It’s been a rollercoaster ride for Xbox this generation. Launched in November 2020, the Xbox Series X and Series S entered an industry simultaneously brimming with potential and constrained by a global pandemic. Now nearly four years deep, the Series X|S era has been defined by bold moves, major disruptions, and more than a few head-scratching moments. Let’s look back at 10 key moments that have helped shape the Xbox Series X|S generation so far – for better or worse.
1. Launching During a Pandemic (November 2020)
Xbox’s newest consoles – Series X bringing the power, Series S bringing the price – launched at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Component shortages, shipping delays, and general uncertainty shadowed a moment Xbox had been building toward for years. Despite everything, Microsoft pushed ahead with the release, offering a $499 flagship and a surprisingly capable $299 digital alternative. The decision to go dual-console was bold, and it laid the foundation for what came next.
2. Game Pass Becomes Xbox’s Golden Goose
While Sony leaned hard into traditional exclusives, Xbox doubled down on ecosystem. The Xbox Game Pass service, with its Netflix-esque model, truly bloomed during the Series X|S era. With 25 million+ subscribers worldwide as of early 2023, Game Pass became Xbox’s not-so-secret weapon, offering day-one releases, backwards compatibility, and cross-platform access across PC, mobile, and console. It changed how people viewed value in gaming, and it rewired the industry in the process.
3. The delay heard aound the world: Starfield (2022–2023)
Originally announced back in 2018 and touted as the next-generation crown jewel, Starfield was meant to be Xbox’s big “system seller.” It missed its original release window in 2022 and was pushed to September 2023. While the final product found its audience, the delay highlighted an early Series X|S pain point: a lack of major exclusives. That drought, especially in 2021 and 2022, became a recurring point of frustration.
4. Halo Infinite’s Rocky Road (2020–2021)
You’d think that launching a new Halo with your console generation would be a mic-drop moment. But Halo Infinite was anything but smooth. From the meme-worthy Craig the Brute debacle at its 2020 gameplay reveal to a significant delay, 343 Industries was forced to revamp large portions of the game. Ultimately launching in December 2021, over a year after the Series X|S, it delivered strong multiplayer but an undercooked live-service model. The franchise’s rocky footing became symbolic of Xbox’s struggles.
5. Acquiring Bethesda (March 2021)
Now here’s a game-changer. Microsoft’s $7.5 billion acquisition of ZeniMax Media, parent to Bethesda, id Software, and Arkane, sent shockwaves across the industry. Suddenly, Xbox owned DOOM, Fallout, The Elder Scrolls, and Dishonored. It was a strategic bet to close the “exclusive gap” with Sony. The bigger question? Would these notable titles remain multi-platform? (Spoiler: Starfield didn’t.)
6. Redfall’s Release Misfire (May 2023)
If Xbox wanted a win in 2023, Redfall wasn’t it. Developed by Arkane Austin and positioned as a co-op vampire shooter with immersive-sim DNA, expectations were sky-high. The result? A broken launch, lackluster AI, performance issues, and a gameplay loop that felt incomplete. Even Xbox head Phil Spencer admitted on Kinda Funny that he was “disappointed,” candidly acknowledging the team’s missteps. The game became a cautionary tale for Xbox’s quality control amid its content push.
7. Xbox’s Cloud Gaming Bet Lands (2021–Present)
Here’s where Xbox showed it was thinking ahead. While cloud gaming had been around in theory, Xbox made it actually work. Game Pass Ultimate subscribers could stream console-quality games on smartphones, tablets, and even TVs through apps and browser-based access from 2021 onward. It wasn’t perfect, but it was forward-thinking, and helped Xbox reinforce its “play anywhere” mantra.
8. Activision Blizzard Merger Approved (October 2023)
After over a year of legal hurdles, regulatory battles, and industry drama, Microsoft closed on its jaw-dropping $69 billion takeover of Activision Blizzard. It was the largest acquisition in gaming history. Suddenly, Xbox owned Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, Diablo, and Candy Crush. The company pledged not to remove Call of Duty from rival platforms for at least 10 years, but make no mistake, this was about making Xbox’s subscription and ecosystem model unstoppable.
9. Xbox Raises Prices (June 2023)
It was bound to happen. Game Pass, once hailed as gaming’s MVP of value, saw its first notable price hike in mid-2023: Game Pass Ultimate jumped from $14.99 to $16.99/month. Alongside that, Xbox Series X pricing increased in several international markets. Understandable from a business standpoint, but another nudge toward the realization that even Xbox’s consumer-friendly positioning has its limits.
10. Xbox’s Multi-Platform Experiment (2024)
This year brought perhaps the most surprising shift of all: Xbox published once-exclusive titles like Hi-Fi Rush and Sea of Thieves on rival platforms. In the name of sustainable game development, Microsoft began a test run of third-party publishing, an admission that ecosystem might trump exclusivity. While not everyone was thrilled, it may very well hint at the future of Xbox: one where platform walls come down entirely.
What Now for Xbox?
The Xbox Series X|S generation is still ongoing, and with rumours of refreshed hardware and a renewed focus on first-party quality after the Activision deal, the next chapter could still be a defining one. But so far? This era has been less about what’s inside the box, and more about blowing up the box entirely.
Whether that gamble pays off in the long run? Only time, and Game Pass retention numbers, will tell.