Xbox

Xbox Follow Follow Microsoft’s Xbox has been around since 2001, and over that time the gaming brand has given us huge hits like Halo, Gears of War, Forza, and more. Today, the Xbox brand covers consoles like the Xbox One, PC gaming, and has even expanded to other platforms. You can play Minecraft on everything from a computer to an iPhone to a Nintendo Switch. Along the way, Microsoft has pioneered modern services like Xbox Live and Game Pass, introducing new ways to play games. And with Project Scarlett on the horizon, the Xbox looks to have a bright future. Here’s what Xbox is working on for 2026 Tom Warren Feb 5 Overwatch: All the news about Blizzard’s hit hero shooter Verge Staff Feb 4 R Youtube Richard Lawler Feb 4 Link Overwatch 2 is gone — now it’s just Overwatch. Just a few years after Overwatch 2’s free-to-play 5v5 replaced the original , Blizzard announced it’s dropping the “2.” There’s been a steady flow of other changes lately (like the return of 6v6), but the plan for this next year includes 10 new heroes (Domina, Emre, Mizuki, Anran, and Jetpack Cat arrive when S1 launches February 10th), new maps, menu updates, a Conquest meta event, Reign of Talon narrative arc, and more. AMD hints Microsoft could launch its next-gen Xbox in 2027 Tom Warren Feb 3 The best Xbox controller to buy right now Cameron Faulkner and Antonio G. Di Benedetto Jan 28 Xbox Cloud Gaming’s new design teases the future of Xbox console UI Tom Warren Jan 27 J The Verge Jay Peters Jan 22 Link Big games are getting bigger, Xbox edition. Forza Horizon 6 and Fable look promising, but they continue the trend I just wrote about of big publishers leaning more on familiar franchises. (Xbox’s 2026 also includes a new Gears and the Halo remake .) Happy Double Fine is doing its thing , though, and Game Freak’s Beast of Reincarnation seems right up my alley. Big games are getting bigger — and so are the stakes Jay Peters Jan 22 Fable is coming to PS5 when it finally launches this fall Jay Peters Jan 22 Here’s a new look at Beast of Reincarnation, from the team behind Pokémon Andrew Webster Jan 22 J Youtube Jay Peters Jan 22 Link Breaking pots, the game. Double Fine just announced a new multiplayer party game called Kiln where you can make and play as pots. It all looks quite silly. Kiln will be available this spring on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC, and there will be a closed beta. Forza Horizon 6 launches in May Jay Peters Jan 22 Xbox Developer Direct 2026: the biggest games and announcements Andrew Webster Jan 22 J Youtube Jay Peters Jan 22 Link The next Xbox Developer Direct starts in 30 minutes. You can catch the show on YouTube starting at 1PM ET. The event will feature the Playground Games’ Fable and Forza Horizon 6 and Beast of Reincarnation from Game Freak. We’ll be watching the livestream and covering what’s announced. R Richard Lawler Jan 21 Link The Xbox app is now ready for gaming on all Arm-based Windows 11 PCs. Microsoft also said that “more than 85% of the Game Pass catalog is compatible with these PCs,” now, after a rocky journey for ARM gaming support on PC. Other new Xbox app updates , like the new Game Save Sync Indicator and Handheld Compatibility Program labeling, also seem to be well-timed ahead of a possible Qualcomm PC gaming handheld launch in March . Image: Xbox Microsoft’s free Xbox Cloud Gaming is coming soon with ads Tom Warren Jan 20 Bungie’s Marathon shooter launches on March 5th Tom Warren Jan 19 Microsoft might have just leaked Forza Horizon 6’s release date Tom Warren Jan 14 Xbox’s Towerborne is switching from a free-to-play game to a paid one Jay Peters Jan 9 A Youtube Andrew Webster Jan 8 Link Avowed finds a new home. We knew that Obsidian’s fantasy RPG was getting a major update soon, and during the New Game Plus livestream the studio also confirmed a nice surprise: the game is coming to the PS5 on February 17th. You can check out the full reveal below. The most popular games are getting harder and harder to usurp Ash Parrish Jan 8 Xbox’s Developer Direct returns on January 22nd with Fable and Forza Horizon 6 gameplay Tom Warren Jan 8 T Tom Warren Jan 6 Link The first Xbox Game Pass drop of 2026 is here. Microsoft is adding Star Wars Outlaws to Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass on January 13th, followed by Resident Evil Village for Ultimate, Premium, and PC Game Pass subscribers a week later on January 20th. Other titles coming to Game Pass this month include Brews & Bastards , Little Nightmares Enhanced Edition , Final Fantasy , My Little Pony: A Zephyr Heights Mystery , and Mio: Memories in Orbit . T Tom Warren Jan 5 Link Xbox Cloud Gaming is coming to Hisense TVs. Microsoft’s first Xbox announcement of 2026 is the launch of Xbox Cloud Gaming on select Hisense and V homeOS-powered smart TVs. The Xbox app first launched on Samsung TVs , followed Amazon Fire TV devices , then select LG TVs , and now Hisense TVs. We don’t have an exact date for when the Xbox app will be available on Hisense and V homeOS-powered TVs, but Microsoft says it’s coming at some point in 2026. Image: Microsoft 8BitDo’s new wireless Xbox controller has swappable ABXY button switches Andrew Liszewski Jan 5 J External Link Jay Peters Dec 23, 2025 Link Some Amazon Fire TVs get Xbox Cloud Gaming. “The newest models of the Fire TV 4-Series and Fire TV Omni QLED Series now feature the Xbox app built right in, with additional models coming in the future,” according to Amazon . If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement. Xbox cloud gaming expands to Amazon Fire TV smart TVs [ Amazon ] M Meredith Haggerty Dec 19, 2025 Link “Alright coach, you just got handed the trophy of the inaugural Xbox bowl by Master Chief, how does it feel?” Last night was the first Xbox Bowl, with Arkansas State taking the trophy, presented by Halo’s Master Chief , over Missouri State. Every player received a free ROG Xbox Ally handheld ahead of the game, but the winning team also received a playable trophy to, presumably, lock away in their case. J Quote Jay Peters Dec 17, 2025 Link Forza Motorsport isn’t getting new content anymore. According to a new blog post : ...we do not plan to introduce new cars, tracks, features, or regular bug fixes for Forza Motorsport. However, we will continue supporting the game by keeping online servers active, hosting special events and competitions, and reintroducing previously released Featured Tours and reward cars on a monthly basis, until all content is available for you to enjoy anytime. Developer Turn 10 was hit hard by this summer’s Xbox layoffs. The best games to play on Xbox Game Pass in 2025 Andrew Webster Dec 17, 2025 Microsoft’s free update brings better Bluetooth to your Xbox Wireless Headset Sean Hollister Dec 16, 2025 A Twitter Ash Parrish Dec 12, 2025 Link Catfish and Crouton are goin’ on the road. Ahead of The Game Awards, Compulsion Games has announced that South of Midnight is going multi-platform. The southern gothic action-adventure game, first released on Xbox earlier this year , is coming to PlayStation and Nintendo Switch 2 in spring 2026. Come for the incredibly cool southern folklore inspired narrative, but stay for your adorable companion Crouton and the yarn-spinnin’ Catfish. A Andrew Liszewski Dec 11, 2025 Link Xbox Pip-Boy controllers debut ahead of season two of Amazon’s Fallout series. Following a Fallout -themed Xbox controller released last year featuring Vault Boy, Microsoft has announced a new version inspired by Pip-Boy . The standard controller is available now for $82.97 , but both it and the Elite controller can be further customized through the Xbox Design Lab . Season two of Amazon’s Fallout series debuts on December 17th. If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement. Both the standard and Elite versions of the Xbox wireless controller are available with Pip-Boy theming that can be further customized through the Xbox Design Lab. Image: Microsoft C Cameron Faulkner Dec 3, 2025 Link Expedition 33 was the most popular third-party game on Game Pass this year, rightly so. It’s “ Wrapped ” season, so it’s fitting that Microsoft shared the top third-party game for Game Pass. It was none other than Sandfall Interactive’s well-paced and overall fantastic Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 , which had more unique users after 30 days post-launch than others. Y’all have good taste. This is my GOTY. Image: Sandfall Interactive Microsoft’s ugly sweaters return with Clippy, Xbox, and Zune brown options Tom Warren Dec 1, 2025 R Quote Richard Lawler Nov 26, 2025 Link Microsoft says Xbox gamers are streaming more than ever. As the increasingly pricey future of Xbox depends less on an actual box , Microsoft announced the recent launch of Xbox Cloud Gaming in India (just as Nvidia delayed its GeForce Now launch), and some new stats: Players are streaming their games more than ever — cloud gaming hours from Game Pass subscribers has increased 45% compared to this time last year. And, console players are embracing flexibility, spending 45% more time cloud streaming on console and 24% more on other devices. ROG Xbox Ally’s new profiles optimize performance per game for more battery life Emma Roth Nov 25, 2025 Xbox Crocs are real Tom Warren Nov 24, 2025 You can now try the Xbox Full Screen Experience on any PC, laptop, or tablet Jay Peters Nov 21, 2025 E External Link Emma Roth Nov 21, 2025 Link The Silent Hill 2 remake heads to Xbox. Over one year after its release on PS5 and PC , the Silent Hill 2 remake has finally made its way to Xbox Series X | S consoles. To celebrate its release, Konami is making Silent Hill 2 available on Xbox and PS5 for $34.99 instead of $69.99 for a limited time, with a similar discount coming to PC next week. If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement. Critically Acclaimed Psychological Horror SILENT HILL 2 Now Available on Xbox Series X|S [ Konami Digital Entertainment ] Windows handhelds are getting the new Xbox Full Screen Experience tomorrow Tom Warren Nov 20, 2025 Windows on Arm is now ready for gaming thanks to some big changes Tom Warren Nov 20, 2025 Most Popular Most Popular Apple’s doing something on March 4th Why are Epstein’s emails full of equals signs? OpenClaw founder Peter Steinberger is joining OpenAI The Pocket Taco is the best way to turn your phone into a Game Boy Anker’s USB-C cable that lets you charge two gadgets at once is 20 percent off Advertiser Content From This is the title for the native ad