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UPDATE (October 28, 2026, 1:45 a.m. CEST): Xbox CTO Scott Van Vilet just released the note below on
Reviewing a game on XBOX today takes too many steps. The press and creators should be able to exchange and play, and that’s what the team is ultimately moving towards. The first updates are coming soon.October 28, 2026
Original article:
Infinity Ward is currently celebrating rave reviews for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, which reached a comfortable 89 on PlayStation and 86 on PC. By extension, this should be a breeze for Microsoft, given that they own, you know, Activision.
Unfortunately, there’s one glaring omission in this Metacritic infographic: it’s about Xbox.
We are incredibly grateful for the reception to Modern Warfare 4 and to everyone who has been part of the journey so far. With a Metacritic score of 89 on PlayStation and 86 on PC, we are humbled by this recognition and grateful for all the support from the community. #MW4 is available now 👉 https://t.co/0N5m5B5qEyOctober 26, 2026
If you head over to Metacritic, the lack of mention of an Xbox score immediately makes sense. THE The Xbox Series X version of Modern Warfare 4 doesn’t have an official Metascore at all. It sits at a grim “TBD” based on a total of two reviews.
Microsoft therefore owns Activision. Microsoft owns Call of Duty. Yet when it comes to gathering critical praise for the biggest blockbuster under its banner, there aren’t enough reviews on Xbox to even generate a benchmark score. It’s not a pretty sight, is it?
I’m not going to blame this one with the “Xbox tax”, don’t worry; the reality is much more banal. Platform preference isn’t to blame here, but the review process itself on Xbox is unnecessarily painful, and Xbox needs to do something about it.
Game keys vs. whitelist shenanigans
Most game journalists and creators will be offered a choice of platforms on which to review a game, and they will choose the path of least resistance. This path is usually PC/Steam, where you get a simple game code or access to an early beta branch, or PlayStation, where you can redeem a code and you’re good to go.
On Xbox, however, the process is more complicated. You have to give your Xbox Live device ID, which is buried in developer and system settings, to a PR company and wait for the publisher to manually whitelist your individual hardware before a code or build is even registered.
Many of us are working against strict embargoes in the face of an influx of game releases, especially in this absolute storm of releases that is the fourth quarter, and all the extra steps that need to be taken can pile up in the inbox. Even if someone wants to cover the Xbox version of a game, convenience almost always dictates choosing Steam or PS5 instead.
Xbox had the foresight to support everyone’s Xbox Dashboard for Modern Warfare 4, but not to ensure any Metacritic presence.
Even Xbox outlets are struggling (like us!)
Here at Windows Central, we’re obviously trying to play within the Xbox ecosystem, but even we constantly hit that wall. Concrete example: for For Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 in particular, our own review was conducted on PC simply because that was the platform offered for the official review event.
When covering major releases or updates, PC and Steam codes are almost always pushed first, as beta branches make distribution painless for publishers. Meanwhile, getting Early Access on Xbox is a bit like doing my own tax assessment.
Some titles, like Gears of War: E-Day, have a healthier ratio. It was accessible through an internal version of the dashboard and much simpler, so yeah, sure, even though it wasn’t on PlayStation, we have a healthier spread of 87 Xbox reviews to 83 PC reviews. This is not the norm, however.
PC and Steam codes are almost always pushed first because beta branches make distribution painless for publishers.
When reviewing The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered, I had to start my game on Steam and wait a few days for the Xbox whitelist to complete before I could switch platforms (thank goodness for cross-save). I could have waited, of course, but when you’re on a tight schedule, time is a luxury you don’t have. I also had the exact same problem when checking the DLC for Goat Simulator 3.
When a media outlet specifically dedicated to covering the Xbox has to resort to previewing games on PC just to keep up with the embargo, what chance does the average reviewer of a multi-platform media outlet have? Why would a reviewer jump through additional technical hurdles for Xbox when a PS5 or Steam key sits in their inbox, ready to download with a single click?
Xbox needs to fix this early access problem
Xbox already faces an uphill battle when it comes to hardware market share and media coverage. But allowing its own access to pre-release versions to remain so cumbersome is self-defeating for the brand.
When publishers don’t distribute Xbox codes effectively, fewer outlets review Xbox versions. When fewer outlets review the Xbox versions, Metacritic scores sit at “To be determined.” This, in turn, gives the public the impression that no one plays the platform or cares about it, even when the game in question is published by Microsoft itself. Players looking for reviews can shop on the platform where there is greater coverage. This quickly becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
If Microsoft wants Xbox to remain a primary platform for game reviews and media coverage, it needs to make access to its reviews platform much easier. Until redeeming an Xbox Early Access code is as easy as pressing a button on PlayStation or Steam, we’ll continue to see Xbox-owned games celebrated everywhere except Xbox.
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