Talking Point: Xbox Is 24 Years Old Today, What Do You Expect From Next Year’s 25th Birthday?

A big anniversary is coming in 2026

by Ben Kerry Yesterday, 4pm

Today is November 15th, 2025 – which means Xbox is officially 24 years old! Yep, Microsoft brought the OG Xbox and its accompanying games lineup to market almost a quarter of a century ago to this day; with The Rock and Bill Gates introducing it to the world back in 2001. We of course want to wish the system (and the brand itself) a very happy birthday – but we’ve already got our eye on next year’s big anniversary.

Yep, as we’ve mentioned a few times on the site already, Xbox is 25 next year – and we’re on for a pretty big 12 months when it comes to the team’s games lineup. A star-studded roster of Fable, Forza Horizon 6, Halo: Campaign Evolved and Gears of War: E-Day are all set to launch in 2026, potentially with even more announcements to come. That’s a pretty big celebration of Xbox alone.

Those are all known quantities though, aside from their specific launch dates of course, but what about stuff outside of the games themselves? Do you expect Microsoft to have big plans for Xbox as it hits 25 years of age? Do you think the team will simply let the games do the talking? There’s so much stuff we could potentially see next year!

Looking back to the 20th anniversary in 2021; Xbox certainly has the ability to throw a big party. Back then, we got the fantastic ‘Power On’ documentary, we got loads of backwards compatibility additions, we got a big FPS Boost refresh – and in general, that whole event was a pretty amazing celebration of all things Xbox. We can’t say we’re counting on a repeat of that in 2026, but we’re certainly hoping things come pretty close.

If we’re being honest, outside of those four big game releases, we just want a celebration that pays proper tribute to the history of Xbox. It’s no secret that we’ve been in for a bumpy ride these last few years, and we’d like to be reminded that Microsoft hasn’t wholly left its Xbox roots in the past. We have faith that the team can still deliver on something like this – but ultimately, it all remains to be seen!

So, what do you expect from next year’s anniversary as Xbox hits 24 today? Talk to us about your ideas & wishes down below.

Ben is a News Writer at Pure Xbox, and is a fan of action, racing and straight-up shootin’ in any Xbox game he can get his hands on. When he’s not clutching an Xbox controller like his life depends on it, Ben spends his time listening to music that’s far too old for him, watching football on the telly and probably eating somewhere.

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