Finding a place for a game console usually means clearing a shelf, not making room for a reptile. Microsoft’s Xbox Series X-BITE puts a working Series X inside an artificial alligator measuring more than five feet long. The one-off creation trades a discreet electronics box for something closer to a wildlife exhibit, complete with a controller between its teeth.
The alligator rests on slim posts above a rectangular, wood-grain base, with its legs hanging below and its tail curling toward the floor. Dark, ridged scales and a lighter belly give it the appearance of a mounted specimen. That familiar display format does much of the work, making the oversized enclosure feel deliberately theatrical rather than like an ordinary console wearing a novelty cover.
A raised section on its back interrupts those scales, with an illuminated Xbox Nexus symbol worked into the surface. It’s the clearest clue that the animal has supposedly swallowed something it shouldn’t. The branding stays small against the length of the body, allowing the fabrication to carry the joke before the glowing logo explains why there’s an alligator underneath your television in the first place.
The head gets a less subtle treatment. Xbox-green irises surround pupils shaped around the Nexus symbol, turning the creature’s stare into another brand reference. Between the open jaws sits a custom Xbox Wireless Controller with artificial bite marks. It gives the sculpture a little unfinished business, as though the console wasn’t quite enough of a meal and the accessories were next on the menu.
The commission went to creature-effects specialists, who used 3D modeling, sculpting, and fabrication to build the animal around the hardware. That process gives a promotional console the attention normally associated with a film prop. Florida supplied the inspiration, according to Xbox, although the animal itself is entirely artificial. No actual alligators were used or harmed in creating this unusually elaborate console enclosure.
For the person who eventually owns it, the obvious challenge is finding a suitable place to put it. More than five feet of reptile won’t disappear into the usual gap beside a television. Its long base asks for a substantial display surface, and the raised mounting makes the whole assembly something to plan a room around rather than tuck away.
There’s also a qualification behind the playable-console claim. Xbox says the Series X inside works, but its fine print recommends the finished creation for display. The announcement doesn’t explain ventilation, access to ports, or servicing inside the sculpted body. That leaves a distinction between functioning hardware and a practical replacement for the console you switch on every evening after work.
Only one Series X-BITE exists, and it’s being offered through a sweepstakes rather than a retail release. There isn’t a shelf price to weigh against a standard console or a choice of less toothy finishes. The appeal is owning the fabrication itself, with a working Xbox as its unlikely inhabitant. The controller has a home, provided you don’t mind the teeth.
Microsoft has announced (via Xbox Wire) one of the strangest promotions it's done in years. It's hosting a free giveaway on social media for the Xbox Series X–Bite, a custom-made Xbox Series X trapped in a fake alligator.
This is not a gimmick display piece; there is an actual, fully functional Xbox Series X inside this fabricated beast, complete with a built-in resting place for an Xbox Series X controller rest in the alligator's jaw.
Do note that only one Xbox Series X-Bite exists and that Microsoft will only give it away to one winner. If you're interested in this monstrosity.
Here are the rules for entering this giveaway promotion:
Step 1 - Make an X, Instagram, or TikTok account.
Step 2 - Follow @XBOX on your platform of choice.
Step 3- Repost the designated XBOX sweepstakes post.
Step 4 - Manually add #XbiteSweepstakesto your repost.
Step 5 - Make sure to set your account's privacy settings to public so Microsoft can see your post.
The Xbox Series X-Bite sweepstakes giveaway will run from 9:00 a.m. PT on November 3, 2026, to 11:59 p.m. PT on November 10, 2026.
Keep an eye out for notifications from Microsoft after you enter. If you've won, you will need to claim your prize within 48 hours of Microsoft's notification; otherwise, you'll miss your chance.
Windows Central's take
Now I've seen my fair share of bizarre gaming promotions as a gaming journalist over the years, but this one takes the cake for how random it is. I mean, how do you even put any discs in this gator (and will Xbox controllers' wireless connections be able to get through its stomach)?
I can't help but wonder if this was originally meant to be a Grand Theft Auto 6-themed Xbox Series X giveaway (considering the game takes place in a satirical version of Florida called "Leonida"), but something happened to cause Microsoft to veer away from any mention of it.
Either way, with Xbox consoles struggling for stock, I'm sure there will be plenty of people crazy enough to enter this contest to win the Xbox Series X-Bite and display it as a treasured heirloom for future generations to guard with their lives...or take the console out of the gator's stomach and toss out the reptile if it's too big to fit in their rooms.
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Microsoft's tiny XBOX Nano controller is now available from Microsoft and third-party retailers like Antonline for $49.99. Just last month, Microsoft officially announced its new pocket-sized Nano, and it's on track for its targeted release, with a launch today, November 4, 2026.
It's a slim alternative,measuring slightly over 5 inches and weighing only 3.5 oz (~99 g), which makes its Cloud Gaming appeal to smartphone gamers pretty obvious, but it works on Microsoft's consoles as expected. Our own Jez Corden went hands-on with the XBOX Nano, and his initial impressions are positive, with a full review to follow.
The Nano Controller is a smaller XBOX gamepad built for portability and smaller hands, while keeping the solid form factor and intuitive button layout of traditional controllers.
What makes the XBOX Nano Controller unique is that, despite its small stature, it's billed as having the same high-level quality as regular-sized XBOX controllers (though there's no rumble feature). Still, Microsoft made sure to have the Nano stand out with some unique features:
It fits easily in your coat or bag pocket, even when traveling.
An ergonomic design makes it more comfortable for gamers with small hands.
A rechargeable battery.
An 'Action Button' that can take screenshots, record gameplay, or perform other in-game shortcuts.
So, if you like the idea of a compact XBOX controller you can take with you without bulky carry cases, the XBOX Nano Controller might interest you. For some of us, the $49.99 retail price might feel steep for a controller without Hall Effect or TMR thumbsticks, but it certainly has its appeal elsewhere.
We'll see if the Nano can prove us wrong about cost when we review it, but judging by Jez's early impressions, it's looking solid so far.
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As Xbox tries to shed studios, there may a light at the end of the tunnel in store for Arkane Lyon. According to a new report from Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, multiple companies, including French publisher Ubisoft, have submitted offers to acquire the acclaimed studio behind Dishonored, Deathloop, and the upcoming (at least we hope so) Marvel’s Blade.
Sources familiar with the negotiations revealed that at least two other gaming entities have made bids, while Microsoft has also considered management buyout options to spin the Lyon-based team out as an independent entity. Not unlike what has become of Undead Labs. While terms have not been finalized, a successful acquisition would reportedly allow Arkane Lyon to finish development on Marvel’s Blade, which was first unveiled at The Game Awards in 2023.
A critical deadline in Xbox's sweeping "reset" of studios under it's wing
(Image credit: Ubisoft, Microsoft)
The bidding comes after months of intense uncertainty for Arkane Lyon. Following the arrival of CEO Asha Sharma earlier this year, Xbox embarked on a sweeping "reset" across its studio portfolio aimed at reining in operational costs.
In July, Microsoft outlined plans to divest five internal studios. While teams like Double Fine and Compulsion Games transitioned toward independence and others secured new homes, Arkane Lyon was placed in an official consultation period under French labor laws to determine its fate.
Reports last month revealed that Arkane Lyon faced a strict mid-November deadline to secure a buyer or face complete closure, putting roughly 217 jobs and the future of Marvel’s Blade at risk.
An Xbox spokesperson confirmed the company is actively exploring options ahead of a December deadline, though Microsoft declined to elaborate on specific negotiations.
Ubisoft actually makes sense
(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)
Ubisoft's bid has some geographic logic at least, they are headquartered in France and already have an extensive local infrastructure which would make it easy for them to absorb Arkane Lyon.
Interestingly, it won't be the first major asset Ubisoft has taken off Microsoft's hands. Back in 2023, Microsoft famously offloaded the cloud streaming rights for all current and future Activision Blizzard titles to Ubisoft for 15 years to appease regulators in the UK and close its merger. Securing Arkane Lyon would be the latest instance of Ubisoft swooping in to swipe up pieces of Microsoft's portfolio, if it happens!
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13 Xbox games are expected to join the vaunted subscription service. They include the likes of Football Manager 27 (the latest entry in SEGA's long-running series of football manager simulators) and two spin-offs of the popular indie game, Vampire Survivors.
These spin-offs are the turn-based dungeon crawler, Vampire Crawlers, and Warhammer Survivors, which is basically Vampire Survivors but with characters and enemies from Games Workshop's Warhammer 40,000 and Warhammer: Age of Sigmar franchises.
Here is the full 1st batch list of Xbox Game Pass titles for November 2026.
Game
Date Available
Available on (Game Pass versions)
Football Manager 27 (PC)
November 3, 2026
PC(Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass)
Pit of Goblin
November 3, 2026
Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, and PC (Premium, Ultimate and PC Game Pass)
Vampire Crawlers: The Turbo Wildcard from Vampire Survivors
November 4, 2026
Cloud, XBOX Series X|S, Handheld, and PC (Premium, Ultimate and PC Game Pass)
Void/Breaker
November 4, 2026
Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, and PC (Premium, Ultimate and PC Game Pass)
Escape Academy 2: Back 2 School
November 5, 2026
Cloud, XBOX Series X|S, Handheld, and PC (Ultimate and PC Game Pass)
Firefighting Simulator: Ignite
November 5, 2026
Cloud, XBOX Series X|S, and PC (Premium, Ultimate and PC Game Pass)
MySims Cozy Bundle
November 5, 2026
Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, and PC(Ultimate and PC Game Pass)
Football Manager 2027 Console
November 10, 2026
Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, and PC (Ultimate and PC Game Pass)
Warhammer Survivors
November 10, 2026
Cloud, XBOX Series X|S, Handheld, and PC (Ultimate and PC Game Pass)
Tanuki: Pon’s Summer
November 10, 2026
Cloud, Console, and PC (Ultimate and PC Game Pass)
Hope in the City
November 11, 2026
Cloud, XBOX Series X|S, and PC (Ultimate and PC Game Pass)
Thronefall
November 11, 2026
Cloud, XBOX Series X|S, and PC (Ultimate and PC Game Pass)
John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando
November 12, 2026
Cloud, XBOX Series X|S, and PC (Premium, Ultimate and PC Game Pass)
Aphelion
November 17, 2026
Cloud, XBOX Series X|S, Handheld and PC (Premium, Ultimate and PC Game Pass)
Paw Patrol: Dino World
November 17, 2026
Cloud, XBOX Series X|S, Handheld and PC (Premium, Ultimate and PC Game Pass)
New games coming to Xbox Game Pass Essential (November 15)
Banjo Kazooie (Cloud and Console)
Banjo Tooie (Cloud and Console)
Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts (Cloud and Console)
Gears of War: Judgement (Cloud and Console)
Halo: Spartan Assault (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Perfect Dark (Cloud and Console)
Viva Piñata (Cloud and Console)
Viva Piñata: TIP (Cloud and Console)
Games leaving Xbox Game Pass (November 15)
1000xResist (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Barbie Horse Trails (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Firefighting Simulator – The Squad (Cloud, Console, and PC)
GoldenEye 007 (Cloud and Console)
Great God Grove (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Moonlighter (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Pigeon Simulator (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Police Simulator: Patrol Officers (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Relic Hunters Legend (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Total Chaos (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Winter Burrow (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Wreckfest (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Windows Central's take
Out of all the games announced, the one I'm most looking forward to playing is Warhammer Survivors. It features the same addictive roguelike, "Bullet-Heaven" gameplay as Vampire Survivors but with the grim-dark aesthetics and over-the-top violence of Warhammer 40,000 and Warhammer: Age of Sigmar.
It will feature over 40 playable characters, over 75 weapons that you can combine into new ones, mountains of funny fan-service Easter eggs, and tons of enemies and challenging bosses to fight across multiple stages.
I had a blast playing the demo on Steam, so I can't wait to try the whole thing when Warhammer Survivors drops onto Xbox and Xbox Game Pass on November 10, 2026.
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We're quickly approaching XBOX's 25th anniversary.Many companies are celebrating the event with special accessories and gear, but you can also build your game library as part of the festivities. If you purchase an eligible Windows 11 PC, you can claim 25 XBOX games that have a total value of over $500.
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Game of the Year Edition
Age of Mythology: Retold
Quake
Quake II
Wolfenstein: The New Order
The Outer Worlds
Rise of Nations: Extended Edition
As Dusk Falls
Battletoads
Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire
Zoo Tycoon: Ultimate Animal Collection
Fuzion Frenzy
Gears Tactics
Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge
BLINX: The Time Sweeper
That collection of games includes old classics like Fuzion Frenzy and recent AAA games. The bundle is a great way to grow your library or to help a friend or family member get started if you grab them a PC or gaming handheld as a gift.
Gaming handhelds are eligible
(Image credit: Windows Central)
The X25 bundle can be claimed after purchasing any eligible PC running Windows 11, but I'd argue that it's best paired with a gaming handheld PC. Those types of devices are going to be popular gifts over the coming months. They allow you to take many of your favorite games on the go and are also a comfortable way to enjoy your favorite titles around your home.
Many of the games included in the bundle support XBOX Play Anywhere, meaning you can play them on your Windows PC and XBOX consoles. Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, Gears of War: Reloaded, and The Elder Scrolls Online all support XBOX Play Anywhere.
There are some notable games that do not support XBOX Play Anywhere, meaning their Windows and XBOX versions are treated separately. Call of Duty: WWII, Fallout 76, Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, and Minecraft Dungeons are the biggest games from the bundle to not support XBOX Play Anywhere.
Our Managing Editor Jez Corden just re-reviewed the XBOX Ally X after using the gaming handheld for the past year. He called the gaming handheld "a fantastic device, a perfect companion for any XBOX player with a big Xbox Play Anywhere library."
That praise makes the XBOX Ally X arguably the best Windows PC to pick up when looking to claim the X25 bundle.
Terms and conditions
To get the free games, you need to purchase an eligible PC. Microsoft outlines the requirements:
"Eligible PCs include new Windows PCs and handhelds pre-installed with Windows Home and new Windows PCs pre-installed with Windows Pro running on NVIDIA RTX Spark silicon. Refurbished Windows PCs, and PCs purchased from unauthorized resellers, online marketplaces, liquidators, or auction websites, are not eligible."
The promotion runs from November 2, 2026 until December 31, 2026. You have to be in the United States to claim the games.
To claim the games, you'll have to open the Microsoft Store app on Windows 11. No later than November 30, 2026, the bundle will appear on eligible PCs and give you a chance to claim all 25 games.
Before you make any plans to purchase a PC to claim the free games then return the computer, Microsoft notes that it may revoke promotional benefits if a purchase is returned, canceled, or incomplete for other reasons.
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Microsoft is actively laying the groundwork to refine the Xbox ecosystem, sharpening its focus on player engagement, long-term retention, and console-first experience upgrades. While discussions surrounding cloud gaming and multi-platform expansion continue across the industry, a newly published job listing for Microsoft’s Xbox Product Growth team confirms that hardware and console retention remain central to […]
South of Midnight creative director David Sears recently made a surprisingly candid admission in an interview, saying that if he had been responsible for Xbox's budget decisions, he "probably" wouldn't have approved funding for the project.
This bizarre (or perhaps expected) twist now links two Xbox-related studios with comments questioning whether their games should have been funded at all. Before this, online drama surrounded Double Fine (Psychonauts, Keeper) saying something similar, albeit in a more tongue-in-cheek way.
I literally told people, I was like, yeah, this is, wow, this could be terrible, because somebody is going to say one day, you know, the money tap, it was like, we're closing those floodgates, and that's going to have really traumatic results downstream.
David Sears, Creative Director
To which MinnMax's Ben Hanson asked: “You would not have funded it yourself? If you were actually running Xbox, you would have been like, ‘No, turn off that tap much quicker?’”
Sears replies, “Yeah, probably.”
Xbox's creative freedom came at a cost
Xbox logo in red (Image credit: Microsoft)
Sears went on to explain: “Yeah, I mean, I wanted to make it, no doubt, right? And obviously because we made it. Um, you know, would I have turned off, you know, someone else's money flow before South of Midnight? Yeah, cuz I'm not completely selfless.”
“But, you know, it just seems like in hindsight at least, it was unsustainable. So, of course, it was going to have a, you know, shocking outcome.”
Interestingly, Sears wasn't entirely critical of Microsoft. Earlier in the interview, he praised the company's support for South of Midnight, saying, “Microsoft encouraged everything,” while describing the creative freedom Compulsion Games enjoyed during development.
It’s a shame that things turned out the way they did. It’s hard to know who to fully blame, but Phil Spencer’s vision for Xbox of letting studios have complete creative freedom was fantastic on paper, yet in practice, it clearly didn’t work, especially for this era of gaming.
Who knows, maybe back in the Xbox 360 days, when games were regularly made on smaller budgets within a year or two, it might have been more sustainable. But given the bloated budgets for gaming that exist after 25 years of Xbox, and how development for major games can now span five-plus years, it’s difficult to see how that approach could continue indefinitely.
That said, let me know your thoughts on Sears’ comments. Are they shocking, or are you not surprised at all? Let me know in the comments, and be sure to take part in our poll!
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How many games, you ask? Well, via analysis from @KoreaXBOXnews on X, 210 Xbox games launched in October 2026, 95 of which supported Xbox Play Anywhere.
October 2026 was the biggest month of the year for Xbox releases, with 210 games launched.Of those, 95 games supported Xbox Play Anywhere, giving XPA a 45% share.Since June 2026, XPA has consistently hovered around 50%, meaning about half of all new Xbox releases support buy-once-play-anywhere functionality.I excluded "triple-stack" achievement games (separate Xbox One, Series X|S, and PC lists). Including them would push the XPA share well above 50%, potentially close to 70%.Interestingly, Xbox recently signaled that it wants these games to move toward the Xbox Play Anywhere model.https://t.co/650xGdGs5vNovember 1, 2026
That huge statistic highlights the general market challenge so far, as users debate market saturation. Gears of War: E-Day and its virtue as an "exclusive" game on Xbox has been under a microscope, with claims that the game hasn't delivered for Microsoft. Even if that was true, it was among many big high-quality releases actively competing with hundreds of other Xbox games at once for attention, and that's without mentioning the 187 Xbox games released in September 2026.
On the plus side, @KoreaXBOXnews's analysis shows that Xbox Play Anywhere is gaining more momentum, consistently hovering around 50% share since June 2026 (or 70% if you count "triple-stack" achievement games, otherwise known as shovelware titles. Microsoft is cracking down on this exploitative practice, where developers ship multiple versions of the same game to bait achievement hunters.)
This means Microsoft is focusing on encouraging more games adopt Xbox Play Anywhere going forward, as more people are liking the idea of buying an Xbox game once and then being able to play it on console, handheld, and Windows PC within the Xbox ecosystem.
Can't say I blame them because being able to buy and play a game on an Xbox Series X|S, and then being able to play on an Xbox Ally X while carrying over data with no extra charge is a pretty good deal.
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Microsoft's COO Helen Chiang was fired from Xbox a few weeks ago, after 27 years of top-level leadership spent across the org, most prolifically at Minecraft.
The removal was abrupt and somewhat confusing on the face of it. Chiang was widely respected across the Microsoft stack and is a trusted figure, described to me as "by the book" by our own sources. When it emerged that she had been fired for "policy violations," it added an unexpected twist that left us with more questions than answers, ultimately.
Now, Helen Chiang has responded to the incident on LinkedIn, titled "Clarity is Kindness," which is a comment Xbox CEO Asha Sharma made to the WSJ while discussing the health of Microsoft's gaming business recently.
There has been some speculation about my abrupt departure from Microsoft, including claims that I was “fired for a policy violation”. That’s not accurate," Chiang writes, "silence should not be mistaken for agreement. What has been said about my departure, and what has been left unsaid, has created a picture of me that I hardly recognize. It’s important to me to set the record straight."
In the full post shared below, Chiang denies that she leaked information, sought employment at Microsoft competitors, engaged in insider trading, bullying, or embezzlement, or that she left because she didn't get the CEO job. She says that she always hoped to stay at Microsoft and "keep building," and this departure wasn't what she envisioned.
"I share this because I don’t want my departure reduced to an inaccurate story about incompetence, ambition for the next big job, or a Nelson-level scandal."
As to not paraphrase, I've included the full text from the post below.
"Clarity is Kindness
There has been some speculation about my abrupt departure from Microsoft, including claims that I was “fired for a policy violation”. That’s not accurate and while I won’t turn this into a play-by-play, silence should not be mistaken for agreement. What has been said about my departure, and what has been left unsaid, has created a picture of me that I hardly recognize. It’s important to me to set the record straight.
First, I did not leak confidential company information to the press. I have never communicated with any journalist outside the limited, company-authorized interviews I’ve done as part of my job. That includes every journalist who reached out this week seeking my side of the story.
Second, I did not leave XBOX to join a competitor. You don’t spend two decades somewhere without developing a deep loyalty to the people, teams, and businesses you’ve helped build. XBOX was never just another stop in my career. My end game was always to keep building here.
Third, I did not engage in discrimination, bullying, harassment, insider trading, embezzlement, or other fraudulent activity. I stand by my record: both the results I delivered and the way I have treated people throughout my career. I won’t let speculation define my character or erase that record.
Lastly, I did not leave because I was passed over for a bigger role. Since having children, I’ve been intentional about how I define ambition and success. I haven’t actively sought out bigger roles or increased responsibilities, and the last time I interviewed for a job was in 2011. My reputation and results paved the way for the opportunities that followed. I went where the company believed I was needed and where I could have the greatest impact. I did not ask for my most recent role, either. I was promoted into it in July. I believe in fairness, accountability, and holding ourselves to the standards we expect of others. Those standards only mean something when they’re applied consistently. I have serious concerns about how they were applied in my case, and I believe those concerns deserve to be taken seriously. I share this because I don’t want my departure reduced to an inaccurate story about incompetence, ambition for the next big job, or a Nelson-level scandal. My story is about staying true to your core values, especially when it is hard. That’s the legacy I hope to leave behind. To everyone who has reached out with hugs, love, and support: thank you. So many of you have reminded me of the wonderful times we’ve shared over the past 20 years and the impact we’ve had on one another. Some of you I haven’t been in touch with for several years, yet you still took the time to check on me. Others are people I’ve never even met, but you reached out anyway. That speaks volumes about the care and humanity in our industry and the connections that transcend where we work. This is not how I ever imagined my story here would end. And it is not the whole story." — Helen Chiang, former Xbox COO.
Helen Chiang's somewhat unceremonious departure comes amidst widespread upheaval at Xbox as Microsoft restructures its gaming org, which has led to thousands of layoffs, divestitures, and studio closures. Microsoft managed to return some studios to independent ownership and has sold others to publishers, as it tries to rein in spending in general.
I suspect there'll be more disruption before things calm down ... as the industry in general reels from an overabundance of content, reduced consumer spending, and the AI-fostered RAMpocalypse.
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Over the weekend, YouTuber "P1REMAKE" uploaded a new video that has every Persona fan up in arms with excitement and speculation — a supposed gameplay trailer for a Persona 1 Remake that's coming to Xbox.
The video contains a gameplay montage of characters exploring a school filled with monsters, a visual-novel-style cutscene, and turn-based combat similar to that of modern Persona games like Persona 3: Reload, Persona 4: Revival, and Persona 5: Royal.
The video also shows that it's coming to Xbox (and/or PC) because the UI display during combat shows Xbox controller face buttons (Y, X, B, A) and an RB shoulder button.
Now it's very likely that this video could be a fake trailer made by fans, especially since Atlus hasn't been motivated to take this video offline yet.
Then again, this video, despite its low resolution, looks too well put together to be fake or AI-generated. Plus, Atlus did express a desire to remake Persona 1 and 2 last summer. So, there is a chance this trailer could, in fact, be real or, at the very least, a fan-made or leaked proof of concept of what a Persona 1 remake could look like.
Either way, it'd be cool to see remakes of Persona 1 and 2 finally happen, as they are vastly different and darker in terms of tone, story, and gameplay style compared to their more popular successors.
We'll have to wait and see if Atlus indeed plans to remake the games that kick-started its flagship franchise at either the upcoming Game Awards or at a future Xbox Games Showcase, since that's where they tend to reveal Persona games these days.
In the meantime, we'll have Persona 4: Revival (releasing on February 18, 2027, for consoles and PC) and Persona 6 to look forward to.
Travel to the rural town of Inaba and embark on a journey of self-discovery while catching a ruthless serial killer in the classic JRPG, Persona 4, now reborn as Persona 4: Revival with next-gen graphics, refined turn-based combat, and many more surprises.
We're just days away from World of Warcraft: Forever's launch on November 4, 2026, but it looks like Microsoft may have spoiled a major surprise: WoW may be coming to Xbox after all.
The rumor recently exploded on Reddit via u/hazedesunna, who spotted that Xbox UK's X account posted, "Don't forget to leave some space for these games coming to Xbox this November ⚔️" with images of Shrek 2: Remastered and World of Warcraft: Forever.
However, Xbox UK quickly took the post down and responded, "Hi there, this post was deleted as World of Warcraft: Forever will be available on PC and Mac via Battle.Net, and is not available on XBOX. This was our mistake so we needed to remove it and repost. We apologies[sic] for the confusion this may have caused."
Was this really a mistake or an accidental spoiler?
@mikescoates Hi there, this post was deleted as World of Warcraft: Forever will be available on PC and Mac via https://t.co/Uk38QkNSVc, and is not available on XBOX. This was our mistake so we needed to remove it and repost. We apologies for the confusion this may have caused.November 1, 2026
At face value, this was a genuine mistake on Xbox UK's part for placing the wrong game on a social post. But to entertain speculation for a moment, what if this post wasn't a mistake and Microsoft was hastily trying to cover it up to save face?
Plus, with World of Warcraft: Forever having Xbox controller support, it's only a matter of time before it gets ported onto consoles.
As World of Warcraft: Forever launches, Retail continues to fall
- Wheels don't spin when in motion- Front wheel is clipped into the ground- Gnomes sit halfway over the handlebarsThank you, Blizzard. Very cool. https://t.co/F3X3ctmBB0November 1, 2026
Whatever the future holds for World of Warcraft: Forever, it's certainly looking better than the Retail version right now, which continues to degrade in quality.
From around July, rumors began to swirl that Gears of War: E-Day had cost upwards of half a billion dollars, raising questions about the state of AAA game development.
I can confirm at my end that Microsoft's financial auditors have attributed upwards of $500 million to The Coalition between Gears of War 5 and Gears of War: E-Day. But through multiple sources, I have a clearer picture of how that money has been spread and allocated over the past 6-7 years, and why there are even some internal disagreements over how exactly attribution should be distributed.
The Coalition has cost Microsoft "$500 million~" but is that the full story?
Gears of War has been under a microscope first. (Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)
The reports of Gears of War: E-Day costing upwards of half a billion emerged first via Tom Henderson of Insider Gaming, and were later corroborated by Kotaku's Ethan Gach, with an extra $100 million on top.
I pushed back against the claims on my own show with preliminary information I'd received over the summer that The Coalition's budgeting situation is more complex than simply "Gears of War: E-Day cost half a billion dollars."
Multiple sources familiar with, but unauthorized to speak with us on, Microsoft's plans helped us flesh out a picture of why The Coalition has been hit with a $500 million price tag, and why, ultimately, debates over "how" the money has been allocated are ultimately academic.
Indeed, I am told by a variety of trusted sources that The Coalition has been contributing to a variety of other Xbox flagship titles that use Unreal Engine, including games like Avowed and State of Decay. Former senior Xbox staffer Derek Reese elaborated further recently on BlueSky, noting that The Coalition is "on the hook" for Microsoft's bespoke tools and pipelines for Unreal Engine.
So much of that cost is The Coalition being on the hook for the Microsoft branch of Unreal and one of the flagship titles.I should know, I tried to get leadership to support a plan to have other studios adopt it and write off the support costs.Same problem with Turn10 and ForzaTech.
However, the situation goes a bit further than tooling and collaborative work on first-party Xbox games.
The Coalition also spent a great deal of time working with Epic Games on the "Matrix Awakens" Unreal Engine demonstration, as well as the Alpha Point demo, both of which were intended to showcase the potential of UE5 on next-gen consoles and PCs. The tools and techniques developed for these demonstrations were later deployed across a range of other first and third-party products Windows Central understands, during the period between 2020 and 2021.
Rod Fergusson formally left The Coalition in early 2020, and during the transition, it put the studio into a bit of a dormant state for a period, while Microsoft figured out how best to move the studio forward. The pandemic was also in full swing, creating chaos for game development pipelines that were designed for office work rather than remote work.
During this time, The Coalition worked for over a year and a half on a prototype project for Xbox that Windows Central understands was ultimately canceled. The Coalition also worked on Avowed, Hellblade 2, Clockwork Revolution, State of Decay 3, Grounded and Grounded 2, and has even contributed to the upcoming StarCraft reboot. Eventually Mike Crump was solidified as the new studio head, and E-Day development began in earnest.
Gears of War: E-Day hasn't been a huge success story against what Microsoft auditors and spreadsheets deem to be The Coalition's budget today. It runs afoul of a common theme surrounding Xbox in the post-pandemic period with an unclear accounting structure for contributions towards other projects.
I've previously heard from studio heads at Xbox, both past and present, who didn't have clarity over how their team's contributions to Xbox Game Pass fed back into their costing structure and how it affected investment from the Microsoft mothership.
Either way, it's true that game dev in North America has become incredibly costly ... and times are hard for many consumers
What will Xbox do next? (Image credit: Microsoft | XBOX)
Either way, even if The Coalition didn't spend $500 million specifically on E-Day over the past half-decade — it's a lot of money to invest without a specific structure in place to explain why some of these costs were worthwhile to Microsoft auditors. A common theme in industry discussions revolves around the month-over-month cost of AAA game development in North America, vs. the willingness to spend on the part of core gamers therein. Competition from free-to-play titles, the sheer volume of content, and even non-gaming hobbies are thought to have reduced the opportunity.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella previously said Xbox had to become "sustainable" over the summer, while also stating that it will "always" invest in gaming as a company. Nadella lamented that video platforms like YouTube were doing a better job at monetizing Xbox than Microsoft itself. He's not exactly wrong, but I'd argue that's on Microsoft's lack of innovation at the top level, and tendency to cut and run rather than work through building up new businesses. The Xbox business is heavily constrained right now due to the component rout that Microsoft itself has had a hand in engineering. It doesn't bode well for the upcoming Xbox Helix, widely expected to be the most expensive retail video game console ever.
GTA 6 should be a huge moment for Xbox, but Microsoft says it can't get any stock to sell beyond its core U.S., UK markets. (Image credit: Windows Central)
I can't help but feel like the "$500 million" figure being shared around internally is being used to justify potential cuts, layoffs, or worse, a studio closure targeting The Coalition. Perhaps to "soften the blowback", should Microsoft target the studio. For what it's worth, I've not heard that Xbox is planning to close The Coalition. But Microsoft has already laid off thousands at Xbox, and has signaled plans to continue.
It's hardly a good look if Microsoft's first true, full Xbox exclusive in years results in mass layoffs at one of its core pillar studios. Gears of War has a TV show and a movie on the docket, and Gears of War: E-Day reviewed incredibly well. It's also true that Gears: E-Day is squashed beneath Call of Duty: MW4, GTA 6, WoW: Forever, and a variety of other major games that launched between August and now.
There's only so much $$$ to go around for one thing, and for many, even less free time to hit all these games.
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Everyone is frothing at the mouth over Gears of War E:Day again, but this time it’s not the culture war.
It's the sensationalized reporting around it's budget and retail sales. Headlines claim the game cost an astronomical $500 million to make, while other reports suggest it "only" sold 400,000 retail copies. Predictably, the terminally online commentary machine is in full force, with some rather insanely blaming Xbox fans for this failure.
Xbox fans asked for exclusives, and yet when push comes to shove, "fans didn't put their money where their mouth was," making Gears of War: E-Day's reported failure "their fault." It’s a neat and tidy narrative for console warriors, but one that’s completely out of touch with modern gaming economics outside of the social media bubble.
First of all, that $500 million figure requires crucial context before anyone uses it as a stick to beat the game with.
As clarified by Derek Reese, former Senior Product Manager of Xbox Game Creator Services, that cost isn't simply the game's direct production budget. Much of that figure stems from broad operational overhead, with The Coalition essentially being on the hook for funding Microsoft's custom internal branch of Unreal Engine and supporting engine integration across the wider Xbox studio network (a tech-debt burden similar to Turn 10 bearing the operational costs for ForzaTech, on Fable and Forza Horizon). Conflating general engine-R&D operational overhead with the direct cost of a single game's development represents a misleading omission in the wider narrative.
Beyond the budget discourse, expecting Xbox players to subscribe to Game Pass Ultimate at $22.99 a month, and an annual commitment of over $275, AND drop $70 on day one for every first-party title just to prop up traditional sales metrics is both unrealistic and absurd. The suggestion that players need to pay twice to prove they support a studio fundamentally misunderstands why Microsoft built this system in the first place.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is not free gaming
(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)
For what many are spending on an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription, in standard retail that represents the cost of roughly four full priced $70 AAA games. When a player opts into the Game Pass ecosystem, they are effectively pre-paying for their gaming line-up up front. Expecting that same consumer to buy Gears of War E: Day at retail price to satisfy outdated quarterly sales charts ignores the basic economic contract of a subscription service. The entire value proposition of Game Pass is that you don’t have to shell out $70 every time a major title lands.
I too have pleaded with fans to “put their money where their mouth is” for Microsoft's divested teams like Undead Labs. There's a clear distinction between asking players to support a core Microsoft internal studio, whose quarterly profits are in the tens of billions, over supporting the newly independent Undead Labs. Players who are financially able, could buy State of Decay 3 to stick it to Microsoft's bean counters, and show Xbox what they had just given up.
Many players have reined in spending ahead of GTA 6's big launch. (Image credit: Rockstar Games)
The Coalition is a victim of Microsoft's structuring. Putting them on the hook for Unreal Engine support across multiple games, collaboration with Epic Games, while also building a multi-faceted multiplayer title squashed under Call of Duty: MW4, World of Warcraft: Forever, Grand Theft Auto 6, and various other heavy hitters this quarter is pure insanity.
In a single two-month span, gamers were asked to choose between massive titles across every sub-genre: Marvel’s Wolverine, Silent Hill: Townfall, Minecraft Dungeons 2, Ace Combat 8 and major remasters like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Dynasty Warriors 3 Complete Edition.
Expecting any single game to generate record-breaking direct $70 sales during one of the most crowded, wallet-draining launch windows in recent gaming history is wishful thinking. In a climate where players are already triaging their spending, a day-one Game Pass entry was an incredibly convenient and lower-cost way to play E-Day.
The $70 SKU is dead on Xbox, and $30 upgrades replaced it.
How much is the cost of a pint these days? (Image credit: Windows Central | Xbox)
Regardless, simply citing 400,000 unit sales, or focusing on Steam copies, vastly misrepresents the actual paying audience. Game Pass subscribers actually engaged with the game's revenue model in a massive way through the $30 Premium Edition Upgrade. That’s much easier to justify purchase-wise when you feel like you're already getting something of value with your subscription.
How many would have spent ANYTHING on the game without it being on Game Pass? How do we really predict that behaviour? There's no "alternative reality generator" to see how the game would've shored up in a universe without Game Pass, GTA 6, or the rest of it.
The $70 premium SKU is, for all practical purposes, functionally dead for first-party titles on Xbox console. But that isn’t because Xbox players refuse to spend money; it's because Microsoft has trained them to spend money on early-access add-ons rather than $70 on a standalone license.
The same people attacking Xbox Game Pass are likely the same kind of people happy to wait for Steam sales, which too have contributed to a rejection of the $70 retail model. This is before we even talk about free-to-play titles like Fortnite, Roblox, mobile games, and others which actually dominate the spend.
For many of these people, it represents a glaring double standard to mock players for using the exact monetization model Xbox has designed for them.
Exclusivity is a marathon, not a sprint.
Fixing Xbox will take years. I hope Microsoft's powers realizes this. (Image credit: Microsoft)
The second major flaw in the current discourse is the demand for seemingly instant gratification. Asha Sharma positioned Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution as console exclusives at this years Xbox Games Showcase as something of an olive branch to the community. A signal that platform exclusivity was still a core priority for Xbox. But one game was never going to turn around hardware sales overnight. The reality of today’s market comes down to demographics and household finances.
Just a short story from my own experience showing a colleague E-Day running on a Xbox ROG Ally X during a train ride for work. He was blown away by the visuals and fondly recalled buying an Xbox console specifically for the original Gears of War. But today, as he told me, he has a PS5, a mortgage, and a family. Knowing E-Day isn't on PlayStation was a bummer for him as he was genuinely interested in the game, but dropping significant cash on a secondary console for a single game simply isn't a justifiable household expense anymore for him.
Decisions like that aren't made on impulse anymore for the age and demographic of console users Xbox is targeting. Hardware momentum won’t be rebuilt with a single flagship release; it needs to be a slow and steady rebuild over years of consistent, uninterrupted hits. As a family, we have discussed buying a Nintendo Switch 2, driven in part by Ocarina of Time’s launch, but that alone isn’t a driving factor; we’ll get access to Pokopia, Mario Kart, Donkey Kong Bonanza, etc. – all exclusives that make it a more justifiable expense and one the whole family can benefit from.
Expecting E-Day alone to magically reverse years of shifting multiplatform strategy and hardware decline in a single month is incredibly short-sighted. One game will not persuade someone to switch ecosystems, but four or five over a two-year span might. Rebuilding brand confidence requires patience, something the internet commentary cycle lacks, and something Microsoft has notoriously lacked itself in the past.
The danger of short sighted pivots
Will Xbox stick it out? (Image credit: Windows Central | Jez Corden)
If Microsoft interprets the initial retail sales of E-Day as a failure of exclusivity rather than a predictable outcome of their own subscription strategy and timing, they risk making another premature course correction, so for their own sake I hope they are ignoring the current discourse.
Niche or brand-new IPs like Clockwork Revolution won't single-handedly move the needle either. What’s really needed, if they have the appetite for it, is exclusivity around massive, platform-defining pillars; the moments where a game like The Elder Scrolls 6 is kept strictly within the Xbox and PC ecosystem are what actually might be the thing that makes casual gamers re-evaluate where they play.
I don't even think something like Elder Scrolls 6 alone would do it, but if it is preceded by a bunch of other exclusives, it might.
Game Pass was designed to change how players consume games. Blaming the player base for using the service exactly as advertised is a bizarre double standard. Plenty of players paid out of pocket for E-Day premium upgrade on top of their subscriptions. If Xbox wants to prove that exclusivity still matters, it needs to give the strategy room to breathe.
And virtue-signalling pundits should stop expecting subscription-first, "wait-for-a-sale," players to buy into a $70 retail model have been repeatedly and explicitly told they don't need to.
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The official XBOX 25th anniversary is approaching fast, with November 15 flanked on both sides by plans for special hardware, celebratory merchandise, and a wave of themed cosmetics from Microsoft's gaming division.
It's almost hard to comprehend, given that I remember the much-anticipated launch of the original XBOX quite clearly.
But time marches on, and XBOX has proven it can iterate its hardware and innovate its experiences over the years.
So, in another mix of self-indulgent nostalgia and reflection on how far the technology has come, I'm looking back at how far performance has leaped across these console generations, from the original XBOX to the Series X and beyond.
XBOX (2001)
Unusual but influential, the original Duke controller feels strangely nostalgic these days. (Image credit: Getty Images | Joel Saget)
Microsoft's first console was comically gigantic and heavy, packed with parts that felt at home in a mid-to-high-tier desktop PC of the time. Its DVD drive sat alongside a 3.5-inch hard drive with 8–10 GB of space, connected via old-school IDE ribbon cables, and together they made up most of the heft. Some of my braver friends replaced their HDDs, requiring injected softmods to work.
Deeper inside, Intel provided a modified Pentium III x86 CPU built on a 180 nm process, which it has since scaled down incredibly far to the latest 18A process node used in its mainstream chips. Running at 733 MHz, the processor sat alongside 64 MB of DDR RAM (that's megabytes, not gigabytes) clocked at 200 MHz and an NVIDIA GeForce 3-based GPU at 233 MHz.
Looking back, it's fascinating how the OG XBOX resembled many of my friends' PCs at the time; we either paired Intel CPUs with NVIDIA GPUs or opted for AMD CPUs with ATI (later acquired by AMD) GPUs. It wasn't a permanent partnership for Microsoft, but it powered a compelling competitor to Sony's PlayStation 2, even if it remained out of reach for my teenage self.
XBOX 360 (2005)
The XBOX 360, still one of the most influential consoles. (Image credit: Getty Images | Koichi Kamoshida)
Design-wise, this slim console was a far cry from its behemoth predecessor. Sure enough, the XBOX 360 made an instant impression on me and an even faster dent in my first self-earned paychecks. This time, Microsoft opted for a 64-bit PowerPC-based CPU design from IBM, moving further away from traditional PC architecture, with a massive clock speed jump to 3.2 GHz in its tri-core chip.
This leap to a multi-core processor makes direct clock speed comparisons a little moot, but it's still impressive to see how far the XBOX jumped in one generation. Its unified memory moved from DDR SDRAM to 512 MB of GDDR3 RAM clocked at 700 MHz for eight times more capacity and triple the bandwidth, and the GPU swapped teams to the ATI-designed 'Xenos' at 500 MHz.
Storage space is where it gets harder to define, because Microsoft offered so many different models, redesigns, and expandable add-ons. The earliest XBOX 360 consoles I saw ranged from selling with no hard drive at all to a 'Premium' model with a 20 GB HDD in the box. For game discs, Microsoft kept DVDs, but increased the read speed and moved to a SATA-connected, dual-layer disc drive.
XBOX One (2013)
Kinect didn't take off, but the XBOX One was solid. (Image credit: Getty Images | AFP / Stringer)
Ah, the all-in-one entertainment unit. I bought into the XBOX ONE so eagerly because I wanted to play Quantum Break, but I was also intrigued by its appeal as a TV tuner with live programming snapped to the side of my screen. Of course, I'd never get the promised DVR function, and the Kinect 2.0 sensor did little more than collect dust, but the console still had its gaming appeal.
This is when Microsoft's consoles started resembling PCs again, with an octo-core AMD Jaguar CPU running x86-64 instructions, clocked at 1.75 GHz. It wasn't as mind-blowing as the XBOX 360's evolution, but the XBOX ONE came with 8GB of DDR3 RAM for a 16x generational memory capacity leap; all part of a new console that was generally easier for game developers to target.
This is also where Microsoft's modern AMD era began, building a GPU running at 853 MHz into its singular APU and delivering raw graphical compute performance about five times faster than the XBOX 360. Storage saw a huge jump to 500 GB to support game installations, and Microsoft finally adopted Blu-ray with a BD-ROM disc drive, but games were already going digital.
XBOX Series X (2020)
XBOX Series X as we know it; a Kubrik-esque monolith. (Image credit: Getty Images | Future)
Yes, the current generation is almost six years old. We're once again entering an age of speculation about what comes next, but the XBOX Series X (and Series S) remain the brand's primary focus. There's even a transparent green 'Xbox Series X25' special edition console and controller launching in November, though I'm still quite satisfied with my original Series X|S variants.
The specs have more nuance these days, but the AMD octo-core Zen 2 CPU runs at 3.66 GHz, paired with an AMD RDNA 2 GPU at 1.82 GHz in another custom APU. For unified memory, Microsoft moved up to 16 GB of GDDR6 RAM, while storage starts with a 1 TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD, depending on the model you choose. Proprietary external storage also returned this generation, up to 4 TB.
An Ultra HD Blu-ray drive was also standard at launch, but later 'All-Digital' models have dropped it, in keeping with an ongoing trend shift towards digital gaming. Some major releases are already launching without physical media, and it's reasonable to assume that the Series X could be Microsoft's last console to support them by default.
XBOX Project Helix (2028?)
Project Helix is just a codename, but it's hardly a secret. (Image credit: Microsoft | XBOX)
So, what comes next? We already know that Project Helix will be "powered by a custom AMD SoC", much like the APUs in previous XBOX consoles, and that high-end visuals are a focus for the brand. Ray-tracing technology, in particular, delivers incredibly realistic lighting, reflections, and shadows, but it's demanding on any hardware, which is where AI comes in.
(Project Helix will) likely be the most PC-like console yet, but at a severe cost.
Of course, the utterly gigantic elephant in the room right now is the ongoing memory crisis. Shortages have pushed up the cost of components and completely removed some of the highest-end consumer GPUs from sale, as major brands like NVIDIA focus on hardware for large-scale artificial intelligence platforms instead. It'll likely be the most PC-like console yet, but at a severe cost.
Its literal cost will continue to be the most pressing prediction posed by long-serving XBOX gamers. Both of the Series X|S consoles already suffered a price hike, which has many wondering what they'll have to pay for the next-generation console. Is $1,000+ a realistic expectation, or can Microsoft pull some favors to offset the inflated manufacturing costs? Let's see what 2027 reveals.
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One of the lesser-appreciated aspects of Xbox Game Pass is Xbox Free Play Days, a feature that allows players to enjoy a select number of games for a brief period of time.
The selection of Free Play Days' games changes frequently, and this week's Xbox titles mostly fall in line with the spooky season of Halloween — WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers, Dead by Daylight, Darkwood, Spirttea, and Everspace 2 (the latter two of which are playable on console and PC).
WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers, Dead by Daylight, Darkwood, and Everspace 2 will be free to play for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Premium, and Essential members between October 29, 2026 to November 1, 2026.
Dead by Daylight will be free to play for all Xbox players (no Xbox Game Pass plan required) between October 28, 2026, and November 2, 2026.
A fallen Soulslike and an unkillable multiplayer horror game are on the menu for this year's Halloween
Fight or die, make your choice. (Image credit: 505 Games)
Among the biggest titles of this line-up are WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers and Dead by Daylight.
WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers is an action-RPG Soulslike where you play as the titular pirate warrior, traveling the monster-infested lands of Shu to cure a horrific disease that's slowly turning you into an abomination.
Jason Voorhies is here to punish negligent summer campers. (Image credit: Behaviour Interactive Inc.)
Dead by Daylight is a popular asymmetrical multiplayer horror game where four players must survive the night before a player-controlled slasher villain murders them all in brutal, horror-movie fashion.
The game was released in 2016, and it is still active to this day, with tens of thousands of people playing it and constantly adding new playable Survivors and Killers. Dead by Daylight has even added playable characters from other franchises like Diablo, Silent Hill, Resident Evil, Stranger Things, Friday the 13th, Alien, Alan Wake, Nightmare on Elm Street, and many more.
Do you dare investigate the mysteries of Darkwood? (Image credit: Acid Wizard Studio)
To round up the horror titles is Darkwood, a top-down indie horror game where you must explore the titular forest to uncover its secrets whilst making gut-wrenching choices that may condemn human lives.
Of course, if you don't fancy being terrified this Halloween, you can always chill out with the cozy bathhouse simulator Spirittea or explore the universe while gunning down space pirates in the single-player space shooter, Everspace 2.
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Microsoft has announced (via Xbox Wire) that Metro Redux has received a next-gen update on Xbox consoles along with Xbox Play Anywhere support.
This means that Metro Redux will be able to take full advantage of the Xbox Series X's hardware to run at 4K resolution at 60 FPS with improved graphics or at standard resolution at 120 FPS for smoother gameplay responsiveness.
Additionally, this Next-Gen update has TSR Upscaling and Anti-Aliasing to make each game's visual fidelity much sharper and more detailed.
With Xbox Play Anywhere, you will be able to own Metro Redux on a Windows PC by buying the Xbox version, and vice versa.
Plus, you will be able to play this game on handhelds like the Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X, and continue your progress on any other compatible platform within the Xbox ecosystem.
For those unaware, Metro is a series of first-person shooters set in a post-apocalyptic future where you are struggling to survive in the Moscow underground filled with raiders, mutants, and other horrifying threats to the last scraps of humanity.
I never played this series myself, but my colleague, Jez Corden, is a huge fan of the series. Jez gave Metro Exodus a high 4.5 review score for its intriguing storyline and character writing, satisfying open-world survival gameplay, and excellent level design.
With Metro Redux's Next-Gen update, this will provide newcomers like me and long-time fans like Jez the perfect excuse to revisit the beginnings of this critically acclaimed series before its next entry, Metro 2039, drops on February 4, 2027, for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC.
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Xbox gift cards are a quick and easy way to add cash to your account, and they also make a great gift for your friends or family. It's even better when you can essentially get free cash to spend on expensive AAA blockbusters, like the upcoming mega hit Grand Theft Auto 6, which runs for $79.99 at retail.
So if you're hoping to buy yourself (or your pals) an expensive game, Newegg has your back with a special discount code on a (digital) $100 Xbox Gift Card for $90 with code GTWF968. Typing in the promo code during checkout at Newegg reduces the price, but you still get the full $100 delivered to your email inbox as a code. You could buy GTA6 and still have $20 left over!
Use the promo code "GTWF968" to get 10% off this card so you can enjoy $100 worth of Xbox games, Xbox Game Pass subscription time, and more for $90.View Deal
Does this gift card have an expiration date?
No, the Xbox Gift Card does not have an expiration date, so you can use it whenever you want.
What regions is this Xbox Gift Card usable in?
This Xbox Gift Card can only be activated and installed in the US — and is not eligible for Puerto Rico.
What can this Xbox Gift Card be used for?
The $100 Xbox Gift Card can be used to buy full digital copies of Xbox games and their DLC content, Xbox Game Pass subscription tiers, movies and TV shows via the Microsoft Movies & TV app, and physical items like Xbox controllers, accessories, or consoles via the Microsoft Store.
Is it better to wait for Black Friday for a better deal?
It depends on whether you're willing to wait until Black Friday for a bigger discount or want to start building funds now for Grand Theft Auto 6 before it arrives on Xbox Series X|S on November 19, 2026, while still keeping some extra cash for other Xbox purchases.
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It's been a long time since we last heard news of Threads of Time, the indie JRPG that aims to recapture the magic of Square Enix's all-time classic, Chrono Trigger.
After a year since its Tokyo Game Show 2025 trailer, Threads of Time has broken radio silence to reveal that it's releasing during the Summer of 2027 for Xbox Series X|S , PC via Steam, and now Nintendo Switch & Nintendo Switch 2.
Threads of Time is a turn-based JRPG where you travel across multiple time periods to save the world from sinister forces to ruin the world's past, present, and future.
The game will feature gorgeous HD-2D pixel art, a cast of intriguing characters, a rich storyline, a variety of exotic and wondrous lands to explore, and challenging enemies to beat in in-depth turn-based battles.
I've been looking forward to this for a while for its charming, retro aesthetic and gameplay, and was worried it might've been canceled after not hearing any news about it for a year. So I'm glad to hear it's still being made and that it's releasing next year during the Summer.
Here's hoping Threads of Time will get Xbox Play Anywhere at launch so I can play with it on the go with my Xbox Ally and carry over progress to my Xbox Series X at home.
Wield the power to travel through time and space and embark on an epic adventure to save the past, present, and future from being rewritten by evil hands in Threads of Time.
Xbox's Year in Review feature, which lets players look back on their favorite games and greatest achievements, has been missing for over 2 years; the last one was in 2024, and in 2025, players had to turn to fan-made alternatives.
However, it appears Microsoft is finally looking to bring back Xbox Year in Review, but it will be reborn as a new feature called "Xbox Playback" in honor of Xbox's 25th anniversary.
This discovery comes from X user @redphx, who has uploaded images of this system in action (and we can confirm with our sources that it is real). It lists his most-played game of all time, total playtime across all platforms, total number of games played, rarest achievement, and much more.
However, @redphx notes Xbox Playback is bugged right now, as it listed the Xbox One as their first console despite never seeing or owning it, and mentions the Xbox Series X was their first console.
@redphx mentions Xbox's "Year in Review" tab page will be replaced with "Playback" at https://xbox.com/playback, but the link is currently not publicly available.
Not that I'm complaining, of course. It's cool to see Xbox Year-in-Review coming back, but this time detailing your entire Xbox career instead of just the past year. So I'm looking forward to seeing the final product in action when Xbox Playback gets officially announced.
Could these be part of a series of more updates coming to Xbox platforms when the brand's 25th anniversary lands on November 15, 2026? We'll have to wait to find out.
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