By Microsoft’s remarkably impressive gaming lineup
- by Ben Kerry
It has been a fast-paced first half of the year for Microsoft, hasn’t it? To be honest, we can’t recall a more packed first half of a year for Xbox Game Studios titles in ages, with significant launches like Avowed, Oblivion Remastered, DOOM: The Dark Ages and others arriving before the midpoint of 2025. However, we are here today to remind you that Xbox’s winning streak continues in the latter half of the year, starting in July – with two significant first-party releases scheduled for this month alone.
Of course, those titles are Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 from the Activision crew, and Grounded 2 from the ever-productive studio at Obsidian. The former will arrive in just under two weeks here on July 11th, while Grounded 2’s early access premiere concludes what appears to be yet another bustling month for Xbox Game Studios and indeed Xbox Game Pass. July is generally one of the more tranquil months on the calendar, but Xbox doesn’t seem to care about that these days!
While we acknowledge this serves as a brief reminder of Microsoft’s release agenda for July, we can’t help but look ahead as well. Gears of War: Reloaded and the improved version of Hellblade 2 will arrive in August (another typically quiet month) before October delivers three first-party titles within a fortnight. Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 also needs to fit in there somewhere – seriously, Microsoft has barely any gaps this year!
Anyway, we just wanted to inform you that despite a hectic first half of 2025, don’t let your guard down just yet. Xbox is back once again to add a couple of major entries to your backlog in July, before continuing its relentless pace for the rest of the year. To catch up on all of July’s significant releases, along with what’s on the itinerary for the remainder of 2025, check out our complete guides down below.
Which of July’s Xbox first-party releases are you playing? Let us know in the poll below and discuss them in the comments!
Ben is a News Writer at Pure Xbox, and is an enthusiast of action, racing, and straight-up shooting in any Xbox game he can find. When he’s not gripping an Xbox controller like his life depends on it, Ben spends his time enjoying music that’s far too old for him, watching soccer on television, and probably dining somewhere.