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Last year was a pretty good year for Xbox releases, and while not every game released for that brand was a GOTY contender, it was encouraging to see a consistent cadence of new arrivals throughout the year. 2024 has the potential to be a stacked year for Xbox on the first-party side, with several long-in-development games finally arriving this year alongside big third-party releases. Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 are two of the big games on the main event card, and we're hoping to see other games like Indiana Jones and Avowed join that list. As usual, these first-party releases will be available day-one through Xbox Game Pass as well, and you can expect Microsoft to ink a few more deals for third-party games to debut on its subscription service throughout the year. Overall, it looks to be a solid year of Xbox exclusives, big third-party sequels, and more. For a broader roundup of what to expect in 2024, you can also check out GameSpot's list of the best PS5 games to look out for this year, the most anticipated horror games on the horizon, as well as all of the upcoming 2024 games' release dates.
Tekken 8 - January 26
Lace up your boots, put on some flashy clothing, and get ready to rumble when Tekken 8 enters the 2024 arena. Debuting first on consoles and PC instead of at arcades, Tekken 8 is shaping up to be a hard-hitting new chapter in the Mishima family feud saga with its new push-forward gameplay, massive roster, and gorgeous graphics.
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - January 28
The last couple of years have been terrific for Like a Dragon fans, and this year, the next big mainline entry in the series is catching a flight to the more tropical side of the US. Two legendary heroes unite, a sinister plot unfolds, and there'll be at least one fight with a giant shark in this new RPG adventure. Or if you get tired of smashing your way through the Japanese underworld, you can spend some time building the perfect island getaway in an Animal Crossing-inspired diversion.
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League - February 2
Rocksteady created the template for modern superhero games, but can it revolutionize the live-service space with its exploration of the seedier side of the DC Universe? We're not entirely certain if Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is up to the task, but at the very least, it does look like it'll be a colorful romp across Metropolis as you tangle with some of the biggest heroes in comic books.
Banishers: Ghosts Of New Eden - February 13
If there's something strange in your neck of the haunted woods, who ya gonna call? In Don't Nod's newest game, Banishers are the ghost-busting experts that you call in to deal with pesky phantasms, with legendary hunters Antea Duarte and Red mac Raith being particularly good at their job. Antea just so happens to be a phantasm stuck in the world of the living, and these two fated lovers will need to explore the spooky world of New Eden to find a way for her to escape her curse. Antea's spiritual powers and Red's arsenal can be used to banish the souls hunting the living in this hauntingly beautiful game.
Destiny 2: The Final Shape - June 4
All paracausal roads have led to this: a final showdown with Destiny 2's greatest villain. With all of reality at stake, the stakes have never been higher as players will venture into the pale heart of the Traveler in The Final Shape. Amidst a turbulent period of layoffs at developer Bungie and claims that the studio's future could be in jeopardy, The Final Shape will be a make-or-break moment for the franchise as it wraps up a decade-long storyline.
Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2
Ninja Theory's sequel to 2017's Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is inching closer to release this year, and it looks set to be one of those games that you'll boot up when you're in the mood to casually show off your new OLED TV. Beyond the fancy Unreal Engine 5 visuals, Senua's Saga also comes loaded with an overhauled combat system, a deeper narrative, and a more haunting exploration of Senua's mental state in this Nordic adventure.
Avowed
Don't think of Avowed as a fantasy role-playing game that'll help pass the time until The Elder Scrolls 6 eventually releases in the distant future, as Obsidian Entertainment is putting its own spin on this magical genre. In development for several years, players will be able to wield swords, shields, pistols, magical spells, and much more as they explore an enchanted land full of lush vegetation and deadly monsters. Will you be the savior of the Living Lands or its destroyer? The choice is up to you as you craft your own legend.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024
Who would have thought that a plane ticket to your dream holiday destination would be surprisingly affordable in 2020? Sure, it might have been purely digital tourism when Microsoft Flight Simulator arrived in 2020, but the game was an ambitious tour of the globe that took you to iconic cities and hard-to-reach exotic locales. Four years later, developer Asobo is preparing to take off once again with a new entry in the series that packs in a career mode spread across multiple aerial disciplines, new environmental features, and full support for most of the DLC purchased in the 2020 Flight Simulator marketplace.
Clockwork Revolution
Crank the gears and load some fresh water into the tanks, because it's time for a steampunk rebellion to kick off. Clockwork Revolution was announced during the June 2023 Xbox Showcase, and since then, developer InXile has been hard at work on the game. A first-person RPG set in the Victorian-era city of Avalon, you will work to overthrow the iron-fisted rule of Lady Ironwood by utilizing time travel and righting the wrongs of the past.
South of Midnight
Another interesting game that's headed to Xbox consoles and PC in the future, South of Midnight takes place in a Southern Gothic world where monsters are real, magic exists, and the protagonist Hazel keeps the peace by hunting down sinister creatures surrounding her hometown of Prospero. Developed by Compulsion Games (We Happy Few) there's no release window yet for South of Midnight but there is an enchanting CG trailer to check out.
Hideo Kojima's OD
In typical Hideo Kojima fashion, the first glimpse at his next game is downright weird. Raising more questions than answers, what we do know about OD so far is that Kojima has partnered up with Get Out filmmaker Jordan Peele on the Xbox Game Studios title and that it's aiming to put you through the ringer with its examination of terror. "OD explores the concept of testing your fear threshold, and what it means to OD on fear," the mysterious synopsis for the game reads.
Fable
We're not too certain what to expect from Playground Games' Fable reboot, but at the very least, it looks like there'll be at least one scene revolving around murdering a gigantic version of actor Richard Ayoade before he can unleash the terror of sustainable farming upon the land. The new Fable will launch day-and-date on Xbox Game Pass, but for now, there's no release date penciled in for the game.
State of Decay 3
Undead Labs’ State of Decay 3 has been missing in action from several of the recent Xbox showcases, with the first reveal of the game being all the way back in 2020. When it does eventually resurface, it'll be interesting to see how much has changed, as back in 2022, Xbox Games Studios boss Phil Spencer mentioned that the threequel is making some impressive upgrades to the fight-or-flight gameplay of the series. Xbox's Matt Booty also confirmed in September 20222 that the game is being made in Unreal Engine 5 and that Undead Labs is being assisted by Gears of War developer The Coalition on this project.
Star Wars Outlaws
After years of Jedi adventures, the next big chapter in the Star Wars franchise is putting players in control of a rogue on the far side of the galaxy looking to pull off the ultimate heist. Set during the height of the original trilogy's galactic conflict, players will be able to explore planets, talk their way out of dangerous situations, and keep their blaster unholstered as they dive into the criminal underbelly of the galaxy.
33 Immortals
Is there a numerical sweet spot in a cooperative game about damned souls rebelling against unfair judgment from the divine? According to Thunder Lotus, that perfect number can be found in cooperative action-roguelike 33 Immortals, a new MMO in which players can pick different perks and weapons to fit their playstyle, run wild across hostile territory, and escape an eternity of hell in this stylish game. Described as a "pick up and raid" game by the studio behind Spiritfarer, it offers a beautiful hand-drawn experience across its multiplayer design.
Kunitsu-Gami: Path Of The Goddess
Capcom's upcoming fantasy game Kunitsu-Gami is a gorgeous slice of Japanese folklore and myths inspired by games such as Okami and Shinsekai: Into the Depths. Not too much is known about this project, but Capcom has confirmed that it'll be powered by its RE Engine and that players will find themselves caught in the middle of a clash between the spirit and mortal realms. It's incredibly pretty to look at and full of grotesque monsters to slay as players aid the Spirit Stone Maiden in this single-player game.
Metaphor: ReFantazio
Atlus has some pretty great games coming out this year--keep an eye out for Unicorn Overlord--and Metaphor: ReFantazio looks like another intriguing title. Development on this game has been led by Katsura Hashino--the game director of Personas 3, 4, and 5--and Atlus calls the title a full-scale fantasy RPG. The game has been teased as far back as 2016 by the company, first cropping up as Project ReFantasy before it got its official title. Like the Persona games, expect this RPG to be full of style and substance when it launches later in 2024.
Harold Halibut
Video games featuring stop-motion animation are (sadly) a rarity in the current era of entertainment, but at least there's Harold Halibut to look forward to. In development for several years now, Harold Halibut is a handmade narrative game set on a city-sized spaceship in an alien ocean. An exploration of friendship in a retro-future world, you'll join Harold in his quest to find a way for the ship to leave the strange planet and find a true home across the stars.
Judas
While BioShock director Ken Levine's next game, Judas, isn't a direct follow-up to that classic series of utopias gone terribly wrong, it does look like a spiritual successor to the series. Set aboard a damaged starship, players will have to make and break alliances in a desperate bid to escape the destruction around them.
Replaced
Set in an alternate '80s timeline, Replaced looks like an eye-catching retro-futuristic action-platformer. Playing as an artificial intelligence trapped in a human body against its own will, it'll be up to you to explore Phoenix City and survive in a world where the people in power see other humans as nothing more than a resource to be exploited. Replaced has a cinematic flair to its design, mixing pixel art with more detailed cyberpunk backgrounds, creating a gritty and dystopian world to discover.
Still Wakes The Deep
There are some fantastic horror games to look forward to in 2024, and if you're in the mood for otherworldly horror set on an oil rig, you'll want to check out Still Wakes The Deep. A first-person horror game from The Chinese Room--the studio behind acclaimed games like Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs and Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture--you'll have to run, climb, and swim through a collapsing oil rig as you search for your crew while an unstoppable force hunts you down.
John Carpenter's Toxic Commando
Horror legend John Carpenter's love for video games is no secret, and in 2024, he's attaching his name to Toxic Commando. It's an undead apocalypse for players to survive in, but fortunately, you'll be able to take on the hordes of the damned from the comfort of a heavily armored vehicle while unleashing a storm of lead in their general direction. World War Z studio Saber Interactive is on development duties for this game, and players can expect a combo of over-the-top humor, action, and classic '80s cinema horror.
Dungeons of Hinterberg
Another game with a terrific and colorful art direction to keep your eyes on, Dungeons of Hinterberg is all about swords, sorcery, and tourism in the Alps. When you're not battling monsters, summoning snowboards, or solving tricky puzzles inside of dungeons, you can rest up at night and socialize with the locals in your mission to have the best slaycation.
Ikaro Will Not Die
What's next for Powerwash Simulator developer Futurlab? An arcade-inspired action game called Ikaro Will Not Die, that's what. Futurlab describes its next project as a blend of grav-surfing movement, martial-arts combat, and getting into the perfect flow in this spiritual successor to Velocity 2X. With gravity-defying systems to master and cool abilities to learn, Ikaro Will Not Die could be the "just one more run" game of the year.
Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl
Every game development studio faces challenges, but like several other teams based in Ukraine, developer GSC Game World has had to balance those obstacles with a Russian invasion, email hacks, and even cybersecurity attacks. In the final stages of development, Stalker 2 has been described as the studio's biggest and most complex game to date. A sequel years in the making, players can once again suit up, pop some iodine pills, and explore the irradiated wasteland around the Chornobyl power plant after its catastrophic meltdown in 1986.
Ark 2
Vin Diesel, alien technology, and dinosaurs that can be tamed as you traverse across a strange world? That sounds like a recipe for success, even if this game has spent a long time baking in the development oven. First revealed at The Game Awards in 2020, Ark 2 has been delayed a couple of times already so that developer Studio Wildcard can add extra polish to the game. When it does eventually arrive, expect a sequel that's structurally and tonally different to the first Ark game as it juggles Souls-like combat with a more serious tone.
Visions of Mana
It's been more than 15 years since a new mainline entry in the Mana series was published, but at long last, Square Enix is bringing the classic fantasy franchise back. It's still early days for Visions of Mana, but if you're in the mood for some hack-and-slash magical action, a vast open world to explore, and an art direction that can only be described as decadent, this just might be the game for you to add to your wishlist.
Indiana Jones
If there's one studio that can handle the two-fisted Nazi-punching action of Indiana Jones, it's Wolfenstein developer MachineGames. We haven't seen too much of the game since it was first announced, but with a new Developer Direct livestream on the horizon, there'll be over "10 minutes of game and developer insights" to look forward to.
GTA 6
GTA 6 developer Rocksteady broke the internet when it released the first official look at the next chapter in its open-world crime saga--and introduced legions of fans to Tom Petty as well--ahead of its release in 2025. So far, the game looks like a wild return to Vice City, full of colorful new characters, crime, and a society desperate for 15 seconds of fame. Expect neon-soaked streets and diverse biomes throughout the state of Leonida to cause some chaos when the game arrives.
Silent Hill F
After years of dormancy, the Silent Hill Renaissance is officially upon us. A remake of Silent Hill 2 from Bloober Team and Silent Hill: Townfall from Observation developer No Code all sound great, but Silent Hill F might be the game that gives you sleepless nights and ruined pants. Headlined by several former Resident Evil veterans, this new chapter in the spooky franchise mixes in atmospheric dread with a subtle emphasis on music.
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