Xbox and Halo celebrate 20 years of gaming in 2021, announces new merch, events, and more

Xbox 20 Years Celebration Halo Hero
Xbox 20 Years Celebration Halo Hero (Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)

What you need to know

  • November, 2021 marks 20 wonderful years of Xbox and Halo gaming across four console generations.
  • Today, Xbox has announced their months-long anniversary celebration with new merch, fan events, and more.
  • Until November 15, 2021, Xbox will celebrate with more announcements, events, and activities for fans.
  • Starting today, you can sign up for Xbox FanFest, buy new Xbox merch, and check out games from an expansive new collection.

Xbox 20 Years Celebration Halo Logo

Source: Xbox (Image credit: Source: Xbox)

We're still six months away from the 20 year anniversary for Xbox and Halo, but it seems Xbox wants to begin the festivities a little early. Starting today, Xbox is celebrating 20 years, and wants to bring its millions of fans along for the ride. There's already a lot to look forward to, and Xbox is planning even more announcements, activities, and ways to celebrate as we begin the march towards November 15, 2021, and 20 years of Xbox. First on the list is an exciting new trailer that helps showcase where Xbox began, and how it's grown and evolved in the two decades since with Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Cloud Gaming through Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, and more.

You can also hop into the 20 Years of Xbox game collection to find something new to play, which includes nearly a hundred of some of the biggest and most influential hits on Xbox. Yes, it includes titles from the original Xbox and the Xbox 360, and all of it is available on the latest Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. New Xbox and Halo-themed wallpapers help you celebrate this milestone on your Xbox, computer, or phone. Finally, Xbox plans to jump into Halo: Combat Evolved through Halo: The Master Chief Collection later today on Twitch at 11 a.m. PT or 2 p.m. ET.

Source: Xbox (Image credit: Source: Xbox)

Once the nostalgic juices are flowing from the new trailer and more, Xbox has a ton of new merch in the Xbox Gear Shop with the new "20 Years" logos for both Xbox and Halo including shirts, hats, mugs, bags, and more. If you want to see more of that and pick something up for yourself or a friend, be sure to check that out below!

Xbox super fans can also now register for the return of Xbox FanFest, which is now being expanded with exclusive physical and digital events, new content, merch, giveaways, and more.

Too much to handle? You can keep track of everything happening with Xbox's six-month-long celebration at 20 Years of Xbox. Of course, this celebration isn't all about Xbox. Halo: Combat Evolved debuted with the original Xbox on November 15, 2021. With the launch of Halo Infinite confirmed to be this upcoming fall, is it possible the next era of Halo will begin on the 20 year anniversary of the first? Of course, Halo Infinite has not been confirmed to be launching on November 15, but there are just enough teases from Xbox to make me think the possibility is there.

Celebrate 20 fantastic years of Xbox gaming in your own way by playing some of the best Xbox games.

Zachary Boddy
Staff Writer

Zachary Boddy (They / Them) is a Staff Writer for Windows Central, primarily focused on covering the latest news in tech and gaming, the best Xbox and PC games, and the most interesting Windows and Xbox hardware. They have been gaming and writing for most of their life starting with the original Xbox, and started out as a freelancer for Windows Central and its sister sites in 2019. Now a full-fledged Staff Writer, Zachary has expanded from only writing about all things Minecraft to covering practically everything on which Windows Central is an expert, especially when it comes to Microsoft. You can find Zachary on Twitter @BoddyZachary.