The Original Xbox Is Officially Returning For Its 25th Anniversary

2 hours ago 18

Published Aug 20, 2026, 3:00 PM EDT

Tom Wilson is a Gaming Features Writer at Screen Rant. Over the past five years, Tom has worked as the Editor-in-Chief at The Game Crater, as a Staff Writer for GamingIntel, a List Writer at TheGamer, and, of course, as a Senior Writer at ScreenRant. Tom has experience writing reviews, guides, news, and features, and has been responsible for teams of writers, training them and editing their work.

Tom graduated with a Masters in Multimedia Journalism, and has since gone on to build up his portfolio of games journalism work.

Xbox has unveiled several impressive new projects as part of its 25th anniversary celebrations, many of which have revolved around the iconic look and design of the original console. However, despite the anniversary celebrations coming to a close at the end of the year, Xbox still has a few ideas up its sleeve, including further collaborations, new projects, and more that fans will undoubtedly want to check out, if only out of pure curiosity.

One such project sees the original Xbox return as part of a collaboration with the toy company Mattel (perhaps best known for creating Barbie). Alongside the aforementioned new Xbox 25th anniversary hardware and various releases aimed at fans, this new Xbox project will hopefully bring the company some goodwill as it navigates a turbulent redirection of the company as a whole. At the very least, it should give dedicated fans something to entertain themselves with as they await the next major Xbox game.

Xbox's 25th anniversary ends in December, so before then, the studio is attempting to get out as many projects as it can to capitalize on the celebrations and the occasion. Alongside numerous new announcements and free Xbox downloads for fans, it is also releasing a brand-new piece of merchandise that, as aforementioned, is being made by Mattel. While likely a tad expected by some, this love letter to the original Xbox will likely be a fun novelty for those who opt to buy it.

As part of Mattel's LEGO-esque Brick Shop range, it is releasing a 1:1 scale replica of the original Xbox made entirely of its unique bricks. Prospective purchasers will get all of the bricks and assorted items they'll need to construct it inside the box, alongside materials to build dioramas of three of the best Xbox games ever made: Psychonauts, Halo: Combat Evolved, and The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. It isn't just the console itself that fans can build, but the iconic Duke controller as well, making it the definitive and complete set.

Comprised of 3,509 pieces, the set also has a handful of fun features, including lights and sounds that activate when pressing the corresponding buttons on the built controller, and similar light and sound effects on the console itself, including the iconic start-up sound effects. It is a fairly packed set, as one would expect for a 25th anniversary love letter to the original Xbox, but that also means that it is a fairly pricey product.

Fans eager to get their hands on the Xbox Brick Shop set will need to pay $329 for the privilege. It is available to pre-order on various sites that can be accessed via the official Mattel website (which also features additional photographs of each of the set's elements) and will be released on October 1, 2026. It is great to see Xbox commission such an incredibly detailed and faithful recreation of the original Xbox, and to show so much love for its roots, as it hopefully indicates a much brighter future for the company going forward.