Bring home unmissable holiday action with the Xbox Series X|S

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Microsoft has some incredible games to play this holiday season and they’re best played on the Xbox Series X|S.

The holidays are coming, and it’s almost always the best time of year to catch up on backlogs. With a huge slate of games released for the Xbox this year, there’s also the bounty of games on Game Pass as well.

Whether you’re exploring the reaches of space in Starfield, besting your lap times in Forza Motorsport, or discovering what’s new with Kiryu in Like a Dragon Gaiden, the Xbox is absolutely the system to be playing on.

Where better to play the latest releases and massive library of games than the Xbox Series X|S?

Xbox Series X brings the power for some holiday gaming

The Xbox Series X is the most powerful Xbox to date. With its specs and enormous library of games, there’s no holding back on the Series X.

For those who want to immediately jump into a game, the Xbox Series X Diablo IV bundle brings a different side of the holidays to your screens.

Diablo IV is the ideal holiday game, with its vast and sprawling world filled with dungeons to loot and the forces of Hell to take down. You can play it solo, or get a friend involved for some festive monster mashing.

Want something a little faster? The Forza Horizon 5 bundle is also available. Forza Horizon 5 is stupendous and remains installed on the Xbox at all times. Ever wanted to race a plane in a sports car? That’s just one of the things that the Xbox Series X Forza Horizon 5 bundle can bring to your TV.

The Xbox Series X brings with it an incredible specification, able to play your games in true 4K. We’ve been playing Alan Wake 2 recently, and the game is spectacular with excellent HDR and DirectX ray tracing.

Smart Delivery also makes getting the correct version of the game for your console. The jump in generations has caused a small divide between some cross-generation games. Any game with the “Optimised for Xbox Series X|S” tag will automatically download the best version of the game for your system.

Xbox has backed up the hardware with 12 TFLOPs of power to showcase the fantastic visuals and performance of  Xbox’s massive library of games. It can push up to 120FPS, making games exceptionally smooth.

The custom SSD makes itself known in games like Alan Wake 2, which can switch between the real world and what the game calls a “Mind Place”.

Loading times are almost a thing of the past, with Quick Resume able to pick up your adventures mid-game with no reloading. No one wants to be caught out during a replay of Gears of War during an Insane difficulty playthrough if they’re dashing out.

Shutting down your console doesn’t lose your place, and you can pick up during that particularly difficult segment next time you boot up the Xbox.

The custom SSD also helps out with the Velocity Architecture. Xbox Velocity Architecture pushes gaming by streamlining how it brings assets into your game. This assists with loading times and performance in your games, pushing the envelope even further.

Media can also be played up to 8K HDR, making the Xbox Series X an excellent choice for a device to watch the latest movies on.

Audio is vital to every facet of entertainment that the Xbox Series X brings to the table. As we’ve found out over the last few months, Dolby Atmos audio – with a headset like the Xbox Wireless Headset or Xbox Stereo Headset – is absolutely glorious. It creates an impeccable immersive experience, with games entering a new dimension when you activate it.

You won’t find anything better than hearing the crowd in EA Sport FC 24 with crisp audio, as you best your online opponent. In games like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, you’ll find all of these features assisting you in multiplayer, with better awareness of your surroundings.

The Xbox Series X starts from £479.99.

Xbox has never been easier to get into with the Xbox Series S – Starter Bundle

The enjoyment doesn’t just stop at the Xbox Series X. Microsoft’s small gaming powerhouse, the Xbox Series S is not to be underestimated. It’s one of our favourite consoles ever, with it becoming a gaming jukebox with Game Pass.

You’ll get three months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate with it. Game Pass Ultimate is an incredible deal on its own, and getting three free months is a boon to all players jumping into the Xbox ecosystem for the first time.

Game Pass not only gives you access to a treasure trove of games from all over the industry but also day-one access to new games. Games like Forza Motorsport are immediately available for you to download and play as soon as they launch.

The growing Xbox family of studios also brings some powerful names to Game Pass. Bethesda’s entire library as well as the recently released Starfield, the legendary id Software’s DOOM series, and more, like Rare’s classic selection of jumping animals in Rare Replay.

Some of our favourite games on Game Pass outside of the Xbox first-party circle include the excellent RPG Persona 4 Golden, the nail-biting action of Lies of P, and the classic space-faring adventures remastered in Mass Effect: Legendary Edition.

The Xbox Series S brings a powerful set of specs with it, including that same up to 120FPS performance and HDR for your games. You’ll also find the Velocity Architecture, Dolby Atmos and Vision also included, enhancing your gaming experience under the hood.

With so many games to offer, you’ll certainly be jumping in and out of a few. Those that do support Quick Resume will instantly load up from where you left off, while the faster loading times will get you into your games much faster.

The Xbox Series S – Starter Bundle is the perfect way to get into gaming with Xbox, as the all-digital system comes with the key to the city with three free months of Game Pass Ultimate. Download to your heart’s content with fast Wi-Fi and storage, and Smart Delivery will ensure you get the best game for your fresh Xbox Series S.

Xbox Series S starts from £249.99.

Don’t forget your extra Xbox controllers – take player two with you this holiday

There’s a vast landscape of games from Game Pass, and thousands more on the Xbox store. At some point, you’re going to need that extra help with a tricky dungeon in Diablo IV, or want to see if you can really beat that sibling in a race.

Whether it’s cooperative or player versus player, grabbing a second controller is never a bad idea.

There’s a tonne of colours and styles to choose from, so you can make it your own.

Want to level up your game? The Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 is one of the best controllers ever made, featuring an incredibly sturdy build and customisation to play how you want.