Xbox is Microsoft's gaming division. Launched in 2001 with the original Xbox console (presented by Bill Gates and The Rock, no less), the division has gone through multiple permutations on its journey to its current form. Originally envisioned as a device that could bring Windows to the living room, Xbox eventually competed more directly with PlayStation targeting core gamers.
Xbox had solid success in the United States and other English-speaking markets, buoyed by heavy hitters like Halo and Forza, alongside various heavy hitting third-party exclusive titles. Microsoft's Xbox is responsible for various gaming innovations that are now commonplace. Online live infrastructure, "games as a service" titles, subscription services, and cloud-first business models owe at least something to initiatives spearheaded by Microsoft (for better or worse).
Essential Xbox reading
Latest about Xbox
Spam Gamerscore games made up 40% of Xbox releases in 2025
News New data from TrueAchievements shows spam easy Gamerscore games made up nearly 40% of Xbox releases in 2025, raising questions about store quality and achievement inflation.
Does Fable represent Xbox's new AAA future? I think "yes."
Xbox Xbox might have shed exclusivity, but in a post-Roblox world, it absolutely had no choice.
State of Decay 3 is "coming on really well," but Xbox's publishing lead can't say more
Xbox Six years after its initial announcement in 2020, Xbox's State of Decay 3 is "coming on really well" according to Xbox Game Studios head Craig Duncan.
Xbox Game Studios head says "we want our games to reach the most players that we can"
Xbox Craig Duncan, the head of Microsoft's Xbox Game Studios, says that the publisher wants "to reach the most players that we can" with its game releases.
Microsoft finally reveals Fable in full — A new quality bar for Xbox
Xbox Playground Games "Fable" is the first RPG from the iconic racing game studio, and dare I say it, it seems like the studio absolutely cooked.
Everything announced during the Xbox Developer Direct 2026
Xbox The Xbox Developer Direct 2026 is Microsoft's first big Xbox showcase of the year, and we've recapped everything announced during it right here.
Xbox's Clockwork Revolution is its dev's "most ambitious title"
Xbox The next RPG coming from Xbox and inXile Entertainment is Clockwork Revolution, and its lead dev says it's the studio's "most ambitious title" yet.
Xbox PC is expanding to a whole new ecosystem, thanks to Arm
Xbox Microsoft's Prism translation layer just got a beefy update. After a few months in testing, the Xbox PC store is now available on Windows Arm devices.
