So, without further ado, let's take a look at over 40 of the biggest, brightest and best Xbox Series X|S games headed our way over the next 12 months!
Harold Halibut is the kind of game that immediately grabs you as soon as you lay eyes on it. Why? Well, it uses "unique stop-motion aesthetics" to convey its story, with every element having been "meticulously hand-crafted using traditional sculpting and model-making techniques". Its visuals are absolutely stunning as a result.
As for the game itself, it sees you playing as a young lab assistant (called Harold, unsurprisingly!) living on a city-sized spaceship submerged in an alien ocean. A "fateful encounter plunges Harold into a world no one could have imagined", and he embarks on an adventure amidst a vibrant retro-future world "to find the true meaning of home".
This is a day one Xbox Game Pass release, so we're expecting it to prove popular this April!
- Release Date: 16th April 2024
- Xbox Game Pass? Yes
Originally revealed back in 2021, and initially set for a 2023 release, this kickstarted RPG from none other than Yoshitaka Murayama, the creator of Suikoden, is finally due to arrive in April. It looks set to a bit of a banger all things told, a spiritual successor of sorts with the man behind the OG series at the helm.
You can already dive into the prologue, Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising, to get a taste of what's in store for RPG fans in just a few months time, and we're getting pretty excited to get our hands on the game's flashy six-party battle system. There's depth here, with tons of manoeuvres, combos and skills to master...oh...and there's also what appears to be some sort of shark guy in one of the trailers so yeah, they had us with the shark guy tbh.
- Release Date: 23rd April 2024
- Xbox Game Pass? Yes
Tales of Kenzara: Zau's exciting reveal trailer - coupled with its creator's emotional speech at 2023's Game Awards - showed off a wonderfully colourful and action-packed side-scrolling platformer that could well be a standout for the genre in 2024.
A personal passion project from none other than Assassin Creed Origins' Abubakar Salim - yes, that's right this is Bayek's game - this is an exploration of loss, growth and healing through the eyes of protagonist Zau that looks all set to wow us further come Easter time. With a compelling art style, lots of Bantu culture-inspired myths and lore, clever time manipulation, hand-crafted visuals and fancy cosmic powers to wield against our enemies, we're ready and waiting to dive into this one.
- Release Date? 23rd April 2024
- Xbox Game Pass? No
The big Bandai Namco release of April is action-RPG Sand Land, featuring a "nostalgic and heartwarming world" created by Akira Toriyama, who sadly passed away earlier this year. In the game, you'll play as "Beelzebub" as you embark on an "extraordinary adventure" amidst a harsh desert world suffering from a major water shortage.
You can check out the free demo for Sand Land on the Xbox Store right now, and the good news is that it has plenty of positive reviews so far! Let's hope the full version will be even better than the demo when it arrives in late April.
- Release Date: 25th April 2024
- Xbox Game Pass? No
Alright, so Manor Lords is technically launching for the Xbox ecosystem in April, but it won't be on Xbox consoles until a bit later. The debut release is for PC Game Pass, while the Xbox Game Pass release is expected to be in the near future. Nevertheless, it's too important of a title for us to miss off this list!
This is a medieval strategy game that has been topping the Steam Wishlist charts for a while now, promising "in-depth city building, large-scale tactical battles, and complex economic and social simulations". Will it be able to live up to the hype before its Xbox release? We've only got a few weeks until we find out.
- Release Date: 26th April 2024 on PC Game Pass, "Shortly After" on Xbox
- Xbox Game Pass? Yes
Can you believe we're getting a new TopSpin game in 2024?! It's been well over a decade since the last one cropped up on Xbox 360, and in our opinion, it's still the best tennis game of all time. That makes TopSpin 2K25 a very intriguing prospect, as it uses a lot of the same gameplay from Top Spin 4 while also modernising it for a new generation.
There are some question marks about visual quality and how in-depth the career mode will be, but otherwise this is shaping up to be a tennis fan's dream and quite possibly the best tennis game in Xbox history. Let's hope so, anyway.
- Release Date: 26th April 2024
- Xbox Game Pass? No
A highly anticipated game that's now appeared in our new year's list three years on the trot!
When it does arrive this May, we reckon Senua's Saga: Hellblade II is gonna be a bit of a belter, expanding on the scope of its astounding predecessor whilst delivering a darker, grittier and more action-packed adventure.
2024 is the year Senua finally re-emerges!
- Release Date: 21st May 2024
- Xbox Game Pass? Yes
It feels like we've been talking about the System Shock Remake forever, but it is finally now ready to make its appearance on Xbox! This game has been in development for many years now, and it officially made its debut on Steam back in May of last year. The ratings have been "Very Positive" since then, so it's off to a good start!
Compared to the original game from 1994, this remake includes "all-new HD visuals, updated controls, an overhauled interface and all-new sounds & music". Whether you were a fan of it back in the day or not, if you like playing '90s shooters on Xbox, this is definitely one to add to your wishlist for later this year.
- Release Date: 21st May 2024
- Xbox Game Pass? No
Remember MultiVersus?! This free-to-play version of the Super Smash Bros. formula ended up disappearing in 2023 as the team worked to improve the game and bring it back better than ever. Now, it's apparently ready to make its return, with the new 2.0 variant launching in May of this year (assuming there are no delays).
Some of the new features this time include a new PvE mode, lots more characters, a bunch of additional stages, improved visuals and much more. It sounds like they've really put a lot of effort into this one, and considering it's free for everyone to play, it's definitely worth checking out when it arrives on the Xbox Store in the near future.
- Release Date: 28th May 2024
- Xbox Game Pass? No (It's free-to-play instead)
Destiny 2: The Final Shape sees the maestros at Bungie give it one last big push before wrapping up for good after a seven year stretch of co...oh hold on, no, no they've said the story will continue after this so it's less final shape and more just...shape.
This latest slice of sci-fi action takes you into the heart of the traveller in a campaign extension that features a brand new location, new powers and, of course, lots of sweet new pew-pew pipes. We've sort of fell out of the way of Destiny lately to be honest, it's not an easy one to keep up with, but there's no doubting that it's still one of the best-playing looter shooters out there, with that magic Bungie feel to combat and production values that are the very definition of blowing the bloody doors off. Destiny 2: The Final Shape should be more than enough to keep fans happy when it lands in June.
- Release Date: 4th June 2024
- Xbox Game Pass? No
