Video Game Chat

Black Friday has officially begun on the PlayStation Network, boasting discounts of up to 70% off on selected downloads. A few of the year’s top games are in the mix: The Last of Us Part 2, DOOM Eternal. It’s a comprehensive list, though PlayStation Plus subscribers should be careful not to double dip and accidentally buy something they’re getting for free. Also included in the sale is a 25% off discount on PlayStation Now, bringing the cost of a year’s subscription to the streaming service down to a tidy £49.99. PS5 owners can get the same deal on PlayStation Plus, or 20% off on a three-month membership. The sale is running in both North America and Europe and is scheduled to last until the 1st December. US: Official PlayStation™Store US UK: Official PlayStation™Store UK

With a week to go until Black Friday and the Xbox Series X|S having just launched, Microsoft has now revealed their gaming deals for 2020 and honestly, it’s a great time to be investing in some cheaper games. Microsoft is offering up to 55% off select digital titles “on some of the hottest games this season.” Games such as Watch Dogs: Legion, Marvel’s Avengers, FIFA 21, and NBA 2K21 have all had their prices slashed. Select PC games are also getting a price cut. Microsoft says that up to 60% discounts have been applied to some PC titles including Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, Gears 5, and Forza Horizon 4. Starting on November 22nd and running through until November 30th, the Microsoft Store will be selling specific Xbox controllers at a reduced price. With over 700 titles discounted there are far too many games to list them all so please visit the deals page on Xbox.com https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/store/deals/games/xbox?ocid=AID2000142_aff_7794_1246483

System update 20.02-02.25.00 for the PlayStation 5 has been released, and here’s the full list of changes and fixes with this update. This is the first system update for the PS5 since it launched last week on November 12. When the system launches in the rest of the world on November 19, this system update will need to be installed after setting up the console. This update weighs in at 866 MB. Here’s everything new with PlayStation 5 system software update 20.02-02.25.00. PlayStation 5 System Update 20.02-02.25.00 Patch Notes There are currently no official patch notes for PlayStation 5 system update 20.02-02.25.00. The only thing we have to go off of is the official description, which reads “This system software update improves system performance.” This is a generic message included with most system updates, so it doesn’t explain much about what this patch actually does. Some PS5 users have been reporting strange issues since the console launched last week, including problems with rest mode and crashes related to external hard drives. This update could potentially include fixes for those issues, but there’s no way to know for sure until the community test drives the patch for the next day or so and reports their findings. Another major issue players have been running into is an endless download queue that cannot be fixed without factory resetting the system. This bug mainly affects Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, preventing people from downloading the game at all. According to IGN, this problem has not been addressed with this update. The update should begin rolling out automatically once you turn on your PlayStation 5, but you can start the download manually by navigating to Settings>System>System Software>System Software Update and Settings>Update System Software.

Microsoft has acknowledged hardware shortages for the Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X may last until well into 2021. Keen gamers around the world have struggled to get their hands on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S consoles since launch, and it looks like things aren’t going to get any easier for eager consumers any time soon. During last week’s Jefferies Interactive Entertainment Conference (transcribed by Seeking Alpha), Microsoft’s chief financial officer Tim Stuart acknowledged the supply/demand disparity with the new hardware and suggested it’s going to last a while longer yet. “I think we’ll continue to see supply shortages as we head into the post-holiday quarter, so Microsoft’s Q3, calendar Q1. And then when we get to Q4, all of our supply chain continuing to go full speed heading into kind of the pre-summer months,” said Stuart (thanks VGC). If you’re unfamiliar with Microsoft’s financial year, that means we can expect supply to level out more predictably around April 2021. Good luck getting yourself a console in the bag before then if you’re chomping at the bit. Xbox boss Phil Spencer has also acknowledged the shortages and has apologized during a recent appearance over at GlitchCon (thanks Gamespot). “We need more consoles,” Spencer admitted. “The number one request I get over and over is it’s so hard to get the consoles right now. And I really apologize for that. We’ve been building them for almost two months now and trying to get as many into the stores as we can, but the demand is just so high.” At least we know Microsoft is doing everything in its power to make more stock available. In an Xbox Wire post last week, Liz Hamren, CVP of gaming experiences and platforms at Microsoft, assured consumers that the company is working with retailers to make more stock available.

Reports are coming in that the PS5 has a bug that requires a factory reset to fix. Word is spreading that Sony’s new PS5 might have bug that interferes with downloads. It appears there is a chance you can get stuck in an error loop when downloading games that stops you from actually gaining access to a title. When a game is first set to download, it can get stuck with either an error or ‘Queued for Download’ message. When expanded, the user is directed to reference the Downloads menu, which is empty. This leaves the download in limbo as players can’t cancel the download or prompt it to start. The report said that this happened with two copies of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, which has also been experiencing a bug that turns PlayStation controllers off. However, it is noted that this also happened with a copy of Godfall. This is also affecting Twitter users too who are running into the bug, especially on Black Ops Cold War. The current fix for this issue appears to be factory reset your PS5. This will cause you to delete everything off of your console, so it is far from ideal. Hopefully, a fix is figured out soon.

Sony has unveiled an official PlayStation 5 media remote, which has dedicated buttons for four top streaming services: Disney+, Netflix, Spotify and YouTube. PlayStation 5 will support these four services plus Twitch and Apple TV when the console launches, Sony confirmed today. The news follows previous reports Apple TV was being made available for the first time on PS5 and Xbox Series X. Sony has a separate list of apps coming to PS5 which it does not specifically confirm for the console's launch date. These include Amazon Prime Video, MyCanal, Hulu and Peacock. As we saw in last week's PlayStation 5 UI reveal, the console now has separate home screen tabs for your games and for your entertainment apps, keeping the two completely apart. Sony's media remote will allow you to switch to your TV, adjust volume and navigate the console's UI, as well as pause, rewind and fast forward whatever you're watching.

Microsoft has confirmed the entertainment apps available on Xbox Series X and S at launch. There are a number of apps already available on Xbox One that will be available on next-gen, as you'd expect. These include the likes of Netflix, Disney+, YouTube, Spotify, Sky Go, Now TV and Amazon Prime Video. But also out on 10th November is the Apple TV app. That's for Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. Here's the list (there will be more apps than on this list at launch, Microsoft stressed): Netflix Disney+ HBO Max Spotify YouTube YouTube TV Amazon Prime Video Hulu NBC Peacock Vudu FandangoNow Twitch Sky Go NOW TV Sky Ticket Meanwhile, Microsoft confirmed the Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos tech is supported on Netflix, Disney+, and Vudu. The Microsoft Store is twice as fast as before, Microsoft said in a blog post. The launch time of the Microsoft Store app is now about two seconds. You access apps in the refreshed Xbox dashboard experience in My Games & Apps. There's a new Entertainment block for Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S, too, which showcases content across apps. For new Xbox owners, the Entertainment block is automatically pinned to Home. Existing gamers can scroll down to Add more > See all suggestions, select Entertainment, and add it to Home. For comparison's sake, here are the entertainment apps launching with PlayStation 5.

It’s time again for spooky savings as the Steam Halloween Sale is live. The Steam Halloween Sale is on now until November 2, and you will be able to save some money on horror and Halloween-themed games across the Steam catalogue. The sale also features games that have Halloween-themed activities and updates. These include The Long Dark’s Escape the Darkwalker Halloween Event, Dead By Daylight’s The Eternal Blight update, No Man’s Sky’s Halloween Update, Don’t Starve Together’s Return of Them: Forgotten Knowledge and Hallowed Nights, and more. Some games on sale include Graveyard Keeper for 66% off, Subnautica for 30% off, Metro: Last Light Redux for 80% off, The Forest is 55% off, Vampyr is discounted by 70%, and Dying Light can be had for 66% off. There are plenty of games on sale, just hit up the Steam Store. You can also change out your profile with Halloween art now available in the Points Shop. You can grab a new avatar frame, animated avatar, and animated profile background.

Due to COVID-19, Ubisoft has pushed back two of its upcoming titles: Far Cry 6 and Rainbow Six Quarantine. According to Ubisoft’s earning call for the first half of 2020-2021, the studio has run into some snags due to the pandemic. The news release nonchalantly mentions that Ubisoft will now release Far Cry 6 and Rainbow Six Quarantine in its next fiscal year, which runs from 2021 into 2022. While we don’t have a concrete release date for either game, we know we won’t see them prior to April 2021. Ubisoft announced Rainbow Six Quarantine at E3 last year. The spin-off is reminiscent of Rainbow Six: Siege’s special Outbreak mode, which has a Left 4 Dead vibe, despite the base game’s realistic tone. Ubisoft originally announced Quarantine as a 2020 game. Far Cry 6 stars, Giancarlo Esposito, as dictator Anton Castillo. It takes place in the fictional country of Yara, set in the Caribbean. It was originally slated for Feb. 18, 2021. Despite the setback, Ubisoft still has a pretty massive Q3 and Q4 in its current fiscal year, with Watch Dogs: Legion’s recent launch and Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, Just Dance 2021, and Immortals: Fenyx Rising only a few weeks away. The Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time remake will also land in early 2021, with Riders Republic coming slightly later in February.

Sony has released an updated PlayStation App, which has been “reimagined to enhance your gaming experiences on both PS4 and PS5". The app is due to roll out today through updates on iOS (12.2 or later), and Android (6.0 or later) mobile devices. New features on the app include voice chat, which will allow players to create party groups via the app, voice chatting with up to 15 friends at one time through mobile devices. Furthermore, Sony claim it will be “listening and evaluating” to players’ feedback to changes made in the software’s 8.00 update for parties. The PS Store has been updated too to enable “fast and smooth shopping and browsing, with the ability to remotely download games and add-ons directly to your PS4 and PS5.” Players can remotely launch games and control their console storage, as well as sign in to the PS5 directly from the app (once the next-gen console launches). An explore tab will distribute regular news updates from game developers and content from the PS Blog, keeping users in the loop on all things PlayStation. The app includes an updated user interface, a new home screen, and quick access to your data on recently played games and trophies list. Plus, messaging is easier than ever before with a new PS messages feature. Sony says PS messages “will no longer be available as a standalone app.” Any existing chat data will be carried into the updated PS app. Here’s a list of the key features for PS App: Updated user interface – The first thing you’ll notice is the sleek new user interface of the redesigned PS App. The new home screen lets you quickly see what your friends are playing and access details about your recently played games, including your Trophy List. Messages integration – For a unified experience, the PS Messages app feature will now be integrated in the updated PS App so you can seamlessly message your friends all in one place. As part of this integration, PS Messages will no longer be available as a standalone app. Your existing messages and threads in PS Messages will be carried over to the updated PS App. Voice Chat and Party Groups – You can now create party groups from PS App, and voice chat with up to 15 other friends though your mobile phone. Also, a note to fans: the PlayStation team is looking into your feedback around the Parties changes introduced in the PS4 system software update 8.00. There are no updates to share today, but thanks for speaking up about your concerns – we’re listening and evaluating. Natively integrated PlayStation Store and remote downloads – The new native PS Store experience enables fast and smooth shopping and browsing, with the ability to remotely download games and add-ons directly to your PS4 and PS5. New features for PS5 – When PS5 arrives, you’ll be able to remotely launch games, manage storage on your console if you run out of space while downloading a game, and quickly sign in to PS5 straight from the PS App. All the latest PlayStation news – The Explore tab surfaces Official News from game developers and PS Blog content to help you stay up to date with the world of PlayStation.

Ubisoft has unveiled Ubisoft Connect, it's new "ecosystem" that'll run through all of its upcoming games. Billed as the "unification" of services such as Ubisoft Club, Uplay, and the publisher's loyalty program, it's an attempt to bring everything together under one brand. In the long run, this change probably won't have much of an impact on how you play your Ubisoft games, but we can appreciate the more straightforward approach that the publisher appears to be taking. So Ubisoft Connect will feature in all of the company's upcoming software — but what about its old games? Well, it'll still track things like stats and leaderboards, but you won't be able to make use of the service's "challenge system" in order to unlock in-game items. Fortunately, to make up for this, Ubisoft has decided to simply give all of these rewards away so that no one misses out. The next time you boot up an already released Ubisoft title, all of those old Uplay or Ubisoft Club rewards should be unlocked. Anyway, you can read the full and official FAQ through this link. Did you ever make much use of things like Uplay or Ubisoft Club? Connect in the comments section below.

Even though Apple has blocked cloud gaming support on iOS, the new iOS Xbox app lets you stream your favourite Xbox One games to your phone via remote play. Remote play uses your Xbox console and local connection to stream games to either your iPhone or iPad, and since you’re streaming games within your household, it doesn’t break Apple’s App Store rules. While remote play isn’t exactly new – the feature has been around for some time on Windows 10 PCs – having the option to jump on a game while the TV is in use or while you’re bundled up in bed is always welcome, particularly for iPhone users who are unable to take advantage of cloud gaming. Simply download the new iOS Xbox app (which is also available on Android), open it up and click on the console icon next to the notification bell. You’ll then be able to start a remote play session. Make sure your console is set to instant-on mode, though, as this way you can start playing remotely without needing to physically turn your Xbox on. The new Xbox app is far more simplified than its predecessor and puts a stronger focus on seeing what your friends are up to, communicating, and sharing captures. You can also manage your Xbox storage from the app and download games to your console. Unlike Xbox Game Pass, which lets you stream over 100 games to your phone, you’ll be limited to your existing library of Xbox One games. Of course, if you subscribe to Xbox Game Pass you’ll be able to access most of the games available. Grab the remote Sony also has a remote play app on iOS for PS4, and the app has been updated to work with PS5. If you plan on using remote play on either system, you’ll need to connect a controller via Bluetooth (both the Xbox Wireless Controller and DualShock 4 will work) and use a phone clip for maximum gaming comfort

Sony has released an 11-minute video on its official YouTube channel, in which the company showed the PlayStation 5 user interface for the first time. From the first seconds of the video, it becomes clear that the new generation console has a significantly redesigned interface compared to the PS4. The PS5 interface is adapted for 4K TVs. The Quick Menu has been replaced by the Control Center, which can be accessed at any time by pressing the PS button without closing the game. Here you can set some settings, see game progress, news, recent screenshots, time, friends who are online, and more. In general, the home screen resembles the logic of the PS4 interface. However, for example, the PlayStation Store became part of the interface, although it previously existed as a separate application. You can now buy a game or application directly from the home screen. Much attention in the interface is paid to communication between players. For example, interactive notifications have appeared, thanks to which you can invite someone to a voice chat or start a stream for all its participants. Soon, Sony promises to reveal even more details and features of the PlayStation 5 operating system. The upcoming console launches on November 12.

Microsoft has revealed 31 titles (some brand new and some a bit older) that have been fully optimized for the Series X and Series S will be available on day one. These are the 31 Xbox Series X|S optimized games that will be available on November 10th: Assassin’s Creed Valhalla (Smart Delivery) Borderlands 3 (Smart Delivery) Bright Memory 1.0 Cuisine Royale (Smart Delivery) Dead by Daylight (Xbox Game Pass + Smart Delivery) Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition DIRT 5 (Smart Delivery) Enlisted Evergate The Falconeer (Smart Delivery) Fortnite Forza Horizon 4 (Xbox Game Pass + Smart Delivery) Gears 5 (Xbox Game Pass + Smart Delivery) Gears Tactics (Xbox Game Pass + Smart Delivery) Grounded (Xbox Game Pass + Smart Delivery) King Oddball (Smart Delivery) Maneater (Smart Delivery) Manifold Garden (Smart Delivery) NBA 2K21 Observer: System Redux Ori and the Will of the Wisps (Xbox Game Pass + Smart Delivery) Planet Coaster (Smart Delivery) Sea of Thieves (Xbox Game Pass + Smart Delivery) Tetris Effect: Connected (Xbox Game Pass + Smart Delivery) The Touryst (Xbox Game Pass + Smart Delivery) War Thunder (Smart Delivery) Warhammer: Chaosbane Slayer Edition Watch Dogs: Legion (Smart Delivery) WRC 9 FIA World Rally Championship (Smart Delivery) Yakuza: Like a Dragon (Smart Delivery) Yes, Your Grace (Smart Delivery) Some of these, like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Watch Dogs: Legion, and Yakuza: Like a Dragon are fall releases that will be playable on both current-gen and next-gen consoles. Others, such as Gears 5 and Sea of Thieves, have been out for months or years but will take full advantage of all the upgraded hardware when you play them on your new console

Double Fine Productions will release three classic Lucas Arts remasters on Xbox Game Pass later this month. Speaking during the Xbox Podcast today, Double Fine’s Tim Schafer announced Grim Fandango Remastered, Day of the Tentacle Remastered, and Full Throttle Remastered will come to Xbox Game Pass. Day of the Tentacle Remastered is a cartoon puzzle adventure. In it, three friends work together to prevent an “evil mutated purple tentacle” from taking over the world. You will take control of the trio and solve puzzles using time travel to explore different periods of history. Graphic adventure game Full Throttle Remastered tells the story of biker Ben Throttle who gets caught up in a tale of “Motorcycles, Mayhem, and Murder.” Then, there’s the rather awesome Grim Fandango Remastered which takes place in the afterlife. In the game, you play as Manny Calavera who is a “travel agent to the dead” who sells luxury packages to souls on their four-year journey to eternal rest. The game combines elements of the Aztec belief of the afterlife with film noir style. You will be able to download and play the games starting October 29 for PC, Xbox One, and with Game Pass Ultimate on Android.

Xbox's Phil Spencer has said that the deal to acquire Bethesda wasn't done in order to "take games away from another player base." In light of Microsoft acquiring Bethesda Softworks and all of its studios only a few weeks back, ongoing discussions in the aftermath of the deal have largely centred around whether or not future titles from Bethesda would still come to other platforms outside of the Xbox ecosystem. After all, Microsoft spent a wild $7.5 billion on this acquisition, and considering how well titles like The Elder Scrolls VI would surely do on a platform like PS5 in terms of sales, the value proposition seems to be too much to pass up. According to Xbox head Phil Spencer, however, that’s not necessarily the case. Speaking to Kotaku in a new interview, Spencer was asked about the Bethesda deal and what it might mean in the future. Specifically, the notion of bringing Bethesda titles to platforms outside of Xbox was brought up. In terms of making back its investment, Spencer said very clearly that releasing Bethesda games on platforms other than those that Microsoft has at its disposal right now won’t be needed. “But I’ll also say in the model—I’m just answering directly the question that you had—when I think about where people are going to be playing and the number of devices that we had, and we have xCloud and PC and Game Pass and our console base, I don’t have to go ship those games on any other platform other than the platforms that we support in order to kind of make the deal work for us,” Spencer said. Even though it has previously been said that Bethesda games might come to other platforms on a case by case basis, Spencer’s comments here makes it sound as though it might not be a common occurrence. Additionally, Spencer noted that the Bethesda acquisition in the first place was not one that was made to keep players from playing certain games from the publisher. “This deal was not done to take games away from another player base like that. Nowhere in the documentation that we put together was: ‘How do we keep other players from playing these games?’ We want more people to be able to play games, not fewer people to be able to go play games,” he explained. The notion of growing the larger video game market has been something that Spencer has talked a lot about over the years.

Sony has revealed further information on PS5 backwards compatibility via its PlayStation support website. According to the support page, an "overwhelming majority of the 4,000+ PS4 games are playable on PS5 consoles", and select PS4 games will benefit from the PS5 console's "Game Boost", which may make PS4 games run with a higher or smoother frame rate. Furthermore, Sony points out that some functionalities that were available on PS4 might not be available when playing on PS5, and some games may exhibit "unexpected behaviour" when played on PS5. Strangely, Sony also warns users to test their PS4 games on PS5 before buying any add-ons to ensure "you are happy with the play experience". Finally, the support page recommends that users always update the PS5 with the latest version of the system software. While Sony has stated the majority of PS4 games are playable on PS5, it's also provided a small list of games that are only playable on PS4 below: DWVR Afro Samurai 2 Revenge of Kuma Volume One TT Isle of Man - Ride on the Edge 2 Just Deal With It! Shadow Complex Remastered Robinson: The Journey We Sing Hitman Go: Definitive Edition Shadwen Joe's Diner Sony also revealed a snippet of new information on what players can expect in an interview with Game Informer. Sony's senior vice president of platform planning and management Hideaki Nishino stressed the importance of backwards compatibility, and reiterated Sony’s promise that “approximately 99 per cent of the thousands of PS4 titles, both catalogue and newly published, will be playable on PS5”. While Nishino continued to repeat Sony’s mantra of pushing the importance of PS5 first and foremost, he also revealed some new information about backwards compatibility that we didn’t know. "When you sign in to PS5 with your account, you will automatically see your library of played PS4 content through the menu,” said Nishino. “...we’re excited about supporting our PlayStation community as they transition from PS4 to PS5 when they’re ready." Sony has continued to keep its cards close to its chest with more generalized statements of how the PS5 will handle PS4 games. PS4 games will be playable using the DualShock 4 controller on PS5, and that 99% of games will work, but there are already issues regarding save files transferring to PS4 in games like Yakuza: Like A Dragon and Dirt 5. It also isn’t clear exactly how PS5's extra power will benefit PS4 games. Sony has suggested we’ll see better frame rates and load times via the PS5's Game Boost.

Sony is reportedly launching an overhauled PlayStation Store ahead of the PS5 launch. According to a Push Square report, Sony is getting ready to launch a new PlayStation Store experience that will be available on the web and on mobile. Though it is very slim on specifics, the report says Sony alerted developers that the new store will be going live later this month. The new store’s library will only include PS4 and PS5 games. PS3, PSP and PS Vita games will continue to have their own stores. The new experience also won’t bring forward PS4 themes, avatars and apps. This should not affect the content you already own on these platforms, including the aforementioned PS4 themes, which will all continue to be accessible natively through these devices. The ability to wishlist will return, but your existing wishlist will not transfer over to the new system. The change isn’t particularly surprising. The PlayStation Store has long lagged behind Microsoft’s offering in terms of curation, design, and features. It is also slower to load, and more cumbersome to navigate across the PS4 and the web. Hopefully, unshackling the interface from having to cater to legacy consoles will do wonders to the experience.

Sony is changing up the PlayStation Trophy system which will begin rolling out today. Changes to the PlayStation Trophy system are coming today, and one of the main takeaways is Sony will increase the Trophy level range from the current 1-100 to 1-999. Following the update, you will find your Trophy level will automatically be remapped to a new level based on what you have currently earned. An example offered was that if you are at Trophy level 12, your new level will jump to somewhere in the low 200s. The exact level will depend on the number and grades of trophies you’ve acquired. Another big takeaway is the new level calculation structure, which is more “optimized and rewarding.” Here you will find the ability to progress more quickly through the early levels. Levels will also increase more consistently while Platinum trophies will count more toward your level progression. New Trophy level icons have also been updated, and for PlayStation 5, as well as PlayStation App at a later date. Currently, the Trophies icon is just a single gold star, but Sony is adding a few variants: Bronze: Levels 1 to 299 Silver: Levels 300 to 599 Gold: Levels 600 to 998 Platinum: Level 999 The icons will also have a “subtle distinction” which will provide a visual idea of how close you are to the next level. Sony also clarified that all Trophies earned on previous PlayStation systems will come with you to PlayStation 5 as with other generational transitions.

This thread is for the general discussion of the PC Gaming Steam Game Festival: Autumn Edition. Please add to the discussion here.

This thread is for the general discussion of the Playstation News PS5 Teardown Video Shows Console's Internal Components. Please add to the discussion here.

A new Xbox Hall of Fame competition will commence in October, offering a chance to win a number of Xbox Series X consoles based on achieving a high Gamerscore or besting challenges. With its newly-introduced Hall of Fame, you could win an Xbox Series X, a year of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, an Xbox Hall of Fame hoodie, and a place for your name in that Xbox Hall of Fame and a physical trophy to go along with it, based on your Gamerscore, achievements, and Xbox Game Pass triumphs. There will be eight Hall of Fame winners in each participating country. To start with, there are three categories designed to celebrate your Xbox One history, all of which have a qualifying period running from November 22nd 2013 to October 19th 2020. First up is Achievement Conqueror. "You’ve unlocked hundreds, if not thousands of achievements, but you’re not at the finish line yet. You need to keep grinding – smashing through as many as you can – to ensure that you stand out from every player. Come out on top with the most achievements unlocked during the lifetime of Xbox One, and a place in the Xbox Hall of Fame is yours," reads the official description. Next is Game Pass Ruler. "You’ve explored Xbox Game Pass extensively over the years, but how many titles have you experienced in total? The player in each country who has played the most games to appear on the service will enter the Xbox Hall of Fame." The Xbox team points out that you don't need to have played the game specifically while it was on Xbox Game Pass: "if you played Halo 5 Guardians when it launched, for example, it is already counted towards your total!" Lastly, there's Gamerscore Legend. "Think you've earned more Gamerscore than anyone else this generation? Rack up more over the next few weeks to seal your Xbox Hall of Fame place... take everything you’ve achieved this generation and build on it by working through unplayed games and racking up as much Gamerscore as you can." There's also Xbox Trials, and its five categories offer "more chances" to win that coveted Hall of Fame spot. First up: from October 2nd to October 4th, if you're at rank 50 and a Pirate Legend, you can compete to earn the most Emissary Value in Athena's Fortune Emissary voyages. There's another Gamerscore-focused trial with Gamerscore Champion, running from October 1st to October 19th, and challenges you to earn as much Gamerscore as you can during that window. To be clear, any Gamerscore earned beforehand won't count: this is a challenge for how much you can earn during those 19 days, and it's only available to players with existing Gamertags. The Forza Horizon 4 trial, meanwhile, will challenge you to reach the fastest lap on the Hall of Fame Circuit while behind the wheel of the 2018 McLaren Senna. You'll have from September 22nd to October 11th to do this. From October 1st to October 19th, you can take part in the Achievement Defeater. Like Gamerscore Champion, this is only measuring the number of achievements you earn in that window, and the Xbox team advises you to go for "fast and simple unlocks" first. "Unlock as many as you can in the qualifying period, and you could go down in history." There's also a Zombie Slayer trial for State of Decay 2, which asks you to clear plague hearts in a new Standard Zone map as quickly as possible. You can't use multiplayer help either but will need to do this all on your lonesome. The elapsed time between the map start to the last plague heart kill will be measured, and you'll have from October 16th to October 18th to do it. To add to all this, you can also earn Microsoft Rewards points while fighting for your place in the Hall of Fame, via two Xbox Hall of Fame punch cards, between October 1st and October 19th. You can be richly rewarded for your Gamerscore triumphs, as the Xbox Hall of Fame Gamerscore punch card will earn you one Microsoft Reward point for every Gamerscore earned between October 1st and October 19th (with a maximum limit of 10,000.) Likewise, you can earn up to 500 Microsoft Reward points during the same window by earning achievements, with the Xbox Hall of Fame Achievement punch card. You won't be competing against every Xbox player in the world. Each participating country has its own Xbox Hall of Fame, so you'll be competing against players in your region. The eight winners for each country will be those players who came top in the three Lifetime Triumph challenges (Achievement Conqueror, Game Pass Ruler, and Gamerscore Legend), as well as those five Xbox Trials. Participating will also reward players, as ten from each country will win a year of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. Head here for more information and to register to take part.