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Here's exactly when you can play the new Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Zombies map, Paradox Junction

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7's latest Zombies map Paradox Junction is almost here. Here's when you can play and what you can get.

A promotional image for the new Black Ops 7 Zombies map, Paradox Junction

Paradox Junction is based on Nuketown, but not the Nuketown we know from Multiplayer.

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Ex-Microsoft gaming VP and Xbox 360 lead creator calls the infamous Red Ring of Death a "Tylenol moment" — what does that mean? Here's what he said

In a new interview, former Xbox VP Peter Moore has reflected on the Xbox 360's notorious "Red Ring of Death" and how Microsoft ended up dealing with it.

The Xbox 360's infamous Red Ring of Death.

An official Red Ring of Death poster Microsoft sold in reference to the infamous console-bricking Xbox 360 hardware issue.

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Former Xbox VP talks building Microsoft's brand, distancing it from Windows, and "throwing punches" for Bill Gates — "this is how the console wars started"

Peter Moore, former Xbox VP and one of the visionaries responsible for the Xbox 360 and the brand as a whole, has discussed his time at Microsoft.

Photograph of Peter Moore, Microsoft's former entertainment VP that oversaw the creation of the Xbox 360.

Photograph of Peter Moore, Microsoft's former entertainment and gaming VP that oversaw the creation of the Xbox 360.

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"It's hard to make sense of such a huge number" — Valve delivered 100 exabytes of data through Steam in 2025, and it's not showing any signs of slowing down

Valve's Year in Review breakdown for Steam shows off some mind-boggling numbers to do with data delivery. Can any other PC gaming platform ever hope to be as popular?

BELLEVUE, UNITED STATES - FEBRUARY 26: Portrait of American video game developer Gabe Newell, photographed at Valve Corporations offices in Bellevue, Washington, on February 26, 2020. (Photo by Olly Curtis/Future Publishing via Getty Images)

Valve founder and CEO Gabe Newell sitting down at Valve's Washington headquarters.

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Fans helped save Cyberpunk 2077 — now the fully‑fixed version joins Xbox Game Pass Premium

Cyberpunk 2077 has arrived on Xbox Game Pass Premium and Ultimate nearly six years after its troubled launch. CD Projekt Red’s sci-fi RPG is now widely regarded as one of the best in the genre, giving new players the chance to experience Night City in a far more polished state.

V, Cyberpunk 2077's protagonist, customized to look like David Martinez from the Cyberpunk: Edgerunners anime set in the same universe.

Cyberpunk 2077

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'Starsand Island' hits early access on Xbox Game Pass: This Ghibli-esque life sim has evolved into a truly special cozy adventure that just keeps getting better

Starsand Island is finally out in Game Preview on Xbox and PC Game Pass, and it has had quite the glow-up since we last saw it.

A screenshot of a cutscene from Starsand Island featuring the player character and an NPC pulling an arrow back with a bow.

A screenshot of a cutscene from Starsand Island featuring the player character and an NPC pulling an arrow back with a bow.

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Bungie's Marathon won't copy Destiny 2 and its terrible content vaulting, so we can all breathe a sigh of relief — "it doesn't matter when you join"

Content vaulting is widely hated in Destiny 2, so with Marathon, Bungie wants to make sure its content is "evergreen" and won't go away in the future.

An official screenshot of a squad in Marathon.

Compared to Destiny, Marathon is a much tighter and more focused game, which hopefully means we'll never see content vaulting come to it.

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Oh snap, Marathon dev Bungie isn't playing around, threatens takedowns against datamining leaks — "our goal is first and foremost to preserve the experience"

Bungie, the developer of Marathon, has warned players it will issue takedowns to anyone who datamines and leaks upcoming content for the game.

An official screenshot taken from Marathon's launch cinematic.

Bungie is taking datamine leaks in Marathon very, <em>very </em>seriously.

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Xbox fans have strong opinions about backward compatibility, so we asked them why it still matters in 2026

Xbox fans across Windows Central communities shared the classic original Xbox and Xbox 360 games they want revived through backward compatibility, alongside wider discussions around preservation and revisiting older favorites.

Windows Central and Xbox logos on a green background

OG Xbox and Xbox 360 logos

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Battlefield 6 devs laid off as the best-selling shooter's player count continues to slump — EA says the cuts are a "realignment," and good for the game

Battlefield 6 was 2025's best-selling game, but it's still facing layoffs as EA attempts to "better align our teams around what matters most."

Battlefield 6 gameplay screenshot showing infantry and vehicles, including a tank and helicopter.

Battlefield 6's combined arms warfare shines best on large, spacious maps — but much to the community's disappointment, only a few exist in the game.

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Minecraft Dungeons sequel may be brewing under the codename “Project Spicewood”

A new leak claims Mojang is developing a sequel to Minecraft Dungeons under the codename "Project Spicewood". The report suggests the project has been in development for at least two years and could target a Q2 2026 release window. Mojang has not confirmed the project, so the information should be treated cautiously.

Minecraft Dungeons

Minecraft Dungeons

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Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is one of Capcom's best JRPGs in years on Xbox, but certain omissions may disappoint long-time fans

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is my most anticipated game of 2026, and after completing it, it exceeded my expectations with possibly the best story and character writing in the series and addictive monster-taming gameplay. Though it's not without some issues that will strike controversy amongst hardcore Monster Hunter fans.

Edited screenshot of the player character meeting Ratha in Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection

In the fires of war, a new Kinship is born.

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Move over “This is an Xbox” — “Build for what’s next” tells fans the “future of Xbox starts now” at GDC

Xbox is showcasing new slogans at its GDC booth including “Build for what’s next” and “The future of Xbox starts now,” hinting at the company’s messaging for the next era of Xbox.

Recreation of build what's next for Xbox slogan

Recreation of build what's next for Xbox slogan

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Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella calls gaming a core part of the company and says it is “long on gaming” in new discussion with Xbox leadership

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella joined Xbox CEO Asha Sharma for an internal Q&A with staff, describing gaming as one of Microsoft’s core identities and reaffirming the company’s long term commitment to the industry.

Image of Satya Nadella

Image of Satya Nadella

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Xbox CEO Asha Sharma hosted Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella in an internal Q&A, amplifying that Microsoft will "always" invest in gaming. "We're long on gaming. We'll continue to invest, and we'll always do so."

At a big internal Q&A session, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma hosted Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, discussing the "long" vision for Xbox's future.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella with Xbox CEO Asha Sharma

Rocking an Xbox hoodie, Satya Nadella revealed that he's "long" on gaming.

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3 remarkable PC concepts and pioneers that still influence today's hardware — including Lenovo's wacky new Legion Go Fold gaming handheld

Lenovo's unique new Legion Go Fold concept gaming handheld, revealed earlier this week, led me down a rabbit hole of concepts and pioneers in the PC and PC gaming space that directly influenced the device.

Lenovo's Legion Go Fold edited to show concept devices on its screen

Lenovo's Legion Go Fold, pictured here being held in one hand, with some concept devices on its display.

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My gaming PC has suffered enough — I'm locking down updates until NVIDIA's drivers and Microsoft's Windows releases gain back my trust

The combination of NVIDIA's faulty drivers and Microsoft's buggy Windows releases for my gaming PC is driving me nuts, and trust has eroded to the point that I'm stopping automatic updates. Are you with me?

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080

A look at a GeForce RTX Founders Edition GPU inside a PC case.

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