XBOX Celebrates 25th Anniversary With FanFest Events and New Rewards

XBOX is celebrating 25 years since the gaming brand launched with new profile designs, Game Pass collections, FanFest events, digital badges, and community activities.

The official anniversary takes place on November 15, 2026, exactly 25 years after Microsoft released the original XBOX console. More announcements and anniversary experiences will arrive throughout the remainder of the year.

XBOX releases community-created anniversary designs

XBOX partnered with community creators Klobrille and Ben Kenobi to develop a collection of 25th anniversary designs.

Players can now access new XBOX gamerpics, console backgrounds, a dynamic anniversary theme, and designs for the XBOX app on PC.

The company is also inviting players and artists to publish their own anniversary creations using the #Xbox25 hashtag and tagging @Xbox on social platforms.

These designs allow players to update their consoles and profiles before the main anniversary celebrations begin in November.

Players can claim a 25th Anniversary profile badge

XBOX account holders can receive a special 25th Anniversary badge simply by signing in to their account.

The badge is available through XBOX consoles, the XBOX app on PC, and the XBOX mobile app.

After claiming it, players can display the badge directly on their XBOX profile. Microsoft will keep the badge available until the end of 2026, giving users more than a year to add it to their accounts.

No purchase or Game Pass subscription is required to receive the anniversary badge.

Game Pass collections cover every XBOX generation

Microsoft is also introducing curated XBOX Game Pass collections featuring titles from each generation of XBOX hardware.

The collections span games from the original XBOX all the way through XBOX 360, XBOX One, and XBOX Series X|S.

Featured titles include Fable Anniversary, Halo: The Master Chief Collection, Fallout 4, and Psychonauts 2.

The available games may differ between XBOX consoles and PC because not every title supports both platforms. Subscribers should check the individual Game Pass collections to confirm which games they can install.

XBOX FanFest tour will visit seven cities

XBOX will take its anniversary celebrations to several countries through a new FanFest tour.

The confirmed schedule includes:

City	Date	Related event
Cologne, Germany	August 26	Gamescom
Tokyo, Japan	September 17	Tokyo Game Show
London, United Kingdom	September 26	Standalone FanFest event
Mexico City, Mexico	October 17	Standalone FanFest event
Sydney, Australia	October 17	Standalone FanFest event
Toronto, Canada	November 6	Standalone FanFest event
Seattle, United States	To be announced	Details coming later

The Cologne and Tokyo events will coincide with two of the gaming industry’s largest annual exhibitions.

Mexico City and Sydney will host their events on the same date, while the Toronto gathering will take place shortly before the official November 15 anniversary.

How to get XBOX FanFest tickets

XBOX will distribute FanFest tickets through separate sweepstakes for each participating city.

Fans must enter through the official XBOX FanFest website when registration opens for their chosen location. Entry periods, eligibility requirements, and ticket quantities may differ by city.

Microsoft plans to release more information as each event approaches. Seattle remains the only announced location without a confirmed date.

More XBOX anniversary announcements are coming

XBOX says it will reveal additional products, experiences, activities, and news throughout 2026.

Future announcements will appear on the company’s XBOX 25th Anniversary hub, which will serve as the main destination for updates connected to the celebration.

The anniversary campaign comes as Microsoft continues pushing the XBOX platform beyond traditional console boundaries. A recently leaked XBOX roadmap suggested that a disc-to-digital feature could arrive in August, with additional plans reportedly focusing on bringing more XBOX 360 titles into the modern ecosystem.

At the same time, Microsoft has been expanding its portable gaming support by adding handheld compatibility for 34 more games. Of those, 20 are fully optimized for handheld play, while 14 are marked as compatible.