Shows / Unlocked
Unlocked
These days, practically everything is an Xbox, and Xbox fans deserve to celebrate their passion for Xbox everywhere. Unlocked is the definitive Xbox podcast, hosted by Ryan McCaffrey alongside a panel of expert guests. Each week, they dive deep into breaking Xbox news, exclusive game reveals, and heated debates on the future of Xbox—covering everything from consoles and PC to Game Pass and cloud gaming. Whether you're a longtime Xbox fan or just jumping in, Unlocked is your go-to source for all…
Episodes
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Assessing Xbox’s Layoffs, Game Cancellations, and Studio Closures – Unlocked 698
As expected, layoffs at Microsoft and Xbox did happen this week, and they were unbelievably brutal. Approximately 9,000 people reportedly got laid off…
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Xbox's 2026 Looks STACKED – Unlocked 697
This year's Xbox Showcase was very good, but next year's Showcase should be absolutely jam-packed with Xbox's A-listers, from Halo to Gears of War to Fable and…
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Dissecting Xbox’s Next-Gen Announcement – Unlocked 696
We kick off by talking about the games we got to play behind closed doors after the Xbox Showcase: The Outer Worlds 2, Gears of War Reloaded, and Ninja Gaiden…
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Inside the Tony Hawk 3 + 4 Remake, The Outer Worlds 2 , & FBC: Firebreak - Unlocked | IGN Live 2025
In this jam-packed IGN Live 2025 special, we’re diving into three games revealed in the Xbox Games Showcase 2025. First, Daemon Hatfield joins Obsidian…
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The Best Announcements from the Xbox Games Showcase 2025 - Unlocked 695
The Xbox Games Showcase delivered big reveals and we’ve got thoughts. In this episode, we break down the biggest surprises and top takeaways from the show…
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What Xbox Era Would You Like to Relive? – Unlocked 694
IGN Live is nearly here and we have a limited number of complimentary tickets for it! Head here and use the code "UNLOCKEDGUEST" to get a complimentary GA…
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Doom: The Dark Ages and Elden Ring Nightreign Reactions – Unlocked 693
IGN's Doom: The Dark Ages reviewer (and Doom superfan) Mitchell Saltzman joins fellow Doom superfan Ryan McCaffrey to discuss id software's just-released…
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Xbox’s Price Hikes Are Maddening – Unlocked 692
In a huge week of Xbox news, we're discussing Xbox's massive, demoralizing, and unprecedented price increases five years into the console generation. Plus: we…
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Did Borderlands 4 Just Give Us a GTA 6 Release Hint? – Unlocked 691
On this week's Xbox show, we discuss how Borderlands 4's release date just moved up, and whether or not it means it's getting out of GTA 6...possibly in…
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The Oblivion Remaster Is Even Better Than We’d Hoped – Unlocked 690
It's raining RPGs on Xbox Game Pass this week as the long-rumored/leaked Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered finally got released – and it's even better than…
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The Oblivion Remaster Keeps Leaking – Unlocked 689
Bethesda's "secret" remaster of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion keeps leaking. We'll talk about what we learned from this week's leak, when you can play it…
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The Outer Worlds 2 Looks Awesome – Unlocked 688
We covered a ton of ground this week, from The Outer Worlds 2 looking awesome so far after we got to visit Obsidian for our exclusive IGN First coverage, to…
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The Final Word on South of Midnight - Unlocked 687
This week on Unlocked, Michael and Miranda are joined by GameSpot's Jordan Ramée to talk all about the latest Xbox exclusive, South of Midnight, now that we…
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We Demand a Translucent Xbox - Unlocked 686
This week on Unlocked, Miranda and Michael go over the biggest reveals for Minecraft Live 2025 (new mobs!), discuss the Backbone One Xbox Edition and how they…
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The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remake Appears to Be Imminent – Unlocked 685
This week, Michael and Ryan give first impressions of this week's big new game release, Assassin's Creed Shadows. And then we delve into our main topic: MORE…
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What We Want From Xbox Handhelds and the Next Gen – Unlocked 684
The crew is joined by Ash Parrish from The Verge to discuss the reports of Xbox handhelds (from OEMs) coming later this year and the prospect of a next-gen…
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Is the Nemesis System Dead Forever? – Unlocked 683
Our Xbox crew discusses the awful news of WB Games closing down Shadow of Mordor developer Monolith Productions along with two other studios. Is their patented…
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Jump Ship Rocks and So Do Many of the Other ID@Xbox Showcase Games – Unlocked 682
Our Xbox crew reacts to all of the new and cool games we got to see at the latest ID@Xbox Showcase, from Jump Ship to Herding to Outbound to 33 Immortals and…
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Avowed Director Carrie Patel and Obsidian Studio Head Feargus Urquhart – Unlocked 681
As Avowed officially launches this week, its Game Director, Carrie Patel, and the studio head at developer Obsidian Entertainment, Feargus Urquhart, join us…
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Avowed & South of Midnight: What We Think – Unlocked 680
We've been waiting for this moment: to be swimming in new first-party Xbox games. We have all been playing both Avowed and South of Midnight, and we discuss…
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Forza Heads to PS5. Nothing Is Safe – Unlocked 679
The OG Xbox podcaster Danny Peña from Gamertag Radio joins us to discuss one of Xbox's "core four" franchises, Forza, heading to PlayStation 5 in the form of…
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Xbox’s Future Clarified – Unlocked 678
As Xbox boss Phil Spencer visits two of our friends' podcasts, we discuss his clarifying comments on the future (not to mention present!) of Xbox. Plus: why we…
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NINJA GAIDEN IS BACK HOLY SH*T – Unlocked 677
We recorded live immediately following this week's fantastic Xbox Developer Direct, so our reactions are very real, highlighted by the stunning announcement of…
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Xbox: Third Place, Now Third Party? – Unlocked 676
With the corroborated rumors that Microsoft is bringing Halo: The Master Chief Collection to PS5 and Nintendo Switch 2, is Xbox now officially a Sega-like…
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When Will We See Elder Scrolls 6 Again? – Unlocked 675
Happy New Year! We begin our first episode of 2025 by discussing some changes happening on the podcast before getting into what you really care about: Xbox…
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Do's and Don'ts for Xbox in 2025 – Unlocked 674
In our final show of 2024, we look ahead to 2025 and give Microsoft some advice in the form of do's and dont's for Xbox in the new year. Thanks so much for…
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What’s Your Xbox Game of the Year? – Unlocked 673
IGN has announced its Xbox Game of the Year, so now it's our turn to talk about our individual picks for best Xbox game of the year. And then we look ahead and…
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The Game Awards Was Stacked This Year – Unlocked 672
We react to this week's big event, The Game Awards, and the many reveals it brought with it, including The Witcher 4, Elden Ring Nightreign, gameplay for The…
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Indiana Jones Is the Best Xbox Exclusive in Years – Unlocked 671
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is here, and we discuss in great (spoiler-free) detail why we think it's the best Xbox exclusive in years. Plus: our…
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The Xbox Games We’re Most Thankful For – Unlocked 670
Happy Thanksgiving to our USA listeners! In the spirit of the holiday this week, we're discussing the Xbox games we're most thankful for. Not necessarily the…
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STALKER 2 First Impressions – Unlocked 669
Our STALKER 2 reviewer Michael Higham joins us to discuss his thoughts so far as he's neck-deep in Xbox's big new exclusive first-person shooter. Plus: we…
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GTA 6 Release Date: Place Your Bets – Unlocked 668
Take-Two's CEO keeps insisting that Grand Theft Auto 6 will be released in 2025. Do we believe him? We discuss why (spoiler) we don't. Plus: a new Phil Spencer…
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Celebrating Halo 2’s 20th Anniversary – Unlocked 667
November 9 marks the 20th anniversary of Halo 2's release. We celebrate one of the greatest Xbox games ever by welcoming fellow veteran Xbox gamer Danny Peña…
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Getting Evil With Diablo's Rod Fergusson on Episode 666 – Unlocked 666
We celebrate our perfectly-timed-for-Halloween episode 666 with Rod Fergusson, the super-nice franchise head of one of gaming's most evil franchises, Diablo…
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Xbox Is Cooking This Holiday – Unlocked 665
With STALKER 2, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle all releasing one right after another later this Fall, Xbox is set to…
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Xbox's Latest Partner Preview Stream Was Fantastic – Unlocked 664
We went on the air live, immediately following the latest Xbox Partner Preview livestream. We gave our in-the-moment reactions to Xbox's fantastic presentation…
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The Future of Halo Is Unreal – Unlocked 663
Our resident Xbox crew (including Miranda!) reacts to and analyzes the huge Halo news of all future projects being moved to Unreal Engine 5 as well as the…
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The STALKER 2 Documentary Is a Must-Watch – Unlocked 662
Our Xbox crew discusses the new STALKER 2 making-of documentary, and how it's a must-watch even if you aren't interested in the game. Plus: Ubisoft admits that…
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Crazy Blizzard Stories With Jason Schreier – Unlocked 661
Bloomberg video game industry reporter Jason Schreier joins us to discuss his new book, Play Nice: The Rise, Fall, and Future of Blizzard Entertainment (out…
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How Can Battlefield Get its Mojo Back? – Unlocked 660
We open this week's Xbox podcast at IGN by giving our hands-on impressions of Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Then we discuss another EA game, Battlefield. We've…
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What the PS5 Pro Means for Xbox’s Present and Future – Unlocked 659
We open this week's Xbox podcast by marking Destiny's 10th anniversary and then discussing the present and future for both the long-running shooter and Bungie…
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The Xbox Exclusives We Almost Got – Unlocked 658
This week's Xbox show delves into two notable games that Xbox boss Phil Spencer discussed having the chance to sign but didn't – plus one crucial one he did…
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Our Thoughts on Star Wars Outlaws (So Far) – Unlocked 657
Star Wars Outlaws, arguably the first big game to hit Xbox this Fall season, has arrived, and we've got thoughts on what we've played so far. Plus: we discuss…
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We’ve Seen Indiana Jones and Avowed & Both Look AWESOME – Unlocked 656
Ryan and Destin are joined by Spawn on Me's Kahlief Adams to discuss our extended new looks at two of Xbox's biggest upcoming games: Indiana Jones and the…
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8 Spectacular Games We Checked Out At gamescom 2024 - Podcast Unlocked
What’s happening, friends? It is a special gamescom edition of Podcast Unlocked. This week, we've constructed for you a very unique gamescom-specific audio…
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We Love Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster (So Far) – Unlocked 655
We've played a bunch of the upcoming Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster and we want to tell you all about why we love what we've played so far. Plus: one of our most…
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Avowed’s ‘Problem’ Is the Best Kind of Problem for Xbox – Unlocked 654
Our Xbox crew discusses why Avowed's delay out of the Q4 holiday season and into early 2025, and why the "problem" of it getting delayed is actually a blessing…
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Ranking Xbox’s Most Important Franchises – Unlocked 653
Parris Lilly from Gamertag Radio joins Ryan and Destin to discuss a number of Xbox topics this week, from the cancellation of the Paramount+ Halo TV series –…
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Deadpool’s Ass (Xbox Controller) Is Amazing – Unlocked 652
Xbox just dropped the best gaming controller we've ever seen in the literal form of Deadpool's ass! We discuss how much we adore Xbox's cake-tastic new gamepad…
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Dream Games We Wish Xbox Would Make – Unlocked 651
We had some fun this week and talked about 10 dream Xbox games we'd love to see Microsoft's massive collection of studios make, from a Halo horror game to…
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So Many Remakes, Remasters, and Reboots! - Unlocked 650
This episode is all about the remakes we're cautiously optimistic about (Assassin's Creed...but which ones?), the remasters we're excited about (Dead Rising…
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What We Want from Xbox’s Big Gamescom – Unlocked 649
Xbox says it's going big at this year's Gamescom event, so we discuss what we think to see and what we hope to see. Plus: why we're thrilled about Capcom's…
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We Just Saw the Best Xbox Showcase Ever – Unlocked 648
Because the Xbox Showcase was SO GOOD this year, our 30-minute live reaction show from Sunday just wasn't enough. So we regrouped and talked for upwards of two…
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Stig Asmussen Talks Star Wars, Leaving Respawn, and New Studio Giant Skull | IGN Live 2024
After directing two fantastic Star Wars Jedi games at Respawn, Stig Asmussen has embarked on a new adventure: Starting AAA studio Giant Skull. IGN's Ryan…
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Exclusive Interview: Phil Spencer Unveils Xbox's Future and New Horizons in Gaming - IGN Live
Join us for an exclusive live interview at IGN Live with Xbox's Phil Spencer and a panel of top game developers. In this deep-dive session, we explore the…
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The Best Announcements from the Xbox Summer Showcase Are… - Unlocked | IGN Live 2024
In this very special IGN Live analysis of the summer Xbox Showcase, we break down each announcement, from blockbuster game releases to unexpected surprises…
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Unlock-Block Trivia Special II - Podcast Unlocked
Today we’re diving into the best of Unlock-Block trivia. Join us as we relive some of the most memorable moments from past shows. Learn more about your ad…
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Hellblade 2 Is Finally Here! A Spoiler-Free Discussion – Unlocked 646
The first officially announced Xbox Series game ever, Hellblade 2, has finally arrived, and we've played it! Join us for a spoiler-free discussion of Ninja…
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Unlock-Block Trivia Special - Podcast Unlocked
Today we’re diving into the best of Unlock-Block trivia. Join us as we relive some of the most memorable moments from past shows. EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼…
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Final Fantasy Back to Xbox for Good? – Unlocked 645
This episode is much cheerier than the last one as the news is (for the most part) much better! For instance, a new statement from the president of Square Enix…