Key Takeaways
- Xbox is marking its 25th anniversary with a global FanFest Tour hitting Gamescom in Cologne, Tokyo Game Show, and events in London, Mexico City, Sydney, Toronto, and Seattle, with tickets given out via city-specific sweepstakes.
- Microsoft is rolling out a 25th Anniversary profile badge, new gamerpics, wallpapers, and a dynamic console theme co-created with community members Klobrille and Ben Kenobi, pushing fans to share creations under the #Xbox25 banner.
- A special Xbox Game Pass collection highlights legacy titles like Fable Anniversary, Halo: The Master Chief Collection, Fallout 4, and Psychonauts 2, launching amid major Game Pass changes including a price cut and the end of day-one Call of Duty drops.
Xbox is taking its 25th anniversary celebration on the road. On Monday, August 3, Microsoft unveiled the full schedule for its global Xbox FanFest Tour, along with a slate of anniversary-themed features, including community-designed console customization options, a commemorative profile badge, and a curated Xbox Game Pass collection celebrating some of the platform's biggest franchises.
Per an official company announcement, the rollout comes as Xbox continues to reshape its gaming business ahead of its official 25th anniversary on November 15.
The FanFest Tour will make stops across seven cities over the next several months, beginning with Gamescom in Cologne, Germany, on August 26 before heading to Tokyo during the Tokyo Game Show on September 17.
Additional events are scheduled for London, Mexico City, Sydney, Toronto, and Seattle, with tickets being distributed through city-specific sweepstakes. Microsoft said the global tour is designed to bring players together through in-person events centered on games, community, and the Xbox brand.
The anniversary campaign stretches well beyond live events. Beginning immediately, anyone who signs into an Xbox account on console, PC, or the Xbox mobile app will receive a special 25th Anniversary profile badge, available through the end of 2026.
Microsoft is also rolling out new gamerpics, wallpapers, and a dynamic console theme created in collaboration with community creators Klobrille and Ben Kenobi. The company described the collaboration as "by the community, for the community," encouraging fans to share their own creations online using the hashtag #Xbox25.
Game Pass is also playing a major role in the celebration. Microsoft has introduced a special anniversary collection featuring games that helped define each Xbox generation, including Fable Anniversary, Halo: The Master Chief Collection, Fallout 4, and Psychonauts 2.
"Relive, or experience for the first time, the classics from the original Xbox," the company said, adding that the collection is intended as "a special tribute to the games that shape Xbox's 25-year legacy."
The anniversary celebration arrives during a period of significant change for Xbox. In April, Microsoft announced sweeping changes to Xbox Game Pass, including a 23% price cut for Game Pass Ultimate after newly appointed Xbox CEO Asha Sharma reportedly told employees the service had become too expensive.
At the same time, Microsoft confirmed that future Call of Duty releases will no longer launch into Game Pass on day one, even as it continues expanding the service with legacy Activision titles.
April’s lineup included Call of Duty: Modern Warfare as part of a packed Game Pass slate featuring Hades II, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, Final Fantasy IV and EA Sports NHL 26. Call of Duty: Vanguard followed on June 17.
