Xbox Celebrates 25th Anniversary With New Magazine And Boot Animations

Xbox Brings Back Classic Boot Animations To Celebrate 25th Anniversary Published Nov 15, 2026, 3:48 PM EST Steven is a seasoned writer specializing in the video game and technological fields, with years of experience creating reviews, features, and industry analysis. Passionate about the gaming world and its evolving culture, Steven has always wanted to combine his enjoyment of writing and love for gaming in a way that can provide insightful coverage for players and enthusiasts alike. Sign in to your TheGamer account Xbox has had no shortage of ups and downs with its public perceptions in recent years, with mass layoffs followed by promising announcements leaving players confused about the future of the company. Despite the difficulties, however, Xbox's latest celebration for its 25th anniversary has already been a smashing success with fans so far, bringing back some of the brand's most iconic eras to life in the modern day. Coming hot off the heels of numerous project announcements like a new Doom game in the works, Xbox is kicking off its 25th anniversary with a nostalgic new software update and some teases for even more classic games to return. Xbox Fans Are In For A Splash Of Nostalgia Xbox Starting now and rolling out for all regions over the next few hours, Xbox announced on X that they will be officially bringing back the original Xbox boot-up animations for Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One users, alongside a couple of additional Xbox 360 boot animations for fans to enjoy. After installing the update, all you have to do is head over to your system settings, access the system startup menu, and you'll be able to choose from any of the 8 starting animations that Xbox has released over the years, going all the way back to the original console that started it all. While fans have already been celebrating the change and using it as a chance to chastize PlayStation for making their 30th anniversary event temporary rather than a permanent change like Xbox, it's far from the only new announcement either. Even Classic Magazines Are Back In Fashion Aside from the nostalgic boot animations, one of the more informative anniversary updates comes in the form of the newly released Xbox 25th Anniversary Magazine, which has been offered for free to read online through Xbox Wire. Originally debuted at Xbox FanFest in Seattle, the free virtual magazine goes over several key moments and releases over Xbox's history, while offering details for upcoming games like Stranger Than Heaven, Persona 4 Revival, and Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Snogs Of The Past, and more. To top off the sheer amount of game details, the magazine also offers some information about Xbox's next console, Project Helix, specifically related to how it will connect and be able to play PC games through the system. Brand Microsoft Original Release Date November 10, 2020 Original MSRP (USD) $499 / £449.99 / ¥54,978 Operating System Proprietary (Windows-based) Processor Custom AMD 8-core Zen 2 3.8 GHz Resolution 720p - 4K UHD