Microsoft’s Xbox Series X is set to launch at the end of the year, so it’s time to take a look at which Xbox Series X games to expect at launch at beyond.
So far we’ve seen the console’s design, been given a breakdown of the specs, and have seen the small tweaks made to the next-generation Xbox controller. And the Xbox Series X is shaping up to be a very impressive console from Microsoft, and one that so far beats the PS5 on pure specs alone, other than SSD performance.
And on May 7, Microsoft gave us a deluge of trailers to show what third-party games will come to the Xbox Series X, from console ports to brand-new games. These range from first-person shooters to psychological horror games.
We have still yet to see any proper game footage from first-party developers or any Xbox Series X exclusives. But Microsoft plans to showcase these games, including Halo Infinite, as part of an ongoing Xbox 20/20 initiative that’ll take place in July. From there, each month more details about the upcoming Xbox Series X games will be revealed as well as more console information.
We also know there will be fairly robust backwards compatibility across multiple Xbox generations, so the Xbox Series X will definitely have games to play when it launches.
But it’s launching at the same time as the PS5, so the Xbox will need to ensure it has a strong lineup of games to keep Sony’s console at bay. So these are all the Xbox Series X games that have been confirmed to be coming to the console, as well as a few we expect will get announced.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
A next-generation console wouldn’t be complete without a new Assassin’s Creed game. And the next game in the long-standing series has turned its focus on the Vikings and their adventures in medieval England.
Ubisoft’s take on Viking life is one of a Norseman Eivor looking to establish a new home in England after endless war and dwindling resources force his clan out of Norway. Unsurprisingly, raiding and dispatching of Saxon will be a big part of the game, though we didn’t see any proper game footage in the trailer, which set the tone for Assasin’s Creed Valhalla rather than show us how it will play.
Set to launch at the same time as the Xbox Series X, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla could be an interesting evolution of the Assassin’s Creed formula.
Madden NFL 21
Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs introduced Madden NFL 21 as the next game in the American Football series.
Not much was revealed about what the next Madden will have over its predecessor, but from the brief trailer, next-generation console power will help make the game look more realistic than ever before. Like many regularly updated sports games, expect Madden NFL 21 to be an evolution rather than a revolution on its predecessors.
Halo Infinite
(Image credit: Xbox)
This is the big one. The Halo games have been associated with Xbox since Halo Combat Evolved launched with the original Xbox way back in 2001. But the series started to slip in popularity with Halo 5 Guardians, with the campaign featuring a storyline that some Halo fans weren’t into.
So the Halo series is due a game that catapults it back into popularity, beyond Halo: The Master Chief Collection. And Halo Infinite could be that game.
We don’t know a lot about it other than a rough launch trailer and some footage that could be the opening of the game. The later shows that the next Halo will look graphically brilliant, but doesn’t offer much in the way of how the game will play.
Current speculation suggests the next Halo could return to the iconic Halo rings and the open environments that made battling through the arenas of Combat Evolved, Halo 3, and Halo Reach a joy.
We’d be pretty confident that the next Halo will come with a serious suite of multiplayer modes, from deathmatches and king of the hill modes, to perhaps something of a custom co-op campaign or mini-missions as seen with Halo 4’s Spartan Ops. And given Microsoft has committed to releasing all Xbox games on Windows 10, there’s very likely to be cross-platform multiplayer between Xbox Series X players and PC gamers.
Halo Infinite is very likely to be a launch title for the Xbox Series X, and that could be the console’s killer app.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon
Already out in Japan, Yakuza: Like a Dragon – the seventh Yakuza game – is coming to the Xbox Series X.
Featuring turn-based combat mixed with some real-time elements, Yakuza: Like a Dragon is a bit of a departure from the traditional beat-em-up combat of the previous Yakuza games. But expect a game that has storyline steeped deep in the organised crime world of the Yakuza, with plenty of themes exploring honor, loyalty and revenge.
The Ascent
The Xbox Series X is set to get a third cyberpunk-centric game in the form of The Ascent. Like many cyberpunk settings, the game’s world is one of capitalism and corporations that have run amok. Only in this case, a mega-corp called the Ascent Group, which owns pretty much everything in the world, has somewhat ironically crashed leaving chaos in its wake.
Your job as the player is to try and regain some semblance of organisation by stopping hostile corporations from rising up and keeping criminal gangs at bay within the Ascent Group’s main metropolis. You do this from a Diablo III style top-down perspective. Only instead of swords and sorcery, you have an array of weapons and tech abilities, as well as the help of some squadmates.
From the footage we’ve seen so far The Ascent doesn’t necessarily look particularly next-gen, but it does look like it could be plenty of fun and have an interesting plot to keep it going.
Dirt 5
The next game in the Dirt series has moved from the serious rallying of its predecessor to a more arcadey experience to appeal to people who might not be natural rally racing fans. Expect next-generation graphics and a whole range of rally courses and a racing career mode.
Dirt 5 is slated to run at 4K and 60 frames per second, but a 120Hz mode will also be available to enable for even smoother gaming action. Fast loading was also touted as another feature so players can quickly jump into a race when the feeling takes them. And thanks to Smart Delivery, if you buy Dirt 5 on the Xbox One, you’ll also be able to play it on for free on the Xbox Series X when it launched on the new console.
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2
The recently delayed Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 is also coming to the Xbox Series X, as well as the current consoles and the PC. As a sequel-meets-reboot of Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines, the game follows the story of a human in 21st century Seattle who gets killed and then revived as a “thinblood” vampire and then enters the underworld of vampire society in the city.
While it uses a first-person perspective, the game will have a lot of role-playing elements; you could think of it as a vampiric take on Cyberpunk 2077. The trailer doesn’t tell us a great deal about the game’s overarching plot or a huge deal about how it’ll play. But it looks very attractive with some nice lighting effects, likely courtesy of ray-tracing, with the Xbox Series X almost certainly delivering some enhanced graphics and frame rates over the Xbox One version.
Chorus
Slated for 2021, Chorus is a space-flight combat shooter that sees protagonist Nara blast away at things in her sentient starfighter Forsaken. There’s a dark sci-fi tone to the trailer, which shows some mysterious force eating a planet, so don’t expect this to have the more colorful tones of a Star Wars space combat game.
The game looks like it’s getting a proper next-generation treatment, with striking visuals and some impressive lighting. As the game takes place across a variety of sci-fi environments, not just the cold vacuum of space, expect an exploration element to compliment the frenetic aerial combat.
Scorn
Described as “atmospheric first-person horror adventure” by developer Ebb Software, we don’t know a great deal about Socorn, The trailer sets the tone for a rather nightmarish setting that has hints of H.G Geiger’s Alien – at least in terms of creatures inside humanoid frames.
The setting looks like it treads the line between sci-fi and fantasy horror, but without any game footage, the trailer has left us guessing for now.
Scarlet Nexus
If you’ve ever wanted to become an elite psionic in an anime world, then Scarlet Nexus could be the game for you. Announced for both the Xbox Series X and Xbox One, Scarlet Nexus follows the story off Yuito Sumeragi, who’s on a journey to become a powerful while of psycho-kinetic powers and will battle the Others, rather disturbing creaturs that looks to be strange amalgamations of humans, animal and plant features.
Expect frenetic over-the-top anime-style battles with mild horror elements courtesy of the others, all wrapped up in some impressive visuals, likely with enhancements from the Xbox Series X.
Cyberpunk 2077
(Image credit: CD Projekt Red)
CD Projekt Red’s Blade Runner meets Deus Ex meets The Witcher 3 sci-fi game, Cyberpunk 2077, is set to launch on the PS4, Xbox One, and PC. But it will also be released on the PS5 and Xbox Series X when the consoles are out.
For the Xbox Series X, CD Projekt Red has confirmed that Cyberpunk 2077 will have enhanced graphics features. We’re not sure what those will be, but we’d expect a higher resolution output and ray-tracing support. Xbox Series X users will get an enhanced version of Cyberpunk 2077 through Microsoft’s Smart Delivery system if they have bought the game for the Xbox One.
Gears 5
(Image credit: Microsoft)
Gears 5 is already out on Xbox One X and Windows 10, but Microsoft showed off what the game looks like on Xbox Series X hardware. It will come with enhanced performance and visuals and possibly some extra content, but otherwise, it’s likely to be business as usual for Gears 5.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II
Microsoft used the trailer of Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II to go alongside its reveal of the Xbox Series X console design at The Game Awards 2019 last December. It showed off a dark Norse fantasy setting with protagonist Senua chanting in what appeared to be a pseudo-Viking ritual, but no game footage was shown off.
We expect the sequel to Hellblade to follow in its predecessor’s footsteps blending third-person melee combat with adventuring, and to continue on with the portrayal of mental illness. Microsoft’s Xbox Game Studios owns Ninja Theory, so Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II is set to be an Xbox Series X and PC exclusive.
Watch Dogs Legion
(Image credit: Ubisoft)
Ubisoft’s hacker-centric Watch Dogs promised a slick open-world game of cybercrime with a moral compass. But it didn’t quite hit the mark; its predecessor did a little better. However, Watch Dogs Legion looks to be something a little special. Its main thrust is that it’ll take place in a post-Brexit future London, where anyone can join into a legion of hackers in a form of revolution to take England’s capital back from an authoritarian regime.
The third game in the Watch Dogs series was expected to come out at the end of 2019 but it’s been delayed with no firmed-up release date. As such, there’s a good chance it could be a next-generation Xbox Series X and PS5 game, especially as it looks like it’ll need a serious amount of power to build out a large open-world where any character can effectively become a player character.
Rainbow Six Siege and Rainbow Six Quarantine
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege has proven to be wildly popular as a competitive shooter, with it receiving significant support and regular updates from Ubisoft. So it’s no surprise the game will be ported over to the Xbox Series X, likely with boosted graphics, resolution and frame rates.
Rainbow Six Quarantine, a standalone spin-off to the original game is also set to come to Microsoft’s next games console, allowing for people to mix tactical shooter action with a zombie survival tension. The game is also slated for the PS5, but there’s no word on cross-platform play yet.
Warframe
(Image credit: Digital Extremes)
Digital Extremes’ popular massively multiplayer third-person action meets role-playing game made its debut way back in 2013. But as the years have passed by, it’s been improved considerably and attracted 50 million players in 2019.
And now it’s destined for the Xbox Series X, as noted by TechRadar. We’re not sure what to expect from a next-generation port, but improved graphics and performance would be a sensible bet, and cross-platform play with the PC version and older consoles could be on the cards.
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum
(Image credit: Daedalic Entertainment)
We don’t really know a great deal about Daedalic Entertainment’s The Lord of the Rings: Gollum other than that the game will centre around The Lord of the Ring’s most twisted character, and will be for the next-gen consoles.
The developer’s CEO Carsten Fichtelmann said the game will involve tackling decisions from both the Smeagol and Gollum personalities of Gollum. The game is slated for a 2021 release, so more information is likely to surface as 2020 moves along.
Ultimate Fishing Simulator 2
Ultimate Fishing Simulator 2 is the sequel to the bestselling fishing game Ultimate Fishing Simulator, and it’s slated for a 2021 release on the Xbox Series X, as well as having a PC release.
Unsurprisingly, it’ll feature improved graphics over its predecessor. More surprising is that there will be fish AI, presumably to make catching an elusive trout more tricky. A third-person view and a dynamic water system are also expected in the sequel.
Battlefield 6
(Image credit: EA)
Battlefield 6 is on its way, and EA has confirmed it will come to next-generation consoles. Given the game has been multi-platform in the past, it’s likely to come out on Xbox Series X, PS5, and PC.
Developer DICE hasn’t said what era Battlefield 6 will be set in, but it could carry on in the Second World War setting from Battlefield V. There’s no release date, but the financial folks at EA have previously said a new Battlefield game will “drive growth” in 2011 and into 2022.
WRC 9
While Forza 4 Horizon might be the automotive poster child for the Xbox One X, WRC 9 could be the car game for the Xbox Series X. Much like its predecessors, it takes place in the FIA World Rally Championship and is likely to benefit from the graphics horsepower of the next-generation to deliver realistic cars with all the real dirt and damage rallying causes them.
WRC 9 will have rallies set in New Zealand, Kenya and Japan, which are races scheduled for the 2020 WRC calendar, though they might not go ahead if the coronavirus crisis continues.
Outriders
(Image credit: Square Enix)
A new console would not be complete without a co-op shooter, so that’s where People Can Fly’s Outriders comes in. It’s set to arrive “Holiday 2020,” which means it could be a launch title for the Xbox Series X and PS5.
There’s not much information about Outriders beyond that it’ll be set in “an original, dark and desperate sci-fi universe.” That makes it sound a bit like a game that crosses Mass Effect with Game of Thrones, but we’ll have to wait and see how it turns out. This third-person shooter from the folks behind Bulletstorm looks to combine frenetic action with loot and upgrade systems, so we’re excited to see how it plays on Xbox Series X.
Gods and Monsters
(Image credit: Ubisoft)
Gods and Monsters is a brand-new IP from Ubisoft that mixes Ancient Greece with an action-adventure game, and looks a little like an Ubisoft take on The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
It’s an open-world game based around the goal of saving the gods of Ancient Greece from a big bad going by the name of Typhon. Naturally, you can expect a good bit of combat with monsters plucked from Greek Mythology, such as hydras, harpies, and the odd cyclops or two.
The Medium
The Medium is clearly channelling some serious Silent Hill vibes, so much so it’s got legendary SIlinet Hill composer Akira Yamaoka onboard.
The trailer set the tone of the game steeped in psychological horror. As well it should because The Medium is all about a medium called Maria – who seems to be rather talented at her craft what with being able to access the “spirit realm” – who’s being haunted by a vision that’s linked to an old resort in Krakow, set in late 80s Poland. Maria appears to travel to the resort to explore how her vision is linked to it; expect some rather disturbing things to happen.
Orphan of the Machine
Clearly drawing inspiration from the Ecco the Dolphin games, Orphan of the Machine is a side-scrolling adventure game that puts the player in the shoes (flippers) of a dolphin. And as it’s only been confirmed for the Xbox Series X, it could be an exclusive title for Microsoft’s console.
There’s no word on release date or much more information other than a video clip showing the game in action. But it does seem to involve poking open treasure chests and blasting enemy sealife with what looks like a weaponized sonar pulse.
Dying Light 2
Call of the Sea
When Harry goes missing, his wife Norah travels to an exotic tropical island in the South Pacific to find him. Set in the 1930s there are no cell phones or GPS to make this an easy task, so Norah has to figure out what happened to him and his exhibitions by herself.
That’s about all we know in plot terms, but the game looks gorgeous with an interesting blend of low-fi painterly-like graphics mixed with sophisticated weather and lighting effects – ray-tracing looks to be playing a role here. Given one scene in the trailer showed a pair of webbed hands, presumably belonging to Norah, there’s a good chance that something magical is taking place on the island.
Zombie survival game Dying Light 2 has been confirmed by Polish developer Techland to be coming to the Xbox Series X. E3 2019 gave us a deeper look at the game in action, but its release for the current generation of consoles has been delayed as the developer polishes off rough edges.
What extras the Xbox Series X will get from the game have yet to be revealed. But like other cross-generation games, we expect it to come with a suite of graphical enhancements as well as a performance boost.
Gothic
It’s been a long time since a Gothic game last popped up, but developer THQ Nordic plans to bring back the cult game from 2011. And it’ll be coming to the Xbox Series X.
Beyond the “playable” teaser trailer, there’s not a lot to go off here, but THQ Nordic said the Gothic remake will remain faithful to the source material of the original Gothic. So we can expect an RPG based in a dark and gritty fantasy world. But we don’t expect to see it come out on the Xbox Series X until at least 2021.
Bright Memory Infinite
What for you get if you cross a slick-looking first-person shooter with chunky, visceral medieval-style sword combat? Bright Memory Infinite could be the answer.
The work of a single developer, we got the briefest looks of the game that mixes FPS and melee combat with some magical/sci-fi powers, with the player’s character brutally dispatching enemies that look like they blend medieval-era armour with near-future weapons.
Bright Memory Infinite has already been released on the PC but it looks to be tapping into next-generation graphics and ray-tracing the Xbox Series X comes packing.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon
Already out in Japan, Yakuza: Like a Dragon – the seventh Yakuza game – is coming to the Xbox Series X.
Featuring turn-based combat mixed with some real-time elements, Yakuza: Like a Dragon is a bit of a departure from the traditional beat-em-up combat of the previous Yakuza games. But expect a game that has storyline steeped deep in the organised crime world of the Yakuza, with plenty of themes exploring honor, loyalty and revenge.
The Ascent
The Xbox Series X is set to get a third cyberpunk-centric game in the form of The Ascent. Like many cyberpunk settings, the game’s world is one of capitalism and corporations that have run amok. Only in this case, a mega-corp called the Ascent Group, which owns pretty much everything in the world, has somewhat ironically crashed leaving chaos in its wake.
Your job as the player is to try and regain some semblance of organisation by stopping hostile corporations from rising up and keeping criminal gangs at bay within the Ascent Group’s main metropolis. You do this from a Diablo III style top-down perspective. Only instead of swords and sorcery, you have an array of weapons and tech abilities, as well as the help of some squadmates.
From the footage we’ve seen so far The Ascent doesn’t necessarily look particularly next-gen, but it does look like it could be plenty of fun and have an interesting plot to keep it going.
Dirt 5
The next game in the Dirt series has moved from the serious rallying of its predecessor to a more arcadey experience to appeal to people who might not be natural rally racing fans. Expect next-generation graphics and a whole range of rally courses and a racing career mode.
Dirt 5 is slated to run at 4K and 60 frames per second, but a 120Hz mode will also be available to enable for even smoother gaming action. Fast loading was also touted as another feature so players can quickly jump into a race when the feeling takes them. And thanks to Smart Delivery, if you buy Dirt 5 on the Xbox One, you’ll also be able to play it on for free on the Xbox Series X when it launched on the new console.
Second Extinction
Post-apocalyptic Jurassic Park meets Left 4 Dead minus one player, is probably one way to explain Second Extinction. Its basic premise is a three-player co-op FPS game where the objective is to exterminate large groups of mutated dinosaurs who have taken over the world, which itself has the look of a planet that’s been doing rather well without humans.
But the humans have come back armed with, as far as we can tell, a meaty sounding shotgun, a chunky assault rifle and a rather typical minigun, the latter likely being ideal for tearing down hordes of advancing mutated velociraptors. If you think it all sounds a bit far-fetched then you’d be right. But the game looks rather lovely, with some impressive lighting and effects; we suspect 4K textures and ray-tracing will be making an appearance in Second Extinction.
Other Xbox Series X games to expect
(Image credit: Lionhead)
There are a lot of unconfirmed games that we’d not be surprised to see come to the Xbox Series X. The next Elder Scrolls game from Bethesda, which has only had the briefest of teases, is almost certainly going to come to the Xbox Series X, as is Bethesda’s mysterious sci-fi game Starfield.
The next Grand Theft Auto game from Rockstar is also likely to be a next-generation console game and thus will arrive on the Xbox Series X, given Red Dead Redemption 2 is keeping Rockstar going on the current consoles.
We’d be pretty confident that the Final Fantasy 7 Remake will also jump from the current consoles onto the next-generation machines, with improved graphics and performance, and hopefully with some extra content.
Given Microsoft owns Rare, we wouldn’t be at all surprised if its nature-based game Everwild, which is in the very early stages of development comes to the Xbox Series X as an exclusive. Speaking of exclusives, there’s a rare chance that a new Fable game could finally come back to the Xbox as a console exclusive. And we’d not be surprised to see a new Forza game as another Xbox Series X exclusive to showcase the console’s power.
We still haven’t seen a major showcase of what games we can expect on the Xbox Series X. But as the ‘Holiday 2020’ launch draws nearer, Microsoft will almost certainly reveal a whole lot more games for its next-generation console.
