Eight Games Are Leaving Xbox Game Pass In Early July 2026

Update: Microsoft removes three from the list.Microsoft has revealed the next eleven games leaving Xbox Game Pass in early July 2026, with all of these being highlighted as "leaving soon" on the official Xbox mobile app.Co-op takes a hit on this occasion, with notable departures for PowerWash Simulator and Golf With Your Friends - putting an end to an impressive six-year shift for the latter title.Read the full article on purexbox.com


https://www.purexbox.com/news/2026/07/ei...-july-2026

Five More Games Have Quietly Been Added To Xbox Game Pass Essential

The newest additions to the tier since May.We haven't had much to say about the lowest-priced Xbox Game Pass "Essential" tier since back in May when nine games were added to it in a surprise update, but now another five have also quietly joined in recent days.Four of the new additions started appearing as part of Xbox Game Pass Essential on July 1st, with those being Costume Quest 2 and all three games in the Shadowrun Trilogy - Returns, Dragonfall and Hong Kong.Read the full article on purexbox.com


https://www.purexbox.com/news/2026/07/fi...-essential

Xbox Rolls Out New 'Change' To Help Avoid Data Loss In Forza Horizon 6

Another new system update is reportedly available as well.As you may be aware, some Forza Horizon 6 players have been struggling with corrupted or lost save data over the past month-and-a-bit, and to Xbox's credit, they've been working extremely hard to try and rectify the issue permanently.It was back on June 12th that Xbox announced a new system update to address the situation, and now we've got another new "change" that aims to ensure that even if you run into data loss, it won't be as catastrophic as before.Read the full article on purexbox.com


https://www.purexbox.com/news/2026/07/xb...-horizon-6

Halo Studios Makes A Point Of Highlighting 'Physical Discs' For Campaign Evolved

But the box suggests it requires a content download as well.The big topic this week has centred around PlayStation dropping support for physical discs as of 2028, and Halo Studios has made a point of highlighting that Halo: Campaign Evolved will get a disc when it releases this month.This was referenced as part of a new Q&A on the Halo Waypoint website, with the accompanying tweet racking up almost 1 million views in the process. There are obviously many other topics in the Q&A itself, but it's the bit about physical discs that's getting all the attention.Read the full article on purexbox.com


https://www.purexbox.com/news/2026/07/ha...gn-evolved

Random: Xbox Helps Release New Version Of Banjo-Kazooie With Unique Features

As part of the Evercade / Blaze Entertainment platforms.We've been waiting a very long time for Xbox to give us something new in regards to the Banjo-Kazooie IP, and while that wait unfortunately continues, Microsoft did quietly sign off on a special new version of the original game recently.The folks over at Evercade have just released a new Super Pocket handheld focused around the Xbox-owned studio Rare, and Banjo-Kazooie is the highlight of the package. This is a small and very affordable device that features no analog sticks, so they've basically created a new version of the game (based on the N64 original) that not only runs brilliantly on the system, but actually feels very playable even without analog stick support.Read the full article on purexbox.com


https://www.purexbox.com/news/2026/07/ra...e-features

Help Scotland Yard In Case Solved: The London Files On Nintendo Switch

Nintendo Insider

Nintendo Insider - Nintendo Insider brings you the latest Nintendo Switch 2 news, Pokémon updates, reviews, guides, and features - your trusted source for all things Nintendo.
Minimol Games has confirmed a release date for its cosy noir detective game Case Solved: The London Files,…
The post Help Scotland Yard In Case Solved: The London Files On Nintendo Switch appeared first on Nintendo Insider and is written by Alex Seedhouse.




https://www.nintendo-insider.com/help-sc...do-switch/

Rumour: Halo Being 'Heavily Evaluated' At Xbox, But Remains Key Part Of Future Plans

Resources may be allocated towards the franchise.There's obviously a lot of talk about potential layoffs and studio closures at Xbox right now, but one franchise that definitely won't be going anywhere is Halo - or at least, that's what the belief appears to be at the moment.Windows Central's Jez Corden was asked about this on social media today, and revealed that according to what he's heard, "Xbox is very, very, very heavily evaluating how Halo is run", but the franchise remains key to future plans.Read the full article on purexbox.com


https://www.purexbox.com/news/2026/07/ru...ture-plans

Journalist Claims Xbox Is 'Keeping' Obsidian Following Rumours Of Potential Closure

Update: Not as bad as first feared.Sorry to be the bearer of bad news again, but a new report from The Game Business says that Obsidian is amongst the studios that are in negotiations with Microsoft to avoid being closed at Xbox Game Studios.This seems to have come out of nowhere, with the Avowed and Outer Worlds developer having not been mentioned in previous reports, but as you can see below, The Game Business clearly believes they're involved in the process.Read the full article on purexbox.com


https://www.purexbox.com/news/2026/07/jo...al-closure

Two Games Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass, But Only In Limited Form (July 2)

One's crossed over to a new tier, the other is a free trial.Today marks the first day of Xbox Game Pass additions in July, although it's not your typical lineup - one's just crossing over from Ultimate to Premium, and the other is a free trial that only lasts for 10 hours.Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4 is the title joining Xbox Game Pass Premium, and this is obviously an Xbox first-party release from 2025. It's been a year since it made its debut, so that's why it's now arriving on the Premium tier as well.Read the full article on purexbox.com


https://www.purexbox.com/news/2026/07/tw...orm-july-2

Free Play Days: Try These Xbox Games For Free (July 2-5)

Your latest set of FPD freebies for the weekend.It's Thursday, so we're back to highlight the latest batch of Xbox Free Play Days titles!We've got a lot of games this time around - five of them are official FPD additions, and one of them has a free trial but isn't technically included as part of the program. That game is Battlefield 6, the free trial of which you can access via Battlefield REDSEC on the Xbox Store, offering five modes and four maps until the start of next week.Read the full article on purexbox.com


https://www.purexbox.com/news/2026/07/fr...e-july-2-5