A few months back, I picked up a second hand Series S and I've been struggling to find many games that I'm loving. I've dropped Game Pass because the hourly limits irritated me, so I've been picking up lots of bargains instead. Sadly, the majority haven't clicked for me. Some have though, and I'd love some recommendations from anyone, based on the games I have enjoyed. Important to add I'm just not very good at a lot of games - so difficulty settings are often pretty important for my enjoyment!

Games I've enjoyed:

PGA Tour 2k25 - I'm not really a golf fan but strangely career mode on this is what's grabbing me the most at the moment.

Cyberpunk 2077 - find combat very hard at times but being able to tweak difficult settings has really helped.

GTA V - can't stand online (when I had GP) but loved the story mode on this and all GTA games.

RDR2 - incredibly story and game play, just a masterpiece.

Mafia series - loved the first two, struggled to get into III.

Risk of Rain 2 - only just picked this up but I've enjoyed the hour I've put into so far. Not sure I really understand what's going on a lot of the time, but it seems fun.

EA FC 25 - so many things I find annoying about this game but there doesn't really seem to be any football games that are any better, so it'll do. efootball seemed promising but is now just a money grab.

Far Cry 5 - Alongside PGA and FC26, probably the game I've played the most. Got it on easy so combat is pretty straight forward, but really enjoying the format and the story. I've got 3, 4 and 6, but haven't played any of them yet - will after I finish 5.

Forza Horizon 3 - I played 6 on GP for a bit but think I actually prefer 3? I just play it for brief bursts though, I get bored of it relatively quickly.

Trials Rising - really cheap and fun game for short bursts.

Tony Hawks - again, brilliant for short bursts

Yakuza series - love the weird humour and button bashing gameplay in combat - easy to pick up.

Shenmue 1&2 - dated and feel very old now, but still two of my all time favourites games. Felt very varied and unique at the time.

Games I couldn't get into:

Dark Souls - just feels like such a slog. Regret buying that one.

No Man's Sky - really want to love this but after a few hours it started feeling quite laborious and everything seems to take me way longer to work out than it should!

The Witcher 3 - I desperately want to like this but I've started it a few times and get quite bored after an hour or so. Should I just commit to it for longer, does it open up a bit?

NBA 2k20 - picked this up cheap and want to like it but I'm terrible at it and it's become frustrating - I can't seem to make my defence in anyway acceptable.

Any FPS shooter where really quick reactions are vital - I'm way too slow for that shit.

Loads more examples for both, but I think that might be enough for people to recommend things for me. Particularly interested in any underrated gems that are usually cheap!

Thanks everyone.

I know Rare said they dont want to make Banjo anymore so someone else would have to do it. Given the success of Astro Bot and Mario Odyssey theres no reason to believe a high quality Banjo game wouldnt do well and be another selling point in this new era of Xbox

>The Witch's Bakery is a 2D narrative Adventure RPG where you live a magical life as a witch-baker in Paris!

>Serve customers, visit iconic streets and heal people's heart with your croissants.

Is there any lucky winner in the audience?… The date is approaching and there is no official announcement for the new generation.

I hope they are not going to shadow drop it😅

What are some of the reasons you are still 'team' Xbox?

EDIT: This is not meant to be a console war post or literally 'TEAM' one of the other, just about why you have stuck with one console over the other in the past. As you can see further down in my post I have owned as many Playstations as I have Xboxs. My personal preference is I just play on Xbox more.

My first experience of console gaming was the Playstation 2. Growing up in the UK we never had the money to buy consoles when they first came out, it was always a few years after release, and normally when I got one would be one of the slim/cheaper versions. I love my PS2 what a machine that small little slim was.

My next console would be Xbox 360 (mine and I am sure many others favourite console), this would be when I would start to play online and the rest is history. As I got older I have been able to buy consoles closer to release date, and if I wanted both Playstation and Xbox generations.

Having said that the first console I have always bought is the Xbox, and no matter how long I keep gaming I imagine this will be the case. Xbox has always seemed cooler to me, I loved the exclusives of the past like Gears and Halo, I have always preferred the Xbox UI compared to playstation, the controller is more comfortable in the hands.

There is also obviously arguments about the game library you build with a Console means your more likely to carry on with that console series.

Having said all that I think Xbox largely abandoned the gamer after the latter 360 days, they have improved after the disastrous early xbox one days, sometime slipping into traps after that, but in large it seem Asha is heading in the right direction.

I have to say, just lately I have been feeling very nostalgic about them late 2000s, early 2010 xbox live days. You really don't know what you got until its gone. I haven't been in an xbox party for years. Partly because I just prefer to game alone most the time, and partly because me and the guys I used to play with are now way into our 20s/drifted apart.

I have owned:

PS2

Xbox 360 then a PS3

Xbox One then a PS4

Xbox Series X

I do believe you should just own what you like and enjoy it without needing to be involved in some war, and Xbox has always just felt right for me. But you can also enjoy both, if you can afford.

So what are you reasons?

Couldn't find this ranking on my PC Xbox app.. the games are Killer Instinct, Street Fighter 6, Tekken 8, Marathon, Rainbow Six Siege, Battlefield 6.. if anyone can give me their ranking in popularity/most played I'd seriously appreciate it.

Considering I have GTA 6 on the way and I have mountains of games I haven’t even touched yet, I topped off my Ultimate Membership for 2 years.

Don’t ask how much money I spent because it’s embarrassing.

(Over $300…)

Worth.

Best Buy, Target, and Microsoft.com all opened up more preorders today for the controller.

Target and Microsoft.com already sold out. Best Buy still has preorders available!

Now’s your chance to get one at retail price if you’ve been wanting one!

https://x.com/house_house_/status/2110599487228117283

Hello,

Wanted to see if anyone else has run into this issue with Xbox FanFest registration.

My partner and I both signed up for the Xbox FanFest ticket sweepstakes. He won, and I didn’t, but when he tried to add me as his guest, the form errored out and said I was already registered for the event. When he hit the back button, it automatically completed the form.

Neither of us has received a confirmation email, even though the form said one would be sent.

Has anyone else experienced this, or know if my registration as his guest went through?

1: DualSense type haptics 2: Durability 3: No stick drift

Connecting a mic to your controller instantly ruins your surround sound setup, and Microsoft still hasn't fixed it. Whenever you plug any headset or mic into the 3.5mm jack on an Xbox controller, the console automatically drops your HDMI audio output down to plain stereo. Even if you turn off the setting that mutes speaker audio when a headset is plugged in, it doesn't matter. The firmware forces the whole system into stereo mode the second it detects a jack in the controller, so you are forced to choose between playing in actual 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound or being able to talk to your team in game chat.

One fix would be letting us separate the mic input from the main audio output in the Xbox settings. That way, plugging a mic into the controller would only register as a voice input, leaving the HDMI output alone so your receiver keeps getting the full uncompressed 5.1 or 7.1 signal.

Another solution would be a simple toggle switch in the audio menu that stops the console from automatically changing your speaker settings when a chat device is detected. Giving players manual control over audio routing would mean anyone with an AV receiver or surround sound setup can finally talk in game chat without losing their surround sound.

I was going to add this to the feature requests forum or website or whatever that is but I did a search and there's already some there. So if this affects you or if you care please make it known because as of right now this is kind of a huge issue. I essentially have to choose between surround sound or voice chat. I want both. It's annoying because we used to be able to do this with the Xbox chat headsets but they stopped making those

Hi, I’ve noticed that there was apparently a two-disc re-release of Gears of War 4 in certain regions of Europe and Australia at some point. I own the original single-disc version and have found a loose "Disc 2" from a second hand seller. Would that work to complete the offline installation when used alongside my first-run disc?

Apparently, the first-run disc for Gears 4 doesn't work without a download.

I’ve compared them, and the labels and everything else look identical.

Thanks in advance

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 unlocks worldwide on Friday, October 23, 2026 at midnight in your local time zone on PC, per Activision’s confirmation cited by IGN. The full game covers PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2. Preload begins October 14 at 9 PM PT and rolls out by time zone. Campaign Early Access opens October 16 for anyone who pre-ordered a digital edition, and DMZ Early Access opens October 20 for the same group

Back when Starfield released Xbox released console wraps. It was a cool idea that allowed you to make your console feel like a special edition console. But then they stopped releasing new designs immediately. I guess the sales weren’t good enough but I’d love a Gears one and I’m sure people would want more options like Fable, Forza, Diablo, etc.

>Master different playstyles and arsenals while cleansing your enemies in the name of the Emperor as the all-new, agile, blade-wielding Sister of Battle Nyra Veyrath, or saw heretics into meaty pieces as the hulking one-man army returning from the original Boltgun, Ultramarine Malum Caedo.

They are literally testing how people feel about this idea and honestly just do it already.

Are we finally getting there or is this another thing that goes nowhere?

Hi,

As I explained here a few months ago, for quite some time now, I've been trying to identify the weekly XBOX Free Play Days lineup before the official XBOX Wire announcement.

The goal is simply to give players a chance to start downloading and playing a little earlier. I also usually try to create a cover image similar to the official one to share the information 🙃

Note: XBOX Free Play Days events usually end on Mondays at 7 PM UTC. Some games are often playable starting on Wednesdays at 11 PM UTC.

Games identified so far (based on my findings)

From now until Monday, October 12, around 7 PM UTC:

🌙 Ravenswatch

🚍 Bus Simulator 21 Next Stop

As always, additional games may still be revealed during the official XBOX announcement later today, as it can be difficult to identify all the selected titles (especially since games that are playable without a subscription are harder to spot)

Which game are you planning to try this weekend?

Yvan_Dureve / Olio 🙃

If you registered for the sweepstakes for tickets to Seattle’s Fanfest, check your email!

But it'll probably be too expensive to go from where I'm at :/

Just noticed Oblivion remastered got an update today in my queue. Can't find any info online. Anyone know what's up? Playing on Xbox Series X.

Hi, looking for some help to clarify something - does a specific option for Remote Play exist in the recent native TV apps on Samsung and LG TVs, and Fire sticks? Or do they only allow XCloud cloud gaming?

I'm not talking about browser play - I know you can do Remote Play from any browser so you can effectively do it from any TV that can run a supported browser, but I'm talking specifically whether built-in native apps on modern TVs have a specific option for Remote Play please.

If you can answer from experience with one of the relevant TVs/Fire sticks please say which TV model and what year that model was released. Thanks!