The Xbox Series X and Series S have now been out for over two years, bringing better resolution, higher frame rates, and ray tracing to gamers around the world. The upcoming Xbox Series X games on this list promise to continue to show off all those bells and whistles in fun, new experiences.
If you’re eager to find out what Microsoft has in store for the years ahead, we’ve rounded up every game confirmed so far, including new offerings, franchise installments, and ports of existing titles. We’re looking beyond the first-party projects here to encompass all the great games coming to this powerful piece of gaming hardware. Maybe some of them will end up being one of the best games on Xbox Series X.
Confirmed 2023 releases
Platforms PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
Genre Strategy, Arcade
Developer Mojang Studios, Blackbird Interactive
Publisher Xbox Game Studios
Release April 18, 2023
Hold on to your blocks, folks, there’s a new Minecraft game coming! We already had a great spinoff with Minecraft Dungeons, but now Mojang will let us become legends with this new action and story-focused experience in the familiar world of blocks, Creepers, and Pigmen. Minecraft Legends looks to be the most ambitious side project for the series yet, appearing to be mainly third-person and have a slightly more stylized art style, plus a story that promises to be far more important than anything else we’ve seen in that universe.
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Platforms PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
Genre Shooter, Role-playing (RPG), Hack and slash/Beat 'em up
Developer Deep Silver Dambuster Studios
Publisher Deep Silver
Release April 21, 2023
Originally revealed in 2014, Dead Island 2 has died and been resurrected no less than twice, with a new development team taking up the project each time. In Dead Island 2, you will play as one of six characters surviving in Los Angeles, where the same zombie virus from the first game has ravaged most of the population.
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Platforms PC (Microsoft Windows), Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
Genre Platform, Hack and slash/Beat 'em up, Adventure, Indie
Developer PlotTwist Studios
Publisher Rogue Games
Release April 27, 2023
Take on the last case of Benedict Fox and dive into a twisted world of secret organizations, forbidden rituals, and cold-blooded murders. Explore the memories of deceased victims as you search for clues and fight demons in this fantastical Lovecraftian Metroidvania.
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Platforms PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
Genre Adventure
Developer Respawn Entertainment
Publisher Electronic Arts
Release April 28, 2023
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is set five years after the original, following Cal on his continued quest for survival as one of the last Jedi in the galaxy being hunted down by the Empire. We can expect new force powers, better combat, and a darker story when this sci-fi adventure finally arrives.
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Platforms PC (Microsoft Windows), Xbox Series X|S
Genre Shooter
Developer Arkane Austin
Publisher Bethesda Softworks
Release May 02, 2023
The newest game from Arkane Austin is a brand new and very exciting concept. Set in an open world called Redfall, this will be a co-op-focused shooter where players are let loose on an island infested with vampires. The sun has been blocked out, making you, a human, constantly in danger in a sort of 30 Days of Night-style scenario. Using a suite of guns, magic, and anti-vampire tech, you and your squad need to survive against the bloodthirsty hunters.
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Platforms PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
Genre Strategy
Developer Triumph Studios
Publisher Paradox Interactive
Release May 02, 2023
Age of Wonders is back and should be better than ever in the series’ fourth installment. Expect Age of Wonders 4 to deliver classic fantasy strategy and turn-based tactical combat, along with a new focus on storytelling. Several expansions and add-on content for the game have already been announced, so this is going to be one of those games that keep on giving.
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Platforms PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
Genre Racing, Adventure, Arcade
Developer Visual Concepts
Publisher 2K Games
Release May 19, 2023
Lego 2K Drive is the first entry in a multi-title partnership between Visual Concepts, 2K Games, and The Lego Group. Blending the simplicity of Legos with the complexity of driving simulators, this game is going to be a blast for younger casual players and racing veterans alike.
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Platforms PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
Genre Adventure
Developer Daedalic Entertainment
Publisher Nacon, Daedalic Entertainment
Release May 25, 2023
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is a narrative-focused adventure game that chronicles the events that occur between Gollum finding the One Ring and the start of the Lord of the Rings story we all know and love. Deadalic Entertainment inked a deal with Middle-earth Enterprises to develop this project, meaning the game will be more akin to the books, not the movies. This title has been delayed a few times and is now set to come out sometime in early 2023.
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Platforms PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
Genre Shooter, Adventure
Developer Rocksteady Studios
Publisher Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Release May 26, 2023
Rocksteady isn’t making Gotham Knights because it’s busy working on Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. It’s one of a few confirmed next-generation exclusives, launching on Series X sometime in early 2023 after numerous delays. We don’t know much about the game yet, but it takes place in the Batman: Arkham universe and is set in an open-world Metropolis. We also know the four playable characters in the game: Harley Quinn, King Shark, Deadshot, and Captain Boomerang.
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Platforms PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
Genre Fighting, Arcade
Developer Capcom
Publisher Capcom
Release June 02, 2023
For the first time Xbox players will finally be able to join in on the biggest fighting game franchise ever with Street Fighter 6. Taking lessons learned from the bare-bones launch of Street Fighter 5, this sequel promises to hit the ground running with plenty of modes, including a new World Tour mode that lets you run around and explore Metro City in a new type of single-player adventure. The core, as always, will be in the fighting, though. Featuring rollback netcode, this will be the best feeling the series has been since going online.
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Platforms PC (Microsoft Windows), Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
Genre Role-playing (RPG), Adventure
Developer ZeniMax Online Studios
Publisher Bethesda Softworks
Release June 05, 2023
A brand-new expansion for The Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom will take players to the Telvanni Peninsula in Morrowind and preserve secrets ascribed to the unfathomable realms of Apocrypha. Unlock the runic power of a new class — the Arcanist — and fight to uphold reality itself.
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Platforms PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
Genre Role-playing (RPG), Hack and slash/Beat 'em up
Developer Blizzard Entertainment
Publisher Blizzard Entertainment
Release June 06, 2023
Diablo IV is a return to the first two games’ darker form — it’s significantly grimmer than Diablo III or Diablo Immortal. We don’t know too much about the plot just yet, but expect advanced character customization, lots of dungeon combat, and quite a few evil adversaries.
Platforms PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
Genre Platform, Adventure
Developer Sega
Publisher Sega
Release June 23, 2023
Get ready Sonic fans — you’ll soon be able to play all of your favorite hedgehog classics in one place on Switch. The Sonic Origins Plus collection will feature 16 legendary Sonic titles including 12 game gear games, new playable characters, modes, challenges, behind-the-scenes content, and more.
E10
Platforms PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
Genre Adventure
Developer Toys for Bob
Publisher Activision
Release June 20, 2023
Crash Bandicoot and friends are back in a 4v4 multiplayer arena. Crash Team Rumble pits opposing teams against each other as they run around a small map, collect as much Wumpa fruit as they can, and bank it in their goal by standing on it for a few seconds to raise their team’s score. It may look goofy, but we think it’ll be a multiplayer smash hit for 2023.
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Platforms PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
Genre Strategy, Adventure
Developer Tindalos Interactive
Publisher Focus Entertainment
Release June 20, 2023
The Alien franchise is back with a new real-time strategy game. Aliens: Dark Descent gives you command of a squad of hardened Colonial Marines trying to stop a terrifying Xenomorph outbreak on Moon Lethe. Lead your soldiers in real-time combat against iconic Xenomorphs, rogue operatives from the insatiable Weyland-Yutani Corporation, and a host of horrifying creatures.
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Platforms PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
Genre Role-playing (RPG), Adventure
Developer Deck13 Interactive
Publisher Focus Entertainment
Release August 10, 2023
Atlas Fallen’s story is still a bit of a mystery, but when we demoed the upcoming title in March we immediately got Forspoken vibes — in a good way. The open-world action RPG puts players into the lowest caste in this world’s society who was bonded with an ancient gauntlet. That gauntlet has an amnesic spirit named Nyaal living inside it and is now trying to save the world from gods that have left it in desert-filled ruins. It’s more melee-focused compared to Forspoken‘s all-magic combat system, but it operates in a similar vein.
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Platforms PC (Microsoft Windows), Xbox Series X|S
Genre Role-playing (RPG), Adventure
Developer Bethesda Game Studios
Publisher Bethesda Softworks
Release September 06, 2023
Starfield is Bethesda’s first original RPG in 25 years and will send players into space to explore countless procedurally-generated planets. Originally aiming to hit a November 11, 2022 release date, the studio was forced to delay the game a few times. The offical launch date is now September 6, 2023 and a Starfield Direct with more information is coming on September 6.
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Platforms PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
Genre Shooter, Adventure
Developer Fntastic
Publisher MyTona
Release November 10, 2023
Obsessed with postapocalyptic worlds like those depicted in The Last of Us or The Walking Dead? The Day Before is an open-world MMO survival set in a deadly, post-pandemic America overrun by flesh-hungry infected and survivors killing each other for food, weapons, and cars. You wake up alone in a world you no longer remember, setting out to find answers and the resources to survive.
Possible 2023 releases
Platforms PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
Genre Simulator, Strategy
Developer Colossal Order
Publisher Paradox Interactive
Release December 31, 2023
This is not your father’s city-building simulator. The announcement trailer for Cities: Skylines II looks absolutely gorgeous and it’s set up to be the most realistic and in-depth city-builder yet. We don’t have a firm release date yet, but this game is set to come out in 2023.
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Platforms PC (Microsoft Windows), Xbox Series X|S
Genre Shooter, Role-playing (RPG), Adventure
Developer GSC Game World
Publisher GSC Game World
Release December 08, 2022
Microsoft didn’t show much of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 in its initial showcase, but at E3 2021, we got a new name, the first look at some gameplay, and the release date of April 28 for the Series X, which was first delayed to December 8, only to be put on indefinite hold due to the conflict in Ukraine impacting the developers. Despite the ongoing conflict, the team now predicts a 2023 release. A PC-exclusive series for many years, this survival horror shooter will likely stretch the limits of the Series X when it launches. If you need more horsepower, it’s coming to PC, too.
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Platforms PlayStation 5
Genre Adventure
Developer Ubisoft Singapore
Release November 08, 2022
Skull and Bones has been delayed for a sixth time by Ubisoft after the company missed financial targets in 2022. The title now just has a vague release window of “early 2023 to 2024.” But hey, at least it hasn’t been outright canceled yet? The final version of Skull and Bones is a mix of Ubisoft’s open-world titles, survival games, and a more detailed version of the Assassin’s Creed series’ naval combat. Are players still interested after the title has seen so many delays? And will it stack up against the success of Sea of Thieves? Only time will tell.
2024
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Platforms PC (Microsoft Windows), Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
Genre Adventure, Indie
Developer Studio Wildcard, Grove Street Games
Publisher Studio Wildcard
Release December 31, 2024
Ark II is going to give fans of the survival series exactly what they want — more dinosaurs. First announced in 2020, trailers starring Vin Diesel (yes, you read that correctly) describe a war in the past that led to the state of the world being a mashup of prehistoric animals and futuristic technologies. We think it’s safe to assume that gameplay will be very similar to the first game — you’ll explore with friends, raise dinosaurs, hunt dinosaurs, be hunted by dinosaurs, and try to build a safe settlement in a harsh world. This game has been pushed back to late 2024, but we could see it slipping into 2025.
Games with no release window
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Platforms PC (Microsoft Windows), Xbox Series X|S
Genre Racing, Simulator
Developer Turn 10 Studios
Publisher Xbox Game Studios
Release January 01, 1970
It has been nearly three years since Forza Motorsport was announced and we haven’t hear anything new since. Technically this is the eighth game in the Motorsport sub-series under Forza, but instead, the team decided just to simplify things and reboot the title back to Forza Motorsport. Expect to see the highest level of detail in vehicles, racetracks, and weather effects your screen can display when this racer drops on your system.
Platforms PC (Microsoft Windows), Xbox Series X|S
Genre Shooter
Developer The Initiative
Publisher Xbox Game Studios
The first game from a brand new Microsoft studio called The Initiative was revealed to be a revival of the long-dormant Perfect Dark series. We haven’t seen this espionage sci-fi FPS since Perfect Dark: Zero launched with the Xbox 360, but the original N64 game is still considered one of the all-time greatest FPS games. The game has only had a teaser announcing its existence, so we know next to nothing about it, though we hope it will stay true to the stealth and gadget-based gameplay of the original. For now, we have no clue as to when it will arrive.
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Platforms PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
Genre Role-playing (RPG)
Developer BioWare
Publisher Electronic Arts
Release December 31, 2023
It’s been over six years since Inquisition, and although we know Dragon Age: Dreadwolf is in development, it’ll be a while before we see it. We’ve really only seen a teaser trailer for the game at this point.
Platforms PC (Microsoft Windows), Xbox Series X|S
Genre Role-playing (RPG), Adventure
Developer Bethesda Game Studios
Publisher Bethesda Softworks
Just like Starfield, Elder Scrolls VI was announced at E3 2018 and is still years away from release. Pete Hines of Bethesda recently revealed on Twitter that the Elder Scrolls VI wouldn’t launch until after Starfield. With the Xbox Series X, we can expect more expansive maps and faster loading times, though there is no definitive date as to when we might set foot once again on the continent of Tamriel.
Platforms PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
Genre Shooter, Adventure
Developer Remedy Entertainment
Publisher Epic Games Publishing
Release December 31, 2023
The long-awaited sequel to what was originally a timed Xbox 360 exclusive, Alan Wake 2 promises to ramp up the horror like never before. It’s been over a decade since the original game, but we have hope for this writer’s return via the DLC chapter in Control that brought those two universes together. All we know is that this game won’t be coming until 2023 at the earliest, so there’s still a long wait ahead for the next chapter in this dark tale.
Platforms PC (Microsoft Windows), Xbox Series X|S
State of Decay 3 exists, and that’s about all we know. A follow-up to Undead Labs’ open-world zombie game a few years ago, State of Decay 3 is launching exclusively on Xbox Series X and PC and will be coming to Game Pass on release day.
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Platforms PC (Microsoft Windows), Xbox Series X|S
Genre Role-playing (RPG), Adventure
Developer Obsidian Entertainment
Publisher Xbox Game Studios
Release December 31, 2022
Avowed is probably still a few years off, especially with The Outer Worlds DLC shipping soon. We know, however, that it’s coming, and it’s coming exclusively to Xbox Series X and PC. It’s a presumably open-world, first-person RPG similar to Skyrim. The game takes place in Eora, the same world as Pillars of Eternity, and features melee combat and spell-casting, at least based on the teaser.
Platforms PC (Microsoft Windows), Xbox Series X|S
Genre Role-playing (RPG)
Developer Obsidian Entertainment
Publisher Xbox Game Studios
Revealed at E3 2021, The Outer Worlds 2 is the next installment to the small, well-received sci-fi RPG from Obsidian entertainment. We only got the smallest of announcement trailers, but based on just that, we know that the same level of humor and self-awareness will be in the sequel. Despite being a sequel, the game will focus on a brand-new cast in all-new environments. The teaser ends without a release date, so this one may take quite a while to arrive.
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Platforms PC (Microsoft Windows), Xbox Series X|S
Genre Role-playing (RPG)
Developer Playground Games
Publisher Xbox Game Studios
The Fable franchise is getting a reboot with Fable, developed by Forza Horizon studio Playground Games. We don’t know much about the game, short of a vague announcement trailer shown during Microsoft’s July Xbox Series X showcase. We don’t have a release date yet, so it’ll likely be many moons before we dive back into the fantasy world Lionhead created years ago. We do know, however, that the game is coming to Xbox Series X and PC, and that it’s launching on Game Pass.
Developer Monolith Productions
If you’re more of a DC fan, the teaser for the upcoming Wonder Woman from Monolith should be on your radar. The teaser only showed glimpses of the iconic character, her whip, and some narration. That’s not much to go on, but we do know that this is the studio that created the very unique nemesis system with the Shadow of games set in the Lord of the Rings universe. We hope to see that implemented in this game too, but for now, not even a release window is known, let alone how the game will play.
Platforms PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
Genre Role-playing (RPG), Adventure
Developer Hardsuit Labs
Publisher Paradox Interactive
Set in a dark and reimagined Seattle, Bloodlines 2 is the sequel to a 2004 cult classic. In this action RPG, you play as a human who is killed and revived as a thinblood — aka a relatively weak vampire. You can customize your character via a handful of upgradable disciplines and even pledge your allegiance to a vampire clan and navigate the World of Darkness, an alternative Earth where vampires, werewolves, demons, and other creatures shape human history. Vampires must stay hidden from the human race as much as they can, but rogue vampires have been publicly attacking the population of Seattle and causing tension between the city’s clans. Your decisions will change the balance of power in the city.
Platforms PC (Microsoft Windows), Xbox Series X|S
Genre Adventure
Developer Ninja Theory
Publisher Microsoft Studios
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II is the next entry in the Hellblade franchise from developer Ninja Theory. Senua’s Saga is a direct sequel to Hellblade: Senuas Sacrifice, which focused on a broken Celtic warrior who was haunted by visions and voices in her head as she fought for the soul of her lover. The developers of the first game tapped neuroscientists and people who experience psychosis to create the eeriness of the first Hellblade, which we expect to carry on in the second.
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Platforms PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5
Genre Adventure
Developer Quantic Dream
Publisher Lucasfilm Games
In a very strange marriage of studio and IP, we have Quantic Dream, best known for their choice-driven narrative experiences like Heavy Rain and Detroit: Become Human, announcing a new game set in the Star Wars universe. Star Wars Eclipse was shown off with just a CGI trailer so far, but if those visuals are anything to go by, this game will at least be visually impressive. We’re eager to see if the branching narrative storytelling this studio is known for can create a compelling story in this sci-fi setting.
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Platforms PC (Microsoft Windows), Xbox Series X|S
Genre Adventure
Developer Rare
Publisher Xbox Game Studios
Release December 31, 2024
Announced during the XO19 event by Microsoft, Everwild is the new title from Rare Studios. Everwild is an adventure game with a similar art style to that of Rare’s Sea of Thieves. There has not been a confirmed release date or much information about the gameplay. However, check out the trailer for Everwild to get a glimpse of what the game will look like graphically.
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