Xbox X25 Special Edition Controller: OG Green Nostalgia, Out Now

The X25 Special Edition controller is out now, and it is the most accessible piece of Xbox's 25th anniversary celebration. The standalone pad launched October 20 at $79.99 in the US, £74.99 in the UK, and €79.99 in Europe, giving players the anniversary look without the $899.99 console bundle it was designed to match. If you already own a Series X or a PC, this is the version of the X25 story that actually makes sense to buy.

X25 Special Edition Controller Design Details

The headline is the shell. The X25 uses a translucent OG Green finish on both the top and back cases, a direct callback to the original 2001 Xbox era, and it is the first Xbox controller with a fully transparent battery door. Look through the back and you can see the classic Xbox logo inside the case, which is the kind of detail collectors notice and everyone else discovers by accident.

The smaller callbacks do the real work. The ABXY buttons return to the original Xbox controller's colors, the bumpers reference the black and white buttons on the original Duke controller, and the Xbox button itself is green, inspired by the green X from the original launch. It is a design that rewards a second look: the anniversary branding is obvious, but the button colors and transparent shell do the quieter job of connecting it to 2001.

Under the shell, this is the standard Xbox Wireless Controller, which means the same ergonomics, hybrid D-pad, and Bluetooth plus Xbox Wireless connectivity as the regular pad. It works on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC, and mobile, and it pairs with Xbox Cloud Gaming the same way. One honest caveat from Microsoft's own fine print: no Game Pass subscription is included, so the controller is a hardware purchase only.

Controller vs Console Bundle: Which X25 Should You Buy?

This is where the dates matter, because Microsoft sells two X25 products and they do not launch together. The standalone X25 Special Edition controller launched October 20. The Xbox Series X25 Limited Edition console bundle launches November 13 at $899.99, and it includes the same controller plus a 1TB translucent OG Green Series X, an individually numbered engraving, and a full-game download of Halo: Campaign Evolved.

The console is a collector's piece first and a console second. Inside, it is the same Series X hardware, same performance, same 1TB of storage. You are paying for the shell, the numbering, and the bundled Halo remake, and pre-orders are limited to one collection per customer in select markets. Reports suggest the console sold out fast in some regions, which will not surprise anyone who watched anniversary hardware drops over the years.

For most players, the controller is the right call. At $79.99 it costs $20 more than a standard Series controller, which is a fair premium for a limited-run design, and it is the only X25 item you can actually use without replacing hardware you already own. If you want the full anniversary set, the console is there. If you want the look on your desk, the pad is enough.

How It Fits the Anniversary Lineup

The X25 controller sits at the center of a much wider anniversary hardware push. Microsoft's Designed for Xbox 25th Anniversary Collection adds translucent green gear from partners, including Razer's Basilisk V3 Pro 35K mouse, BlackWidow V4 75% keyboard, and Hammerhead earbuds, plus an 8BitDo charging dock and phone controllers from Backbone and GameSir. The controller is the anchor of that collection: the one item that works with everything Xbox already sells.

It also lands in a busy season for Xbox pads. We recently covered the pocket-sized Xbox Nano controller, which trades rumble for portability at $49.99, and the Razer Wolverine V4 Pro for players who want capacitive sticks and 8,000Hz polling. The X25 is neither of those things: it is not the cheapest pad and not the most competitive one. It is the one you buy because you remember the original Xbox, and because a translucent green controller still looks great on a shelf in 2026.

If you are weighing it against the console bundle, check Microsoft's own announcement on Xbox Wire for the full bundle contents and availability in your market. Stock varies by retailer, and the controller is sold in select markets only, so if your region got pre-orders in August, the October 20 launch was your window. And if you are building out a handheld setup instead, our coverage of the ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X20 is the other anniversary-adjacent hardware worth a look.