Asha Sharma promised new anniversary items across Forza, Gears, Minecraft, Flight Simulator and more, and three of them are already live and free. Here's what you get, where to claim each one, and why this is the right way to throw a birthday party.
Xbox is handing out birthday presents, and you don’t have to spend a dime on any of them. Three days before the original Xbox turns 25 on November 15, the anniversary celebration moved from Asha Sharma's memo and the morning’s Xbox Playback recap into the games themselves, with free items now live in Forza Horizon 6, Gears of War: E-Day and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024.
Xbox CEO Asha Sharma set it up at 1:00 PM ET today on X: "XBOX is home to some of the most iconic franchises in gaming. We’re continuing to celebrate with new anniversary items across Forza, Gears, Minecraft, Flight Simulator and more." Within the next 40 minutes, the official Xbox, Gears and Flight Simulator accounts posted the details.
XBOX is home to some of the most iconic franchises in gaming. We’re continuing to celebrate with new anniversary items across Forza, Gears, Minecraft, Flight Simulator and more. pic.twitter.com/RLgtTodzIP
, ASHA (@asha_shar) November 12, 2026
Forza Horizon 6: a 25th Anniversary livery for the GR GT
The official Xbox account kept it short and fun: "25 years really sped by." The free Xbox 25th Anniversary livery is for the 2025 GR GT, and you unlock it in the Gifts tab of the Message Center in Forza Horizon 6. No store, no grind, just open your messages and claim it.
Playground Games first flagged this on November 2 in the official City Life update notes, calling it "a special livery on the 2025 GR GT Prototype" as part of celebrating "25 Years of XBOX and Halo", and saying it would be sent to all players through the Message Center. Pure Xbox noted on November 6, shortly after City Life launched, that the livery had not shown up yet. Today’s official Xbox post is the confirmation it’s in your inbox. If you’re already in Japan chasing the City Life playlist, which also brought the Master Chief Outfit and the Xbox IKEA Prop Pack, this is one more thing to bolt onto your garage.
Gears of War: E-Day: the Tsavorite weapon skin set
The Gears team went with a deep cut for its tribute. "Inspired by Tsavorite, a rare green gemstone traditionally associated with 25th anniversaries," the official Gears of War account posted. "Celebrate 25 years of XBOX with a free weapon skin set worthy of the occasion."
The official post does not name the weapons or spell out the claim steps. According to Pure Xbox and Generacion Xbox, the Xbox Anniversary bundle is 12 translucent green weapon skins covering the Breechshot, Gnasher, Gut-Puncher, Hammerburst, Incinerator, Lancer Mk1, Longshot, Prototype Lancer, Ripper, Snub Pistol, Striga and Torque Bow. To get it, boot up E-Day, go to the in-game Store and claim the bundle for free. Generacion Xbox reported the bundle was already claimable as of November 10, two days before today’s official post. Those outlets also say it’s cosmetic only, with no stat changes, and that no claim deadline has been announced. Grab it anyway. A full matching green arsenal in Versus is a flex.
Pure Xbox also notes that Gears joins Halo: Campaign Evolved and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, which already have their own translucent green anniversary cosmetics. That’s a nice touch: the same Xbox green running across three of the biggest shooters on the platform.
Microsoft Flight Simulator: four liveries straight out of 2001
Flight Simulator went full nostalgia. "To mark the 25th Anniversary of @XBOX, we’re excited to announce the release of four brand-new commemorative liveries that all throw back to the XBOX original logo and designs," the official account posted. The full post adds that "The XBOX 25th Anniversary liveries are available now for FREE to owners of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 on all platforms."
Which 25th anniversary freebie are you claiming first?
Vote and see what other Xbox fans think.
Like having a say? Get OnPoint Weekly or argue it out on Discord.
The official Flight Simulator announcement names the four: a Boeing 737 MAX, an XCub (wheels variant), a hot air balloon and a Skyship 600. Owners can select each one from the Aircraft Livery menu. It also lands right after the Halo Pelican arrived in Flight Simulator 2024 for Halo’s 25th, so the sim has quietly become one of the best places on Xbox to celebrate the brand’s history.
Minecraft and "more" are still coming
Minecraft is the big name on Asha’s list that hasn’t shown its anniversary item yet, and "and more" leaves the door open for other studios to join in before Sunday. We’ll update this story as each one lands.
Why this matters
This is how you do an anniversary. Plenty of companies celebrate a milestone with a sale and a sizzle reel. Xbox is putting free stuff inside the games people are actually playing right now, across racing, shooters, a flight sim and soon Minecraft, and tying the pieces back to the original Xbox look. It rewards the players who stuck around, and it puts the whole family of Xbox franchises on one stage at the same time, which is the exact message Asha has been pushing all week: Xbox is home to the iconic games, and it’s proud of it.
The best part is how low the barrier is. A Message Center gift, a free store claim, a free pick in the Aircraft Livery menu. If you play any of these games, you should be logging in this week. Free is free, and this stuff will be a cool little badge of having been there for 25.
Sources
- Asha Sharma on X: Anniversary items announcement
- XBOX on X: Forza Horizon 6 25th Anniversary livery
- Gears of War on X: Tsavorite weapon skin set
- Microsoft Flight Simulator on X: Xbox 25th Anniversary liveries
- Microsoft Flight Simulator: Xbox 25th Anniversary liveries for four aircraft
- Playground Games / Forza.net (November 2, 2026): Embrace the City Life in Forza Horizon 6
- Pure Xbox (November 6, 2026): Forza Horizon 6 City Life Halo and Xbox freebies
- Pure Xbox: Xbox Anniversary Weapon Skins For Gears Of War: E-Day Are Now Free To Claim
- Generacion Xbox (November 10, 2026): Gears of War: E-Day 25th anniversary skins
- Xbox Wire (November 10, 2026): Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Celebrates Halo's 25th Anniversary with the Release of the Halo Pelican
- OnPoint: Forza Horizon 6 City Life update
- OnPoint: Halo's Pelican in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024
- OnPoint: Asha Sharma's 25 Years of Xbox memo
- OnPoint: Xbox Playback Is Live
Image: Xbox / Playground Games / Microsoft
