in the character writing and plot departments.

Battlefield 6 will arrive on Xbox Game Pass on October 13, 2026, which will be the same time the game launches its fifth season.

This season will have players battle in Las Vegas with several new maps, weapons, and vehicles, a new Operation, a Halloween event, a Server Browser, a #REDSEC: Rapid Royale mode, Platoons, and more.

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However, I'm not sure players will have time to play this game because three days after Battlefield 6's induction into Xbox Game Pass...will mark the launch of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, one of the most anticipated Xbox titles of 2026.

Will Battlefield 6 manage to capture player retention away from its biggest rival in the military shooter genre with its Xbox Game Pass inclusion and Season 5 content? Will Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 sweep Battlefield 6 under the rug with its massive campaign mode, intense PVP modes, and new DMZ extraction mode?

Only time will tell next week.

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Yesterday, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma spoke to Microsoft employees in a big Town Hall meeting, covering a variety of topics.

Xbox's gaming org has undergone vast restructuring this summer leading to thousands of job cuts via layoffs and divestitures. The reorg is designed to reduce costs and shift as much of its business as possible out from underneath Microsoft U.S. corporate structure. More of Microsoft's game studios have been moved under purpose-built publishers like Activision and Bethesda, as the AI buildout continues to dominate Microsoft U.S. overall bureaucracy and legal apparatus.

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Xbox stated recently that its restructure is "75% complete," with staffers still wondering what additional layoffs might be on the table. But for now, Asha Sharma took to the internal airwaves to give Xbox staffers an update on what to expect in the coming months from Xbox's overall plan. The quotes below were transcribed to us and verified with multiple sources.

Xbox's big plans for PC and gaming in general: easier publishing, and a Battle.net boost

Sharma spoke on a range of topics at the event, some of which we covered yesterday which you can read up on here. There, Xbox's Asha Sharma spoke on the need to strengthen Xbox's core user base: console users, with plans to boost Xbox Series X|S and the next-gen Xbox Helix "family of devices." But today, I'd like to highlight her comments on Xbox PC and its future, which includes boosted publishing powers for developers, more support for Battle.net, and more.

"On PC historically, we've taken a one-shot approach. We've had one app, and that's what we've focused on. As we have dug in, we're leaving a lot on the table," Sharma said. "It turns out that Battle.net supports an audience that we're not reaching outside of it, and it is awesome at it. The retention is nearly as good as Steam's retention, and we've never really put any work behind it as a platform. And so, we are doing that. We are doing it the right way for that community. It'll be great for our first-party games, and great for select third-party games too."

Indeed, Battle.net recently picked up its first third-party game in the form of The Witcher 3. Activision previously experimented with Battle.net, putting Call of Duty and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater up on the service, and Xbox chimed in with DOOM and Avowed, among others. Blizzard seems to be taking a more curated approach to content on Battle.net, as opposed to opening the flood gates Steam or Xbox PC-style. Retention refers to return users, and not necessarily total users. Sharma is saying that once they're in the ecosystem, Battle.net users stick around at a rate almost as good as Steam.

It'll be interesting to see what publishers show up there next in any case. I could see Battle.net focusing more on AAA type stuff, but it also seems to be designed to help Xbox boost Xbox Play Anywhere. Indeed, The Witcher 3 is now Xbox Play Anywhere on Xbox Series X|S consoles and cloud as a result of this partnership, even if you grab it via Battle.net on PC.

None of this means Xbox plans to ditch Steam, though.

"We will continue to invest in other PC apps as long as they reach distinct audiences," Sharma emphasized. "The Windows app [Microsoft Store] reaches a lot of people around the world. In fact, in China, it is the number one store," Sharma said, although it's unclear by what metric they're measuring this. It's true that Fortnite, Roblox, and some other major service-type games are available on the Windows Microsoft Store, and not on Steam. I'm told many users in China access Steam via a VPN, which probably clouds some of these figures.

"We're collaborating across the board," Sharma said, "we're doing a lot this fall [in terms of offers] through OEMs. We have an offer going out to 14 million OEMs. I saw some great pre-install work that's happening for [World of Warcraft], and some great conversion numbers. We will continue to succeed on Windows. There are a billion Windows PCs. There's no reason we shouldn't be serving our audiences there."

OEMs refers to companies that build and ship Windows-based devices. It sounds to me like Sharma and Xbox are working to bundle other content with upcoming laptop launches. Many laptops come with PC Game Pass codes these days, for example, and it sounds like World of Warcraft may come with launchers and gametime pre-installed on some devices to celebrate the launch of WoW: Forever and further boost Battle.net in general.

Finally, Sharma spoke about making it easier to "work with Xbox," echoing complaints I've heard from developers big and small about building games for the Xbox ecosystem.

"Right now, it is simply very hard to work with Xbox," Sharma admitted. "So, we are simplifying the targets, we're moving to a headless partner center, we're taking the cruft out of our APIs, and we're making them machine-readable. There's a lot of work here. We need developers to be able to work with us, understand how they are performing, and have tools that actually grow their business. There's a lot we can do here. I'm encouraged by the work happening."

The idea here is to make Xbox's publishing programs as simple and automated as possible, reducing the need for human-intervention and bottlenecks. You might notice on Metacritic that PS5 and Steam reviews of games often vastly outstrip their Xbox counterparts. One reason for this is that developers' games often seem stuck in certification until the last minute on Xbox, with reviewers and content creators opting for PS5 and Steam versions as codes usually come in much earlier there.

More problematically, Microsoft's publishing requirements often just see indie developers rejected without providing any clear reasoning, despite obtaining clearance on Steam and PS5. It's often only when the Xbox community gets involved and makes noise that some publishers get their work cleared through cert, which is absolutely stupid. It sounds like there's an effort to fix this, thankfully.

PC gaming is a huge opportunity for Xbox, both on and off Steam

Microsoft's core focus is rebuilding its Xbox Series X|S console business ahead of the Xbox Helix launch, but it's encouraging to see they're not abandoning efforts to strengthen their PC offering.

In years past, Microsoft earned itself a reputation of hostility among PC players, with services like Games for Windows Live remaining notorious to this day. As of 2026, Xbox's offering on PC is far far better. The Xbox PC app is in a much better place (although could still be better), the Xbox Ally X handheld is a fantastic console companion for Xbox Play Anywhere fans. And perhaps ironically, Microsoft's disc-to-digital program on Xbox consoles is offering a way to acquire physical PC games for the first time in years, strangely.

Microsoft still has a way to go on building trust with PC gamers for sure. I would argue having more open dialogue with the community there and having a more public, prominent feedback program similar to what we've seen on Xbox Series X|S would help. PC Game Pass is still a very strong offering, and Battle.net is arguably the best of the publisher-focused launchers, vastly outstripping stuff like Ubisoft Connect and EA Play.

PC gaming is a very different culture to console gaming, and arguably more competitive. Steam is absolutely beloved, and outside of that, we have an arrangement of publisher-focused launchers like the Riot Client and HoYoverse launchers. Xbox PC still needs a lot of work on the performance side, especially on handhelds, and the integrations with external launchers like Battle.net itself aren't always the best. But as an Xbox-first, Xbox PC-second gamer, I've been encouraged by the work here. I'd love to see Xbox boost publisher relationships and discoverability for indie games, improve the search functionality on Xbox PC, and also streamline processes for getting Xbox Play Anywhere functional.

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You can now beat the scalpers and ensure that you get what I believe is the most stunning Xbox controller ever made. Pre-orders for the Xbox Wireless Controller X25 Special Edition are live right now!

A translucent green design lets you see the internal components of the controller while also giving you a shot of nostalgia. Fans have wanted a green controller like this for years, and Xbox finally delivered.

An ode to Xbox

Microsoft announced the Xbox Series X25 earlier this year. While that console is gorgeous, those who already have an Xbox Series X may not buy another console just for a refreshed look. But you can celebrate the 25th anniversary of Xbox without spending $899.99.

The Xbox Wireless Controller X25 Special Edition is "OG Green" and has a translucent body. Small touches such as the ABXY buttons matching the original Xbox controller add up to make a stunning controller. The bumpers are even black and white similar to the black and white buttons of the "Duke" controller.

The black Xbox button shines a green light as a throwback to the early days of Xbox. The back of the controller has a see-through panel featuring the classic XBOX logo.

Unfortunately, as with most collectible hardware, scalpers will gobble up a lot of the stock of the Xbox Wireless Controller X25 Special Edition. Locking in a pre-order early is your best bet to avoid inflated resale prices.

Whether you're enjoying the new games that were just announced at the Future Games Show at Gamescom 2026 or playing games you just converted through the Xbox disc-to-digital program, the Xbox Wireless Controller X25 Special Edition will be a gorgeous companion.

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Today, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma addressed all of Xbox in an internal town hall, the transcript of which was shared to Windows Central and verified by trusted sources.

Xbox has been undergoing something of a reset this year, with divestitures, layoffs, and structural changes. Xbox Game Pass removed Call of Duty and picked up a big price cut, Xbox also returned to exclusive games and content, and began investing in marketing and features for its Xbox Series X|S consoles again for the first time in years.

"Why do we exist?" Sharma said, "We exist to be where the world plays, we will know when we have a billion daily active people, and we have a right to win because we're now focused on our fans and franchises."

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Sharma noted that Xbox was declining in hours spent, players, and revenue at the start of the year. She now says Xbox has stabilized in hours spent, and she's now said after year-over-year first party declines, Xbox has now returned to growth in this area. She reiterated that the previous Xbox Game Pass strategy sent Xbox into "freefall" declines on the balance sheet, likely referring to the damage at both ends to Call of Duty and Xbox Game Pass.

UPDATE: To clarify, when speaking about growth here, I'm told Asha Sharma was using a chart referring specifically to first party growth, i.e. games that Xbox owns and publishes. I've updated the text to clarify this.

"We're making the right decisions to reinvest in the business, after an all time low, we've started to return to growth, more than 2 to 3 times what we were, and we expect that continue." Asha Sharma also called out Gears of War: E-Day, Minecraft Dungeons 2, and World of Warcraft Forever for having "strong" starts, and noted that Xbox has seen a 30% increase in positive brand sentiment over the past year.

Growing Xbox Series X|S, leveraging Xbox Helix, Xbox Game Pass, and more handhelds?

Core, content, creation, and connection, are the "four C's" Asha Sharma described as leading Xbox forward. She said that Xbox's market position suggests it needs to invest more in Xbox console, despite the fact the segment overall isn't growing in the gaming industry — she says Xbox still has an opportunity to grow in the space. She also said Xbox doesn't have "the right" to grow beyond console if it can't serve their "most valuable players the right way."

Asha Sharma says strengthening Gen-9 (Xbox Series X|S) is key to this, calling out innovations like Xbox Cloud Gaming, Xbox's disc-to-digital program, and Xbox Play Anywhere growth. She also hinted that Xbox Game Pass will get more "flexible for more players" in the future, reiterating previous hints that users will be able to tailor exactly what types of content they want to access in the service.

Asha Sharma also called out Gen-10, Xbox Helix, describing it as a "family of devices."

"We are moving to a family of devices for Gen-10. There is not one device that fits all. We will certainly have a great console first, but we also know that many players will be on the go. There are some things that we are the best in the world to manufacture, and there are other things that will we partner on. So, we will be sharing more about that as our plans develop. The operating system is starting to look really good. We're very excited about this."

Asha Sharma also spoke about Xbox PC and Battle.net, talking about an intention to grow Battle.net as a platform. She said Battle.net is almost on-par with Steam for user retention, and the recent partnership to bring CD Projekt RED's games like Witcher 3 to Battle.net will grow further. "We will do it the right way for those communities," she said, hinting that Battle.net will remain a more curated store compared to the likes of Steam or Xbox PC.

On further opportunities, Asha Sharma also revealed that Xbox PC is, in fact, the number 1 PC gaming storefront in China (although, it has been suggested to me that this claim likely excludes China-based Steam users using a VPN — I'm exploring this comment a bit more.)

Update: I'm told Asha Sharma was referring to the Windows Store here, not necessarily the Xbox PC store, which while linked are indeed separate technically. For context, he Windows Store is installed by default on Windows 10 and 11 PCs, and contains many games that aren't available on Steam including Fortnite and Roblox.

Asha Sharma also stated that they'll continue to invest in other PC apps where there's a distinct audience, i.e. Steam in general.

Sharma also said that Xbox is "simplifying" the target and streamlining APIs for publishing on Xbox to make it easier for developers to ship on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox Helix, and Xbox PC — which has long been a sore point.

Xbox's strategy looks like the right one, for now

Xbox has seen tons of layoffs over the summer in a big effort to restructure more of the business away from the ballooning costs of Microsoft bureaucracy. To that end, it has shifted some Xbox studios under purpose-built subsidiary publishers like Activision and Bethesda, divested some, and shuttered others.

Microsoft has also doubled down on its core audience, Xbox console players, whose neglect became untenable at the start of the year as Microsoft seemed to focus on future-facing telemetry data at the cost of the current reality.

Indeed, I wrote two years ago that Xbox was neglecting its core at the cost of growth that might never materialize, and it seems that growth indeed never did materialize in the previous strategy.

There are positive shoots throughout Sharma's pitch to Xbox staff, but she still noted upon caution with regards to the state of the economy, the RAMpocalypse, and generalized disruption in the entertainment biz.

How are you feeling about Xbox's new strategy so far? Let us know in the comments.

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We've been hearing bits and pieces about the new Xbox Elite Controller (Series 3) for some time now, and this latest leak is the biggest one yet.

It initially leaked as part of the big Xbox documents drop during the Activision-Blizzard acquisition hearings, and then later via the Brazilian equivalent of the U.S. FTC. But wait, there's more!

During the summer, an early Xbox Elite Controller Series 3 unit leaked in full on social media, giving us full pictures of what to expect. Now, we might even have its full spec sheet.

Shared by the fine folks at /r/GamingLeaksAndRumours on reddit, it seems the Xbox Design Lab itself might've just giving us the best glimpse yet at what to expect in the new Xbox Elite Controller, and it sounds rather enticing.

Although the APIs were already taken down by the time I saw the listing, it seems reddit was able to scrape the providers of the Xbox Design Lab storefront and discovered a variety of information about what to expect.

The highlights includes "advanced haptics," PlayStation-style, as well as full Design Lab integration for customization. It also comes with options for silent sticks, swappable d-pads as is typical, an adjustable scroll wheel (confirming previous leaks), and full TMR anti-drift Hall Effect thumbsticks — which is great news for accurate movement and aiming.

Here's the Xbox Elite Controller Series 3 spec summary in full from the reddit post.

The post alleges that there were four SKUs listed. Two with, and two without the full haptics motors, split between base models and "complete" models that likely come with additional bells and whistles like charge docks, carry cases, and so on. Other features I've been hearing about include direct-to-WiFi connectivity to minimize Xbox Cloud Gaming latency, as well as easier device switching and management between Xbox, Bluetooth, and other sources.

I had heard that the Xbox Elite Controller Series 3 was imminent for a reveal. If this API leak is indeed true, its addition on the Xbox Design Lab suggests Microsoft may want it out in time for Christmas and the holiday shopping season.

Although, the leaks make no mention of price ... and that'll be the big kicker for many.

The new Xbox Elite Controller (Series 3) is doubtlessly imminent

I teased on the Xbox Two Podcast last week that I was expecting the Xbox Elite Series 3 out before Christmas, and this leak aligns with what I've been hearing.

I really enjoy the Xbox Elite Controller Series 2 for the convenience of having a permanently-charged controller. The battery life on the Series 2 is truly absurd, and the convenient and weighty charge dock beats all the other options I've seen on the market. Although ... the Series 2 is indeed notorious for quality issues. I've gone through at least two of them, maybe even more, with issues ranging from shoulder button failures to rubber grips falling off.

From speaking with sources about the Xbox Elite Controller, quality control and repairability has been a priority for the Xbox Elite Controller Series 3. It remains to be seen of course how it functions in practice. I'll be eager to get my hands on it and do a full review and teardown video so you guys know whether or not this is the one to buy.

I, for one, am pretty excited. Although there's no information yet on price, and the split between haptic and non-haptic versions makes me wonder just how pricy the haptic-based version will be if they're going as far to split them into separate SKUs. 🤔

Take this all with a pinch of salt for now, of course, but it probably won't be long until all of this is confirmed by Microsoft itself.

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One of my favorite things about the Xbox ecosystem has historically also been one of its most frustrating. Why? Primarily due to a "lack" of adoption.

Xbox Play Anywhere is by far and away my favorite thing about being an Xbox owner. As a heavy (figuratively and literally) Xbox gamer with hundreds upon hundreds of owned games, I'm always excited to see when one of my games supports Xbox Play Anywhere — a feature that allows me to take my game to Xbox Cloud Gaming or Windows PCs or gaming handhelds on the same license, with the same save file.

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However, in years past, adoption was pretty anemic. Xbox's first-party titles (mostly) came to the service, but third-party games generally turned their nose up at it. What's worse, the idea of older games getting support was almost unheard of. That changed in a big way in 2026.

Games both old and new are getting Xbox Play Anywhere support out of the blue

I will remember 2026 as the year Xbox Play Anywhere really saw a watershed moment.

Previously, it felt like AAA developers simply didn't care or want to work with Xbox Play Anywhere. I wrote an opinion piece complaining about Xbox Play Anywhere adoption back in January, but almost a year later, things have done an almost total 180.

Before, it felt like to expect Xbox Play Anywhere, Microsoft had to drop an Xbox Game Pass deal on the game in order to acquire the rights and convince the developers to play nice. But this year, we've seen a steady cadence of games both large and small hitting Xbox Play Anywhere without any form of Game Pass integration.

Yes, many AAA games still aren't arriving as part of Xbox Play Anywhere (notably ones from the "bigger" publishers like EA and Ubisoft), but it seems even they are coming around to the idea. A few weeks ago, Ubisoft began offering some of its games on Xbox PC "for free" if you own the Xbox console version, making them Xbox Play Anywhere in all but name. Now if we could just get Star Wars Zero Company too ... if you're listening, EA.

Other publishers have been sporadic. Capcom brought Onimusha: Way of the Sword to Xbox Play Anywhere, but not Resident Evil 9 or Pragmata, for example. Others have been fully on board, with Square-Enix pledging virtually every new release, including re-releases like the upcoming Kingdom Hearts remasters and Final Fantasy Resonance.

Indeed, one of the bigger issues with Xbox Play Anywhere revolves around gaps in the overall content line-up. It reminded me a bit of the Windows Phone app gap ... wherein developers didn't see enough users to justify the port, and users didn't see enough content to justify using the store. But somehow, Xbox seems to have overcome this issue with Xbox Play Anywhere.

Witcher 3 recently got retroactively updated with Xbox Play Anywhere support, for example. Today, Metro 2033 and Last Light were announced with HD refreshes, complete with Xbox Play Anywhere support. Baldur's Gate 3 too, also grabbed Xbox Play Anywhere support, with Larian remarking that it's just "a cool part of the ecosystem." Even some of the more obscure games like Tainted Grail: Fall of Avalon, a game I was secretly hoping would grab Xbox Play Anywhere, just randomly got certified today. I also had no idea other viral indie hits like TCG Card Shop Simulator were Xbox Play Anywhere until I checked what was available today.

What's going on here?!

There's been a huge, generalized sprint of solid Xbox Play Anywhere support recently. Blood of Dawnwalker, Control Resonant, Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy, Aliens Fireteam Elite 2, Beast of Reincarnation, Dispatch, 007: First Light, Subnautica 2, Vampire Crawlers, RuneScape: Dragonwilds, Replaced, Monster Hunter Stories 3, Deep Dish Dungeon, Clive Barker's Hellraiser Revival, Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons, and many more — have all hit the service in recent months, or will in the near future.

There are tons more as well, on top of first-party titles which are all but guaranteed to hit Xbox Play Anywhere by default. Crucially, all of the games play incredibly well natively on Xbox Ally X, optimized for handhelds out of the box in most cases.

Microsoft hasn't been shy about its intentions to improve the Xbox back-end systems to facilitate these kinds of features. But I'm curious what is driving this increased adoption of late ... could it be the Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X effect? Is it simply a no-brainer if you're also moving copies via Xbox Cloud Gaming? Is the Xbox PC store seeing more rapid adoption than people think?

Whatever the cause is, as an Xbox Ally X gamer, I'm loving it.

Now if you don't mind, I'm going to rock up with some more Deep Dish Dungeon for a bit while the WoW: Forever servers are in maintenance ...

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Gears of War: E-Day has finally launched on Xbox Series X|S and PC via early access for players who pre-ordered the Premium Edition.

While the rest of the world waits for its public release on October 6, 2026, players can look up whether Gears of War: E-Day is up their alley by checking the mountain of critic reviews now available online.

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Sure enough, critics are absolutely adoring this epic prequel to the iconic Gears of War series, as it's scoring high ratings of 88 on Metacritic and 87 on OpenCritic.

Here's what some of the top reviews had to say about this new entry in Xbox's flagship shooter franchise.

Note that all these reviews only cover the single-player campaign, as the multiplayer modes were unavailable to test during the review period.

Gears of War: E-Day Reviews

• IGN (9/10): "E-Day pulls off the tightrope act of giving us a heartfelt prequel with strong characters even when we know how it ends. On a more mechanical level, it also evolves the enemies, weapons, and combat you’d expect to deliver a Gears of War campaign that stands toe-to-toe with any of the others."
• GameSpot (7/10): "For better or worse, E-Day is distinctly Gears, and I had a good time with it, even if the story is disappointing and the open areas are fairly dull. But that’s all it is: a good game, propped up by combat that hasn’t changed all that much over the past 20 years. That’s enough to skate by, but I wish Gears of War would dig deeper."
• VGC (4/5): "Gears of War E-Day's campaign offers balls-to-the-wall action and rarely lets up, but that means the story takes more of a back seat than I'd like. It's good that time is given to the backstories of new protagonists Mags and Lucas, but given that the game is literally the playable Marcus and Dom backstory fans have been waiting decades to see, more time could have been spent on their relationship. In terms of pure gunplay, however, very little beats it this year."
• GamingBolt (9/10): "It stumbles sometimes with its story, but thanks to new and improved movement mechanics, Gears of War: E-Day ends up delivering some of the tightest combat and one of the series’ most excellently paced campaigns in a long, long time."
• Voxel (90/100): "Gears of War: E-Day hits the mark by getting the basics right: embracing its identity as a Gears of War game and elevating the strengths inherent to the series. The game doesn't revolutionize the genre, but it delivers a fun gameplay experience featuring a cinematic narrative and local multiplayer support."

Gears of War: E-Day returns to the series' roots while having some odd, out-of-place open-world elements.

Overall, it seems the general sentiment around Gears of War: E-Day is that it doesn't try to reinvent the wheel, but returns to the series' roots with a solid, harrowing war story while refining the core gameplay loop that made Gears of War the household name it is today to great effect.

However, our own Jez Corden was more critical in his review-in-progress article on Gears of War: E-Day. While Jez praised the game's gorgeous visuals, stunning performance, and solid gunplay, he felt like let down by the game's poorly designed open-world-lite elements that break the game's pacing and uninteresting, damage-spongy boss fights.

The real make-or-break point for Gears of War: E-Day, to me, will be its PvP Versus Modes and its much-anticipated PvE Horde Siege mode, where you will be pitted against dozens of Locust enemies and boss monsters at once with 12 players.

If The Coalition can nail the gameplay of its multiplayer modes and its post-launch content, people will be sticking around for Gears of War: E-Day long after they beat the campaign. I know I'll be playing Gears of War: E-Day's Horde Siege mode over Grand Theft Auto 6 any day.

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Today's the day: Gears of War: E-Day, the most anticipated Xbox exclusive in years, has launched in early access for players who pre-ordered the Premium Edition of the game. Earlier, Jez Corden called it "gorgeous but undeniably messy" in our review-in-progress, looking forward to future content additions.

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Still, to celebrate this momentous occasion, Gears of War: E-Day's developers, The Coalition, have released an extensive blog post detailing their plans for updating the game's multiplayer content, balance changes, and more.

Here's what you can expect from Gears of War: E-Day's post-launch updates.

Gears of War: E-Day Season 1

First off, The Coalition states that Season 1 of Gears of War: E-Day's multiplayer content, titled Season 1: Emergence, will be running from today all the way up to December 1, 2026.

Season 1 will include all the game's launch maps, games, cosmetics, and three limited-time events called Halloween, 20 Years of Gears, and Thanksgibbing. Each event will last for two weeks and will feature a Versus Event mode, a Horde Siege Event mission, and exclusive, limited-time rewards.

Additionally, Season 1 will include:

• Ranked: Versus Ranked will officially launch one week after launch on October 13, giving players crucial time to get up-to-speed with all our maps, modes and sandbox before jumping into competitive.  
• Weekly Challenges: The weekly challenges Premium Edition owners receive on October 1 are the same challenges all players will receive at launch on October 6, weekly challenges will then refresh on October 13.
• Shop: Shop offers will rotate every Tuesday. Be sure to check every week for free featured gifts.
• Never Fight Alone Charity Bundle: 100% of net revenue of the Never Fight Alone Year 5 bundle, which includes an exclusive skin and weapon skin set, and the Never Fight Alone Legacy set, goes to our partner Crisis Text Line in our mission to prevent suicide.
• Promotional Items: Cosmetic items available exclusively through limited time partnerships will become available in the Barracks for Coins and Iron after the partnership exclusivity term lapses. 
• Gears of War: Reloaded Rewards: To celebrate the release of the original Gears of War 20 years ago, we’re offering exclusive rewards to commemorate players’ engagement with Gears of War: Reloaded. 
• Fire and Fenix Pose: Complete the “Prison Breakout” XBOX Achievement in Gears of War: Reloaded.
• Old Guard Medal & “Locked n’ Reloaded” Title: Complete the “Re-Up” XBOX Achievement in Gears of War: Reloaded.

Gears of War: E-Day Season 2 and beyond

Season 2: Legacy will begin at a later date after Season 1 and will feature content themed around the Gears of War franchise's 20th anniversary. The Coalition has also prepared a birthday gift for players to open on November 7, the day when the original Gears of War launched two decades ago.

Additionally, The Coalition has announced that Season 2 will include a Dead Serious Achievement. Any players who obtain it will be rewarded with exclusive cosmetics like a Medal, a Player Title, a Banner, an Emblem, an Icon, and a Legendary Character skin.

Lastly, Gears of War: E-Day has been confirmed to receive at least five post-launch seasons. The names of future seasons after Season 2 are:

• Season 3: Infiltration
• Season 4: Pendulum
• Season 5: Devotion

Gears of War: E-Day Multiplayer Balance changes

Moving on from seasonal content, The Coalition then lays out its plan for updating Gears of War: E-Day's gameplay based on feedback from the multiplayer betas.

Their first move is to change the Gnasher, Gears of War's iconic shotgun that is regarded as one of the best weapons to use in PvP and PvE content throughout the whole franchise.

The developers noticed that during Gears 2 to 5, firing the Gnasher from the hip has often resulted in some shots missing when they clearly should've hit the target. So, The Coalition has decided to finally fix that by introducing a new hybrid muzzle and camera-oriented shooting mechanic.

This means that when you fire the Gnasher, the game will check both the camera and muzzle shots and apply whichever angle is better suited for the shot, which should (hopefully) result in more accurate hits.

Next up, The Coalition states that iconic gameplay features from past Gears of War titles, like Meat Shields, Chainsaw Duels, select fan-favorite weapons, Private Lobbies, and Leaderboards, are being considered to be added to Gears of War: E-Day in post-launch updates or the next game.

Right now, the developers are focusing on making sure Gears of War: E-Day has the most stable launch experience possible.

Finally, The Coalition has laid out a series of patch notes for Gears of War: E-Day's early access launch, which include bug fixes, balance adjustments, Quality-of-life improvements, and more:

• Tuning:
  • Weapon Tuning: 
    • Adjusted Prototype Lancer damage to a value in-between Beta weekend 1 and 2
    • Reduced Lancer Mk1 damage
    • Reduced Vulcan damage
    • Increased Hammerburst damage 
    • Increased damage of the Gnasher while ADS at range
    • Improved Gnasher hipfire consistency
    • Reduced rate of fire for the Snub
    • Reduced the Gut-Puncher spare ammo amount
  • Movement & Cover Tuning: 
    • Improved strafe movement responsiveness
    • Adjustments to cover enter speed and distance of cover-enter cancel
    • Reduced Cover Slip speed
    • Reduced Slide distance
  • Horde Siege Tuning:
    • Adjustment of brightness and opacity of Energy icons
    • Adjusted the difficulty of Repair objectives 
    • Decreased the health threshold at which a Boomer, Flayer, or Grinder can be executed with a Prototype Lancer
    • Reduced Weapon Part Rewards for participation in invasions
    • Reduced Weapon Part Rewards for Weapon Part Stockpiles
    • Increased the difficulty of all Invasions
    • Increased the difficulty of Commander and Allfather difficulties
    • Adjusted the Medic’s stim duration
    • Increased equipment costs
    • Reduced the impact of some Squad Perks
    • Increased the Energy cost of Squad Perks
  • Versus Tuning: 
    • Reduced the wave respawn time
    • Reduced frequency of trading to feel more fair and consistent
    • Adjusted Scoring in Demolition 
    • Adjusted Scoring in Crucible
• Bug Fixes: 
  • Across PC, XBOX and handhelds, we made numerous improvements to stability, performance and optimization across applicable hardware configurations
  • On PC, we addressed a bug causing graphics settings to reset between launches
  • Made adjustments to prevent macro abuse of semi-automatic weapons
  • On PC, we addressed an issue causing missing VFX on explosions when set to Low quality settings
  • On “Legacy” control settings, fixed an issue causing an inconsistent Sprint release delay
  • On PC, fixed an issue causing additional input delay when playing on mouse and keyboard
  • On PC, fixed an issue causing mouse & keyboard lighting effects to not display properly
  • In Horde Siege, fixed an issue causing Tickers not to be properly flung when kicked
  • In Horde Siege, fixed an issue causing blast charges delivered during the Corpser Invasion Event to not register
  • Fixed an issue allowing players to shoot enemies not in front of their barrel when aiming down sights
  • Fixed an issue causing versus ranked or social players to get stuck at the “Waiting for Other Players” screen
  • Fixed an issue causing destructible assets to ‘stick’ to players
  • Fixed an issue where Marksman UAV visual effect might persist
  • Improved the reliability of starting objectives in Horde Siege
  • Improved the reliability of switching which squadmate you are spectating when cog tagged in Horde Siege
  • Fixed an issue where Tickers were immune to Gorehooks
  • Fixed an issue allowing more than four squad members in Versus
  • Fixed an issue where abandoned turrets could not be interacted with
  • Fixed visual issues with ranking up from Onyx 3
  • Fixed an issue where boss health bars and locators could scale incorrectly
  • Fixed multiple issues where specific enemies may not be able to path at certain objectives
  • Fixed multiple issues that would prevent objectives from completing in Horde Siege
  • Fixed multiple inconsistencies and interaction errors in the Horde Siege lobby and Barracks
  • Fixed multiple scoring inconsistencies and errors
  • Fixed multiple matchmaking errors and timeouts
  • Fixed an issue where Mortar strike vfx could appear without cause
  • Fixed an issue where TDM matches would end too early
• QoL & Feedback: 
  • On all platforms, we added an FOV slider 
  • On all platforms, we improved HDR calibration, made UI paper-white adjustment independent
  • On all platforms, we added the ability to disable Chromatic Aberration
  • On all platforms, we added the ability to disable Film Grain 
  • On PC, Max FPS can be set to 30, 60, 90, 120, 144, 240, or Unlimited 
  • On PC, setting Max FPS to “Unlimited” will not cap your framerate
  • On PC, multi frame generation is now optionally supported
  • On PC, we added a setting to allow players to enable or disable Lamp device support for mouse and keyboard lighting  
  • On XBOX, “The Lucky Ones Died on E-Day” achievement has been removed in order to support the upcoming Mythic Achievements feature. Players will still earn the “I AM A GEAR” Player Title upon completing all other achievements and the achievement remains on Steam
  • In multiplayer, adjusted Player XP to better align the rate of progression across Horde Siege and Versus
  • Made improvement to Backfill AI bot behavior 
• Advanced Shader Delivery (ASD): 
  • On PC, Advanced Shader Delivery (ASD) is a new feature that significantly reduces the time spent compiling shaders across different PC hardware configurations. It benefits Gears of War: E-Day and other supported games across the Xbox PC app
  • For launch, ASD will be supported on AMD hardware, with NVIDIA support coming later in October
  • Playing E-Day outside the Xbox PC app? You may still benefit from ASD if the Xbox PC app is installed on your Windows 11 PC, allowing the required shaders to be pre-installed
• LAUNCH KNOWN ISSUES:
  • Playing through the entire length of the game without reloading checkpoints or restarting may cause memory issues. Please reload a checkpoint if you get blocked at an encounter or objective
  • Performance Overlay in Benchmark mode does not include generated frames, and can report a lower than accurate FPS 
  • Game process may continue to run after closing, can be viewed and shut down from task manager 
  • New clients joining a lobby working through an existing save will receive all prior secondary objective and hardcase progress in the War Journal and all relevant Forge rewards 
  • On PC, offline play is unavailable until October 6

Are you ready for Gears of War: E-Day?

If you're a fan of Gears of War or third-person shooters, then you won't want to miss out on Gears of War: E-Day when it leaves early access and launches for the general public on October 6, 2026, for Xbox Series X|S and PC.

It's turning out to be one of the best games in the series just from the campaign alone, and judging from these long-term plans for its exciting multiplayer modes, Gears of War: E-Day is going to satiate your craving for video game violence for a long time.

Before heading off to buy a copy, I'd recommend upgrading your Xbox Series X's storage to fit Gears of War: E-Day, as the base game's 115GB install requirement is going to take a huge chunk out of it long before its post-launch updates arrive.

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As I write this, I just wrapped up my run-through of Gears of War: E-Day, start to finish. Although, I have yet to experience the full actual game.

For the review build, Gears of War: E-Day's new siege mode is disabled, as is versus multiplayer. It felt odd to me to score a game I haven't fully played yet; as such, this will be a review-in-progress pending the launch state of versus and siege mode, which I presume goes live with the game itself on October 6, 2026.

Gears of War: E-Day is something of an important game for Xbox. It carries the flag for Microsoft's return to exclusive Xbox Series X|S games, and likely has some oversized pressure upon it to deliver. We're not here to review that aspect of the product, though — only what is here sitting in front of me.

And my feelings are a bit mixed.

Gears of War: E-Day has some of the most stunning visuals I've ever seen committed to the medium, with absolutely immaculate lighting treatment, immense and meticulous city detailing, and gorgeous character work. The gunplay is also fantastic, smoothing off some of the series' rough edges with boosted mobility, without sacrificing the Gears feel.

But the overall gameplay structure does the overall game a pretty sizeable disservice in my view, preventing it from reaching its full potential.

Gears of War: E-Day review — Story, Art, and Tech

Gears of War: E-Day takes place over a decade before Gears of War 1, offering us a front-row seat to the brutal and genocidal opening to the Locust's attack on humanity.

The city of Kalona serves as ground zero for that invasion. Kalona is known as a city of science and technological progress, and was instrumental in developing the COG's weapons tech and industrial war economy during the civil war against the UIR. E-Day takes place six weeks after the UIR surrenders, and Dominic Santiago and Marcus Fenix are picking up the pieces and mourning lost friends and family.

The character work on offer in E-Day is absolutely top-shelf. The trauma of loss and the shock of the Locust invasion comes through incredibly well in every single aspect of the game's delivery. The cityscape is immaculately detailed, with interiors fully rendered with a lived-in feel, complemented by some of the best lighting I've ever seen in a video game. Well and truly, Gears of War: E-Day is at the absolute apex of Unreal Engine technological prowess, and the game deserves awards on that basis alone, most likely.

Rendering the city in so much detail really helps serve the story. Gears of War's more recent games take place in a ruined world, where the Locust have effectively already won and decimated humanity and most of its cities. For E-Day, The Coalition had to show a city that was still thriving and populated, and the horrors therein.

From the very first cutscene, The Coalition pulls no punches: this is a horror story, a war story, and a tale of survival and desperation. The COG army is decimated and blindsided, besieged by an unknown threat that they immediately underestimate as monsters without a plan, only to discover later just how smart and organized the Locust actually are.

Civilian NPCs litter the city, sometimes fleeing, sometimes in dismembered puddles on the ground. The reactions from the characters and their development throughout the game really help to elevate that sense of loss and fear — they're not the battle-hardened survivors of the original Gears trilogy. They're young, war-weary from fighting the UIR, and in some cases wholly traumatized already.

I don't want to give too much away about the story, but this very much felt like the first game in a new planned trilogy ... there were aspects of the delivery that suffered as a result. Some plot threads felt designed to be resolved in future games (or DLC?), leaving me wanting somewhat. But the fact that I am eager to learn more about this Emergence Day story arc is probably a plus. It would be far worse if I didn't care, and I find myself caring a lot about the new characters, their struggles, their past lives, and what will ultimately end up happening to them ... given that some clearly aren't present in future installments.

Gears of War: E-Day's setting, visuals, and story delivery represent its best aspects. The game's performance on Xbox Series X is top-tier, with slowdown only occurring during some particularly heavy sequences towards the end. I didn't experience a single crash, and it's great to see a modern game offer split-screen co-op in the modern age as an option.

The new characters are interesting and engaging, and finding out new layers of existing characters is also rewarding as a long-time fan. I think Gears of War: E-Day could've benefitted from leaning more into civilian-oriented side stories potentially ... but as I'm going to explain in the gameplay section, Gears of War: E-Day is let down a fair bit by its gameplay structure all up.

Gears of War: E-Day review — Campaign Gameplay

Let's get the good stuff out of the way first: this is still very much Gears of War. Everything you've loved previously about Gears is still here, and in most cases, elevated to the 11th degree.

E-Day boosts the player character's mobility by a huge amount. Sprint is now more instantaneous and on the left stick like a standard modern shooter. Cover is far more dynamic than it was previously, with the ability to take cover in lower spaces than before, making environments feel more varied and natural. You can now also climb and vault, allowing The Coalition to build on the game's verticality. Given that Kalona is a city-state with large buildings and urban environments, having these features serves the game incredibly well.

The gunplay is also very polished. Chainsaw-ing dudes in half is more rewarding than ever, with almost embarrassingly satisfying sound treatment and chunky gore physics. Watching a severed torso flip onto the floor never gets old.

There's a variety of new weapons which are also instant classics. The Locust have been scavenging the battlefields of the Pendulum wars, adapting old UIR guns with horrifyingly inhumane enhancements. As such, that satisfying M1 Garand "ping" returns from the UIR Markza, repurposed into the axe-hilted Locust Breechshot rifle, for example.

The gunplay lets itself down a bit when it comes to fighting some of the game's bigger enemies, though. Drones, wretches, and some of the earlier enemies are by far the most satisfying to fight, reacting to your bullets and even having destructible armor that makes combat feel more dynamic and modern. I'm not sure why The Coalition didn't extend this gameplay style to some of its bigger enemies, which is where I would argue it'd be far more crucial.

Indeed, in Act 1, Gears of War: E-Day starts so strongly, and I was sitting there wondering if this was going to end up being the best game Xbox ever shipped, but over time, that feeling began to unravel.

Reavers, Brumaks, and other larger enemies barely react at all to gunfire, making them feel like robots or bullet sponges — something Gears 4 was heavily criticized for. You end up just watching the enemy's health bar in some cases for at least some semblance of reactivity, instead of the visuals The Coalition's art team painstakingly worked towards. Towards the end of the game, these types of enemies become more common too, robbing the game of some of its dynamism.

Another irritating aspect of Gears of War: E-Day pertains to its open-but-not-actually-open world design, which to me smacks of rushed or changing game design priorities throughout development.

Kalona is a fully realized 3D city, with a huge variety of urban exterior and interior locations. It's a great canvas that The Coalition can build upon when designing future content, potentially both for Siege and Versus mode. The problem is, it doesn't lend itself particularly well to the campaign mode.

Gears of War: E-Day starts incredibly strongly, with a linear cinematic segment that really sets the tone for the game. Then, it opens up into this odd semi-open world structure that seemed interesting in previews, but in practice, it doesn't really reach further than the glimpses we got over the summer.

There's a map that offers the illusion of large explorable spaces, but in practice, all the segments are very linear. Even the side objectives take place in a structured way, undermining the need or desire to really explore. It felt like The Coalition tried to shoehorn in more reasons to explore by spreading weapon mods and collectibles around, but I just found this aspect of the game to be irritating and pace-breaking.

There's dozens upon dozens of weapon mods to find in the field, but half the time it'll be for weapons you don't really want to use. The game pings you with an annoying pop-up every few seconds saying "hardcase nearby," which just served as a distraction given that the reward was mostly just junk items. Even the collectibles were annoying to find, given that you had to jump through several menus then go manually searching for the item you just found from a huge list. There were more mods to find than there was gameplay canvas upon which to place them ... E-Day really would've benefitted from some kind of vendor system instead here, allowing you to buy mods at your leisure, rather than feeling forced into boring hide-and-seek gameplay every 3 minutes.

These might seem like minor gripes, but given that there's not much else "new" here on offer across the general Gears formula, they stand out a bit like a sore thumb.

It doesn't help that, as a result of the game's structure, you end up revisiting the same locations multiple times as part of the story, which felt anticlimactic and choring, particularly towards the end of the game.

The campaign does have some incredibly epic, cinematic, and deeply emotional moments — don't get me wrong. There are some fantastic sequences spread throughout the game, showcasing Emergence in all of its reptilian, subterranean horror. I just wish they'd doubled up on these moments instead of trying this odd "open" world experiment, which seems ill-conceived and poorly executed, with features that detract rather than elevate the overall experience.

Gears of War: E-Day review — Conclusion (so far)

I thoroughly enjoyed Gears of War: E-Day overall, and am already enjoying my second playthrough on a higher difficulty, but I would be lying if I said the game didn't have large issues — particularly given how easily avoided many of them could've been.

Kalona is an immaculate canvas ripe for telling epic stories. The new, horror-laden tone is absolutely the right direction for Gears of War: E-Day. The existential dread oozes throughout every character delivery, and the city design is among the best the medium has ever seen.

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The gameplay structure placed on top of it becomes the problem, that could've used a lot more iteration and forethought. It felt a bit like E-Day was originally intended to be some form of open-world, but at some point, they retreated, leaving it feeling disjointed. The "open world" exploration aspects are unrewarding and more often than not simply frustrating, and a lot more work could've gone into making boss-level enemies more dynamic and interesting to fight.

If I were to score the game based on the campaign alone, I'd probably give it an 8/10 overall — it's still incredibly fun, and the downsides are frustrating but not game-breaking. In any case, we haven't experienced the full package Gears of War: E-Day represents. We still have Siege and Versus to talk about, and it remains to be seen how fun or even functional those will be at launch. Stay tuned.

Gears of War: E-Day launches October 6, 2026, exclusively on Xbox Series X|S on console with Xbox Play Anywhere for PC, it's also coming to Steam and Xbox Game Pass.

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The last couple of Xbox events I've attended, including BlizzCon, I noticed I was getting the same question from industry figures and fans alike: is Microsoft gearing up to sell Xbox?

Microsoft's vast layoffs across the summer have hit Xbox in their thousands, with studios like Ninja Theory on the path to being closed, and others like Double Fine being divested completely. Microsoft has effectively shut down Halo Studios itself and handed off the franchise to Call of Duty showrunners instead, as Xbox aggressively seeks to restructure for its next decade.

A decade that might not arrive, that is, if these "sell off" rumors turned out to be true. Many analysts and industry figures have opined that the cuts are designed to make Xbox "leaner" and more attractive to a potential buyer. When you dig down into it, these commentaries don't make a lot of sense; why would Xbox keep smaller franchises like Age of Empires even at a reduced clip, or try to rebuild Halo at all if it was indeed looking to sell?

Regardless, even senior industry figures like Shawn Layden of PlayStation fame described Xbox as being in its "Dreamcast phase" recently, referring to the time Sega exited the hardware business. A lot of these comments tend to emerge from industry figures who seem particularly aggrieved by Xbox, though, regardless of actually being a customer or not.

Indeed, actual Xbox customers have been generally optimistic about the way Xbox has been heading. Nobody (sane) revels in layoffs, but purely mathematically speaking, it was unclear how some of Xbox's 'niche' kind of games like Keeper, Kiln, or Hellblade 2 were going to be self-sustainable for the studios that produced them. There's a lot of valid criticism to be levied at the leadership figures that allowed for projects that were quite obviously going to be unsustainable.

Sharma has promised deeper investment in the very-long-dormant Fallout franchise, promised to restructure and rebuild Halo, and continues to promise Xbox Helix, the long-awaited next-gen console. Sharma has declared intent to invest in Xbox's biggest brands, leveraging TV shows, movies, and other transmedia opportunities to find new users. Despite this, there still runs the idea that Xbox could end up being divested from Microsoft itself, owing to a report from The Information earlier in the summer that Microsoft was exploring the idea.

The NYT interviewed (paywall) Sharma recently covering the Xbox layoffs generally. The outlet said that Asha "did not stall" in declaring Xbox not-for-sale.

"Xbox is not for sale. [...] We will do whatever it takes to set the company up for success, and we will look at the right partnerships, the right operating model and everything needed to achieve that. [...] We’ve got a long way to go with Microsoft and we’re going to take the long-term view."

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is to blame for the lack of faith in the Xbox business from mainstream figures

The NYT quite patronizingly called the comment a "bob and weave" seemingly unwilling to let go of the idea of divestiture. It's great shareholder bait; Xbox has long been an aspirational type of product, and it has been a loss leader in some regards. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has remarked in the past about how, despite the fact Xbox isn't a huge profit generator, fandom of the brand has led to lucrative deals for Azure on the business side of things. Yet, shareholders would love nothing more than for Microsoft to quit the difficult and risky game industry to dive all-in on AI psychosis products instead.

Indeed, under Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, the company has seen a near total retreat from consumers in general. Surface is on its death bed, Windows Phone was killed off, all consumer hardware products were effectively shelved. Microsoft's retail stores were closed, customer support is anaemic to non-existent, and Windows itself has seen huge declines in popularity and trust. Even Microsoft Copilot has undergone a work-focused update, ditching their (admittedly terrible) consumer-oriented features.

Nadella is absolutely not consumer-savvy in general. Nadella's Microsoft strategy paints the Xbox business as a sore thumb on a very boring, cold, sad, and business-oriented IBM-style Microsoft — a Microsoft chasing cultural irrelevancy.

RELATED: To save Xbox, Asha Sharma needs to defeat Microsoft itself

It's no wonder that mainstream media can't understand why Xbox could exist in this current incarnation of Microsoft, and it's through no fault of previous Xbox leaders, Asha Sharma or Xbox in general.

The one saving grace here is that Nadella has, for some reason, continued to allow Xbox to exist — likely against the wishes of shareholders and his generalized anti-consumer and anti-customer instincts. Nadella claimed in an internal meeting that Microsoft will "always" be in gaming, and will take a "long view" on its future. But it's really, really easy to understand why the trust isn't there. We wouldn't even have this commentary from Nadella if I hadn't literally leaked the meeting's audio myself.

The NYT noted that Nadella declined to participate in the interview. He really should have participated in my opinion, because this generalized lack of faith comes from his strategies and public-facing comments.

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ORIGINAL ARTICLE:

Microsoft's moves over Xbox Cloud Gaming in recent months have painted a picture of a company that isn't entirely sure of its long-term viability.

At one point, it seemed like Microsoft was all-in with Xbox Cloud Gaming, building up marketing campaigns like "This is an Xbox" that actively told consumers that Xbox consoles were stupid, and that in fact, devices like the Samsung Smart Fridge was a far better option for gaming instead. The landscape looks very different in 2026.

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Thanks to the RAMpocalypse and the apparent "demand" for data center space for AI tokens, it seems Microsoft has soured on cloud gaming in general as a viable option.

Microsoft has an Xbox Cloud Gaming controller in production according to leaks, and the next-gen Xbox controllers were also supposed to have direct-to-WiFi support to reduce latency. Microsoft has also put thousands upon thousands of games onto Xbox Cloud Gaming, allowing you to stream them to a variety of devices like phones, tablets, low-power PCs, and even smart TVs.

At the same time, Microsoft has also opted to limit Xbox Cloud Gaming to 15-hours a month at the highest tier, down from unlimited, with piecemeal hourly passes to be sold separately. And today, Microsoft announced quietly to some users that Xbox Cloud Gaming will vanish entirely from some devices.

In an email sent to myself earlier today, Microsoft says its first batch of third-party supported devices, 2020 Samsung Smart TVs, will lose access to Xbox Cloud Gaming from November 3rd.

Microsoft claims that its due to a compatibility issue, but I don't see how that's really possible given that it's literally a web app and a video feed. It would be like Netflix or Prime TV retiring on those Samsung smart televisions, which is obviously not going to happen any time soon.

Color me cynical as a 2020 Samsung TV owner, but it's hard not to wonder if it is in fact these devices that see the highest use out of all the third-party screens attaching to Xbox Cloud Gaming. Perhaps Microsoft has discovered a way to quickly and easily save bandwidth by screwing over thousands of existing users in the name of "compatibility," given that Xbox Cloud Gaming is reportedly simply unable to make money in the current business model.

RELATED: Xbox Cloud Gaming grabs hourly limits from November 3

For a while, the conspiracy theory was that Microsoft and other companies wanted to shift us all over to cloud gaming services to deprive us of any form of ownership. But ironically, it seems that providing these services in the RAMpocalypse era is too for Microsoft and NVIDIA to even run. Both Xbox Cloud Gaming and NVIDIA GeForce Now have pretty stringent restrictions upon them, and both platforms are exploring ads as a way to try and boost revenue.

First it was upgrade your console, now it's upgrade your TV? Maybe it's just going to end up being smarter to unsubscribe to Xbox Game Pass instead ...

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For a month, players in the Xbox Insiders program (including our own Jez Corden) got an early look at Xbox's intriguing new Xbox Disc-to-Digital feature. This program lets players gain digital entitlement rights to Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One games if they own their physical disc copies.

Now the general public will get to test this feature for themselves, as yesterday, September 29, 2026, Microsoft rolled out the Xbox Disc-to-Digital feature for all players to use on Xbox Series X|S.

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For those who need a refresher, the Xbox Disc-to-Digital program takes an Xbox Series X|S or Xbox One disc and creates a digital license for it as if it were bought on the digital Xbox Storefront.

Once the digital license is made, you can install and play a game without needing the disc inside the Xbox Series X|S.

What's more, the digital license will allow you to play the game on any platform within the Xbox ecosystem, stream it via Xbox Cloud Gaming, or even play it on compatible handhelds like the Xbox Ally with Xbox Play Anywhere support.

Do note that if you sell an Xbox game disc or lend it to someone else, they will claim the digital license for that game after installing it. Your digital rights for that game will be revoked until you get the disc back or re-buy it.

Also, not every Xbox game is eligible for this Xbox Disc-To-Digital program. However, Microsoft has stated on its website that this may change over time due to "technical, licensing, publishing, manufacturing, and other factors."

Will Xbox's Disc-to-Digital improve game preservation?

I'm not going to lie, my faith in digital media has taken multiple stabs to the heart this year, with Sony discontinuing physical PlayStation games, then deleting hundreds of movies from people's accounts, along with Microsoft blocking people's game libraries if their accounts got hacked, and Xbox suffering an outage so bad it stopped physical Xbox games from working.

With that said, I see some potential within this Xbox Disc-to-Digital feature when it comes to helping improve digital game preservation and ownership.

For example, games that have been delisted years ago from the Xbox Digital Store, like Deadpool, Transformers: Devastation, and Minecraft: Story Mode, have become playable digitally again thanks to this program, so long as you have their physical disc copies.

Plus, recently, Sega is adding its games to the Xbox Disc-to-Digital program, following Ubisoft's support for it. With this combined with Xbox's library, the XCT.live Community Disc-to-Digital Database website has confirmed that 1,578 Xbox games are fully compatible with Xbox Disc-to-Digital.

Personally, if this program means I can play Transformers: War for Cybertron and Transformers: Fall of Cybertron (two of my most requested Xbox backwards-compatible titles) again on modern Xbox consoles, then I hope this Xbox Disc-to-Digital ends up being successful and that Microsoft will support it for years to come, and possibly carry it over to whatever Project Helix ends up being.

But what do you think of the Xbox Disc-to-Digital program? Do you think it will help improve digital game preservation and ownership? Are there any Xbox games you want to see added to this program?

If you have any thoughts on the matter, let us know on our Reddit page, in the comments section, or in the poll.

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After decades of requests, Microsoft has finally announced (via Xbox Wire) that Mythic Achievements are rolling out for Xbox consoles and Windows PC.

It's currently available to Xbox Insiders and will be released to the general public at a later date.

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For those unaware, Mythic Achievements are a new special kind of Xbox Achievement rewarded to players who manage to obtain every single regular Xbox Achievement in an Xbox game.

It's worth noting that Achievements added through an Xbox game's paid DLC or free updates aren't required for the Mythic Achievement, only the base game's achievements. Once you gain a Mythic Achievement, it's yours to keep forever.

What's cool is that these Mythic Achievements don't just apply to current Xbox Series X|S titles; they apply to all eligible Xbox games from multiple console generations, including the Xbox 360.

To help players keep track of Mythic Achievements, a new Gaming Tab has been added to their Xbox profile.

Within it, Xbox players can see their Achievements, track Gamerscore milestone badge progress, revisit past games they've completed, and visit their friends' Gaming tabs to compare their Mythic Achievement collections.

Additionally, a new progress bar has been added to each game's Achievement list to show how close a player is to obtaining a Mythic Achievement, with an option to focus on Achievements required to obtain it.

Get out there and grab those Xbox Mythic Achievements

Now, while I've personally never been interested in Xbox Achievement hunting, I know plenty of my friends have wanted Xbox Mythic Achievements ever since the late 2000s.

It's a great way to challenge Xbox completionists, show how much they love particular Xbox games, and provide bragging rights for players to impress their friends online.

But what do you think? Are you happy Xbox Mythic Achievements are finally happening? Are there any Xbox games you've 100% completed in the past that have now retroactively granted you Mythic Status?

If you have any thoughts on the matter, let us know on our Reddit page, in the comments section, or in the poll.

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Given the absolutely astronomical hype of GTA 6, the headline here might read as crazy. Madness, INSANITY! ... But it's only crazy if you're living within a particularly specific social media bubble, in my humble opinion.

Last week, buddy o' mine Tom Warren made waves by mentioning nerves at Xbox HQ over the potential sales viability of Grand Theft Auto 6 on Xbox Series X|S. It led to Xbox CSO Matthew Ball coming in to deny the rumors, stating that GTA 6 is "creating records" for Xbox preorders.

Even if that's true, GTA 6 presents something of a headache for Xbox. Thanks to an astronomical marketing deal with PlayStation, Xbox isn't even allowed to formally mention the existence of GTA 6 on its Xbox Series X|S consoles. All of the GTA 6 marketing is flowing directly towards PlayStation 5, and there's no guarantee GTA 6 Online will feature cross-play either, much like its predecessor.

Whether it's the PlayStation's marketing deal or the simple lack of available Xbox Series X|S stock to sell through (due to the RAMpocalypse), GTA 6 is shaping up to be something of a missed opportunity for Xbox this autumn.

... But does it even matter?

Perhaps out of nowhere, an unexpected savior has emerged. A savior from our past ... a video game that may well and truly last forever.

World of Warcraft: Forever can beat GTA 6

The hype around GTA 6 has seen publishers desperately swerve to avoid the Vice City-shaped train about to plow through the games industry. I've been inundated with games to review between September and October, and there's simply no time at all to realistically play through all of them. Blood of Dawnwalker, Control Resonant, Gears: E-Day, Star Wars: Zero Company, Valor Mortis, Sinking City 2, Onimusha, Minecraft Dungeons 2 ... dozens of great indie games, and even more AA and AAA titles ... all swerving to avoid GTA 6.

Yet, there are two games from Xbox that are launching close to or even on top of GTA 6, in the form of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, and perhaps more importantly, World of Warcraft: Forever.

MW4 hype does seem muted this year, likely in part because of GTA 6 and maybe generalized franchise fatigue, but the same absolutely cannot be said for WoW: Forever. Even as an unashamed WoW fanboy, I've been utterly stunned by the popularity of the beta, which generally requires a purchase to even access. It doesn't come out until November, yet it seems to be breaking franchise records already for Blizzard, and by extension, Xbox.

Blizzard devs have said they haven't seen the game this busy in 17 years, and my own sources within Blizzard have echoed similar. Perhaps crucially, I've been told that WoW: Forever is not cannibalizing WoW: Retail either. These are all new or long-dormant returning players, buoyed by hype from massively influential streamers like Asmongold. The servers are struggling under the load, as players new and long-dormant return in their hundreds of thousands to march upon Azeroth once again.

WoW: Forever is basically a remaster/remix of the OG WoW from 23 years ago ... and it's going to take on GTA 6 in the same launch window, which isn't yet on PC. WoW: Forever will have a near-blank runway on PC as a result of multi-platform games swerving to avoid Grand Theft Auto 6.

For Xbox's quarterly projections, it couldn't have come at a better time from a corporate perspective. Asha Sharma has promised shareholders that Xbox will return to growth this year, and that was without factoring in their thoroughly unexpected projections for WoW: Forever.

Xbox is far, far bigger now than people seem to realize

Indeed, if you're in the Xbox discourse bubble, it's potentially easy to forget that World of Warcraft: Forever will feed that bottom line. Minecraft also announced a new dimension in "The Sift," coming to the game in 2027. I can see from Windows Central's traffic that this is also going to be a huge deal for the game, but also Xbox as a business unit.

So, even if GTA 6 was a flop on Xbox (and there's no evidence to suggest it would be, really), Xbox has a variety of backup plans on the docket. Some intentional, some not-so-intentional.

This is the thing about modern Xbox. A lot of the commentary tends to focus on console — it ignores mobile, it ignores PC service games like WoWF, and other revenue streams Xbox is setting up with TV and movie licensing. There's even the Minecraft theme park coming to the UK, which will be a test bed for broader expansion across the world in the coming years. Could we eventually see "Blizzard World" set up shop next door to Minecraft World? I mean, it's not entirely outside of the realm of possibility. There's even been internal chatter about an "XboxCon" in a similar vein to BlizzCon in the future ...

Yes, GTA 6 is important for Xbox ... but there's also a component crisis. PS5 and Xbox Series X|S are not overstocked. They're selling every box they can muster even without GTA 6. Perhaps if the RAMpocalypse wasn't ongoing, GTA 6 would be more crucial than it otherwise is. But Xbox is stronger than ever off Xbox Series X|S hardware right now.

Xbox CSO Matthew Ball said GTA 6 is breaking records for Xbox regardless, but even if that wasn't true ... the Xbox operation is so, so much bigger, and has so, so much more potential beyond the traditional box these days. This is before Xbox has even announced the console versions of World of Warcraft: Forever, which you just know are undoubtedly on the way. World of Warcraft has never been on console. WoW:F as a timed console exclusive would drive more sales to Xbox Series X|S than GTA 6 with PlayStation marketing ever could, in my humble opinion.

But I digress. The point is simple. GTA 6 is only the cherry on top for the modern Xbox business; it's not the entire cake.

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Xbox’s disc-to-digital feature has been in testing for insiders for about a month now, and the momentum is picking up. Ubisoft joined the program not long ago, and SEGA has now seemingly followed suit.

Beyond the new publisher participation, there have been some tweaks to how the feature actually works. So, let’s go over what’s changed.

If you’ve been living under a rock and aren’t sure what this fabled feature is, I’ll quickly explain. Disc-to-digital allows you to insert participating discs into your Xbox One or Series X console to obtain a digital license. Once you have that license, you can keep playing the game without the disc even being inserted. It also unlocks access to the game on other platforms if it’s a Play Anywhere title, as well as through cloud gaming.

With that out of the way, how exactly is the experience changing? The digital entitlement is now granted automatically when you insert a disc, rather than requiring a manual step from the menu. Additionally, the service will only provide a full-screen explanation on your first digital entitlement. For any subsequent games, you’ll just see a simple toast notification.

Perhaps the biggest update, however, is that fans have started noticing select SEGA games allowing digital entitlement. Titles like Persona 5 Royal are already in. If all SEGA games work out similarly, that would add another 44 games to the program.

For those keeping count, or if you follow @XCTdotLIVE on X (formerly Twitter), that brings the current disc-to-digital count to 1,585 games, with 205 games currently not in the service. Considering the feature is still in testing, I’m personally expecting that figure to grow, especially as more publishers get on board.

Currently, publishers who aren’t participating include Bandai Namco and Square Enix. While I can’t speak much for Bandai Namco, I do presume that, given Square’s fondness for Xbox as of late, we’ll at the very least see them get on board at some stage.

Xbox’s disc-to-digital feature continues to impress. At least, I’m impressed anyway; in fact, it even got me buying physical games again. It’s a bit of a shame to think we could have had such a forward-thinking feature as far back as the Xbox One, but I digress.

Let me know your thoughts on disc-to-digital, what games you want to see enter the service that haven’t already, and anything else that comes to mind in the comments.

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