Prepare to bend the elements and battle like never before! From December 17 to December 30, Overwatch 2 is teaming up with Avatar: The Last Airbender in a legendary crossover event that promises to thrill both Overwatch fans and Avatar enthusiasts alike. This limited-time collaboration merges the iconic world of the Four Nations with your favorite Overwatch heroes, creating a lineup of elemental cosmetics and challenges that celebrate unity, resilience, and the unstoppable power of teamwork.   

Overwatch 2 players will have the chance to channel the essence of Water, Earth, Fire, and Air through stunning character skins inspired by the unforgettable heroes of Avatar. Get ready to fight alongside your team just like Team Avatar, as these skins perfectly capture the spirit of bending.  

Here’s the roster and what they bring to the battlefront:

Zenyatta as Aang: The spiritual harmony of the Air Nomads comes alive through Zenyatta, who now embodies Aang, the Avatar himself. With his serene strength and ultimate goal of peace, Zenyatta as Aang is your ultimate ally in bringing balance to every fight.  

Mei as Katara: The wisdom and fluidity of the Water Tribe are reflected in Mei’s Katara skin. Unlock this cosmetic by completing special in-game challenges. Whether freezing enemies in their tracks or leading your team to victory, Mei as Katara will always fight with the waterbender’s calm determination.  

Genji as Zuko: Harness the unrelenting fire of the Fire Nation with Genji as Zuko. This fierce skin captures Zuko’s resilience and undeniable skill. Genji’s speed and deadly precision paired with Zuko’s fiery spirit make this a must-have for your collection.  

Orisa as Appa: Appa fans, rejoice! Orisa brings the loyal guardian of Team Avatar to life in the most lovable way possible. With her hulking presence and steadfast armor, she’s the ultimate protector your team can count on. Don’t forget to shout “yip yip!” as you carry your teammates to victory.  

Kiriko as Suki: Honoring the unyielding leadership and strength of the Kyoshi Warriors, Kiriko’s Suki skin is all about loyalty, skill, and teamwork. Lead your team with confidence, just as Suki would.  

Venture as Toph: Become an unshakable force of nature with Venture sporting Toph’s earthbending persona. This cosmetic highlights Toph’s raw strength and unflinching determination, showing enemies that you mean business (especially if they don’t see it coming).  

The Overwatch 2 art team had a blast while creating these skins. “As big fans, it was tough to choose which characters to create skins for,” says art director Dion Rogers. “But we immediately knew Orisa would be Appa, Aang’s sky bison. This skin helped us blend Overwatch’s futuristic elements with Avatar’s mystical/eastern designs. Though we joked about temporarily increasing her size, we kept her in-game scale unchanged.”

He goes on to the difficulty is choosing a hero perfect for one of Avatar’s most famous characters: “For Aang, we considered a few other heroes, including Illari due to her ultimate resembling the “Avatar State,” but ultimately chose Zenyatta as Aang, fitting well with his Transcendence ability.”  

The Overwatch 2 x Avatar collaboration is packed with goodies, from special unlockable rewards to one-of-a-kind cosmetics. This is your opportunity to embody the Avatar universe while dominating the Overwatch battlefields.  

• Unlock and Earn skins, such as Mei as Katara by completing exclusive challenges in-game.  
• Collect Elemental-Themed Cosmetics, capturing the magic of iconic moments and characters from Avatar.  
• Battle Like the Gaang, bringing harmony and strength to every match. 

Each game is an opportunity to channel your inner bender, master the elements, and prove to your enemies why teamwork matters.  

Mark your calendars! This crossover event will only be available from December 17 to December 30 in Overwatch 2. Whether you’re an avid Avatar fan or simply love collecting skins, this is your chance to celebrate two legendary universes coming together.  

Are you ready to summon the power of Water, Earth, Fire, and Air? Assemble your team and Fight like Team Avatar and protect the Overwatch world with elemental strength and precision. It’s your time to bend the elements and claim victory!

Overwatch® 2

Blizzard Entertainment

☆☆☆☆☆
2029

★★★★★

Get it now

Xbox One X Enhanced

Xbox Game Pass

Overwatch 2 is an always-on and ever-evolving free-to-play, team-based action game set in an optimistic future, where every match is the ultimate 5v5 battlefield brawl featuring new heroes and maps, different ways to play, and unique cosmetics! Lead the charge, ambush your enemies, or aid your allies as one of Overwatch’s 40 distinct heroes. Team up with friends, take them into battle across 25+ futuristic maps inspired by real-world locations, and master multiple unique game modes.

Overwatch 2 – Season 14: Hazard

Get ready for an explosive season as we introduce Hazard, the new Scottish tank hero, embodying the spirit of anarchy for the greater good. Then test your skills with a unique blend of past and present in the 6v6 Role Queue event, where teamwork and synergy shine within the 2-2-2 setup. Master the elements with an Overwatch 2 x Avatar: The Last Airbender collab event, celebrating unity, resilience, and the power within. Plus, prepare to wield the hammer of Gods as Mythic Thor Reinhardt and earn up to five Legendary skins with the Premium Battle Pass. Packed with nostalgia, customization, and radical gameplay, Season 14 has everything you need to dominate in style!

The Overwatch League Token will no longer be purchasable after December 9, 2024. The OWL shop will remain open until at least December 2025, with limited inventory purchasable with players’ remaining OWL token balances.

Get ready to step onto the field and experience a football universe unlike any before with the launch of Maximum Football today into Xbox Game Preview! Available for free, Maximum Football delivers a thrilling college football simulation experience where you can enjoy fast-paced gameplay with 130 teams.

You can customize these teams or create your own with Maximum Football’s robust customization mechanic, which allows you to alter every detail of your team, from logos and uniforms to player attributes. Build and upgrade your dream roster to then step into the stadium, whether you’re playing online or in singleplayer mode, and carve out your legacy. 

Maximum Football offers the thrill of the gridiron in a variety of modes, including:

• Dynasty Mode – A college football mode where you take the reins as head coach, building and sustaining championship teams by drafting, recruiting, and managing both team and stadium personnel year after year.

• Quick Play Exhibition – Jump straight into the action with a quick match against Maximum Football’s battle tested AI.

• Maximum Pro League – Maximum Football’s competitive mode, where you can play against others online in ranked matches. Gather player cards and build a superstar roster.

To help you gain a competitive edge over your opponents, here are three tips to dominate in Maximum Football.

Tip 1 – Upgrade Facilities to Improve Recruiting in Dynasty Mode

Recruiting is the lifeblood of college football, and in Maximum Football’s Dynasty Mode, you will have a myriad of tools at your disposal to try and land the nation’s top recruits to make a highly rated team.

One of the hidden ways to improve your recruiting chances lies in a unique feature of Maximum Football’s Dynasty Mode. In Dynasty Mode, you act as both your school’s athletic director and coach. This means that you have control over ticket and merch prices, stadium updates, and most importantly the construction of your program’s facilities.

Facilities are an important factor in building a powerhouse program because they give you a couple of advantages.

• One – facility upgrades lower the cost of XP needed to improve player ratings, allowing you to upgrade players faster.

• Two – upgrading your facilities makes your program more attractive to prospects.

For example, if you upgrade your blocking and receiving facilities, tight ends will have more interest in attending your school. So, you’ll want to focus your early budget on upgrading the facilities that are most important to your play style. You can make the next Tight End U or have a school known for pumping out high caliber receivers.

Tip 2 – Match Your Defense to the Offense’s Personnel

Regardless of the defensive playbook you are using, you will have a variety of personnel packages available to choose from. In the right-hand corner of the play calling menu you can see how many wide receivers, running backs, and tight ends the opposing team has on the field. Use this information to match personnel.

The most important piece of information is the number of wide receivers because you will generally want to call a play from a formation with the same number of cornerbacks. Here’s the breakdown.

●     2 WRs: 4-3 or 3-4 defense (depending on your playbook)

●     3 WRs: Nickel

●     4 or 5 WRs: Dime or Quarters

This isn’t a hard and fast rule, as you will want to keep the game situation in mind. For obvious running downs, you might want to have less corners on the field regardless of the other team’s play call.

Tip 3 – Merge Unwanted Cards to Upgrade Your Team in Maximum Pro League

In Maximum Pro League you start with a base team where each card has a card level from 1 to 10 and a rarity level from Common to Legendary. The higher both are, the higher your player’s overall rating will be. As you play, you will earn more cards that can be used to upgrade your team with better players.

But if you truly want to compete for a place at the top of the global leaderboard, you will need to merge unwanted cards to maximum your player stats. Merging unwanted cards allows you to create XP that you can then redistribute to other cards to raise their stats. For instance, merging two cards will give you XP that you can then use to level up your receiver’s catching ability. Each bump to the card level grants a boost to the card’s primary, secondary, and tertiary abilities.

Merging higher level and higher rarity cards or cards of the same position as the card you are upgrading will grant bonus XP, so manage your collection wisely. Once a card reaches level 10, it will be the highest overall that it can be and will also grant a second personality trait (seen on the top right of the card). These personality traits are used to create synergies in your starting lineup that give you even more of a competitive advantage!

With these tips you can dominate the gridiron! So, play Maximum Football today for free in Xbox Game Preview.

Maximum Football (Game Preview)

Maximum Entertainment

☆☆☆☆☆
2

★★★★★

Get it now

This game is a work in progress. It may or may not change over time or release as a final product. Purchase only if you are comfortable with the current state of the unfinished game.

Lead your team to victory in Maximum Football, the fully customizable, free-to-play football simulation game. As head coach, make all the key decisions—from designing your team’s look, to recruiting your roster, and calling the plays on the field. With precise, realistic gameplay, you’ll feel the thrill of the gridiron like never before.

Customize every detail of your team, from logos and uniforms to player attributes. Build your dream roster and step into the stadium, whether you’re playing locally or online, to carve out your legacy. With smooth, responsive controls, every play is executed exactly as you plan it.

Maximum Football launches into Xbox Game Preview with College Dynasty mode and will continue to grow with regular updates, including Pro Franchise mode, new rule sets, features, and additional customizations, all shaped by community feedback.

KEY FEATURES:

FOOTBALL GAMEPLAY HOW IT SHOULD BE
With stunning graphics, realistic gameplay, and physics-based tackling powered by Unreal Engine 5, experience the intensity of every play and the energy of the crowd as you take control of the field.

COLLEGE DYNASTY MODE
Take the reins as head coach, building and sustaining championship teams by drafting, recruiting, and managing both team and stadium personnel year after year.

ENDLESS CUSTOMIZATION
Build your football team your way! Personalize logos, jerseys, and helmets, and share your creations with the community to showcase your unique style.

ONLINE MULTIPLAYER
Challenge friends and rivals in head-to-head online matches (Local Multiplayer Coming Soon).

ONGOING CONTENT
Maximum Football is an evolving football universe, with ongoing content updates based on player feedback. Expect new features, rule sets, modes, and customizations regularly to keep the experience fresh and exciting.

Full details on the latest status of the game, how you can give feedback and report issues can be found at www.maxfootballgame.com.

Hello Xbox community! Today is a big day for Total War: Warhammer III as we release our latest – and very heavy metal-sounding – content pack, Omens of Destruction, right in time for the holiday season.

With a DLC name that strikes fear into the hearts of mere mortals, it welcomes four new infamous Legendary Lords into our ever-growing pantheon of playable characters from the Warhammer world, each with brand-new gameplay features, battle units and objectives.

The Lords in Omens of Destruction are Skulltaker, Gorbad Ironclaw and Golgfag Maneater – and we’reoffering another Legendary Lord, Arbaal the Undefeated for free, for all players. The introduction of these new Legendary Lords also brings our total number of playable characters up to an incredible 100, meaning there’s a huge variety of ways in which you can conquer our vast strategic fantasy world.

To celebrate this milestone, I wanted to talk through the process of picking a Legendary Lord to convert from the tabletop game, and some of my favorite stories from our time creating them.

How We Choose a Legendary Lord

Legendary Lords are the primary commanders of your armies in game, each of which hails from one of Warhammer’s uniquely weird, wild and wonderful array of races. These range from humans, elves and dwarves to daemons, ratmen and even vampire pirates – therefore, it’s essential that who we choose to include in game aligns with the established lore. There’s no shortage of potential characters and Lords to include in a DLC, given the library of lore that has been maintained by Games Workshop since the 1980s, but we always try to ensure that whatever we offer is bringing something fresh to the table and is actively complimenting the game.

Throughout our journey on the Total War: Warhammer series, which has lasted an astonishing eight years, the guiding tome of knowledge for what we include has generally been Warhammer 8^th Edition, as this is the most recent compendium for the world in terms of rules, lore, and army compositions for the tabletop game. However, with each new game and DLC, we get another step closer to bringing the army books fully to life, meaning we’ve had to delve into all sorts of intriguing supplementary sources such as the Monstrous Arcanum, Tamurkhan campaign book, and even excerpts from the eternal pages of White Dwarf magazine.

Having these sources of inspiration has been invaluable for us game developers, and the characters we’ve included really highlight the diverse tapestry of storytelling within Warhammer.

My Favorite Creations

Choosing a single favorite Legendary Lord is like choosing a favorite child – impossible. Throughout the series we’ve made a real conscious effort to ensure that we’re not only providing Legendary Lords as part of DLC, but frequently designing some to be given away for free if you own the game.

As part of our Prophet and the Warlock DLC we introduced the mad scientist of Warhammer creations, Ikit Claw as a new Skaven Legendary Lord. As a game developer it’s always invigorating when you get to work on something that pushes the boundaries of your design direction, and he embodies that like few others. The greatest of all Warlock engineers, his gameplay is all about building hellish weapons of war like a cartoon villain and watching the campaign map go boom!

In terms of free content, Repanse de Lyonesse is one of those special characters. As a big fan of history, she really encapsulates that Jean of Arc mold of a fearless female warrior on horseback who goes crusading on behalf of her kingdom, amassing huge armies of knights and trebuchets to conquer the inhospitable deserts of the Southlands. She offers great roleplaying potential for those looking to blur the lines between a historic and fantasy experience.

Fans of the series will also know that I’m a huge Lizardman fan, which began all the way back when I was introduced to the tabletop game. Therefore, I’ve got to include Tictaq’to in this royal rumble. He was our first Lizardman to be given away for free and he rides into battle atop a flying mount in the form of a Terradon, ruthlessly dropping death from above on his foes. He’s effectively a deadly dinosaur riding another deadly dinosaur into battle – what’s not to love?

Our Most Challenging Creations

Over the years we’ve been lucky to have built up a fantastic relationship with Games Workshop and nowhere is that more evident than when they collaborated with us to create a brand-new character, Cylostra Direfin, to take the role of a Legendary Lord. Creating an undead sea-witch (who happens to captain a ghost galleon that marauds around the campaign map causing untold skullduggery) was an exciting opportunity, but also one that came with a pirate’s trove of challenges that we were experiencing for the first time. One of the biggest of these challenges was just making sure she felt like a natural fit alongside all of the established lore, as this was something we knew our fans would be particularly keen to ensure we got right.

Beyond individual characters, entire races within the Warhammer world can pose their own unique challenges too. A perfect example of this is the fabled Wood Elves, an elite Elven army that strives to protect nature, and in particular the great Woodland of Athel Loren. The problem? They’re isolationists, which on paper doesn’t exactly gel particularly well with a strategy game in which we encourage you to conquer the world. The solution was building a campaign that still revolved around their protectionist nature, but provided unique ways in which they could traverse the world to enact destruction upon all those who threaten to disturb their habitats.

Play Omens of Destruction Now

If you’re interested in embarking on campaigns of hero-slaying, mercenary conflict, and brutal battle tactics, Omens of Destruction is available now on the Microsoft Store. Alternatively, if you just want to jump into the fray for free, Arbaal the Undefeated is also available to play for all owners of Total War: Warhammer III. Happy Holidays!

Total War: Warhammer III

SEGA

☆☆☆☆☆
20

★★★★★

Get it now

Total War: WARHAMMER III – Immortal Empires is now available to all owners of Total War: WARHAMMER III.

Any content purchased across the Total War: WARHAMMER franchise is now available to use in Immortal Empires without the required ownership of Total War: WARHAMMER & Total War: WARHAMMER II. For more information, please visit our FAQ on the Total War Blog.

IMMORTAL EMPIRES IS OUT NOW.

Immortal Empires is the culmination of the entire Total War: WARHAMMER series. Combining the campaign maps, races, and factions from all three games* into a single, epic sandbox campaign. It’s the most complete and definitive Warhammer strategy experience ever conceived!

*Owners of Total War WARHAMMER III must own Total War: WARHAMMER and Total War: WARHAMMER II to start their own Immortal Empires Campaign. However, players who only own WARHAMMER III may join Immortal Empires multiplayer campaigns launched by an owner of all three games.

THE WORLD TEETERS ON THE BRINK OF CHAOS

The last roar of a dying god ruptures the boundary between worlds, opening a portal to the Realm of Chaos. From this maelstrom, the four Ruinous Powers – Khorne, Nurgle, Tzeentch and Slaanesh – emerge, spreading darkness and despair. The stern warriors of Kislev and the vast empire of Grand Cathay stand at the threshold, as a vengeful Daemon Prince vows to destroy those who corrupted him. The coming conflict will engulf all. Will you conquer your daemons? Or command them?

RAISE A MIGHTY ARMY
With seven unique races and hundreds of units under your command, raise an army and dominate in epic real-time battles across a world of breathtaking scale and spectacle.

BUILD AN EMPIRE
In the most ambitious and groundbreaking Total War title to date, dive into a captivating narrative that will take you to the mind-bending Realm of Chaos and back again. Forge your empire in a strategy sandbox that ensures no two campaigns are ever the same.

CHOOSE YOUR HERO
Play as 10 Legendary Lords! Will you side with the Chaos Gods and take one of their Daemonic Champions, play as an ancient transforming Dragon from Grand Cathay, defend the frozen nation of Kislev with the Ice Queen or play the ultimate villain as the Daemon Prince?

UNLEASH YOUR INNER DAEMON
Customise the Daemon Prince to your own unique design with a huge suite of body parts and powers, creating billions of potential combinations to suit your own playstyle.

MULTIPLAYER CHAOS
Multiplayer is now bigger than ever. With the vast 8-player Realm of Chaos multiplayer campaign, the intense 1 v 1 Domination mode, the story-driven multiplayer campaigns built around Kislev and Grand Cathay and ranked & custom battles, there’s no shortage of ways to cause chaos with friends.

Hello Adventurers! Today marks a huge milestone for our small studio, IronOak Games. We are ecstatic to let the Xbox community know that you will be able to play For the King II via Xbox Game Pass on December 12!

We expect there to be hardened veterans of For the King reading this, but new recruits are joining the ranks of the Resistance, so gather round and let us tell you more about what awaits you…

For The King II is the sequel to the massively popular For The King. Building on the successes of its predecessor, For The King II follows suit by bringing innovation and exciting gameplay to a much-loved RPG that blends the borders of rogue-lite elements and tabletop gameplay. There’s multiplayer, grid-based combat, fantastical adventure, and it’s flooded with opportunities for terrible party decisions. What more could you want? We have already been out for a year on Steam, which means Xbox users will receive the best version of the game, including the new infinite dungeon mode, skins, items, and plenty more!

So, what is threatening Fahrul, you ask? The once beloved Queen Rosomon has turned against her subjects, gained immeasurable power, and partnered with nefarious forces both old and new. Gather your party in four player co-op, or adventure alone through Fahrul as you risk everything to fight the tyrannical queen and bring an end to her oppressive reign.

Entering Fahrul For The First Time?

Each biome has a Sanctum and a Stone Hero. Make sure to find each of them before moving into a new area. Sanctums give great buffs and a revive, while Stone Heroes are crucial to help level up quickly.

The Biggest Changes Between For The King and For The King II

The most obvious change is that we’ve expanded the party size. For The King II allows up to four players so you can have a bigger party, or you can play in a group of two and no one is the odd person out now that each can control two characters. Another really big change is combat. Combat now takes place on a grid, rather than a single line. We’ve added a ton of new mechanics that allow for AOE spells, movement across tiles, tile buffs and debuffs, row attacks. There are a lot of ways to take on the baddies of Fahrul.

Perfect Party Composition

I like to head out into Fahrul with the Hunter, Herbalist, Busker, and Blacksmith. This gives me a blend of magical and physical damage while getting a good range of flexibility across most stats. After unlocking more characters I do like to run with the Alchemist equipped with the Nimble trait.

What Makes For The King II Replayable?

Two areas really stick out for me with how replayable and addictive FTKII is. Multiplayer being one, it’s a great game to hop in and out of with different friend groups, and different playstyles; two, there are so many ways to approach each chapter, or the Dark Carnival that no two runs are ever the same.

Thank you for being part of our next chapter, and we hope you enjoy For The King II!