
The Xbox team announced new dates for its global FanFest tour today, along with other surprises to celebrate Xbox’s upcoming 25th anniversary in November. There are new fan-made Xbox backgrounds and gamerpics, a new Xbox 25th-anniversary badge to display on gamer profiles, and new Xbox Game Pass collections to browse on consoles.
Following a first FanFest event on June 7 during the annual Xbox Games Showcase in Los Angeles, the Xbox FanFest tour will make its next stop in Cologne, Germany, during Gamescom. You can visit the FanFest page on the Xbox website to enter sweepstakes to win tickets for the next fan event on August 26.
The FanFest tour will hit the following cities throughout the end of 2026:
To celebrate 25 years of Xbox, the Xbox team also asked longtime Xbox fans Klobrille and Ben Kenobi to create unique dynamic backgrounds, themes for the Xbox app on PC, and gamerpics. “These designs reflect what Xbox has always been about, the connection between players, creators, and the games that bring us together,” the Xbox team said today.
Stoked to share with you what I’ve been working on with XBOX for the 25th Anniversary!
Inspired by XBOX 360 Blades Dashboard; a new XBOX Series X|S Dynamic Background, celebrating XBOX along with Halo, Gears of War, Forza, & Fable, is now available.https://t.co/2HjFTEj6hj pic.twitter.com/0elre8nmQk
— Klobrille (@klobrille) August 3, 2026
Starting today, Xbox fans can also unlock a new Xbox 25th Anniversary badge to display on their Xbox profile. The badge can be obtained by just signing in to your Xbox account on console, PC, or the Xbox mobile app, and it will be available through the end of 2026.
Lastly, Microsoft is launching new Xbox Game Pass collections today to highlight “memorable games from legendary franchises that defined each generation.” The list of curated games includes classics such as Halo: The Master Chief Collection, Fallout 4, Psychonauts 2, Fable: Anniversary, and more.
“We will continue to have more ways for fans to celebrate, connect, and play together,” the Xbox team said today. Unfortunately for Xbox fans, the brand’s 25th anniversary comes right after big price hikes for Xbox consoles worldwide.