Halo Studios is teasing more information on its next Halo game for later this year. The team behind Halo hasn’t released a new game since 2021 when it dropped Halo Infinite, a game that was actually supposed to release a year prior as an Xbox Series X launch title. Of course, 343 Industries, now known as Halo Studios, has been working on post-launch support for the game. It wasn’t until late 2022 that Halo Infinite even had a co-op campaign, so clearly the studio has been busy with the most recent game even after its release. Still, there are more plans for new Halo games.

Last year, it was announced that Halo Studios moved to Unreal Engine 5, an engine that will not only allow more ease when it comes to recruiting and onboarding new staff, but also streamline development on the next game. Rumors indicate that the studio is working on a new remake of Halo: Combat Evolved for the game’s 25th anniversary next year, but nothing has been firmly announced. Many hoped to see the next Halo project announced at the recent Xbox showcase, but the show came and went without any concrete mention of the franchise’s future. It did seem like Phil Spencer teased the Halo remake, but that’s just fans trying to read between the lines.

New Halo Game Reveal Coming This Year

With that said, it sounds like we will hear more sometime this year. In a recent Halo Waypoint blog post, Halo Studios commented on recent speculation about the future of the franchise. Although they typically don’t engage in speculation, the team felt it was important to set some expectations and noted that at last year’s Halo World Championship, they talked about the future of the series. Fans can expect another tease for the future of Halo at this event this October, but it’s unclear if it will be another behind the scenes look or a more concrete reveal like a trailer for the next game.

“Over the past few weeks, there’s been a fair amount of speculation about when and where more details might emerge about any of the multiple projects Halo Studios is actively working on,” reads the blog post. “We don’t usually comment on such matters, but this time we want to enter the chat and share a little more perspective for Halo fans who might be on the fence about whether to attend this year’s event. Last year at HaloWC, we premiered “A New Dawn” where we talked about the switch to Unreal Engine, gave you a behind the scenes look at Project Foundry, and debuted our evolution to Halo Studios as we enter a new chapter for Halo. For us, “A New Dawn” was just the beginning – at this year’s HaloWC, we look forward to continuing the conversation.”

It’s nice of Halo Studios to come out and be so upfront with fans, especially since speculation like this tends to go on for months and even years with other games. It drives fans to the point of insanity and generally fosters an unhealthy community. It’s good to set expectations and hopefully, this reveal will answer the questions fans have for what’s next for Halo. It’s also rumored that Halo is coming to PS5 in some capacity, so hopefully we get more details on that here as well.

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Ready or Not is getting an update that will censor both the console and PC versions of the game. Ready or Not is one of the most beloved tactical shooters on PC, as it is a co-op focused game that allows players to fill the shoes of SWAT officer and clear houses, buildings, and other areas to free hostages and take down bad guys. It’s a remarkably tense game and one that has been demanded by console players for years now. However, developer VOID Interactive has never made a console game and Ready or Not has a lot of complex controls/is a pretty demanding game performance-wise, so it wasn’t an easy thing to do. Even other games like Arma Reforger have struggled with this.

With that said, Ready or Not is coming to Xbox and PS5 on July 15th after much anticipation. The console version will come with all of the released content for the game and there’s even a deluxe edition that will give players access to future DLC as it releases. The console release of Ready or Not does come with a hefty price tag of $49.99 for a game that has been out for years, but nevertheless, it will still likely be a big hit and a game that only grows its player base with future sales. However, some fans of the game may be a bit annoyed over a new piece of news.

Ready or Not Censors Nudity, Illicit Child Content, and More For Console Release

Ready or Not developer VOID Interactive has confirmed that the game will be censored on both consoles and PC to meet standards held by Sony and Microsoft. Although Ready or Not is rated M and there is nudity/extreme violence in a lot of games, the context of all of that in this game is likely viewed differently by the platform holders. The reason the PC version has to also be censored is because it creates parity with the console versions and therefore ensures there won’t be unique bugs created for one version with future updates and ensures players see the same stuff when playing crossplay.

“If the in-game assets were not the same it would make crossplay unusable; the game content must be equal or basically equal for multiplayer to work,” explained the developer. “Different versions of assets affects multiplayer replication, which is the ability for the server to understand what’s happening in-game and host players in the same lobby/server.”

Ready or Not‘s console release will also be making slight adjustments to nudity by covering up certain civilians and one suspect, toning down character art involving torture, and making it so players can’t dismember characters after they have already died. Gore hasn’t actually been changed, it just can’t happen once someone is dead. Similarly, Ready or Not has removed images/assets that implied illicit and illegal acts against children, but there’s enough context clues that players will still be able to easily understand what’s happening in the game.

VOID claims that the changes are small enough that most people wouldn’t even know without it being pointed out, but wanted to be transparent with their players. Ready or Not is a pretty dark game that deals with some heavy subject matter, even featuring a level with a school shooting. The fact that is able to make it in there should indicate the core experience has remained untouched, but there were some details that were a bit too intense for Microsoft and Sony to allow on their consoles.

What do you think of Ready or Not‘s censorship? Let me know in the comments below.

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Xbox players across Xbox One, Xbox Series S, and Xbox Series X have roughly 48 hours left to grab an exclusive Xbox game for free. The Xbox game in question hails from the summer of 2020, which means it hails from the very end of the Xbox One generation, as the Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X released a couple months later on November 10. Despite releasing so close to the current-gen Xbox consoles, the Xbox One game in question has never received an Xbox Series X|S version, but it is playable on the Xbox Series consoles via backward compatibility.

The Xbox exclusive game is Tell Me Why from developer Dontnod Entertainment, the French studio that has released a collection of games since its founding in 2008. It is no doubt best known for the Life Is Strange series though. Meanwhile, the publisher of Tell Me Why was actually Xbox Game Studios. In other words, it was a second-party release. While some Xbox games over the years have come to other platforms, especially recently, Tell Me Why has never come to any other console platforms. The only other place it is available is PC, which has been the case since its launch.

Unfortunately for Dontnod Entertainment and Xbox Game Studios, Tell Me Why failed to perform at the highest level. To this end, on Metacritic it has scores in the 70s. Meanwhile, sale figures have never been provided, but it is understood to have sold poorly.

All of that said, until July 1 the Xbox game — which normally costs $20 — is free for everyone via the Microsoft Store. Those that trigger this offer should expect to sit down the episodic adventure for about 9 to 15 hours, depending on factors such as playstyle and completion rate.

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“Tell Me Why is the latest narrative adventure game from Dontnod Entertainment, the studio behind the beloved franchise, Life is Strange,” reads an official description of the game for those unfamiliar with it. “In this intimate mystery, reunited twins Tyler and Alyson Ronan use their supernatural bond to unravel the memories of their loving but troubled childhood. Set in beautiful small-town Alaska, Tell Me Why features true-to-life characters, mature themes and gripping choices. As you conjure up memories of the past, your choices will affect the twins’ relationship, determine the strength of their bond, and shape the course of their lives.”

For more coverage on all things Xbox — including all of the latest Xbox One news, all of the latest Xbox Series X news, and all of the latest Xbox Game Pass news — click here.

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October 2025 is set to be a massive month for Xbox Game Pass, and perhaps the biggest month of the year for the subscription service. Right now, that title belongs to April, which had the following day one games: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, Blue Prince, Crime Scene Cleaner, and Towerborne. And this is just the notable day one additions, and doesn’t take into account other games added like GTA 5, Diablo 3, NHL 25, Far Cry 4, Borderlands 3, and so forth. It is going to be hard for October 2025 to top this, but it is going to have a chance.

October 2025 is still a ways out so naturally the Xbox Game Pass lineup for it has not been fully revealed, but we do know three day one games coming to the subscription service during the Halloween month. The biggest of these is arguably Ninja Gaiden 4. However, fellow October day one addition, The Outer Worlds 2, has a case to make as the biggest Xbox Game Pass game of October 2025. Lastly, Keeper is joining these two. Like the other two, Keeper is a new Xbox Game Studios release from Xbox studio Double Fine Productions.

Ninja Gaiden 4, specifically, is set to release on October 21 as the middle release of this trio. The first release will be Keeper on October 17. And then rounding out the releases will be The Outer Worlds 2 on October 29. Of course, this is just a taste of the lineup months out. Right now, it doesn’t quite complete with the April 2025 lineup, but there are a few months ahead for this to change. So far, the October 2025 lineup is off to a great start though.

Ninja Gaiden 4

The Outer Worlds 2

Keeper

All three of these Xbox Game Pass games are Xbox Game Studios’ releases, which means they will be permanent additions to the Xbox Game Pass library. That said, to play them at day one via Xbox Game Pass, a subscription to the most expensive tier, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, will be needed on console. Meanwhile, on PC, a PC Game Pass subscription will be needed.

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For more Xbox Game Pass coverage — including all of the latest Xbox Game Pass news, all of the latest Xbox Game Pass rumors and leaks, and all of the latest Xbox Game Pass deals — click here.

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A PS5 free upgrade for a former PS4 exclusive has been announced and it is coming later this summer, courtesy of Xbox. The PS4 game in question hails from 2017, and when it was released it was notably as a PS4 console exclusive. This means the only other platform it was available on was the PC, at least at first. The following year it shed its exclusivity and came to Xbox One. And then the year after this it came to Nintendo Switch 2, followed by Xbox Series X|S in 2021. Now, four years after its previous last release it is coming to PS5.

The game in question is Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, which is getting a PS5 version alongside the release of Senua’s Sage: Hellblade II on PS5 on August 12. It will be included in the more expensive $70 Deluxe Edition of Hellblade II on PS5, as well as be a free upgrade for those who own the PS4 version of the narrative-driven action-adventure game.

When Hellblade was released in 2017 it was when Ninja Theory, its developer, was still independent. Since then, Xbox has acquired the UK studio. And it was Xbox who published the sequel. Consequently, while Xbox did not publish the first game, when it acquired Ninja Theory it acquired the publishing rights of the first game with it. In other words, it is Xbox doing this favor for PS5 users by offering a free upgrade to those who own the game already on PS4.

“From the makers of Heavenly Sword, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, and DmC: Devil May Cry, comes a warrior’s brutal journey into myth and madness,” reads an official description of the game on the PlayStation Stoew, for those unfamiliar with it. “Set in the Viking age, a broken Celtic warrior embarks on a haunting vision quest into Viking Hell to fight for the soul of her dead lover. Created in collaboration with neuroscientists and people who experience psychosis, Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice will pull you deep into the melancholic fury of Senua’s shattered mind.”

At the moment of publishing, it is unclear how Xbox and Ninja Theory plan to deliver this free upgrade to PS5 users, however, it is presumably going to be via a game update, as that is typically how these upgrades are handled. Meanwhile, the upgrade is expected to include enriched visuals and new features, not seen in the trailer above, which is the older PS4 version of the game.

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This new version of Hellblade will be available to PS5 Pro users, but there is no word of it taking advantage of the PS5 Pro and offering any type of “enhancements.” It is not out of the realm of possibility though, as Xbox has supported the console in the past.

For more coverage on all things PlayStation 5 — including all of the latest PS5 news, all of the latest PS5 rumors and leaks, and all of the latest PS5 deals — click here.

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Almost a decade after its release, some Xbox fans are just getting around to playing a 2016 Xbox One game thanks to it being free with Xbox Game Pass. And consequently, nine years after its release some Xbox fans are learning they missed out one of the best experiences of the previous console generation. While Xbox struggled gravely during the Xbox One generation, there were still many amazing games to play on Xbox One due to third-party support of the console.

To this end, over on the Xbox Game Pass Reddit page there is a post dedicated to discovering the Xbox One game in question, Inside. And to say Xbox Game Pass subscribers are blown away would be an understatement.

“Just finished Playdead’s Inside. Holy moly,” reads the title of the post. “The atmosphere in this game is unreal — they manage to create incredible immersion purely through visuals and sound design, without a single word of dialogue. Puzzles felt just right, too. As someone juggling a busy life and parenting, the short playtime was a huge plus. You can actually see this masterpiece through to the end in a reasonable amount of time. Highly recommend if you’re looking for a powerful, contained experience.”

A comment on the post adds: “It’s personally my favorite game of all time. Level design, visuals, atmosphere, all 10/10.” Another adds: “One of only two games I’ve ever completed in one sitting without turning it off — the other was Journey. Journey was great, Inside was even better.”

For those unfamiliar with Inside, it is a 2016 release from Danish studio Playdead that was actually an Xbox One exclusive when it first released. Upon release, it garnered a 93 on Metacritic, sold millions of copies, and today is widely considered one of the all-time great games. Its 2010 predecessor, Limbo, which is very similar to it, is also on Xbox Game Pass, and is equally acclaimed.

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Those that decide to check out Inside for free via Xbox Game Pass should know it is only about three to four hours long. Meanwhile, how long it is going to be available via Xbox Game Pass, we don’t know, but it has been part of the subscription service for a long time.

For more coverage on all things Xbox Game Pass and Xbox in general — including all of the latest Xbox news, all of the latest Xbox rumors and leaks, and all of the latest Xbox deals — click here.

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Delta Force may be gearing up for a console release very soon after only being playable on PC for the better part of a year. The shooter space is pretty crowded with heavy hitters like Call of Duty and Battlefield, but there are a lot of other, much smaller developers trying to find their own audience with more focused experiences. Call of Duty has a pretty broad appeal thanks to its cinematic campaigns, in and out multiplayer, and co-op offerings like Zombies, but games like Arma Reforger have stepped up to cater to a more hardcore audience looking for a mil-sim experience on both console and PC.

Later this summer, fans will also get to play Ready or Not on Xbox and PS5 after it was previously relegated to PC exclusively for years. That game puts players in the shoes of a SWAT team and allows them to partner up with a few friends to tactically raid compounds and homes. Now, it seems like another PC shooter is coming to console very soon. Delta Force, a Battlefield-esque shooter, has had plans to make its way to console for a while now. The game successfully released in free-to-play on PC last year and has been a solid hit amongst players.

Delta Force Console Release May Be Imminent

Now, its console release may be imminent ahead of a new season of content. The Delta Force Twitter account tweeted the iconic PlayStation symbols as well as Xbox’s face buttons (ABXY) without any additional context. This seems to be a tease for a release on both platforms very soon. Of course, nothing has been concretely announced, but one would have to imagine that’s what this teases.

If that’s the case, it’s likely the release won’t come long after the announcement. Fall is Call of Duty season, so that would be a dangerous time to try and release a new shooter on consoles. So, perhaps it will be released on console in the coming days or weeks to give shooter fans a new game to play this summer.

It’s likely the game will continue to be free-to-play on consoles and will likely fill a void for Battlefield fans. Battlefield 2042 missed the mark with a lot of players, but Battlefield 6 is due out within the next year and may bring the series to its former glory. However, maybe Delta Force can beat EA to the punch and offer a worthwhile large-scale multiplayer shooter on consoles before then.

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There is a new Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S console exclusive game — meaning not available on any other console — that is flying under the radar, despite being free with Xbox Game Pass. That said, perhaps it is flying under the radar because it is proving divisive, or at least that is what user reviews suggests. The new Xbox game in question only boasts a 3 out of 5 stars on the Xbox Store, a fairly underwhelming return. However, in contrast, on Steam it has an “Overwhelmingly Positive” rating, the highest user review score a game can earn on Steam. This is thanks to a 97% approval rating across more than 39,000 user reviews.

The new day one Xbox Game Pass game debuted back in 2023 via developer Egg Hatcher, but only on PC. Now it is available on Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X. This is presumably the result of some type of deal with Microsoft. This is particularly evident by the fact it also a day one Xbox Game Pass. For those that have not connected the dots yet, the game is Volcano Princess, a simulation game that takes about eight hours to mainline or 20 hours to beat if you include side content.

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“Welcome to the Volcano Kingdom,” reads an official description of the game for those unfamiliar with it. “The Volcano Goddess has blessed the land of her people. She brought prosperity to a country flourishing in a medieval era. After the death of your late wife, you are left alone to parent your daughter. So the question remains, how will you raise her, and what kind of life will the choices you make lead her to? Prepare the next monarch by finding her hobbies, training her for battle, and befriending the citizens she’ll one day protect. Dive into an all-new parenting-simulator-RPG adventure, where every decision you make will not only affect the future of your daughter but that of an entire empire!”

How long Volcano Princess is going to be available with Xbox Game Pass, we do not know because Microsoft has not disclosed this information. As long as it is available via Xbox Game Pass though, subscribers can save 20% on its $10.99 asking price.

As a day one Xbox Game Pass game, it is important to note this new addition is limited to the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate tier, which is the most expensive tier of Xbox Game Pass at $20 a month.

For more coverage on all things Xbox Game Pass — including all of the latest Xbox Game Pass news, all of the latest Xbox Game Pass rumors and leaks, and all of the latest Xbox Game Pass deals — click here.

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An exclusive game to the first ever Xbox console is now available for free in a new promotion. Unfortunately, for those on Xbox, this new free download is not accessible via Xbox One, Xbox Series S, or Xbox Series X, but rather PC. More than this, it comes the way of Prime Gaming, which means all of those interested in nabbing the 2004 release for free will need an Amazon Prime subscription. Those that meet these requirements can both download and keep the OG Xbox game for free.

The new free game in question is Thief: Deadly Shadows from Ion Storm and Eidos Interactive. Released on May 15, 2004, Thief: Deadly Shadows is the third game in the Thief series following 1998’s Thief: The Dark Project and 2000’s Thief II: The Metal Age. The Unreal Engine 2 game, when it was released, was only available on PC and the original Xbox, making it a console exclusive for the latter. And this never changed because it never came to any other console platform.

Thief: Deadly Shadows was notably the final game in the series before its 2014 reboot, which itself is being followed up by 2025 VR spin-off, Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow. Upon release, Thief: Deadly Shadows earned an 85 on Metacritic, a very solid return, but two points off the second game and seven points off the first game, a pioneering game of the 1990s.

“You are Garrett, the master thief. Rarely seen and never caught, Garrett is the best that ever was,” reads an official description of the game, for those unfamiliar with it. “Able to sneak past any guard, pick any lock, and break into the most ingeniously secured residences. Garrett steals from the wealthy and gives to himself, making his living in the dark and foreboding City. Here crime and corruption are commonplace, wealthy nobles prey on the poor and each other, and magic and machinery coexist uneasily. World weary and cynical, Garrett wants nothing more than to be left alone to ply his trade. But things never work out that way.”

It is important to note that Thief: Deadly Shadows is being made free on Prime Gaming sometime on June 26, 2025. To this end, the deal may not be live by the time you are reading this, but will be shortly if this is the case. Meanwhile, an Amazon Prime subscription is indeed a requirement to access this free game download, however, it is not required to retain the free download, which is an important distinction as it makes the offer different and superior to similar offers from PS Plus, Xbox Game Pass, and Nintendo Switch Online.

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For more coverage on all things Xbox — including all of the latest Xbox news, all of the latest Xbox rumors and leaks, and all of the latest Xbox deals — click here.

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A brand new Halo fan game known as Spartan Survivors has gotten some kind words from the team at Halo Studios. Video game fans are very creative people, as the medium often inspires players to create their own games, mods, and other creations. However, this can sometimes result in legal ramifications. For example, Rockstar Games fans know that publisher Take-Two is a pretty litigious company and makes an effort to defend its IP whenever it can. A lot of popular fan mods for Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption have been shut down or threatened with legal action, prompting community backlash. To their credit, that backlash has saved some skin before and Rockstar even acquired modding platform FiveM.

With that said, some developers and publishers are far more accepting of fan creations than others. A new fan game known as Spartan Survivors has caught some eyes in recent months. The new game is a bullet hell survival game which appears to be heavily inspired by the uber popular Vampire Survivors, except it’s Master Chief (or custom Spartans) battling the covenant with signature Halo weaponry. Although it doesn’t explicitly invoke the Halo name, it’s clearly Master Chief and all of the iconography that comes with Halo, which could pose legal troubles for its creators.

However, the team behind Spartan Survivor has revealed that Halo Studios has given the game their blessing. The only ask from the developer and Microsoft is that they add a legal disclaimer in the credits and the game’s store page, but beyond that, the game is free to keep existing.

“Really love to see the passion you and your team have poured into this experience – it really is fun and we look forward to getting further in our playthrough and unlocking stuff,” reads a statement sent to the developer from Halo Studios.

As of right now, Spartan Survivor is slated to release on Xbox and Steam later this year. It’s unclear if it will cost anything, but one has to imagine it will be fairly cheap if it does have a price tag attached to it. It’s a great show of support from the developers of Halo, a series that holds a special place in the hearts of gamers. A new Halo game is in development, but no one knows much about it. There’s a rumor that Halo: Combat Evolved is getting a remake that could release next year as part of the brand’s 25th anniversary.

On top of that, it is also heavily rumored that Halo is coming to PS5 at some point in the near future. No one knows which Halo games will come to PS5, but it would make sense if it was Halo: The Master Chief Collection which compiles the first 4 Halo games along with spin-off games Halo 3: ODST and Halo: Reach. However, it was also rumored that the entire Gears of War trilogy would come to PS5, but only the first game has been announced for the console, so maybe it will be a more staggered roll out to milk some money out of the PlayStation audience.

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It’s been almost 20 years since the Xbox 360 was released. A lot has happened since then, including the arrivals of the Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S. However, neither of those platforms have been nearly as successful, and it seems a lot of people still regularly use their system from two generations ago. Those users recently got a nice surprise, as Microsoft has released a system update for the console. The update has made some improvements to the dashboard, following changes made after the Xbox 360 store’s closure last year. The result is much cleaner!

When the Xbox 360 store was closed, it no longer made sense to feature anything related to the store on the dashboard, which is why there was a change made in the first place. However, fans weren’t thrilled with some of the changes, specifically with how game art appeared. For some reason, the previous dashboard update caused the art to look stretched out. That’s now been resolved, and the other big change is that users can now see a pair of advertisements for the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. An image of the new dashboard can be found in the Reddit post embedded below.

Following the update, users on the Xbox 360 subreddit shared a lot of praise for the fix. Considering how many users probably moved on to more recent platforms a long time ago, this was unexpected to say the least. That said, it does show a certain level of dedication to the system’s once large audience. Microsoft does seem well aware of the love that a lot of people still have for the system though, based on the amount of merchandise it continues to receive. The fact of the matter is, Xbox 360 had a lot of fantastic games released during its lifespan, and this makes it a little bit easier for users to continue enjoying them.

If there’s one part of this update that fans seem mixed on, it’s the giant advertisements for the current Xbox platform. On one hand, having ads on the dashboard is par for the course for Microsoft, so it almost makes the system feel like a more current option. However, many have joked about the ad’s existence. One Reddit user teased that Microsoft thinks Xbox 360 users “are somehow unaware of themselves being two generations behind.”

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Now that Microsoft has delivered a dashboard that most fans seem to be happy with, hopefully the company will leave it alone. It’s hard to imagine there being another significant update at this point, but stranger things have happened. It should be noted that this update only seems to be live for users that have a location based in the U.S. For now, everyone else in the world seems to be stuck with the update from last year.

Are you still regularly using your Xbox 360? How do you feel about these changes made to the system’s dashboard? Share your thoughts with me directly on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!

The post Surprise Xbox 360 Update Released Years Later appeared first on ComicBook.com.

One of 2025’s biggest Xbox games is now Steam Deck verified, and it is not even out yet. So far, it it has been a somewhat underwhelming year for Xbox Game Studios. Avowed came out earlier this year — and while a solid release — it didn’t quite replicate the highs of Obsidian Entertainment’s past. Meanwhile, South of Midnight was arguably one of the more substantial flops of the year. Xbox Game Pass, however, has been on fire. And of course, there is still plenty of year left for Xbox Game Studios to turn thins around. To this end, it still has Gears of War: Reloaded, Keeper, Ninja Gaiden 4, and The Outer Worlds 2 all in the pipeline for the remainder of the year.

All four of these Xbox Game Studios’ releases coming in the remainder of the year will be available on PC when they release, and three of the four releases will also be available on other consoles. To this end, those planning on picking up Gears of War: Reloaded, specifically, and who plan on picking it up on Steam in the process, will be happy to know the game will be Steam Deck Verified the moment it releases. And we know this because a couple months away from its release it is already Steam Deck Verified, according to its Steam listing at least.

For those unfamiliar with the terminology, “Verified” on Steam Deck refers to a game that has been tested by Valve and confirmed to work on the handheld machine from start to finish. More than this, it works well with both the built-in display and controls of the Steam Deck without any configuration on the user side of things.

Gears of War: Reloaded is a remaster of the first Gears of War game set to release on August 26, 2025 via PC, PS5, Xbox Series S, and Xbox Series X.

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For more coverage on the Steam Deck — including all of the latest Steam Deck news, all of the latest Steam Deck deals, and all of the latest free games available with Steam Deck — click here.

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Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers on PC and Xbox Series X recently received three day one games. Unfortunately, one of the day one Xbox Game Pass games has proven to be one of the year’s biggest flops. However, the other two are fortunately not flops. In fact, according to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers on Reddit, both are quite good. One of these games comes the way of EA, while the other comes the way of Sifu developer Slocap.

The new EA game in Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is Lost in Random: The Eternal Die, a sequel to 2021’s action-adventure game Lost in Random. According to a recent post on the aforementioned Reddit page, the sequel is “amazing.” And considering the popularity of the post, this is not an uncommon sentiment.

“Lost in Random: The Eternal Die [is] amazing,” reads the title of the post. “After beating Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and DOOM: The Dark Ages, I wanted to play a chilled game that I can pick up and play a round of in between heavy story games. Lost in Random is just that – a rogue lite dungeon crawler. I literally just wanted to say that. I was so pleasantly surprised at the consistency of Game Pass being so great that I wanted everyone that’s looking for such a game to try it out too!”

Lost in Random: The Eternal Die has been flying under the radar, but the other new day one Xbox Game Pass game has not flown under the radar, as evident by it earning over one million players in less than 24 hours. The other Xbox Game Pass day one game in question is sports game Rematch, which according to a popular Xbox Game Pass Reddit post is addicting.

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“It takes a little bit to get the mechanics down but I’m officially addicted to Rematch. Before I knew it my whole Saturday was nothing but Rematch,” reads the post in question.

“Even made a couple friends through the voice chat, lovely. Made the English weather forgettable. I wasn’t enjoying it really when I first played on Friday, went back to it yesterday and could not stop playing. Had planned to 100% Expedition 33 this weekend but it’s been nothing but Rematch. The mechanics are almost janky but not janky if that makes sense, and it’s good, idk how to explain it. Takes a bit getting down. Incredibly fun.”

Of course, these are just the opinions of Xbox Game Pass subscribers, but they appear to be fairly common opinions on the pair of Xbox Game Pass games. How long these Xbox Game Pass games are going to be available via the subscription service however, remains to be seen. Microsoft has not disclosed this information.

For more Xbox Game Pass coverage — including all of the latest Xbox Game Pass news, all of the latest Xbox Game Pass rumors and leaks, and all of the latest Xbox Game Pass deals — click here.

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An Xbox Series X game released last year, 2024, that normally costs $70 on the Microsoft Store is available for just $7 for a limited time or, more specifically, until June 23. In other words, this new Microsoft Store deal is only available for 48 hours. The Xbox Series X game in question is not one of the most popular or best games of 2024 though, but one of its more controversial, hence why it is already 90% off only one year after its release. That said, for those with a morbid curiosity, it is unlikely to be any cheaper than this anytime soon. The only larger discount it could realistically receive is a 95% discount, but you very rarely see AAA games discounted by 95% on the Microsoft Store, even if they are several years old and even if they are divisive.

The Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S game in question is the latest release from UK developer Rocksteady Studios, the team best known for the Batman: Arkham series, but who is more recently known for 2024 flop Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League was released by WB Games back in February of last year to not only underwhelming sales, but Metacritic scores in the low 60s, well below the standards of the IP, the standards of WB Games, and certainly the standards of Rocksteady Studios.

For $6.99 though, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League offers AAA production and a 10-20 hour campaign that stretches to roughly 40 hours long for completionists. That is a lot of AAA content for just $7.

“Join the newly ‘recruited’ members of Amanda Waller’s infamous Task Force X (aka the Suicide Squad), Harley Quinn, Deadshot, Captain Boomerang and King Shark, as they set out on an impossible mission to Kill the Justice League,” reads an official pitch of the game on the Microsoft Store. “Drop into an expansive and dynamic open-world Metropolis ravaged by Brainiac’s invasion and terrorized by the heroes who once protected it.”

As you would expect, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League has never been cheaper on the Microsoft Store. Nor has it been cheaper anywhere else but Steam. Those that decide to trigger this offer though will need not just $7 but 115 GB to download the game onto their Xbox console.

For more Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S coverage — including all of the latest Xbox Series X news, all of the latest Xbox Series X rumors and leaks, and all of the latest Xbox Series X deals — click here.

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One of the best Xbox Series X games out of Xbox Game Studios this generation is currently available on PS5 for $9.99 thanks to a new PlayStation Store discount that marks down the Xbox game to the lowest price it has ever been. That said, this PSN deal is only available until July 4. After this, the 50% discount will vanish and the Xbox game on PS5 will return to its normal price point on the PlayStation Store.

The Xbox Game Studios game in question hails from 2022, where it was one of the highest-rated games of 2022, thanks to its 88 on Metacritic. To this end, it is also one of the highest-rated Xbox Game Studios’ games of the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S generation. Then in 2024, it shed its Xbox exclusivity and came to other console platforms, including both the PS4 and PS5. For those that have not connected the dots yet, the Xbox game in question is Pentiment from developer Obsidian Entertainment.

For those not familiar with the California-based studio, Obsidian Entertainment is about to put out The Outer Worlds 2 and most recently put out Avowed earlier this year. Historically, it is best known for the likes of Fallout: New Vegas, South Park: The Stick of Truth, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II, and Neverwinter Nights 2. One of its best games, meanwhile, was one of its smaller games: Pentiment, an adventure role-playing game set in 1518 medieval Europe.

“Step into a living illustrated world inspired by illuminated manuscripts and printed woodcuts in a time when Europe is at a crossroads of great religious and political change,” reads an official description of the game on the PlayStation Store. “Walk in the footsteps of Andreas Maler, a master artist who finds himself in the middle of murders, scandals, and intrigue in the Bavarian Alps.”

Pentiment was part of the first wave of Xbox games to come to PS5 as part of Xbox’s growing multi-platform strategy. While it is not that novel for Xbox games to come to PS5 now, when Pentiment came over it still was.

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Those that decide to check out Pentiment on PS5, PS5 Pro, or even PS4 thanks to this deal should expect a game that is about 15 to 25 hours long. The bottom part of this range represents a playthrough that sticks to the main story beats while the top end of this range represents a 100% completion of the game.

For more PlayStation 5 coverage — including all of the latest PS5 news, PS5 rumors and leaks, and all of the latest PS5 deals like this one — click here

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This week, a new Xbox Game Pass day one game released and it was a massive flop. On the opposite side of the spectrum, a second day one Xbox Game Pass game released this week and it instantly proved to be a substantial hit. As a day one Xbox Game Pass game, it is limited to the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate tier of the subscription service. Those not at the most expensive tier of the Microsoft subscription service do not have day one access to it, but they may want to upgrade their subscription to obtain this access.

The new Xbox Game Pass day one game in question is Rematch from French developer Slocap, the studio who previously put out Sifu in 2022 and Absolver in 2017. And it looks like Rematch is poised to be the studio’s biggest game yet, as within 24 hours it has already posted over one million unique players. Now, it is one of the most-played games on Xbox Game Pass right now, which is no doubt helping this substantial player count.

While Rematch is proving popular, it is not proving universally beloved. For example, it only has a 76 on Metacritic. Meanwhile, on the general consumer front, it only has a 77 percent approval rating among Steam users. That said, it appears substantial bugs and server issues are weighing down both of these numbers. To this end, once both of these are ironed out these scores may not be totally accurate and reflective of the game’s quality and popularity.

RELATED: Xbox Game Pass Is Losing 6 Games Soon (Including Some Good Ones)

Whether Rematch will be able to sustain this early popularity over time remains to be seen. If it is going to, it will need to fix the server issues stat, and wipe various bugs and performance issues from the equation. And of course, it will need a steady flow of post-launch content to keep players engaged. In the meantime though, this is one of the biggest Xbox Game Pass day one games of the year, right alongside the likes of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, DOOM: The Dark Ages, Atomfall, Crime Scene Cleaner, and other Xbox Game Pass hits from earlier in the year.

For more Xbox Game Pass coverage — including all of the latest Xbox Game Pass news, all of the latest Xbox Game Pass rumors and leaks, and all of the latest Xbox Game Pass deals — click here.

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If there was one takeaway from the Xbox Games Showcase on June 8th, it is that there is no holding back on Obsidian Entertainment. Microsoft acquired Obsidian Entertainment in November 2018. Since then, only Grounded and Pentiment have been released (this excludes The Outer Worlds since this was originally published by Private Division). However, this most recent showcase by Xbox shows that Microsoft now seems to be leaning into Obsidian Entertainment’s successes, taking them off the bench and letting them run forward to become a standout AAA studio.

The original acquisition of Obsidian Entertainment by Microsoft came without any major concerns. It came at a time when consoles were heavily looking for exclusives to offer on their platform. However, once Microsoft acquired ZeniMax Media, which includes Bethesda Game Studios, a red flag was drawn into play.

The red flag: both Bethesda and Obsidian Entertainment have a strong pedigree in open-world RPG games. Bethesda has produced some of the most iconic open-world RPGs of the last decades, like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Fallout 4. Likewise, Obsidian has been developing games of a similar nature, like Fallout: New Vegas and The Outer Worlds. Can two studios exist in Xbox Game Studio’s portfolio that produce games of a similar nature? Or would one studio be cannibalized by another?

At first glance, it appeared that a higher stake of interest was placed on Bethesda’s pipeline. Since the acquisition of Bethesda in 2021, the label has published six titles, including Deathloop, Ghostwire Tokyo, Hi-Fi Rush, Redfall, Starfield, and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. By comparison, since 2018, only Grounded and Pentiment have been launched as part of Xbox Game Studios’ portfolio. That was until 2025, when it became significantly more apparent what Obsidian Entertainment was working on.

In 2025, Obsidian reminded audiences of its caliber as a studio with not one, but three major releases planned for the year (assuming there are no delays). Already, Avowed was released in February and, according to mindGame data estimates, reached 5.9 million players in one month post-launch and a peak of 20K concurrent players on Steam. In comparison, Bethesda’s Indiana Jones and the Great Circle potentially only reached 4 million players and 12K peak concurrent players. In all respects, outside of Metacritic scoring, Avowed performed much stronger as an Xbox success story.

Coming to the rest of the year, Grounded 2 is planned for release on July 29th as a follow-up sequel to the success of Grounded, released back in 2020. The features desired to be built into Grounded could no longer be supported by the game and warranted a sequel and a move to Unreal Engine 5. Some of those new features include mountable bugs, an omni-tool to reduce inventory clutter, and a dodge mechanic.

Separately, The Outer Worlds 2 was also announced to be released on October 29th, 2025. The original The Outer Worlds was a commercial success, selling over 5 million copies worldwide when it was published by Private Division. The success of The Outer Worlds potentially begets that the follow-up sequel will likely reach similar levels of success, especially considering that The Outer Worlds 2 will be available at launch across all major platforms. However, a new point of consternation is that The Outer Worlds 2 will be the first title from Xbox Game Studios that will launch with the $79.99 price tag that is rapidly becoming the new norm in AAA pricing.

Given the performance of Avowed and the historical performance of Grounded and The Outer Worlds, 2025 is line to be a very successful year for Obsidian Entertainment and, vis-à-vis, Xbox Game Studios. In contrast, Bethesda launched a very successful remaster of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, but fans remain disappointed with the lack of news about Fallout and The Elder Scrolls, which haven’t seen a mainline sequel release from either franchise in over ten years.

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Xbox Game Pass has two major additions this week in the form of two notable day one games. Unfortunately for subscribers, one of these two games is turning out to be a flop. Of course, the main appeal of Xbox Game Pass, especially compared to something like PS Plus, is the plethora of games available at day one of each of their respective launches. PS Plus has this too, but not to the extent of Xbox Game Pass. That said, this only comes with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which means Xbox fans must pay $20 a month for this perk. And in June, this perk is perhaps paying off less than some previous months.

One of June 2025’s big Xbox Game Pass day one games is unfortunately proving a flop, and that is FBC: Firebreak, which released this week and was included with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate the moment it did. Right now, at the moment of writing this, the new Xbox Game Pass game only has a 66 on Metacritic, which isn’t just subpar for any major release, but especially a new release from Remedy Entertainment, the acclaimed studio behind recent titles like Alan Wake 2 and Control.

Not only is FBC: Firebreak not doing well critically, but it doesn’t seem to be cultivating much of a player base. For example, on Steam its peak concurrent player count is a very measly 1,992. Of course, it is included with both Xbox Game Pass and PS Plus, so this is going to hurt the player count on Steam, but even with that accounted for it should still be nowhere near this low.

Lastly, its user review scores are low everywhere. On the Microsoft Store, it only has 3/5 stars. On the aforementioned Metacritic, it has a 56 out of 100 with users. Meanwhile, on Steam, it only has a 63% approval rating.

Unfortunately for Remedy Entertainment, Microsoft, and Xbox Game Pass subscribers, FBC: Firebreak is a dud across the board. The three-person co-op first-person shooter is dead on arrival, and it is hard to imagine things turning around, especially considering Remedy Entertainment does not have a reputation of great post-launch support of multiplayer games.

RELATED: Xbox Game Pass Reportedly Adding One of 2025’s Biggest Games Soon

For more Xbox Game Pass coverage — including all of the latest Xbox Game Pass news, all of the latest Xbox Game Pass rumors and leaks, and all of the latest Xbox Game Pass deals — click here.

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In late May, PC players got a pretty big performance update for The Sims 4. However, there was a bit of a delay in bringing those changes to console gamers. Today, console gamers can finally download the latest free update for The Sims 4, but that’s not all. The latest patch also features a few additional bug fixes for players on all platforms, all based on direct community feedback. The June 17th update for The Sims 4 is now available on PC, Mac, Xbox, and PlayStation consoles.

Today’s The Sims 4 update isn’t a massive one, but it does contain quite a few significant fixes. The main highlight for players on Xbox and PlayStation is that they’re finally getting all of the performance boosts and bug fixes from the previous patch, which released on May 27th. But there are a handful of additional bug fixes in today’s patch for players on all platforms. The fixes are all direct responses to reported issues from the EA forums, so these small but significant tweaks should make the game better for all Simmers.

The patch includes two bug fixes for the base game, including Sim models getting distorted if they travel too soon after aging up, and changes to Sim portraits. There are also a handful of pack-specific fixes, including changes to seasonal menus from The Sims 4: Seasons and a fix for vanishing employees in The Sims 4: Businesses & Hobbies.

The Sims 4 Patch Notes for June 17th Update

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The full patch notes for today’s The Sims 4 update, as shared by EA, appear below:

What’s New in The Sims 4

• The full update from 5/27 is now available for Simmers on Xbox and PlayStation. Thank you for your patience!

Bug Fixes

Base Game / Multipack

• [EA Forums] Resolved an issue where Sims models could become distorted when traveling shortly after aging up.
• [EA Forums] Sim Portraits are now properly updated with career outfit when Sims join a career.

Businesses & Hobbies

• [EA Forums] Small business employees no longer disappear after loading the lot from the Manage Worlds or Create a Sim screens.

Seasons

• [EA Forums] The New Year’s Resolution menu now correctly appears when making a resolution.
• [EA Forums] Scout’s Badge Progress UI no longer appears without text.

Along with this update, EA has teased a new Laundry List coming soon. This will cover what additional bug fixes gamers can expect in the next major base game update for The Sims 4. That update is likely to arrive a bit closer to the upcoming Nature’s Calling live event, which starts on June 24th.

The post New The Sims 4 Update Brings Consoles Up to Speed & More appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Microsoft is now openly talking about and advertising the next Xbox, even going as far to set expectations for some features for the console. Xbox is one of the three big gaming companies alongside Nintendo and PlayStation, but their reputation has changed a lot since the Xbox 360. The Xbox One got off to a really bad start due to its always online DRM policy, the forced Kinect bundle, and much more. While the bulk of this was reversed within a year of the console’s launch, it hung a cloud over the Xbox One generation and it didn’t help that a lot of the first-party games were just okay at best.

Not only that, but Halo started to stumble with a bump launch for Halo: The Master Chief Collection and Halo 5 failed to impress longtime fans. The Xbox brand began to show its cracks, but still did make some leaps forward with Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Play Anywhere, and more. Xbox was even a leader in bringing crossplay to the console space, but still, PlayStation has continued to outpace Xbox in terms of sales. Now, with Xbox bringing major titles to PlayStation 5, many have wondered what Xbox’s future is in the industry.

Well, Xbox isn’t dropping out of the console race anytime soon. Xbox has released a new video announcing that it has signed a multi-year deal to manufacture parts for its next Xbox. While we don’t know what this new console looks like or what it will even be called, Xbox has confirmed it is in active development and even noted that it will give players full access to their backward compatible library. This was largely a given because Xbox has prided itself on letting people play games all the way back from the original Xbox on modern consoles, but it’s great to hear it reaffirmed. Xbox is the only modern console that allows players to natively play their old games straight off the disc. PlayStation and Nintendo have legacy games too, but their solutions are not as simple or efficent.

On top of that, Xbox seems to be teasing that Steam could come to the console. There have been extensive rumors that this would happen and Xbox seems to be leaning into them now. Xbox’s Sarah Bond teased that the next Xbox won’t be limited by one storefront and that you’ll be able to play your games anywhere you want. This has opened up the idea that even PlayStation games may be playable on the next Xbox, as games like Marvel’s Spider-Man and The Last of Us are on Steam. If Steam comes to Xbox, then it stands to reason you could play those games on the Microsoft-owned console. Xbox’s new handheld will already begin to take advantage of this later this year. However, it does make some wonder: what’s in it for Xbox?

Steam is its own business and if everyone buys their games through Steam, then Valve and the original game publisher get all of that money. It’s hard to imagine Xbox being able to negotiate any kind of a cut there, but we’ll see what happens.

What do you think of this new Xbox? Let me know in the comments.

The post Next Xbox Gets New Update from Microsoft appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Xbox Game Pass is a great way for subscribers to try something that they wouldn’t play otherwise, but when it comes to third-party titles, there’s usually a limited window to do so. That window is about to close for six games currently available on the service. Thankfully, Xbox Game Pass gives some advance notice, so anyone that wants to play these games before they go away have two weeks left to do so. The following games are set to leave the service at the start of July:

• Arcade Paradise
• Journey to the Savage Planet: Employee of the Month
• My Friend Peppa Pig
• Robin Hood – Sherwood Builders
• SteamWorld Dig
• SteamWorld Dig 2

Out of all the games leaving, the SteamWorld Dig titles are probably the most notable in this batch. Since releasing all the way back in 2013, SteamWorld Dig has been very well-received, prompting the release of a sequel a few years later, as well as multiple spin-off games. It’s worth noting that SteamWorld Dig 2 was offered and removed from Xbox Game Pass in the past, before making a comeback on the service last year. It’s possible the game could similarly return at some point down the line, but anyone worried about losing access might want to purchase it, just in case.

Journey to the Savage Planet: Employee of the Month is also a pretty significant loss. On top of including the well-regarded base game, Employee of the Month also features the DLC and other improvements. It’s always a shame to see a critically-acclaimed title leave Xbox Game Pass, but that departure is somewhat offset by the fact that the game’s sequel was released on the service last month. Anyone that needs a fix will still be able to play Revenge of the Savage Planet. The sequel doesn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon, despite the fact that the director seems to have some mixed feelings about launching his game on the service.

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Xbox Game Pass subscribers are used to some departures that offset additions to the service. At this point, that’s par for the course, even if that doesn’t make it any easier when a good game goes away. While all of these games are leaving on July 1st, we should see some new announcements on or around that same day. We don’t have a full list of upcoming games just yet, but we do know of at least one pretty big new option that will be included in the first half of the month. On July 11th, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 will be released as a day one game for those that subscribe to the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate tier. The highly-anticipated remaster will feature content based on two of the most well-regarded entries in the series.

Do you plan on checking out any of these games before they leave Xbox Game Pass? Which of these titles are you going to miss the most? Share your thoughts with me directly on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!

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A PS5 exclusive recently came to Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, but unfortunately for Xbox fans it is alongside a major downgrade. While Xbox games continue to steadily come to PS5 — in fact right now the most pre-ordered game on the PlayStation Store is an Xbox game — the reverse is less common. And typically when it does happen, it is not first-party PS5 exclusives from Sony itself, but third-party exclusives. For example, when Square Enix released Final Fantasy 16 in 2023 it was a PS5 exclusive, but this is not because Sony owns Final Fantasy or even the publishing right for the game, but because it paid for this exclusivity. Two years later, the RPG has finally come to Xbox consoles, but it has some problems.

According to a new report, the Xbox version of Final Fantasy 16 runs substantially worse compared to the PS5 version of the Square Enix RPG. For example, the Xbox version has a lower resolution. Where the PS5 version often runs at 1440p in resolution mode, the Xbox version runs at 1224p.

It is more than just resolution, every aspect about the Xbox version is said to look worse, which is odd because typically mutli-platform games run exactly the same on the pair of consoles. In fact, sometimes they even look a tiny bit better on Xbox Series X, in particular.

It is not just in resolution mode where the Xbox port struggles though. When it is put in performance mode, the Xbox Series X version is only 720p, while the PS5 version in the same mode is 1080p. Now, the Xbox version does have a steadier 60 FPS, where the PS5 has a more variable frame rate in this mode, but the difference doesn’t quite make up for this major resolution drop.

As for the report, it comes the way of tech experts Digital Foundry, who put the new Xbox version to test and compared it to the PS5 version in an extensive comparison. Of course, some of these shortcomings could be fixed with a future patch, but right now there is no word of this being in the pipeline.

RELATED: Xbox Surprises Users With Free Copy of One of its Biggest Games

For more coverage on all things Xbox Series X — including all of the latest Xbox Series X news, all of the latest Xbox Series X rumors and leaks, and all of the latest Xbox Series X deals — click here.

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Activision is reportedly working on Prototype 3, a superhero-esque series that it published in the late 2000s and early 2010s. Around the same time period, but Activision and PlayStation were releasing their own superhero games (or anti-hero games, depending on how you look at it). Prototype and Infamous were two franchises that took the concept of an open-world and applied to the superhero genre. However, instead of utilizing beloved IP like Marvel or DC, they made their own characters and worlds. Prototype put players in the shoes of a shapeshifter named Alex Mercer who was the subject of some sort of experiment he can’t remember. He now has all kinds of elaborate powers which allow for some wild gameplay.

The game was met with somewhat mixed reviews and it was received well critically, but the potential for more was certainly there. Prototype 2 was then put into production, this time with players embodying a new superpowered protagonist that would battle Alex Mercer. However, Prototype 2 didn’t meet expectations and was deemed a commercial failure. Plans for a third game were scrapped and developer Radical Entertainment was turned into a support studio for other Activision games, like Destiny and Call of Duty. The studio has remained operational since 2012, but it hasn’t released its own game since Prototype 2. However, it sounds like the franchise and maybe the developer are staging a comeback.

Prototype 3 May Be Happening

Prototype 3 is reportedly in the works under Activision, though a developer hasn’t been reported. The news comes from a fairly old and now deleted Reddit post that has gained some traction in the last week. Reddit user Bigbyy claimed to be part of a focus group for some Activision titles earlier in 2025. The user accurately reported information about Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 such as the year the game takes place in, gameplay features, and more long before the game was actually announced and subsequently also provided new info on Prototype 3.

According to the Reddit user, Prototype 3 will once again be set in New York City and follow Alex Mercer. Not much else was revealed about the project beyond the fact he will use shapeshifting to infiltrate enemy bases and utilize other powers to fight enemies. It’s not a lot of information, but it is noteworthy that Activision is doing focus group testing on a new Prototype game. The user noted that this information wasn’t presented to gauge interest to see if they should make a new one, but rather to get feedback on a game that’s already in development. It’s entirely possible this could also be a remake of Prototype rather than a third game, especially since the IP likely doesn’t have much value right now and it would be in Activision’s best interest to try to reboot it. Xbox may also be looking to mine some of the publisher’s old IP now that it owns Activision.

As of right now, fans will probably want to take things with a grain of salt, but it’s an interesting rumor nonetheless. Do you want to see a new Prototype game? Let me know in the comments.

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Xbox Game Pass subscribers will want to circle June 17 on their calendars. And that is because in two days Xbox Game Pass subscribers are getting three additions all at once, including two new day one games. The highlight of this trio of new additions is no doubt the day one game in question, FBC: Firebreak, a new co-op first-person shooter from Remedy Entertainment, the studio behind games and series such as Alan Wake, Control, Quantum Break, and the first two Max Payne games. This will be available to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and Xbox Game Pass PC subscribers.

In addition to this, Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time is being added to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Xbox Game Pass, and Xbox Game Pass Standard. A 2020 release, Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time is the 8th mainline installment in the Crash Bandicoot series from developer Toys for Bob and publisher Activision. Its Metacritic scores range from 80 to 86, varying from platform to platform.

The the third and final game being added to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and Xbox Game Pass PC on June 17 is Lost in Random: The Eternal Die from developer Zoink and publisher EA. This is the other day one game coming on June 27, and as the name suggests, it is a sequel to 2021’s Lost in Random.

Below, you can read more about all three games being added to Xbox Game Pass as well, and check out a trailer for each as well:

FBC: Firebreak

“FBC: Firebreak is a cooperative first-person shooter set within a mysterious federal agency under assault by otherworldly forces. As a years-long siege on the agency’s headquarters reaches its boiling point, only Firebreak—the Bureau’s most versatile unit—has the gear and the guts to plunge into the building’s strangest crises, restore order, and blast their way back from the brink.”

Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time

“Neo Cortex and N. Tropy are back at it again and launching an all-out assault on not just this universe, but the entire multiverse! Crash and Coco are here to save the day by reuniting the four Quantum Masks and bending the rules of reality. New abilities? Check. More playable characters? Yep. Alternate dimensions? Obviously. Ridonkulous bosses? For sure. Same awesome sauce? You bet your sweet jorts. Wait, are they actually jorts? Not in this universe!”

Lost in Random: The Eternal Die

“In Lost in Random: The Eternal Die, Aleksandra, formerly known as The Queen, and her companion, Fortune have been captured inside the Eternal Die where a wicked Storyteller is plotting their final chapter. Players will fight their way through a randomly generated gauntlet where they’ll take on monstrous pawns and giant board games, to claim treasure which improves your chances. They must use their wits and trusty die companion to escape this living labyrinth, where evil reigns and Random Rules.”

For more Xbox Game Pass coverage — including all of the latest Xbox Game Pass news, all of the latest Xbox Game Pass rumors and leaks, and all of the latest Xbox Game Pass deals — click here.

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Microsoft has surprised some Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S users with a copy of one of its biggest upcoming games for free. Looking ahead, Xbox Game Studios has the likes of Gears of War: E-Day, Fable, Forza Horizon 6, Ninja Gaiden 4, Keeper, The Outer Worlds 2, and an untitled Halo game all set to release later this year or in 2026. Beyond this, there are even more games with “TBA” release dates such as State of Decay 3, Clockwork Revolution, OD, Everwild, Perfect Dark, Contraband, and Grounded 2. And of course, there are plenty of rumored and leaked unannounced games to consider.

Before all of this though, the next big release from Xbox Game Studios is Gears of War: Reloaded, a remaster of the original Gears of War. Right now, a beta for the game is live until June 15, ahead of its August 26 release date on not just PC and Xbox Series X|S, but PS5 and PS5 Pro as well. Also before this release date, Microsoft is giving away free copies of the game, though not to everyone.

This week, those that own Gears of War: Ultimate Edition — whether via physical copy or via a digital copy — are receiving a free code of Gears of War: Reloaded. According to Microsoft, this free surprise is a thank you: “As a token of our gratitude to longtime fans, Gears of War: Reloaded will be a free upgrade for players who purchased the digital version of Gears of War: Ultimate Edition prior to today’s announcement.”

Those that meet the criteria will receive a free code for Gears of War: Reloaded prior to the launch of the game via a direct message. Considering the remaster is set to cost $40, this is a pretty penny saved for some Xbox users.

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Unfortunately, those on PS5 or PC who meet the requirement but are no longer on Xbox platform, well, you are out of luck. An Xbox account is required to trigger this offer. That said, if you still have access to your Xbox account you had Gears of War: Ultimate Edition on, you could claim this free offer in case you ever migrate back to Xbox platforms in the future.

For more coverage on Xbox game deals – as well as offers and free games on every major platform – click here.

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Xbox Game Pass has a new day one game that is earning positive reviews from Xbox Game Pass subscribers and more. For a couple months, Xbox Game Pass was on absolute fire with the day one game additions. During this run, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, DOOM: The Dark Ages, Blue Prince, and more all came to the subscription in rapid fire fashion. With video games releases slowing down for the summer months, this impressive streak has been snapped. However, there are still noteworthy Xbox Game Pass day one games dropping.

For example, The Alters just released today, and the moment it released it has been available with an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription. Upon release, it garnered an 84 on Metacritic, currently sitting as the 28th highest-rated game of the year. Coupling this, it has a 90% approval rating on Steam and 4/5 stars on the Microsoft Store. Meanwhile, some Xbox Game Pass subscribers, in particular, appear to be enjoying the new Xbox Game Pass day one game, while others are excited to dive into it, as new posts on the Xbox Game Pass Reddit page demonstrate, including one saying it is a “must-play game” for sci-fi fans.

How long is The Alters going to be available on Xbox Game Pass, we don’t know. It saves Xbox Game Pass subscribers from paying $35 for the new sci-fi strategy game though. Meanwhile, and as always, subscribers can purchase it with a 20 percent discount as long as it is in the Xbox Game Pass library, which means pay $28 rather than the normal $35.

As for the game itself, it comes the way of Polish studio 11 Bit Studios, who is both the developer and publisher. The studio, for those that don’t know it, previously put out This War of Mine in 2014, Frostpunk in 2018, and Frostpunk 2 in 2024. It also had some releases before This War of Mine, but it is this trio of games that it is best known for.

“The Alters is an ambitious sci-fi survival game with a unique twist,” reads an official description of the game for those who want to know more. “You play as Jan Dolski, the lone survivor of a crash-landed expedition on a hostile planet. To survive, you must form a new crew for your mobile base. Using a substance called Rapidium, you create alternative versions of Jan—THE ALTERS—each one shaped by a different crucial decision from the protagonist’s past. As you navigate through survival and moral dilemmas, you will explore a branching narrative filled with captivating character dynamics and challenging decisions.”

RELATED: Xbox Game Pass Reportedly Adding One of 2025’s Biggest Games Soon

It is important to note as a day one addition this new Xbox Game Pass day one game is limited to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and not available to other tiers of the subscription service.

For more coverage on Xbox Game Pass — including all of the latest Xbox Game Pass news, all of the latest Xbox Game Pass rumors and leaks, and all of the latest Xbox Game Pass deals — click here.

The post Xbox Game Pass Subscribers Say New Day One Game Is a “Must Play” appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The Xbox ROG Ally turned heads during the Xbox Game’s Showcase, and not just because it teased big implications for Hollow Knight: Silksong. While details were sparse about a release date, new information has been leaked that points to a potential release date and when pre-orders will go live. Handheld consoles have become extremely popular thanks to the Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck. With Xbox now joining the handheld push, fans have been eager for news on the Xbox ROG Ally.

According to known leaker eXtas1s, the Xbox ROG Ally is targeting a cost between €599 for the ROG Ally White and €899 for the ROG Ally Black. In addition to this, he reports that pre-orders will go live for the handheld console in August and the official release date will be in October.

RELATED: Every Big Reveal From the Xbox Games Showcase 2025

While this has fans excited, it is important to remember that all leaks and rumors should be treated with skepticism until an official announcement is made. Until Microsoft or ROG confirms this information, it is nothing more than speculation. eXtas1s has been proven to be correct in the past, but he has also been off with some of his leaks.

One aspect of this information that has stirred up a response is what it means for Hollow Knight: Silksong. While Team Cherry’s PR denied the Metroidvania being tied to a console, it was and is heavily promoted with the Xbox ROG Ally. Fans have been theorizing this means an October release date for the highly-anticipated game, especially with the fact that it will be playable in September.

Only time will time when the Xbox ROG Ally releases. Do you plan to pre-order or purchase the handheld on day one? Let us know in the comments below!

The post Xbox ROG Ally Report Reveals Possible Release Date and Pre-Orders appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Halo Infinite has released a new update that throws fans back to the glory days of Halo 3 and it’s fantastic. The Halo series has been around for nearly 25 years now and it has continued to evolve with the times with each console generation. Halo defined itself as a very unique FPS game when it made its debut on the original Xbox in 2001 and stayed true to its roots for its first 3 games. There was very minimal ADSing, no sprint, and a lot of other differences that made it shine in contrast to a lot of other shooters like Call of Duty. Eventually, Halo went on to embrace a lot of these things, somewhat controversially.

343 Industries largely embraced things like sprinting when it took over the Halo franchise, which rubbed some fans the wrong way. However, it has been here to stay and is a key piece of the franchise now. Still, it helps that 343 also oversaw the release of Halo: The Master Chief Collection so fans can replay all of the classic Halo games as they were intended on modern consoles and PC if they dislike the direction of the new games. There are even rumors that these Halo games will make their way to PS5 to introduce a whole new audience to the series.

Halo 3 Content Takes Over Halo Infinite

With all of that said, Halo Infinite has had a rocky few years since it launched in 2021. Although it was a strong game, its multiplayer was crippled by strange design choices such as a botched progression system and more. Still, 343 Industries, now known as Halo Studios, does its very best to keep the game supported. Halo Infinite has released a new update known as Operation: Legacy.

Essentially, the game is just Halo 3 for the next month. A bunch of classic Halo 3 maps have been remade for Halo Infinite and are playable with gameplay settings that mimic the Xbox 360 classic. That means no sprint in this playlist. In addition to that Grifball has made its return and is a healthy dose of nostalgia. There’s even classic Halo 3 armor such as the sacred Hayabusa armor, this time being released in celebration of Ninja Gaiden 4. Needless to say, fans are really enjoying it and some have argued that it’s a reminder that Halo was at its best during this era of the series. The slower pace is more appealing to hardcore fans and is making fans really happy.

It’s rumored that Microsoft is working on a remake of Halo: Combat Evolved right now, which could return the series back to its normal pace. Of course, the opposite could very well be true and Halo Studios adds things like sprinting into that classic. However, they seem very aware of the fact that fans don’t really want that in the older games and hopefully, they find the right balance of old and new with that remake. Beyond that, there’s not much word on what’s next for the Halo series. It sounds like Halo 7 could be years away and it’s unclear what story the team has in mind for Master Chief next.

Have you checked out the new Halo 3 playlist in Halo Infinite? Let me know in the comments.

The post Halo Infinite Fans Are Loving New Halo 3 Throwback Update appeared first on ComicBook.com.

For years now, there’s been a debate about the overall industry impact of Xbox Game Pass. The service gives subscribers access to a much larger number of games than most could afford to purchase in a given month; in that respect, it can be good for consumers based on their individual playing habits. However, there remain a lot of questions about the trade-off for developers that agree to put their games on the service. In an interview with Gamer Social Club, Revenge of the Savage Planet director Alex Hutchinson talked about the challenges associated with putting a game on Xbox Game Pass.

While Revenge of the Savage Planet was a day one game on the service, Hutchinson argued that “the whole industry should agree to only allow games on subscription services a year after release.” The director believes that the current way of doing things could prove disastrous in the long run for developers. This is a surprising perspective for someone that chose to embrace Xbox Game Pass, and Hutchinson was asked why the team decided to launch the game the way that it did. The director explained that his hope was that Revenge of the Savage Planet‘s presence on the service would translate to other income sources that have yet to materialize.

“The hope was that the exposure would lead to people who got the game as part of their subscription to at least buy the little add on pack or to encourage a friend to buy it on another platform so they could play it together but we haven’t seen that, or at least not yet. What we’ve seen is that content has been devalued and that people are less willing to pay for things, which in the long run will likely mean less games being made and a lot more studios going under,” Hutchinson told Gamer Social Club.

It’s worth noting that some developers have argued that releasing their games on Xbox Game Pass has translated to sales on other platforms, and resulted in increased exposure they would not have received otherwise. Back in April, Pocketpair communications director John “Bucky” Buckley weighed in on the debate when these discussions emerged again following the release of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Speaking from his experience with launching Palworld on the service, Buckley said “yes it is very worth having your game on Game Pass.”

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At the end of the day, every developer is going to have a different experience when it comes to Xbox Game Pass. Not every game is going to find a massive level of success that drives interest on other platforms; critically-acclaimed games fail to find an audience every year. It’s worth noting that Revenge of the Savage Planet has also been available for less than a month so far, and Hutchinson has admitted that sales have “been good” so far. Based on that, the situation could change as people learn more about the game, and what it has to offer.

Do you think Xbox Game Pass day one releases help or hurt game sales? Have you bought a game because you saw someone else playing it through the service? Share your thoughts with me directly on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!

The post Xbox Game Pass Developer Encourages Teams to Avoid Day One Releases appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Xbox is apparently going all digital on all of its major releases for the rest of 2025, despite increasing prices. The rise of digital gaming has been extremely fast, which has upset a vocal group of gamers and collectors. With the Xbox One and PS4, players were able to download every game on release day and sometimes even pre-download it so it was ready to go at midnight. It was a massively convenient way to play games and ensured people would never have to wait for a game to be shipped or go to the store to buy it, let alone wait for installs if they planned accordingly.

Now, the bulk of video games are bought digitally and there are consoles that are now sold without disc drives. The Nintendo Switch 2 has found a middle ground with game key cards, a physical cartridge that acts as a license to download the game from the internet with the ability to resell it. It’s an interesting workaround to still have some sort of physical component instead of putting a code in a box, but it hasn’t pleased gamers. However, Xbox seems to be making a larger pivot toward digital gaming, much to the frustration of gamers.

Following the Xbox Games Showcase, many players began looking at pre-order pages for physical copies of upcoming Xbox games like Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2 only to see that the boxed Xbox copies do not contain a disc at all. Instead, it’s just a box with a digital download code, largely defeating the purpose of buying a physical copy. However, the PS5 versions of these games do have discs, creating an interesting discrepancy. Xbox fans are understandably upset that these games are only being sold in a true physical format on PS5. This also comes after Xbox raised prices on games, so The Outer Worlds 2 is $80 for nothing more than a digital code.

As of right now, we were unable to find if Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and Gears of War: Reloaded will suffer the same fate. Gears of War: Reloaded is coming to PS5 and the physical copy is on sale at Best Buy, but no such luck in finding a physical copy for Xbox (though it is planned to be released at retailers). It’s possible that Xbox’s data shows that PS5 gamers buy physical more than Xbox gamers, making it easier for them to do true physical on another platform. Either way, it’ll be curious to see what this means for future Xbox releases and if Xbox’s next console will be all-digital.

What do you think of this change? Let me know in the comments.

The post Xbox Players Upset as Microsoft Abandons Physical Media for Major 2025 Releases appeared first on ComicBook.com.

A Bethesda game is free on both Xbox consoles and PC for 48 hours, aka until and through June 12. The former includes Xbox One, Xbox Series S, and Xbox Series X. That said, an Amazon Prime subscription is needed to access the free download as it comes via Prime Gaming. An active subscription is not required to retain the free download once claimed, but it is required to initiate the free download.

As for the free game in question, it hails from 2017, where it won Best Action Game at The Game Awards that year alongside nominations for Best Performance, Best Game Direction, and Best Narrative. For those that have not connected the dots yet, the free game is Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus.

Developed by Swedish studio MachineGames — who most recently put out Indiana Jones and the Great Circle — Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus is an action-adventure game meets first-person shooter with some stealth elements. The seventh game in the historic Wolfenstein series, it is a direct follow-up to 2014’s Wolfenstein reboot, Wolfenstein: The New Order. It has yet to receive a proper sequel, but in 2019 a spin-off psuedo follow-up, Wolfenstein: Youngblood was received. Unfortunately, it was not as well received as Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, which boasts an impressive 88 on Metacritic.

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“America, 1961. Your assassination of Nazi General Deathshead was a short-lived victory,” reads an official story synopsis for those unfamiliar with it. “Despite the setback, the Nazis maintain their stranglehold on the world. You are BJ Blazkowicz, aka “Terror-Billy,” member of the Resistance, scourge of the Nazi empire, and humanity’s last hope for liberty. Only you have the guts, guns, and gumption to return stateside, kill every Nazi in sight, and spark the second American Revolution.”

Those that take advantage of this free offer and check out Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus should expect a game that is about 10 to 17 hours long, depending on how bogged down in side content you get, and other factors such as playstyle and skill level. Meanwhile, completionists will need more like 30 hours with the Bethesda game. For all of this, normally you have to fork over $40.

For more coverage on all things Bethesda — including all of the latest Bethesda news, all of the latest Bethesda rumors and leaks, and all of the latest Bethesda deals — click here.

The post Bethesda Game Free on Xbox and PC for 48 Hours appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Xbox’s new handheld device will be able to play PlayStation games. The console wars have been running rampant for decades now, but there have been some major changes this past generation. We’ve begun to see more platform holders like Xbox and PlayStation putting their games on other platforms. PlayStation has supported PC, but has also experimented with Nintendo Switch with LEGO Horizon Adventures. It seems like PlayStation’s primary focus is its own consoles and PC, but Xbox is taking a very different approach. Xbox is putting its games pretty much everywhere, including PlayStation and Nintendo Switch. It’s a huge departure from how platform holders typically operate, but a move that may be absolutely necessary.

With all of that said, some Xbox fans are upset that this isn’t more transactional. PlayStation fans are eating good and getting a lot of great Xbox games like Gears of War, but Xbox fans aren’t getting the same thing in return. MLB The Show is the closest thing they’ve got, but that was a decision made by MLB itself and less so PlayStation. However, the tides may be turning in some way. There have been some rumors that the next Xbox console will feature Steam in some capacity, potentially allowing Xbox players the chance to play PlayStation games on Xbox. Although we still likely have a few years to go before that happens, another alternative is coming.

At Xbox’s summer showcase, the company announced an Xbox handheld in partnership with ASUS. The two companies are coming together to make an Xbox version of its ROG Ally handheld which has been competing with Steam Deck for some time now. This will allow users to have a PC handheld that natively runs Xbox PC/Play Anywhere games, utilize Xbox Game Pass, and be connected to the Xbox ecosystem.

However, it can also run Steam and other PC platforms like Epic Games Store. It’s a very versatile device. YouTuber Destin Legarie got to go hands-on with the device and confirmed that he was able to install PlayStation’s Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales from his Steam library on the device. This means you should be able to download other PlayStation games on PC such as The Last of Us and God of War. This shouldn’t come as a surprise to those who are familiar with these kinds of devices, but it does indicate that Xbox is doing a lot to make itself available everywhere and connect all these gaming ecosystems as much as possible.

PlayStation has made a lot of its best games available on PC, though there are some games and franchises that have yet to make the jump. This could be the start of something really interesting if Xbox continues down this path and does manage to get Steam running on its next console.

What do you think of this? Let me know in the comments.

The post Xbox’s New Handheld Can Play PlayStation Games appeared first on ComicBook.com.

A new update has been released for WWE 2K25 on PC and consoles. The update brings the game up to version 1.14, and is fairly small, all things considered. Players should not expect anything too significant from this one, as Visual Concepts has largely focused on polishing up the game’s performance. Outside of that, the only other real change from today’s update is that the developers have fixed a bug that was causing issues with the Create-a-Superstar mode. Hopefully today’s update will result in the option running a bit more smoothly. Full patch notes (via MP1st) can be found below:

GENERAL

• Stability and performance improvements

CREATE

• Addressed reported concerns with blank layers appearing in Create-a-Superstar

Unfortunately, that’s about it for the time being! Hopefully WWE 2K25 will offer a more substantial update in the coming weeks. Since version 1.14 was just released, it’s hard to say just how noticeable these improvements might be. Once players have had a chance to go hands on, we’ll probably start to get more impressions from players, and a better idea how things are running. The issue with blank layers in WWE 2K25‘s Create-a-Superstar had been a cause for frustration for a lot of players ahead of today’s update. Recently, the game’s social media posts have seen a major influx of users airing frustrations about it, and about other bugs plaguing the game.

While today’s update might have resolved some problems, these aren’t the only issues that WWE 2K25 players have had with the game lately. In particular, players have spent weeks waiting on the final DLC fighter to be revealed from May’s New Wave pack. The game’s developers had promised that the DLC would include a “special celebrity guest to be announced.” As of this writing, that fighter has not been made available, let alone been officially announced. Many players are still curious to find out who that fighter will be, at the very least. At this point, we’re just over two weeks away from the release of the Dunk and Destruction pack, which is set to arrive on June 25th.

RELATED: WWE 2K25’s The Island Is a Slippery Slope Into Microtransaction Hell

Hopefully today’s update is a sign that things are starting to improve for WWE 2K25. While the game has clearly had some issues recently, there have been a lot of positives written about the game since launch. Clearly, things have taken something of a turn over the last few months, and that’s frustrating. However, if Visual Concepts can iron out the performance issues and make sure that players are given the DLC that they’ve been eagerly awaiting over the last few weeks, it’s possible we could see perception start to improve a bit.

Have you checked out today’s update yet? How have you been feeling about the performance and bugs in WWE 2K25? Share your thoughts with me directly on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!

The post WWE 2K25 Receives New Update, Patch Notes Released appeared first on ComicBook.com.

A brand new trailer for the tactical shooter Ready or Not reveals the game’s release date for Xbox Series X|S and PS5. For many years, there have been some great games that have been locked to PC. Sometimes this is a result of complicated control schemes being difficult to map to a controller, sometimes it’s a question of raw hardware power. However, since the Xbox One and PS4 were released, we’ve begun seeing more and more PC games make the jump to consoles. That has only increased with Xbox Series X|S and PS5, allowing games like Arma Reforger to be big console releases.

With that said, earlier this year, it was confirmed that Ready or Not would release on consoles this summer. This was a huge announcement because Ready or Not has dominated on PC for many years. The game is a SWAT-based tactical shooter where players (either solo or in co-op) raid homes, schools, and other buildings to take down enemies. You can breach doors, use various gadgets to surveil the situation, and so on. You never know what’s around the corner, whether it be a threat or a hostage, so you can’t run and gun your way through a level. Sometimes enemies will even surrender before pulling a weapon on you as you move in to restrain them.

Ready Or Not Console Release Date Revealed

Needless to say, this kind of detailed, immersive shooter has a lot of appeal. Thankfully, Ready or Not is coming to PS5 and Xbox Series X|S on July 15th. A brand new trailer for the game brilliantly sets the stage for the console release. There will be multiple versions of the game to buy, some of which come with extra in-game goodies and access to future DLCs that are planned for Ready or Not. The base game will cost $49.99, but players can get access to a deluxe edition for $69.99 with all the extra bells and whistles.

There will be 20 levels in the game at launch that can be played with up to five players in co-op, including two new ones that will be part of a free update to the PC version as well. Future DLC will add additional levels and even a support helicopter, though it’s not exactly clear what kind of support it will add. Needless to say, Ready or Not is a content-rich package across the board and will likely be a big seller on Xbox Series X and PS5.

Are you going to pick up Ready or Not on console? Let me know in the comments.

The post Ready or Not Trailer Reveals PS5 and Xbox Release Date appeared first on ComicBook.com.

A new PlayStation Plus free game brings you back to an original Xbox game, and one of the best original Xbox games. Unfortunately, for OG Xbox nostalgics, the new free PS Plus game is not literally an OG Xbox game, but rather a spiritual successor to an OG Xbox game. In other words, it may scratch the itch of an itch that has not been scratched since 2002 when developer Smilebite and publisher Sega released Jet Set Radio Future, an original Xbox launch game and an Xbox bundle game.

For those that don’t know, Jet Set Radio Future itself is a sequel to 2000’s Jet Set Radio, one of the all time great games, made by the same pair but for the Sega Dreamcast. That said, the new PlayStation Plus free game has more in common with the 2002 sequel than the 2000 predecessor.

More specifically, on PlayStation Plus Bomb Rush Cyberfunk is now free. And this is true across every tier of PlayStation Plus: PS Plus Essential, PS Plus Extra, and PS Plus Premium. This is thanks to it being part of June 2025’s free PlayStation Plus games lineup. While not a sequel to either Jet Set Radio game, it is the closet Jet Set Radio fans have come to receiving a follow-up in over 20 years, though there is a new Jet Set Radio game in active development at Sega.

For those unfamiliar with the game, Bomb Rush Cyberfunk was developed and published by Team Reptile back in 2023. Upon release, the homage to Jet Set Radio garnered Metacritic scores ranging from 75 to 81. Meanwhile, it pairs this with glowing user reviews. For example, on the PlayStation Store it has a 4.42 out of 5. And then on Steam it has a 98% approval rating.

“Team Reptile brings you Bomb Rush Cyberfunk, a future world from the mind of Dion Koster where self-styled graffiti crews equipped with personal boostpacks are battling each other for control of the streets,” reads an official description of the game for those unfamiliar with it. “Start your own cypher and dance, paint graffiti, collect beats, combo your tricks and face off with the cops to stake your claim to the sprawling metropolis of New Amsterdam.”

RELATED: PS5 Exclusive Will Be Free With PlayStation Plus at Day One of Release

Those that decide to check out Bomb Rush Cyberfunk via PS Plus — whether on PS4 and PS5 — have until July 1 to claim the free download. That said, not only is a PS Plus subscription required to access the free download, but to retain a copy of the game in your library. If your PS Plus subscription lapses, you will lose access to the free game download until you subscribe back up.

As for the game itself, it is roughly 10 to 14 hours long, depending on how much side content is engaged with, skill level, and playstyle Meanwhile, completionists will need something more like 25 hours with the new free PS Plus game.

For more PlayStation Plus coverage — including all of the latest PS Plus news, all of the latest PS Plus rumors and leaks, and all of the latest PS Plus deals — click here.

The post New PlayStation Plus Free Game Brings You Back to the Original Xbox appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Xbox Game Pass subscribers on console and PC can’t believe all the new day one games coming to the subscription service in the near future. The primary selling point of the most expensive tier of Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, is unlocking access to day one games. Every single Xbox Games Studios, Activision-Blizzard, and Bethesda game is available with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate the moment it releases. Microsoft also makes deals with various third-party developers to bolster this day one offering, which continues to be the great differentiator between the most expensive tier of Xbox Game Pass and the most expensive tier of PS Plus.

That said, during the recent Xbox Games Showcase, there were 16 different games shown off that are all set to be free with Xbox Game Pass the moment they release. They are as follows: Aphelion, At Fate’s End, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Clockwork Revolution, Gears of War Reloaded, Grounded 2, High on Life 2, Keeper, Ninja Gaiden 4, Persona 4 Revival, Planet of Lana II: Children of the Leaf, Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy, Super Meat Boy 3D, There Are No Ghost at the Grand, The Outer Worlds 2, and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4.

This is obviously an impressive lineup of 2025 and 2026 games, and it is of course not exhaustive. These are just the Xbox Game Pass day one games shown off in the aforementioned showcase. There will be more, and even if there wasn’t going to be more, subscribers seem more than satisfied with this upcoming slate of games.

“10 out of 16 I will definitely playing and I’m (very) hyped for them. Maybe one, two, three other games other could surprise me. That’s a very good statistic,” says one Xbox Game Pass subscriber of the new day one games coming in a Reddit post about the lineup. “A Lifetime of Game Pass is a life worth living,” adds another subscriber.

“Please Xbox, I don’t know what the sun is anymore,” adds a third subscriber. Meanwhile, a fourth subscriber further adds: “Game Pass keeps on winning.”

RELATED: Xbox Game Pass Reportedly Adding One of 2025’s Biggest Games Soon

With it revealed that The Outer Worlds 2 and other Xbox games are going to cost $80, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate becomes an even more tantalizing offer at $20 a month. That said, this is assuming it stays at this point, which is a mighty assumption.

For more Xbox Game Pass coverage — including all of the latest Xbox Game Pass news, all of the latest Xbox Game Pass rumors and leaks, and all of the latest Xbox Game Pass deals — click here.

The post Xbox Game Pass Subscribers Can’t Believe All the New Day One Games appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Gears of War: Reloaded is getting a multiplayer very soon and it’ll be the first chance for PlayStation players to play the iconic Xbox series. Xbox has completely changed the way it approaches things over the last few years. It used to be that PlayStation and Xbox had their own exclusive games and you had to buy their respective consoles to play those games. However, Xbox has been struggling on the hardware side for a while now and has seemingly recognized that it may have better odds if it brought its games and services to more places such as PC, mobile, and now, PlayStation.

Although Xbox has been dabbling in the idea of bringing various games to PlayStation for a while, it seems 2025 is the year where it really commits to this. Gears of War is being remastered and will release on PS5 in August. One of the marquee game franchises for Xbox is now going multiplatform and it stands to reason that Gears of War: E-Day will probably release on PS5 in 2026 as well, signaling a bold new era for the platform holder.

It is heavily rumored that Halo will also make the jump as well, but this marks a historic moment for gaming. With that said, this isn’t even the first time Gears planned to jump to PlayStation as Epic Games developed a PS3 port of Gears of War 3 and there’s footage of the whole game running on the console out there. However, it was never released.

Gears of War: Reloaded Beta Begins Next Weekend

With that said, Xbox has confirmed that we’re going to get a beta for Gears of War: Reloaded very soon. Players will be able to play the Gears of War: Reloaded multiplayer beta next weekend starting on June 13th, even on PS5. Those who own Gears of War: Ultimate Edition (the previous remaster of the game for Xbox One and PC) or have an active Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription will get access to this beta for free. Obviously, that only works for Xbox and PC players, but if you pre-order Gears of War: Reloaded on Xbox, PS5, or PC, you also gain access to the beta.

The beta will run for two weekends, June 13-15 and June 20-22, and feature a variety of content. Weekend one will feature Team Deathmatch on three classic maps while weekend two will add the King of the Hill mode with new maps. It’s a great way to get a taste of the action before Gears of War: Reloaded‘s release in August.

Gears of War: Reloaded will release on Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and PC on August 26th, 2025. Are you going to check out the multiplayer beta?

The post Gears of War: Reloaded Multiplayer Beta Date Announced (And It’s Very Soon) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

2026 is shaping up to be a pretty big year for Game Freak, the lead developers of the Pokemon franchise. It’s widely assumed that’s when a full sequel to Pokemon Scarlet and Violet will be released, given that it will be the 30th anniversary of the series. However, it looks like the studio will have something else to release that same year, and it has nothing to do with the Pokemon franchise, or Nintendo platforms at all for that matter. During today’s Xbox Games Showcase, Game Freak pulled back the curtain on Beast of Reincarnation, which is coming next year to Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Cloud.

Beast of Reincarnation is an action RPG set in the year 4026. Humankind is facing down extinction, thanks to a creature that has apparently corrupted all living things with the blight it spews forth. The only hope lies in the hands of a protagonist named Emma. In this post-apocalyptic take on Japan, Emma must defeat the Beast of Reincarnation that has overtaken her world. While the game is a single-player adventure, Emma won’t be alone in her journey; she’ll be accompanied by her dog, Koo. The first trailer for the game can be found below.

Xbox has teased that the relationship between Emma and Koo will make “strange powers bloom,” so we can likely expect the doggo to play a major role in taking down the game’s opponents. Speaking of the battle system, players can expect “demanding, technical combat.” The trailer offers some hints at that, including the enemies the pair will face. The main enemy shown appears to bear some resemblance to a buck thanks to its massive antlers, but there are some plant-like characteristics, including flowers blooming from its head (right above where Emma has stabbed it with a sword). There are also some opponents that are far more robot-like, as well.

At the moment, further details about Beast of Reincarnation are pretty slim, but it already looks like a wild departure from Game Freak. The developers of the Pokemon franchise are frequently pushing themselves to take on different projects, from 2D platformers like Drill Dozer, to adventure RPGs like Pandoland. Many of these games have even skipped Nintendo platforms, like 2015’s Tembo the Badass Elephant. However, all of those games felt like smaller projects. Comparatively, Beast of Reincarnation already looks like a big and promising new experience.

RELATED: I Need Pokemon Champions to Learn from Pokemon TCG Pocket’s Mistake

We’ll have to wait until next year to see how Beast of Reincarnation turns out, but hopefully it proves to be an exciting new adventure from the creators of Pokemon. Game Freak and publisher Fictions have confirmed that the title will be receiving a day one release on Xbox Game Pass. That could get a lot more eyes on the project when it arrives sometime in 2026.

What did you think of the first trailer for Beast of Reincarnation? Are you surprised that this is being made by the developers of Pokemon? Share your thoughts with me directly on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!

The post Pokemon Developers Reveal New 2026 Game (But It’s Not What You Expect) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Xbox seems to be teasing a Halo: Combat Evolved remake for next year. Halo is synonymous with Xbox in the same way that you think of Mario when you talk about Nintendo. Master Chief and his adventures have been with Xbox since day one and is a big reason why Xbox was able to compete when it launched in 2001. Bungie carried Halo all the way through to the middle of the Xbox 360 generation before passing the torch to 343 Industries to keep the franchise going. Things have been a bit rocky since then, but it seems like some big changes are coming as 343 has rebranded to Halo Studios with a shift to Unreal Engine 5.

There have been rumors of new Halo projects for some time now, which is hardly shocking since Halo Infinite came out in 2021 and the series has remained quiet outside of updates for the multiplayer. We’re still waiting to see what comes next and it’s unclear what the future looks like for the franchise, but it’s clearly still a big part of Xbox’s future given 343’s rebranding. Some feared Halo may get iced after lackluster responses to the last couple of games, but Xbox may be teasing a big comeback.

It seems like Xbox is leaning into the rumors of a remake of Halo: Combat Evolved as Xbox boss Phil Spencer teased “the return of a classic that’s been with us since the beginning” during its Xbox Games Showcase. This was mentioned while listing a bunch of 2026 Xbox games such as Fable and the next Forza game. Spencer neglected to mention what exactly this is, but it seemed like Halo was the only game people could think of. As of right now, it remains to be seen when this heavily rumored Halo: Combat Evolved remake will be announced, but maybe there will be something at The Game Awards in December.

Xbox has a jam-packed 2026 lined up, but it’s unclear exactly how all of its games will roll out. Fable was due out this year, but moved to 2026, which could indicate that it will release early in the year. Halo is historically a franchise that releases close to the holiday season between September and November, so it wouldn’t be too surprising if this Halo: Combat Evolved remake is actually announced next summer, but given the speculation is rampant and leaks are only going to continue to happen, it may be in Xbox’s interest to say something sooner than that. Xbox is also expected to bring Halo: The Master Chief Collection to PS5 and Nintendo Switch 2 later this year, but no announcement was made during the showcase.

Not much is known about this rumored remake but Halo voice actors Steve Downes and Jen Taylor haven’t been asked to record new lines for any Halo projects. Some fans have feared that they’re being totally replaced by new actors, though it’s possible that the project just hasn’t required voice acting yet or the game will just re-use the original performances similar to the new Metal Gear Solid 3 remake.

Are you interested in a remake of Halo: Combat Evolved? Let me know in the comments.

The post Halo: Combat Evolved Remake Teased for 2026 Release by Xbox Boss appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Unfortunately for those hoping to rev those lancers in 2025, Gears of War: E-Day won’t be the answer, according to Xbox. At the Xbox Games Showcase 2025, Xbox’s Phil Spencer gave a speech at the end of the presentation, prior to the Black Ops 7 reveal and revealed the lineup for 2026. In it, Gears of War: E-Day was mentioned, much to the dismay of fans. As a prequel to the main series, E-Day will take players back to Emergence Day, when the Locust hordes invaded the world of Sera and laid waste to much of the peace they once knew.

For those who may not know, Gears of War is an iconic Xbox franchise (now heading to PlayStation with Gears of War Unloaded) that combined gory gunplay and rich worldbuilding. Set in a post-apocalyptic Sera, you play as soldiers navigating the world and destroying the tyranny of Locust aliens. In the original trilogy, Marcus Fenix served as the protagonist, later appearing as a supporting member in the newer games, with his son, JD Fenix, being in the main cast. With Gears of War: E-Day, we’ll go back 14 years prior to the first title and see Marcus and fan-favorite character Dom on the days Sera was attacked.

Gears of War: E-Day Will Launch in 2026 for Xbox’s 25th Anniversary

As mentioned before, Phil Spencer spoke at the end of the presentation about what players can expect from Xbox in 2026. He states that, “I’m excited to share that players will get to celebrate 25 years of Xbox with a new Fable, the next Forza, Gears of War: E-Day, and the return of a classic that’s been with us since the beginning.”

The end statement does hint at Halo, especially the rumored Halo: Combat Evolved remake, but for Gears of War fans, it does mean it’ll be up against some stiff Xbox heavyweights. Still, while it is a prequel, the teams, The Coalition and People Can Fly, have stated that the game is very much a mainline entry, unlike 2013’s Gears of War: Judgment. Unfortunately for those who were looking for closure on Gears 6’s sudden cliffhanger, it may be a while before we get an answer. Still, it is good to see Marcus and Dom rev up those Lancers again and take on the Locust, even if we know how it ends. 

Luckily for fans, Gears of War: Reloaded, a remaster of the original 2006 title, will come out on August 26th, so at least Gears will have some representation this year. The title, done by The Coalition and Sumo Digital, marks the first of the franchise to hit PlayStation consoles, as the series has always been Xbox exclusive. Now, even more can gear up and save Sera from the Locust in gorgeous 4K and next-gen graphics.

Gears of War: E-Day will launch on Xbox Series X|S and PC sometime in 2026. Meanwhile, Gears of War: Reloaded, will release on August 26th, 2025, on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.

The post Gears of War: E-Day To Release in 2026, Says Xbox’s Phil Spencer appeared first on ComicBook.com.

After a countless number of rumors, Final Fantasy XVI has been officially announced for Xbox Series X|S and Xbox Cloud Gaming. Fans have been eagerly hoping to see the latest numbered entry in the series on Xbox platforms, and not only has it been announced, but it’s getting released today. Unfortunately, this isn’t a Game Pass offering, so those hoping to play it on the platform will have to pay full price when it gets made available on the Microsoft Store. Regardless, this is great news for those that have been hoping to finally experience the game outside of Sony’s system, or on PC.

In addition to releasing Final Fantasy XVI today, Square Enix confirmed that Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade will be coming to Xbox this winter. That announcement isn’t all that surprising, given that the game is also coming to Nintendo Switch 2 this year. However, it does show how Square Enix is committed to expanding its options beyond Sony’s system. The company has frequently shared its desire to embrace multiplatform releases, and it looks like that’s happening in a very big way. An Xbox trailer for Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade can be found below.

Final Fantasy XVI was released as a timed exclusive on PlayStation 5 back in 2023. While the game was critically well-received, sales seemed to fall far below expectations for Square Enix. There are several factors that likely played into that, but the biggest seems to be the game’s exclusivity window. The game was released on PC last year. This arrival on Xbox should give a new audience a chance to see why the reviews were so positive, and help the developers continue to expand the overall audience for the game.

Microsoft has been making a big effort to court Square Enix over the last few years. Final Fantasy XIV finally saw a release on Xbox in 2024, and we also got to see the arrival of the Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters, as well. At this point, Xbox is really starting to build a large library of Final Fantasy games, which should come as good news for fans of the beloved RPG franchise.

RELATED: Square Enix Drops Another Big Final Fantasy 9 Remake Hint With New Music Recording

Missing from today’s Xbox Games Showcase was any information about Final Fantasy VII Rebirth on Xbox Series X|S. If Remake is coming to the system, it’s a very safe bet that we’ll be seeing the second entry in the trilogy as well. However, fans will probably have to wait until sometime in 2026 to see it, based on the winter release for the first chapter. The third and final entry in the Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy does not currently have a release date. However, like the first two, there will be some period of timed exclusivity.

Are you planning to check out Final Fantasy XVI on Xbox today? What Square Enix games do you still want on the system? Share your thoughts with me directly on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!

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Invincible is getting a brand new video game and it looks stupidly violent. Ever since the release of Prime Video’s Invincible series, the Robert Kirkman-penned comic series has become utterly massive. The series is known for its incredibly violent action sequences as the characters are incredibly strong (and invincible) so they can take a lot of hits and their strength allows them to totally demolish anyone without powers. It’s pretty over the top, but the violence allows for a lot of drama as well. With the popularity of Invincible, many have been waiting to see when we could get a video game based on the fracnhise.

Now, it’s happening. Skybound has announced Invincible Vs, a brand new 3v3 tag-team fighting game that uses characters and locations from the iconic comic series. It also seems like the voice cast from the Amazon TV series will reprise their roles for the new game, but the full cast has not been confirmed. Invincible Vs will feature a single player story mode in addition to your typical fighting game offerings, such as ranked and casual PvP matches. Invincible Vs will release sometime in 2026 for Xbox, PlayStation, and PC.

“I have said this before, and I’ll say it again: this is the most excited I’ve been about anything involving Invincible,” said Kirkman. “Invincible VS is crazy fun, fast, ferocious and dripping with the same over-the-top brutality that you’ll see in the comic book pages and on the show. It is a natural evolution of the franchise and it is everything that fans have been demanding for over a decade! This is without a doubt, probably the best superhero fighting game in the universe!”

As of right now, it’s unclear exactly when in 2026 this will release, but it looks to be shaping up nicely. It appears that a lot of effort is going into this to make it the Invincible fight game that fans have dreamed of for years. It wouldn’t be surprising if this released sometime during the roll out of the next season of the TV series, but that’s pure speculation. Either way, it looks like Invincible is clearly becoming a massive brand that Skybound is wasting no time on capitalizing on. It’ll be interesting to see if we get a more traditional game based on the series in the vein of Marvel’s Spider-Man or the Batman: Arkham series, but such a thing may be much further out.

Invincible Vs will release in 2026. What do you think of this new game? Let me know in the comments below.

The post Invincible Video Game Revealed With Violent New Trailer appeared first on ComicBook.com.

After a lot of industry chatter, Xbox’s handheld device has been officially revealed. The ROG Xbox Ally is a portable option for playing the system that will be released at some point in 2025. The system will allow users to natively download and play their Xbox games, as well as stream them from the cloud. In addition to allowing use with Xbox games, the ROG Xbox Ally is meant to offer the freedom of Windows, so users will be able to access other launchers, including Battle.net. A full release date hasn’t been announced, but it will be released before the end of the year.

During the debut trailer for the handheld, Xbox put a big focus on one game in particular, and that was Hollow Knight: Silksong. At this time, a release date has not been announced for the game, outside of a vague “2025” window. At this point, we’re about halfway through the year, and some fans might be getting a little worried that the Hollow Knight sequel could slip into 2026. However, Xbox used today’s showcase to highlight the fact that it’s still planned as a day one release on Game Pass this year. The full trailer for the ROG Xbox Ally can be found below.

Unfortunately, no details have been announced about a price point. It should be noted that other ROG Ally models tend to cost $649.99 to $799.99, so it’s possible we could see a cost higher than an Xbox Series X. The price could make or break the system, especially with options like Nintendo Switch 2 and Steam Deck on the market. However, the overall versatility of the device could make it more appealing to consumers. With the system set to be released later this year, we should learn a lot more details in the coming months.

This is the first time Xbox and ROG have officially shown off the Ally, but images of the system’s design leaked online earlier this year. On top of that, Xbox boss Phil Spencer has frequently talked about his interest in expanding more into the handheld market. After a very long wait, it looks like we’re finally seeing this in a significant way.

RELATED: Assassin’s Creed Remake Rumors Heat Up Following Another Big Leak

Handheld gaming has seen a big explosion in interest over the last few years. While there has been speculation for years that mobile gaming would take a big chunk out of the handheld market, that has not been the case at all. Instead, we’ve seen a huge influx of various handhelds onto the market, from niche devices like the Analogue Pocket and Playdate, to mainstream ones like the Switch, Steam Deck, and PlayStation Portal. Where the ROG Xbox Ally falls on that spectrum remains to be seen.

Are you planning to check out the ROG Xbox Ally when it’s released later this year? Do you think the system will be able to find an audience? Share your thoughts with me directly on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!

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A new game called There Are No Ghosts At The Grand was revealed by Friday Sundae and Null Games during the Xbox Games Showcase today. In it, players encounter ghosts as they restore an old hotel and uncover the mysteries of a small British town. Oh, and it’s a musical too. The result is a game that resembles a blend of House Flipper, Luigi’s Mansion, Blue Prince, and Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture, making it one of the funkier reveals of this showcase.

There Are No Ghosts At The Grand’s premise is similar to Blue Prince’s narrative hook, in that players inherit an old building from a relative and must discover its hidden secrets within 30 days and 30 nights. But while Blue Prince was a roguelike puzzle game, the gameplay of Friday Sundae’s debut title can’t be as neatly placed into one genre. It’s a story-driven game that can be beaten in about 10 hours, telling a story with multiple endings that players can influence depending on their choices. However, it’s also much more than that.

Players can explore the quaint British town in which The Grand is located, interacting with many of its residents. That aspect of gameplay is where I draw the Everybody’s Gone to Rapture comparison from. The twist is that characters will sometimes start to sing, transforming There Are No Ghosts At The Grand into an interactive musical where players have to make choices or complete certain gameplay tasks as they are sung to. Friday Sundae recorded all of this music themselves, forming a band to do so.

The primary way players advance through the story is by renovating the grand. During the day, players use a variety of power tools to clean, renovate, and place furniture in different areas of the hotel in a very freeform way. Doing so will reveal different mysteries and secrets, though, and at night, some spooky ghosts will overrun The Grand, and players will fight to survive using those same power tools. If you’ve ever wished House Flipper or Powerwash Simulator had a more meaningful narrative, then There Are No Ghosts At The Grand might be for you.

The horror seems to be more in the vein of Luigi’s Mansion in tone than Resident Evil Village. That said, There Are No Ghosts At The Grand might psychologically mess with players’ heads a bit, with a developer admitting in a preview event attended by ComicBook that Chris David, the game’s main character, is an unreliable narrator with ulterior motives that even players won’t know about from the start. There are still many mysteries to uncover with this game, so I’m excited to learn more as we approach its launch.

There Are No Ghosts At The Grand will be released for PC and Xbox Series X|S sometime in 2026. It will be available as part of the Xbox Game Pass catalog from day one as well.

The post Xbox Games Showcase’s Weirdest Game Combines Musicals, Horror, and House Flipper appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The next intergalactic journey from Obsidian Entertainment, The Outer Worlds 2, will set its course for Xbox Series X|S in October. Announced at Xbox Games Showcase, a new trailer for the highly anticipated sequel to one of 2019’s biggest RPGs premiered and, alongside some new content, featured its anticipated release date. Fans of the series will be treated to a whole presentation after the main showcase was over, but before that, the showcase started with a new trailer showcasing the new release date.

Obsidian’s The Outer Worlds 2, for those who don’t know, is the sequel to The Outer Worlds, a space-centered RPG that many consider one of 2019’s best titles (and earned a rare perfect score from us at ComicBook). In fact, at The Game Awards 2019, it was nominated for Best RPG, Best Performance (Ashly Burch as Parvati), Best Narrative, and even Game of the Year. In general, the series takes players on an intergalactic trip to a highly commercialized solar system and lets you decide how the story will go with branching dialogue trees and scenarios. Of course, it wouldn’t be an RPG without some weapons and the sequel will have them aplenty, along with new characters, worlds, and a new plotline following a mysterious galactic riff amongst a territorial war.

The Outer Worlds 2 Sets October 29th Release Date

In the trailer, we see the world talking about your protagonist, as both a threat and a foe. Of course, the capitalistic themes from the first game are present, even more so with its two factions. We also get a chance to see the otherworldly combat, battling robots, humans, and a variety of creatures of all shapes and sizes.

This is Obsidian Entertainment’s second title to come out this year, as Avowed, their fantasy-set RPG, debuted in February to great reviews. While the two titles couldn’t be any more different in setting, the combat and gameplay styles do mesh well, as each provides a fun, fluid, and easygoing experience. In The Outer Worlds 2’s case, the possibilities to bend the story to your will worked rather well for the original and, if all goes well, will be better here. Fortunately, we won’t have to wait lightyears to get that answer.

The Outer Worlds 2 launches on PC and Xbox Series X|S (as well as Xbox Game Pass) on October 29th, 2025.

The post The Outer Worlds 2 Announces October Release Date With New Trailer appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The future of Xbox will finally be revealed today during the Xbox Games Showcase 2025. This year’s edition of the annual Xbox event is poised to be a pretty big one, as Microsoft has numerous first-party games on the horizon like Fable, Perfect Dark, Gears of War: E-Day, and plenty of others that could be focused on throughout. Beyond this, the Xbox Showcase has become a major venue for third-party publishers to share news on their own upcoming games, which means that there are plenty of surprises we could see from just about any studio around the globe.

Currently, the Xbox Games Showcase is incredibly close to taking place and will begin today, June 8th, at 1pm ET/10am PT. Per usual, Xbox will broadcast the Showcase to its official YouTube and Twitch channels. The runtime of the live stream isn’t yet known, but Xbox has confirmed that a full “Direct” centered around The Outer Worlds 2 will take place at the conclusion of the main show.

If you’re not going to be able to watch the Xbox Games Showcase, though, and would instead like to quickly see everything unveiled during the broadcast, that’s what this article is for. We’ll be updating this page throughout the duration with all of the biggest announcements that happen to come from the Xbox Games Showcase. With that in mind, be sure to bookmark this page or refresh is over time

The Outer Worlds 2 Release Date Announced

Ahead of its dedicated portion of the showcase, Xbox kicked off the event by revealing that The Outer Worlds 2 will launch later this year on October 29th.

High on Life 2 Revealed

A sequel to High on Life from Squanch Games is in the works and is set to release later this year. Its first trailer has teased how the follow-up will expand on the core mechanics found in the original.

New Plague Tale Game Shown Off

A new game in the Plague Tale franchise was formally revealed following its previous leak. Dubbed Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy, the new entry in the series is set to arrive in 2026.

Xbox Partners with ROG on New Handheld

“Introducing the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X – two new premium handhelds that combine the power of Xbox with the freedom of Windows 11. This holiday, players can discover another way to play as we combine the power of Xbox with the freedom you expect from Windows 11, created together with ASUS. And this is only the beginning.”

The Blood of Dawnwalker Gets New Trailer

“The Blood of Dawnwalker is the first chapter of Rebel Wolves’ brand new role-playing saga — a single-player open-world dark fantasy action-RPG with a strong focus on story and narrative. Developed on Unreal Engine 5 for Xbox X|S and Xbox PC.”

Super Meat Boy Returning With New 3D Game

“Super Meat Boy, the infamous tough-as-nails platformer, was revealed, IN 3D! Coming to Xbox Series X|S, Xbox PC, and Xbox Cloud.”

Ninja Gaiden 4 Gets Release Date

Ninja Gaiden 4 has an official release date and will launch on October 21st. Its latest trailer shows off a better look at combat than ever before.

Indiana Jones Getting New DLC

“Discover a breathtaking mystery long-hidden in the depths of Rome. An all new story chapter takes Indiana Jones to the ancient streets of Rome where forgotten catacombs twist into something far more sinister. Indy must outwit a dangerous cult and decipher puzzles designed by emperors to uncover the dark legacy of the Nephilim giants.”

Clockwork Revolution Gets Lengthy New Trailer

Coming in at over five minutes in length, the first gameplay trailer for Clockwork Revolution has been revealed. The next project from developer inExile remains without a release window.

Grounded 2 Revealed by Obsidian

Obsidian is set to release its third game in 2025 with Grounded 2. Much like the original, this sequel will begin in early access and will arrive on July 29th.

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 Gets New Demo Today

Ahead of its release next month, a new demo for Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 has today dropped. The game’s latest trailer also confirmed Bam Margera as a playable character alongside the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Persona 4 Remake Announced

The much-rumored remake of Persona 4 is real. A launch window has yet to be announced.

Invincible Video Game Revealed

Skybound’s mysterious Invincible game has finally been revealed, and it’s a fighting game. Invincible VS will release in 2026 and will be a 3v3 tag fighter.

Double Fine Reveals New Game, Keeper

“From Lee Petty and Double Fine Productions, Keeper is a story told without words in which a long-forgotten lighthouse is awakened and, joined by a spirited seabird, embarks upon a heartening tale of unlikely companionship and an unexpected journey into realms beyond understanding.”

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Revealed

To end the Showcase, Activision announced Call of Duty: Black Ops 7. Details on the next Call of Duty entry are still sparse, but it’s presumed to launch later this year.

The post Every Big Reveal From the Xbox Games Showcase 2025 appeared first on ComicBook.com.

After a rather stellar showing last year with its showcase, Xbox is back again this year with what will hopefully be another great presentation with Xbox Games Showcase 2025. While we can guess a few things that can appear in the showcase, as well as a confirmation of The Outer Worlds 2 with its own section, there’s a lot that is left secretive, which makes it a lot more exciting. Still, with Summer Game Fest being held days before, it’s good to know what to expect. So, we at ComicBook have everything you need to know on how to watch the Xbox Games Showcase 2025 and some expectations.

How to Watch Xbox Games Showcase 2025

Xbox Games Showcase 2025 is set to air on Sunday, June 8th at 10 am PT/ 1 pm ET. To find when the event is happening for you in your time zone, use the link here. The event will live stream on YouTube and Twitch, with ASL and language options available.

While we don’t know how long the showcase will be, past years have ranged from one to two hours, so expect somewhere in between. It’s important to note that, following the presentation, The Outer Worlds 2, Obsidian’s space-focused RPG sequel, will get its own showcase, so fans of the series, as well as anyone interested, can watch it and see tons of gameplay and, perhaps, a release date.

What to Expect (And What’s Leaked) from Xbox Games Showcase 2025?

When it comes to what to expect from this year’s Xbox Games Showcase, we can definitely count on some first-party games to show up. While none outside of The Outer Worlds 2 have been confirmed, we’ll likely see new looks at Gears of War: E-Day, Perfect Dark, Fable, and the next Call of Duty. We haven’t heard much about Clockwork Revolution, State of Decay 3, Everwild, and, of course, The Elder Scrolls 6 in a long time, so there is a chance it’s time for an update.

Xbox Games Showcase will also cover third-party titles, and the possibilities for what will be revealed there do seem quite limitless. Xbox runs a wide gamut of genres from RPGs to shooters with past years including the reveals of Atomfall, Persona 3 Reload, Star Wars Outlaws, and GOTY frontrunner Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, so anything can happen. Still, Xbox Game Pass fans will be in for quite a treat, as typically new additions to the service are announced, with plenty of them being revealed there.

Leaks are always not the best to see happen and Xbox has a few big ones already out there. Perhaps the most obvious of the bunch is Persona 4 Remake, a redo of the classic 2008 RPG, which was leaked months ago via a registered domain, followed by confirmations from former cast members earlier this month. Yesterday, it was discovered that Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy, a spinoff of Asobo Studio’s rat-infested stealth franchise, is real, as a unlisted Threads post from the developer leaked online, so it’ll likely be part of the presentation. Outside of that, the usual rumors of the next Halo, Spyro, and Wolfenstein have circled around, but nothing too solid. Overall, there’s a good amount to look forward to this year from Xbox, so keep an eye on it later today.

The post How to Watch Xbox Games Showcase 2025 (And Everything That’s Leaked) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Xbox Game Pass is adding one of 2025’s biggest games later this year, according to a new rumor at least. Some of the best games of 2025 have notably been day one Xbox Game Pass games. This includes the likes of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, Blue Prince, and DOOM: The Dark Ages. There have been some big releases this year though that did not debut on Xbox Game Pass, and still haven’t come to the subscription service. This includes Monster Hunter Wilds, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Kingdom Come Deliverance 2, Split Fiction, and MLB The Show 25. One of these games is supposedly Xbox Game Pass bound though.

More specifically, according to the aforementioned rumor, Assassin’s Creed Shadows is being added to Xbox Game Pass alongside several Ubisoft titles. This is reportedly part of a strengthening partnership between Xbox and Ubisoft. Other Ubisoft games supposedly Xbox Game Pass bound are Star Wars Outlaws, The Crew Motorfest, and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. These three Ubisoft games, plus Assassin’s Creed Shadows, are supposedly all being added to Xbox Game Pass before the end of the year.

The other tidbit the rumor claims is that Xbox will aid in the marketing of some upcoming Ubisoft games, including Splinter Cell Remake, which may be revealed at the June 8 Xbox showcase.

All of that said, remember to take everything here with a grain of salt. Not only is this a rumor, but a rumor from an anonymous source, Drinking Horchata. Further, even if this rumor is legit, and this information is accurate, it is also subject to change that could render it inaccurate over time. Meanwhile, neither Xbox nor Ubisoft have commented on the rumor and the speculation it has created. Neither typically comments on rumors so there is little reason to expect this to change, but if it does, we will update the story accordingly.

RELATED: Xbox Game Pass Adds 2024 Game With 97% User Review Score

As for Assassin’s Creed Shadows specifically being added, Assassin’s Creed games have been added in the past, but not typically very quickly, so for Assassin’s Creed Shadows to be added to Xbox Game Pass before the holiday season — as the second best-selling game of the year — is hard to imagine unless Microsoft provided Ubisoft a large bag.

For more coverage on all things Xbox Game Pass — including all of the latest Xbox Game Pass news, all of the latest Xbox Game Pass rumors and leaks, and all of the latest Xbox Game Pass deals — click here.

The post Xbox Game Pass Reportedly Adding One of 2025’s Biggest Games Soon appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The Xbox Store is giving away free Xbox One games, Xbox Series X games, and even Xbox 360 games thanks to a new limited-time promotional sale that allows Xbox users to buy one game and get a second free. The sale is pitched as a retro games sale, however, the use of “retro” is not very precise, as evident by games like South Park: The Stick of Truth being included. In fact, its sequel is even included, South Park: The Fractured But Whole, and that came out in 2017 with no retro elements at all.

The new Xbox Store sale is live until June 10, 2025. When the next one after this will come around we don’t know. What’s worth noting though is these sales are not common, at least from the Xbox Store. Meanwhile, some of the more notable games and series included in the special promotional sale include: Saints Row, Destroy All Humans, LEGO Harry Potter, South Park, Commandos, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

• Alwa’s Awakening
• Arcade Game Series: Dig Dug
• Arcade Game Series: Galaga
• Astalon: Tears of the Earth
• Atari Flashback Classics Vol. 1
• Atari Flashback Classics Vol. 2
• Atari Flashback Classics Vol. 3
• Cannon Dancer – Osman
• Clockwork Aquario
• Commandos 2 HD Remaster
• Crawl
• Cryogear
• Cyber Complex
• de Blob
• de Blob 2
• Death Road to Canada
• Destroy All Humans
• Destry All Humans 2 Single Player
• Flashback
• Flooded
• Last Beat Enhanced
• Lego Harry Potter Collection
• Moon Raider and Sweet Witches Bundle
• New Joe & Mac – Caveman Ninja
• Nuclear Blaze
• Operation Wolf Returns: First Mission
• Pig Eat Batll
• Praetorians – HD Remaster
• Q-YO Blaster
• Rise of the Third Power
• Ruinverse
• Saints Row
• Saints Row 2
• Saints Row 2: Corporate Warfare
• Saints Row 2: Ultor Exposed
• Scott Pilgrim vs The World: The Game – Complete Edition
• Shadow Gangs
• Slam and Roll
• South Park: The Fractured But Whole
• South Park: The Stick of Truth
• Steel Rain X
• Sunsoft is Back! Retro Game Selection
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade: Wrath of Mutants
• The Karate Kid Street Rumble
• The Rumble Fish +
• The Rumble Fish 2
• Toki Juju Densetsu
• Trigger Witch
• Ultracore
• Ultratron
• WrestleQuest

RELATED: Xbox Exclusive Game Now 100% Free for a Limited Time

As always with these sales, the best way to maximize the savings is to purchase two games of the same or similar price because the free game will be the less expensive of the two.

For more coverage on all things Xbox — including all of the latest Xbox One news, all of the latest Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S news, and all of the latest Xbox Game Pass news — click here.

H/T, True Achievements.

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The annual Xbox Games Showcase will take place once again tomorrow on June 8th, offering a glimpse at many of the titles Xbox and its partners are working on. Last year’s show rocked, revealing titles like Gears of War: E-Day and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Xbox has also had a very solid year so far, launching entertaining games like Avowed, South of Midnight, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, DOOM: The Dark Ages, and Retro Classics right into Game Pass.

As such, expectations are high as we barrel toward this year’s showcase. While the presence of games launching later this year, including Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2, is obvious, any other speculation and rumors begin to tread into wishlist territory. While I don’t have any insider knowledge regarding what first-party games Xbox will show off this year, there are still quite a few announcements and trailers I’d like to see. I’ve rounded up six of those below.

1. A Release Window for Gears of War: E-Day

Prequel Gears of War: E-Day was the final reveal of last year’s Xbox Games Showcase, but its exact launch date remains unclear. It has been almost six years since Gears 5 was released, and rumors are suggesting E-Day is out this year. At this show, I’d love for The Coalition and Xbox Game Studios to confirm a specific release year or window for the next Gears of War game. A specific date would be even better if it’s imminent.

2. What Is Double Fine Working On?

Many of Xbox’s first-party studios have been quite productive in recent years, but Double Fine has been relatively quiet since the launch of Psychonauts 2 in 2021. I love this studio’s work and want them to take their time to make something truly great, but I also really want to know what Double Fine is working on. It’d be great to finally get a teaser for Double Fine’s next project at this Xbox Games Showcase, even if it’s still a ways off.

3. MIA Games Like Contraband and Clockwork Revolution Need to Show Up

Xbox has had a bad habit this generation of announcing games a little bit too early. Several titles that were announced years ago still haven’t gotten very substantial updates. While we at least got new looks at games like Perfect Dark, Fable, and State of Decay 3 last year, others have been missing in action much longer. If they aren’t cancelled and are still coming out this console generation, time is running out for Microsoft to show more of Contraband, Clockwork Revolution, Everwild, OD, and Project Mara. As such, I’d hope at least two or three of those titles show up during this year’s Xbox Games Showcase.

4. Atlus Finally Announces a Persona 4 Remake

On the third-party front, it’s hard to predict what exactly will show up. It seems likely that a remake of Persona 4, which is currently one of the industry’s worst-kept secrets, could finally be announced here. While it is a shame that voice actors from the original don’t appear to be returning for the remake, it will be exciting to see how Atlus applies what they learned with Persona 3 Reload to a remake of Persona 4. And if we’re talking leaks, there’s also a chance Hollow Knight: Silksong and a sequel to Minecraft Dungeons show up.

5. Microsoft Clarifies What Exactly Is Going On With Xbox Handhelds

A poorly kept game industry secret is that Xbox is working on a first-party handheld to rival the Steam Deck. A new report suggests that it has recently been put on hold so Microsoft can better support third-party PC handhelds with Xbox branding from companies like Asus. Microsoft should stop shrouding these projects in secrecy and acknowledge them during this year’s showcase. Maybe they can debut Asus’ handheld before promising that their own is coming with the next-generation of Xbox consoles. This would give Xbox’s audience some renewed faith in Microsoft’s gaming hardware efforts at a time when Xbox is going multiplatform as a publisher.

6. 2025’s Call of Duty Is Revealed

Surprisingly, The Outer Worlds 2 got the post-showcase Direct slot this year, not a new Call of Duty. Activision hasn’t officially announced the next Call of Duty yet. It’d make sense for such an announcement to be part of the Xbox Games Showcase because Microsoft owns Activision. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 was one of the best Call of Duty games in years, so I can’t wait to see how Activision plans to follow it up later this year.

2025’s Xbox Games Showcase will air at 10 a.m. PT on June and be directly followed by a Direct for The Outer Worlds 2.

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