Xbox Games Face Scrutiny as Reviews Remain Scarce

WHO:

Pure Xbox - Xbox CTO Scott Van Vliet responded to the review-access controversy and said he would add the issue to his team’s review list.

Windows Central - Van Vliet said, “Reviewing a game on Xbox takes too many steps today. Press and creators should be able to redeem and play, and that’s what the team is ultimately building toward. The first updates are coming soon.”

Kotaku - Van Vliet posted that statement on X; game critics and Xbox console fans debated the limited number of Xbox reviews.

Pure Xbox - Windows Central’s Jez Corden said Xbox early-access codes were unavailable for Modern Warfare 4 and wrote, “that’s really on microsoft.”

Kotaku - Giant Bomb cofounder Jeff Gerstmann questioned whether Xbox’s extra review-access steps are frequent or troublesome enough to make reviewers choose another platform.

WHAT:

Pure Xbox - Modern Warfare 4 had two professional Xbox reviews, compared with more than 30 for PS5 and PC.

Windows Central - Metacritic showed the Xbox Series X version as “tbd,” based on two critic reviews; reported scores were 89 on PlayStation and 86 on PC.

Kotaku - A Call of Duty X account graphic showed scores of 89 on Switch 2, 88 on PlayStation 5, and 87 on PC; the article said some scores later fell slightly. Xbox was omitted because there were too few reviews to generate an average.

Windows Central - Windows Central reviewed Modern Warfare 4 on PC because that was the platform offered for its official review event.

Windows Central - Gears of War: E-Day had 87 Xbox reviews and 83 PC reviews.

Kotaku - Reviewers cited 007 First Light as a high-profile game requiring extra Xbox access steps.

WHERE:

Pure Xbox - The review-count disparity concerned Xbox, PS5, and PC versions of Modern Warfare 4.

Windows Central - Xbox review access requires providing an Xbox Live Device ID for hardware whitelisting.

WHEN:

Windows Central - Van Vliet said the first updates to Xbox’s review process were “coming soon.”

WHY:

Windows Central - The article attributed fewer Xbox reviews partly to a cumbersome access process; reviewers often choose PC or PS5 because access is simpler and available earlier.

Kotaku - PC builds and codes are often available earlier, and Steam beta-branch distribution and pre-release updating can be more streamlined.

HOW:

Windows Central - Xbox review access can require reviewers to submit their Xbox Live Device ID, wait for a publisher to whitelist the hardware, and then redeem a code or access the build.

Kotaku - Kotaku said Xbox could promote hardware-based reviews by adopting a version of Steam’s beta-branch system.

(UPDATED October 28, 2026 22:04 UTC)

Modern Warfare 4 drew just two professional reviews on Xbox, compared with more than 30 on PlayStation 5 and PC, leaving its Xbox Series X Metacritic score listed as “tbd.” Xbox CTO Scott Van Vliet acknowledged that reviewing games on Xbox takes too many steps, including submitting a device ID for hardware whitelisting, and said the first process updates are coming soon. Reviewers often choose PC or PlayStation instead, where access can be simpler and earlier, while some critics question whether Xbox’s extra steps are enough to drive that choice.