When the Xbox turned 20 in 2001, Microsoft went all out with the celebrations. There was a really well-made and unexpectedly honest six-part documentary series that told the story of the Xbox’s journey, over 70 new backwards-compatible games from the company’s first consoles were released (while 37 classics that were already backwards-compatible received a massive frame rate update), Halo: Infinite multiplayer received a surprise launch and much more.
In November 2026, Xbox will be 25 years old, and apparently Microsoft is going to celebrate that too. In fact, they’re already planning for it, just over two years before. In an interview with License Global, head of Xbox gaming consumer products John Friend says:
“We have these massive, fantastic franchises ranging from ‘World of Warcraft’ -celebrating its 20th anniversary this year – to ‘Halo,’ ‘Call of Duty,’ to ‘StarCraft’ and much more. We’re building plans for the 25th anniversary of ‘Halo’ and Xbox-we have such a rich heritage and history, and these communities have been active for so long, you have to celebrate that.”
Microsoft is rumoured to be ready to release its next Xbox in 2026 (unlike Sony, they don’t have an upgraded console like the PlayStation 5 Pro halfway through), which they promise to be something absolutely mind-blowing in terms of performance. Microsoft is also rumoured to have a portable device in the works, which has been hinted at several times, and the industry’s most credible insiders seem to agree that it is in fact coming.
We assume that these consoles will be launched in conjunction with the 25th anniversary as part of it. Perhaps we can even hope for an anniversary edition with a design taken from the original Xbox, just as Sony is now doing with its PlayStation 30th Anniversary version of the PlayStation 5 Pro? What do you think and hope Microsoft will do when Xbox turns 25 years old?