Tightly packed with new reveals, the Xbox Games Showcase was the closest Summer Game Fest has felt to recapturing E3's energy. It almost made you forget that just last month Microsoft published Redfall, one of the worst games of the year. In my Summer Game Fest wishlist, I stressed that Xbox must give gamers reason to believe in the brand, stop keeping secrets, and spotlight the big games coming out in the relatively near future. Did Xbox execute? Sort of.
Our Favorite Xbox Games
Halo Infinite (for PC) Review
4.5 Outstanding $59.99 at Xbox See It (Opens in a new window)Forza Horizon 5 (for PC) Review
4.5 Outstanding $59.99 at Steam See It (Opens in a new window)Pentiment Review
4.5 Outstanding $19.99 at Amazon See It (Opens in a new window)Hi-Fi Rush Review
4.0 Excellent $29.99 at Steam See It (Opens in a new window) See all (4 items)Xbox Games Coming Out in 2023
We now have a pretty clear picture of what to expect from Xbox for the rest of 2023. Existing games will get nifty DLC, such as the Elder Scrolls Online and Fallout 76 expansions. Microsoft doesn’t own Activision Blizzard (yet), but Overwatch 2 is slated to receive long-awaited story missions in August. Microsoft Flight Simulator will add aircraft and environments from Dune to coincide with the new movie. Thanks to a partnership with Lucasfilm Games, Sea of Thieves gets a free Monkey Island expansion, which is a lot more exciting than the Jack Sparrow partnership.
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We also got fresh looks at non-exclusive, third-party releases like the next Like a Dragon game (featuring a naked Ichiban on a beach), Cyberpunk 2077’s Phantom Liberty expansion coming this September (featuring Idris Elba and Keanu Reeves), Capcom's mysterious Path of the Goddess, and several Persona projects. Between the announcements and the various Game Pass titles, Xbox has many games in its catalog.
Xbox has not always had many major first-party tentpole titles. Fortunately, two more are coming in 2023. The next mainline Forza Motorsport launches October 10, but Xbox’s heaviest hitter is the highly anticipated Starfield. After several delays, the next Bethesda RPG arrives on September 6. In it, you can explore planets, form relationships, customize gear and starships, and travel the universe. We’re curious to see how the game performs, but so far it looks like an exciting blend of No Man’s Sky and an epic Skyrim-style adventure.
However, as reassuring as it is to see this proof of life, these games still don’t quite feel real.Xbox Games Coming Out in 2024
But what’s next? Thankfully, Xbox offered new looks at big titles that the company has promised for years. Fight a giant Richard Ayoade in the very British, next-gen Fable. Tune out the voices in your head in Hellblade 2: Senua’s Saga. Explore a fantasy RPG world with Avowed. Recent Xbox acquisitions Compulsion Games and inXile Entertainment showed off the steampunk Clockwork Revolution and moody South of Midnight, respectively. It was a good first-party showing.
However, as reassuring as it is to see this proof of life, these games still don’t quite feel real. For the most part, trailers showed little gameplay, even if the footage was apparently in-engine. And at best, games received “2024” release windows. So there’s still a chance that Xbox owners will wait many months before the next banger.
What's Xbox's Future?
It’s been a decade since the Xbox One launch fiasco put Microsoft on the defensive for an entire console generation (and counting). The company's many acquisitions won’t mean much in the short term without the expected high-profile, exclusive games. Is Xbox totally out of the woods yet? No, but this showcase was a step in the right direction. A blog post following the event detailed Xbox's plan for at least four major games per year going forward. Let’s see if they can keep it up.
For more on Summer Game Fest, check out the first look at Mortal Kombat 1’s bloody high-flying gameplay, read why Immortals of Aveum makes us want more shooters without guns, and speculate over Final Fantasy VII Rebirth’s massive world map.