Xbox Series S News, Tips, Tricks & Ideas

Xbox has undergone some significant changes in recent months, with the acquisition of Activision Blizzard last year having been followed by a leadership shake-up in October that saw Sarah Bond being made Xbox president and Matt Booty being promoted to president of content and studios. Now, as reported by Windows Central, the company is seeing more significant internal changes.

NOTE: There are spoilers ahead for Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, and potentially for as-yet-unreleased post-launch content.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League has been one of the more poorly received games of the year so far, which, based on what publisher WB Games has said, has been reflected in the way it has performed commercially as well. The recent release of the game’s first post-launch season has done little to reignite interest, having provoked widespread backlash owing to a number of significant issues. Many would tell you that the writing has been on the wall for the game for a while now, and it seems that WB Games and Rocksteady Studios are beginning to make plans for the finish line as well.

Prior to its announcement, reports revealed that Grand Theft Auto 6 would feature two protagonists in the form of Lucia and Jason, inspired by real-life robber couple Bonnie and Clyde, and though the game’s official announcement trailer was focused primarily on Lucia, we did also get some glimpses of her partner-in-crime.

Tekken 8 started off strong with widespread critical acclaim and impressive sales right out the gate, but Bandai Namco’s post-launch monetization approach for the fighter has irked a fair few in its player base. The company’s decision to add an in-game microtransactions store a few weeks after release was met with significant backlash, and the recent decision to introduce a battle pass has provoked a similar reaction.

The newest update to Palworld addresses a major glitch players have been exploiting within the game, allowing players to repeatedly butcher the same Pal for more rewards. Throughout the sprawling open world of the monster-catching survival game, there are a variety of in-game resources for fans to acquire for their in-game base. The game's expansive crafting system allows players to create plenty of helpful in-game resources, ranging from Palworld's Pal Spheres to new weapons and tools. Now, the game is addressing a major bug revolving around farming its rarest items.

A Palworld player finds themselves at risk of losing their hard-built base within the game, following changes made to the starting area in a recent update. The massive monster-catching game from Pocket Pair provides players with a sprawling open world to explore, filled with different biomes and environments to explore. Fans have a variety of options to build their Palworld bases throughout the world, with different areas offering access to unique Pals and resources. However, one player's base may be in major trouble after the game's newest update.

A new AAA sci-fi RPG coming from former Mass Effect veterans would have been strong enough as an elevator pitch in and of itself, but everything that developer Archetype Entertainment has revealed about Exodus has only made it that much more of an exciting prospect. Most recently, the studio shed light on what will serve as the central hook for the game- time dilation, and how every time players travel long interstellar distances, when they come back home, years and decades will have passed for the people they left behind.

Rumblings around Star Wars Outlaws have been growing increasingly louder in recent days. Recently, Ubisoft revealed that it would be premiering a new story trailer of the open world action-adventure title on April 9, and with many hoping that the trailer comes with a release date announcement, it’s now also looking like pre-orders for the title will be going live soon as well.

Ubisoft announced over three years ago, in late 2021, that it had started development on a ground-up remake of the original Splinter Cell, built on Snowdrop, the engine that is used for The Division. Since then, updates on the game have been next to nonexistent, but some recent developments have got fans wondering whether that’ll be changing soon.

A Palworld player has shared an interesting image showing how much ore they managed to gather with the help of the new ore site that was added with the latest patch. The game is still in early access, so Pocketpair keeps releasing frequent updates that constantly add new features to the game.

Palworld has finally added partial condensing as part of its most recent adjustments, and players are loving the change. After much anticipation, Palworld received update v0.2.0.6, which added its first Raid Boss and a new Pal, Bellanoir, to the open-world survival game. Along with the new content, Palworld has made several interface adjustments, balancing, and bug fixes, and added a quality-of-life change to one of its core mechanics.

A newly discovered bug in Palworld is allowing players to place several different items within their in-game Egg Incubators, including precious resources like Pal Souls. The breakout hit monster-catching game from developer Pocket Pair offers plenty of things to do within its in-game world, between capturing new Pals and building up their bases. Palworld's in-game bases offer multiple structures to allow players to generate in-game resources, even including new Pals through the Ranch and Egg Incubators. Now, one fan has found an unusual glitch with the Egg Incubators.

Indie developer Moonless Formless and publisher Perp Games have announced that 2.5D side-scrolling horror title Withering Rooms is out now PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. Check out the trailer celebrating the game’s release below.

Developer Storm Trident and publisher Forever Entertainment have announced that the remake for mech-based tactical RPG, Front Mission 2, will be coming to PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox One on April 30. The game will be priced at $34.99, and currently also has a demo available for the PC version on Steam. Check out the trailer making the announcement below.

Relic Entertainment recently announced that it was splitting from parent company Sega and going back to being an independent studio, but with that shake-up has come unfortunate upheaval, with the developer joining the ever-growing list of companies in the games industry that have been hit with layoffs.

Ahead of its Ubisoft Forward showcase on June 10th, Massive Entertainment’s Star Wars Outlaws will receive a new story trailer. It premieres on April 9th at 9 AM PST/6 PM CET.

Exoprimal’s next Title Update is out this month and features a collaboration with another legendary Capcom franchise – Mega Man. A new gameplay trailer showcases more of the Mega Man and Air Man skins for Nimbus and Witchdoctor. Check it out below.

While Microsoft has plenty of first-party titles in the works, one of its most prominent, Gears of War, hasn’t been mentioned for some time. However, roughly five years after the launch of Gear 5, it’s allegedly set to reveal Gears 6 this Summer per Giant Bomb’s Jeff Grubb (with The Verge’s Tom Warren affirming the same).

Coming from a new AAA studio comprised of former BioWare and Naughty Dog veterans, sci-fi RPG Exodus instantly placed itself on the radar for many when it was announced back in December. In the subsequent months, developer Archetype Entertainment has revealed additional details on the game’s setting, lore, characters, and more, and those details have only served to ratchet up the buzz surrounding the game that much more.

Fans of Dragon's Dogma 2 can now purchase official apparel based on the recently released fantasy title on Amazon. Developer and publisher Capcom also offers merchandise for its other franchises like Monster Hunter,Resident Evil, and Street Fighter through the online retail giant.

Developer Fatshark has unveiled its first major update for co-op shooter Warhammer 40,000: Darktide for 2024. Slated for release this month, the update, titled Path of Redemption, will bring with it a host of new features, including a revamp to the game’s Penance system.

Developer Nightdive Studios has revealed that it will be releasing a massive patch for its remake of System Shock that will, among many other things, also bring a playable female Hacker. For context, the ability to choose the protagonist’s gender was originally mentioned as one of the stretch goals for the game’s Kickstarter campaign.

Larian Studios has released a new hotfix for Baldur’s Gate 3, the 24th till now, not counting all of the patches. On top of fixing an issue with the previous hotfix that caused performance and frame rate drops on Mac, it addresses a bug preventing players from Short Rests.

Sea of Thieves is Rare’s first title on a PlayStation console, and it’s going all out to ensure it’s up to standards. Along with announcing progress transfer for Xbox and PC players and PlayStation-only servers, it also confirmed 4K/60 FPS (with HDR) and 1080p/120 FPS graphics modes on PS5. Check out the latest feature overview trailer below.

Alongside the release of Palworld version 0.2.0.6, developer Pocket Pair said that the new update introduced a bug that prevented Pal eggs from being placed inside an incubator. However, Pocket Pair added that Palworld players could resolve the issue by rebuilding and replacing all the incubators on their bases, and apologized for the bug.

The original Hellblade won widespread plaudits for everything from its authentic portrayal of mental health issues and its engaging storytelling to its stellar technical achievements and much more, but one of the areas where the game was on the receiving end of some criticism was its combat. That’s an area where developer Ninja Theory is seemingly looking to introduce some significant improvements with upcoming sequel Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2, even if the general style of combat is going to remain largely the same.

Development on Gears 6 has been ongoing for a while now, and with reports having claimed last year that developer The Coalition had cancelled two unannounced projects in order to focus on its flagship third-person shooter, many are beginning to wonder when it’ll be officially announced, especially with Gears 5 approaching its fifth anniversary.

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 will be capped at 30 FPS and will not have a Performance Mode available on Xbox Series X/S. Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 is one of the most eagerly awaited Xbox games, and this news could potentially be a letdown for fans who want more options when playing on the console.

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 has looked like a veritable visual beast every time it’s been shown off since its announcement all the way back in 2019. But though it’s certainly looking like it’s going to be one of the best-looking games around when it launches next month, it turns out that will come at the cost of performance in a way that many may not be pleased about.

Palworld update 0.2.0.6 is now available for download. This patch introduces the game's very first raid boss, Bellanoir, in addition to expanding Palworld with dozens of other features and improvements, including some much-needed anti-cheat measures.

There’s obvious and undeniable value to a game that can keep you occupied for dozens of hours on end, especially from a monetary perspective, but as the industry continues to get more and more saturated with such experiences, the number of people hoping for a return to smaller games also continues to grow. One studio that’s acutely aware of that shift in tastes is Ninja Theory, the developer of the upcoming Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2. 

Several new previews have dropped for Ninja Theory’s Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2, the follow-up to its acclaimed Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice. It sees protagonist Senua battling through Viking Iceland against tyrannous forces while struggling with her “darkness.” Interestingly, Tameem Antoniades, who wrote and directed the first game (and founded the studio), isn’t part of the project.

Pocketpair has released its first major content update for Palworld, adding the early access title’s first raid boss, Bellanoir. Using slabs at the Summoning Altar, players can battle her. While raid bosses can’t be captured, they do drop Pal Eggs. There’s also an Extreme version of Bellanoir that is “incredibly powerful and difficult to defeat.”

Following ratings in South Korea and Australia, Massive Entertainment’s Star Wars Outlaws has been rated in Brazil. With Ubisoft announcing its next showcase for June 10th, it seems more likely than ever that a release date could be announced.

There’s been quite the commotion about Team Cherry’s Hollow Knight: Silksong due to its Xbox Store page and ESRB rating suddenly going live. If those aren’t enough to indicate an impending announcement, the highly anticipated Metroidvania has been rated “12+” in South Korea.

E3 might be officially dead, but June is still the time where the industry will collectively be shedding light on what the future will bring, with events like the Xbox Games Showcase and Summer Game Fest already having been confirmed for the month. Another name has also now joined that list.

Despite the controversy surrounding Tekken 8’s recent addition of the cash shop and Battle Pass, Bandai Namco’s sequel has done well. Before its launch, producer Katsuhiro Harada revealed that the series had sold over 55 million copies on the Game Maker’s Notebook Podcast.

The Xbox Game Pass catalog has expanded to include LEGO 2K Drive. Unlike most additions to the popular subscription service, this Xbox Game Pass release comes with a catch in that it's skipping PC.

Developer Piranha Games has released the first bit of gameplay footage for its upcoming mech-based tactical action game MechWarrior 5: Clans. The video, which you can check out below, shows off a minute’s worth of gameplay, while also giving us glimpses at the story.

Yellow Brick Games, a studio consisting of quite a few industry veterans, including Dragon Age creator Mike Laidlaw, has unveiled its first game: Eternal Strands. The game, developed in Unreal Engine 5, is being made by a team of 68. Check out the reveal trailer below, courtesy of IGN.

Microsoft has unveiled a new colour variant for its Xbox Series X/S controller. As part of its Vapor series of controllers, the new controller is now available in a new Nocturnal Vapor Special Edition. Microsoft describes the colour scheme as being inspired by “nature at night”.

Immortals of Aveum is bringing HDR and AMD FSR 3 to consoles, with updates coming to PC later. Immortals of Aveum was released in August 2023, immediately distinguishing itself from other FPS games through its focus on the use of magic within its gameplay instead of traditional guns. The game was developed by Ascendant Studios, a new team made up of industry veterans involved in games like Dead Space and Call of Duty. Immortals of Aveum additionally features popular actors such as Never Have I Ever's Darren Barnet and Suits' Gina Torres.

The latest Xbox Vapor gamepad, the special edition Nocturnal Vapor Controller, is now available to pre-order. Microsoft’s gaming consoles have always offered up fun alternate controllers in a variety of unique color schemes, and the Xbox Series X/S is no different. From themed controllers inspired by Xbox games like Fallout and Halo Infinite to special designs made to commemorate events like Earth Day, there is no limit to the options that players have while picking out the perfect peripheral for their Series X/S or other compatible platforms.

Yellow Bricks Games has just revealed the first trailer for the upcoming Eternal Strands, and the game has strong Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom vibes. Created by former BioWare and Ubisoft employees, the game is an action adventure with influences from the latest Zelda, Monster Hunter, and Shadow of the Colossus.

The first wave of Game Pass titles for April has been announced with Superhot: Mind Control Delete is out now for cloud, console and PC players. Tomorrow sees the arrival of LEGO 2K Drive, Visual Concepts’ take on an open-world LEGO racing title.

Baldur’s Gate 3 gets exceptional praise, winning multiple awards last year and selling “way over” 10 million copies (potentially even 15 million). However, it was also a calculated risk for Larian Studios, which grew exponentially over the years to accommodate the massive project. What would it have done if the RPG wasn’t a success?

After months of delays, Scorched Earth has finally come to ARK: Survival Ascended. Dubbed Scorched Earth Ascended, it sees players venturing into the desert and facing new challenges, dinosaurs and more. Check out the launch trailer below.

Immortals of Aveum may not have enjoyed the level of critical and commercial success that Ascendant Studios would have been hoping for – especially given its significant development budget – but the developer is continuing to update the game with new features. Ascendant Studio has announced (via Digital Foundry) that with upcoming updates, a couple more notable new features will be coming to the game’s PS5 and Xbox Series X/S versions.

When Hollow Knight: Silksong will come out is a question that’s plagued many a fan for several years running, and though a release date for the highly anticipated Metroidvania sequel remains unknown, recent developments have indicated that we might just be edging closer to hearing more details on that front.

Dragon’s Dogma 2’s post-launch addition of microtransactions vexed a fair few people, but in spite of backlash from the community, the open world action RPG has got off to an impressive start. In addition to widespread acclaim, it has also seen sales in impressive numbers right out the gate.

Few games out there are as hotly anticipated as Hollow Knight: Silksong is, and the fact that we’ve been waiting for it for five years at this point has only made the fervour surrounding it that much more intense. And though it still remains without a release date, there has been some movement around it nonetheless.

While Remedy Entertainment has delivered an acclaimed sequel with Alan Wake 2, it’s also working on expansions, a sequel to Control (which will be self-published) and a remake for Max Payne 1 and 2. If that wasn’t enough, Condor, its foray into co-op multiplayer (not to be confused with Kestrel), is also in development.

One of the best games in the Xbox Series X/S’ library, Hi-Fi Rush, recently made its way over to PS5, as part of Microsoft’s initiative to bring more of its first-party titles to rival platforms, and though the rhythm action title’s PS5 and Xbox Series X versions are virtually identical where their visual and technical aspects are concerned, interestingly enough, it turns out it actually has a slight edge on Sony’s console.

The latest Dragon's Dogma 2 update brings exciting news for Xbox players. Previously, PlayStation 5 and Steam users received this Dragon's Dogma 2 update, which introduced the ability to start a new game with existing save data and options to enhance visuals and frame rate. Xbox Series X and S players can now look forward to these same enhancements.

Capcom’s latest collaboration forStreet Fighter 6, celebrating the 20th anniversary of Monster Hunter, is now available. It offers a Rathalos Armor outfit for the player avatar, emotes and titles, alongside 15 accessories based on well-known weapons. Check out the trailer below, showcasing all of the new items.

Killer Instinct received an unexpected shot in the arm last year with its transition to free-to-play and the launch of Killer Instinct Anniversary Edition, and the fighter is still continuing to receive updates. Developer Iron Galaxy Studios has rolled out patch 3.11.15 for the game, bringing a number of notable additions.

As the first new mainline entry in Square Enix’s Mana series in nearly twenty years, Visions of Mana is a game that may have had their eye on since its announcement late last year, and excitement surrounding it has only grown with each new promising showing since then. Recently, a number of outlets had the chance to go hands-on with the action RPG, following which more new gameplay footage has emerged.

Don’t Nod took its second crack at the action RPG genre with Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden earlier this year, and as those who’ve played it will tell you, it was a far more successful one than the first. Unlike the rough-around-the-edges Vampyr, Banishers turned out to be a sizeable, engaging game with plenty of depth- but in spite of the scope of the project, Don’t Nod says that it wasn’t actually a full-blown AAA production.

Frame Break’s Lightyear Frontier, a sci-fi farming title that replaces tractors with mechs, launched into early access on March 19th for Xbox Series X/S and PC. It seems to have caught on well, with the developer announcing over 700,000 unique players in its first week.

Vanillaware’s Unicorn Overlord launched in a busy month, with Rise of the Ronin and Dragon’s Dogma 2 arriving nearly two weeks later. Nevertheless, it’s seen an impressive reception, selling out physical copies and topping Japanese sales charts for two weeks. Atlus has also released an accolades trailer, confirming over 500,000 units sold. Check it out below.

Pieces Interactive’s Alone in the Dark launched on March 20th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC to a mixed reaction. Nevertheless, a new update is available with bug fixes and shotgun balancing for those who took the plunge.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League’s first season, Season of the Joker, launched on March 29th and instantly received negative feedback from fans. Some criticisms include very little new story content, a grind to unlock The Joker (with an option to pay $10 for instant access), a boss fight with Brainiac based on the Green Lantern, and more. Even the new Incursions are substandard.

Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn has been delayed a couple of times on the road to launch, but with its release now drawn closer, developer A44 and publisher Kepler Interactive are continuing the rollout of new details and gameplay footage on the action RPG.

A brand-new update for Killer Instinct: Anniversary Edition is coming soon for Xbox consoles and PC, and the patch notes have revealed an extensive list of upcoming changes and additions to the beloved fighting game. The new update will adjust the overall game balance of Killer Instinct and give the community more unlocks to pursue by reaching higher player and character levels.

The Palworld developers have recently teased a major expansion for the game’s building system. Palworld already has quite an extensive building system which many gamers have been using to craft surprisingly creative bases, but this update could give the community even more options to work with.

A Palworld player used a program to uncover what the Dark-type Pal Leezpunk looked like without its black jacket and shared their discovery with other players. The Palworld player also shared the method they used to remove Leezpunk's jacket, leading other users to discuss how the Pal looks without the clothing item.

Palworlddeveloper Pocket Pair has recently highlighted four incredibly creative bases made by the community. Since its early access release back in January, Palworld has been a huge hit, reaching over 25 million players, and this success inspired countless gamers to come up with imaginative bases.

Square Enix’s Visions of Mana has received several new details and impressions, alongside a new gameplay trailer showcasing other party members. Interestingly, when speaking to Noisy Pixel, series producer Masaru Oyamada revealed that it has more content than previous entries.

The games industry has been caught in a relentless wave of mass layoffs for roughly a year and a half at this point, and more names are continuing to join that ever-growing list every week. The newest addition is Halo Infinite support studio Certain Affinity, which recently announced the first ever round of layoffs in its 17-plus year history.

Ubisoft has revealed that its upcoming multiplayer shooter XDefiant will not be released before the end of this month. The game was originally set for release before the end of the current financial year, which would end on March 31, 2024, which itself was a window set on the back of numerous previous delays.

Open-world fantasy RPG Outward: Definitive Edition is out now on the Nintendo Switch. The RPG’s release on Nintendo’s platform is being celebrated with a new trailer that you can check out below.

Xbox is paying homage to manga and video game artist Akira Toriyama by bringing a new dynamic dashboard background to Xbox consoles. The new dynamic background features art from Xbox 360 RPG Blue Dragon, which featured artwork by Toriyama.

Tekken 8 attracted a fair bit of backlash when Bandai Namco added microtransactions to the game earlier this month. Now, in a move that’s likely to spark more ire, the company has revealed that it’s adding further monetization options to the game.

Season 1 of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is live, bringing The Joker as the first new playable character. It also offers new Notorious and Infamy sets, cosmetics and weapons. Check out the motion comic-style trailer below, which outlines The Joker’s origins and how he ended up with a prosthetic leg.

Borderlands 4 may not have been formally unveiled yet, but there’s little doubt in anyone’s mind that a new instalment in the highly successful franchise is indeed in development at Gearbox Entertainment. That, incidentally, has now been confirmed by the studio’s new parent company.

Bandai Namco has released a new trailer for Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2, teasing a new DLC and its new antagonists. Check out the trailer below.

Grand Theft Auto 6 is inarguably the biggest upcoming game that the entire industry is waiting with bated breath for, and though Rockstar Games announced in December that the open world crime game would launch sometime in 2025, that’s been called into question in recent days. Last week, a Kotaku report claimed that GTA 6’s production had fallen behind schedule and that it was, as such, in danger of potentially getting pushed back into 2026.

The wait for Dragon’s Dogma 2 stretched on for well over a decade, and launching on the back off massive amounts of hype and excitement, the open world action RPG has got off to an impressive start, in spite of early backlash against its monetization and performance woes. Not only has the game enjoyed widespread acclaim, it’s also seen solid sales right out the gate.

As promised, CD Projekt RED has rolled out a free trial for Cyberpunk 2077 on current-gen consoles. Xbox Series X/S and PS5 players can enjoy five hours of the game until March 31st, 11:59 PM PDT.