Today we celebrated 20 years of Xbox and gloriole with a celebration of gamers, game developers and creators around the world. For the past 20 years, the Xbox community has made gaming a place of joy, inspiration, education, and social connection by creating bonds between friends and family and opening up new ways for people to connect. We’ve seen a lot together – four generations of Xbox consoles, countless events and game launches, iconic cultural moments like the Xbox Series X mini fridge, and recent partnerships with Adidas, MAC Cosmetics, and more.
While we start epic blockbuster game starts in a row in Xbox Game Pass – with current AAA game starts from Age of Empires IV, Forza Horizon 5, and Halo infinite in December – the future has never been so exciting and limitless. There’s never been a better time to be a first-person shooter fan either. Battlefield(TM) launches everywhere on November 19th, but you can play through Early Access today, a 10-hour trial that lets you play All-Out Warfare with Conquest and Breakthrough and fight with friends in the all-new squad-based Hazard Zone and Experience the community-run Battlefield portal where players can share unexpected experiences with Battlefield 3, Bad company 2, and Battlefield 1942. The trial version is available to all EA Play and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members. And today we announced that Halo infinite Multiplayer Beta, which you can find out more about below.
Our players are at the heart of everything we do and we couldn’t be more grateful for your incredible support. The last 20 years have been a great ride and we are already working hard on the road that lies ahead. We can’t wait to share the next 20 years with you!
Halo Infinite Multiplayer Beta is now available
As a thank you to the Xbox community for 20 years of support, 343 Industries has free-to-play. released Halo infinite Multiplayer Beta and Season 1 three weeks earlier, available now to all players on Xbox Series X | S, Xbox One and Windows PC. It will also be available on Xbox Cloud Gaming starting today. Players can enjoy Season 1 content, including all maps, main modes, Academy features, and Battle Pass, and all of their progress will be carried over in full Halo infinite Start on December 8th. Detailed information on the Halo infinite Multiplayer beta, Go to the Halo Waypoint.
Power On: The Story of Xbox Releases on December 13th
This December, we invite you to take a look behind the scenes and discover the real story behind the evolution of Xbox and the 20 year journey that followed. Told by the team that lived it Power On: The Story of the Xbox is a documentary series that takes you back to the chaotic beginnings of Xbox as a passion project of a small group of gamers within Microsoft. It goes on for generations, sharing never-before-seen details on some of Xbox’s biggest challenges like the dreaded Red Ring of Death. All six episodes will be available worldwide on December 13th on a variety of video platforms including Roku, IMDb TV, YouTube, Redbox and others. For more information, see here.
Celebrate 20 years of Xbox with over 70 new backwards compatible games
Our backward compatibility program has enabled fans around the world to discover and replay thousands of games from our 20 year history. Celebrate 20 years of Xbox with over 70 new Xbox 360 and Original Xbox games added to our Backward Compatibility Library today on Xbox One and Xbox Series X | S. We also activated FPS Boost for 11 of the titles added today and 26 other titles from the existing library. We’re also bringing FPS Boost for Xbox Cloud Gaming (Beta) for select titles when played from the cloud. For more information, see the full Xbox Wire post.
Win one of over 1,000 prizes thanks to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Netflix “Red Notice”
During the show, we announced that we had teamed up with Netflix “Red Notice” and revealed Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson The Xbox vault – An immersive online experience, inspired by “Red Notice” and full of legendary Xbox artifacts, that gives fans the chance to win one of over 1,000 limited prizes.
For more information, see the full Xbox Wire post. To experience the Xbox Vault for yourself, visit www.XboxVault.com
More 20NS Anniversary fun
The 20th anniversary celebrations continue with even more opportunities for you to relive the nostalgia and share your passion with the great Xbox community.
We’re giving away a playroom makeover featuring an artist rendering of two decades of Xbox heritage and only Xbox FanFest fans will have a chance to win. Register or log in to www.xbox.com/fanfest and sign up for the 20th atNS Anniversary Xbox FanFest competition for your chance to win. The entry period begins on November 15, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. PT and ends on November 21, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. PT. No purchase required. Open only to legal residents of an Xbox Live supported country 18 years of age or older. See Official rules for full details.
Celebrate the anniversary with our collection of Xbox and Halo gear to commemorate 20 years of gaming! Check out a wide variety of items – from t-shirts to hoodies to ornaments and more in the Xbox Gear Shop. We’re also celebrating with some digital goodies fans can equip to show their love for the Xbox, including a free 20NS Anniversary Avatar T-Shirt (buy it here!) And a new dynamic background inspired by Xbox 360 and available for Xbox Series X | S on November 16.
For those fans who want to learn more about the earlier days of Xbox and the innovations Xbox promoted in gaming, we’re also excited to announce Xbox Pioneers: Creativity and Innovation – Past, Present and Future. This discussion will be moderated by former Nintendo USA President and COO Reggie Fils-Aime, and Xbox visionaries Robbie Bach, Ed Fries, Peter Moore and Bonnie Ross will be introduced. You can turn on the Xbox Pioneers Panel on November 22nd at 10:00 a.m. PT on the Microsoft Alumni Network YouTube channel and the official Xbox Twitch channel.
Join us for a 24-hour gaming livestream on Giving Tuesday November 30th at December 20thNS Anniversary and donations collect through Extra life, a program by Children’s Wonder Network Hospitals. To mark the anniversary, we’re playing 20 years of games with nostalgic favorites and new, exciting titles. The streaming event begins at 10:00 a.m. PT XboxOn – Twitch and includes popular Xbox personalities, celebrities, unforgettable gameplay and epic prizes.
Finally get ready for an online Halo Infinite tournament with 128 teams that will be played on Smash.gg and streamed on Twitch.tv/Xbox. The competition takes place on Saturday, December 11th and Sunday, December 12th and includes the main prize of a paid trip to the 1stNS HCS (Halo Competitive) Live Event in Raleigh, North Carolina. Registration for this event begins today, November 15th at 12:00 PM PT on Smash.gg/Xbox.
Thank you to everyone who played a part in our Xbox journey over the past 20 years. We are excited about the future and look forward to co-writing the script of what gaming will be in the years to come!