Every Xbox Series X Exclusive Currently Announced For Next-Gen Only

Summary

• Microsoft is aiming to release the most diverse lineup of games in Xbox history with their 23 first-party studios, but don’t expect to see the payoffs, especially next-gen-only titles, anytime soon.
• Many highly anticipated games, such as The Elder Scrolls 6, Fable, and OD, have no confirmed release windows or dates yet, but fans are eagerly waiting for updates and announcements.
• Exciting new titles like Ark 2, Dungeons of Hinterberg, and 33 Immortals are set to release in the future, but specific release dates or windows have not been announced yet. Fans are eager to see what these games have to offer.

Microsoft was met with backlash this past generation from fans and critics alike for their exclusive portfolio and ultimately put things in motion to help alleviate that tension. Microsoft has been slowly building a rock-solid foundation to help bolster its first-party lineup and their subscription service, Game Pass.

With 23 first-party studios, Microsoft aims to release the most diverse lineup of games in Xbox’s history. However, these acquisitions’ payoffs may not be seen for a quite sometime, especially if you’re looking for next-gen-only titles. Even with many confirmed titles in development, we do not expect to see them anytime in the near future.

Updated December 15, 2024, by Seth Parmer: The Game Awards 2024 has come and gone, and while Xbox wasn’t too present at the event regarding announcements or world premiers, we did receive more information on The Outer Worlds 2, allowing us to revisit this list and keep you updated on what’s going on with Obsidian’s next epic RPG adventure. We also removed Indiana Jones and the Great Circle from the list as it has officially launched!

All games listed below will be released on Xbox Game Pass on day one!

19

Avowed

Ever since its reveal in 2021, Obsidian has been hard at work on Avowed, which was further showcased at the Xbox Direct earlier this year, receiving a release window of Fall 2024 before ultimately being delayed to February 18, 2025, a date they seem extremely confident they will hit.

After a deep dive into its world, gameplay, and interactions, we finally have a tangible grasp and idea of what your journey through Avowed will be like. This makes us crave that sweet and engaging Obsidian RPG formula more and more as we get closer to its launch, especially since our preview of it left us very pleased with what it’s shaping up to be!

18

Fable

Fable is another title that hasn’t been shown or talked about much since its reveal in 2020, and that’s for a good reason. The team over at Playground Games refuses to show the game off “until it’s ready,” and we respect that tremendously.

While the wait was long, before we received our next look at Fable, Playground Games showcased what they’ve been cooking up at this year’s Xbox Games Showcase in July, revealing that the game will be released sometime in 2025. Despite the trailer being largely cinematic, the small glimpses of gameplay within it give us tremendous hope!

17

Clockwork Revolution

Clockwork Revolution is the next RPG from inXile Entertainment and was revealed during the Xbox Showcase earlier last year. The game is from the first-person perspective and is set in the steampunk metropolis of Avalon.

As of the time of writing, there is no release date or window announced, so its release may be sometime later this year or even after. Nonetheless, we’re sure that whatever it is inXile cooked up this time will be well worth the wait.

16

Gears Of War: E-Day

Closing the Xbox Games Showcase in June of this year was Gears of War: E-Day, following Marcus and Dom during the events of Emergence Day, the event that essentially kickstarted the entire series as we know it today, making it the perfect way to fill in any crucial details that are currently unknown.

The unfortunate news here is that there was no release window or even a year shown during this reveal, meaning we likely won’t see this game until very late 2025 or even some time in 2026. Regardless, having Gears return to a story focused around Marcus and Dom again is beyond exciting!

In 2018, Todd Howard confirmed that The Elder Scrolls 6 was in pre-production, and… it still is and will continue to be until after Starfield is released.

The setting for the game has yet to be confirmed, but we know this will likely be a Series X/S and PC exclusive based on how Starfield and other Bethesda IPs have been treated. Don’t expect to see this game until 2027 at the earliest, and that’s being generous.

And, with the recent FTC stuff with Microsoft, it has since been confirmed that The Elder Scrolls 6 will not be on any other console than the Xbox, making it an Xbox Series exclusive if it launches in time, which is a stretch.

14

OD

With a bizarre trailer only Kojima can pull off, rife with celebrities, OD was officially revealed earlier this year at the Microsoft Direct, leaving us with many more questions than we have answers for.

As expected, no release date or window was provided for Kojima’s new horror game. Nonetheless, we’re just happy to see him tackle another game in the horror genre, as P.T. was on track to be something special!

13

South Of Midnight

We Happy Few was Compulsion Games’ last release, and that was five years ago at this point, making fans curious to see what their next game would entail. And, at this year’s Xbox Showcase, South of Midnight was finally revealed to the world.

South of Midnight takes place in the American Deep South and is a third-person action game with a strong focus on the story, atmosphere, and thematic gameplay elements, which was showcased wonderfully during the Xbox Games Showcase in July of this year, ending with a 2025 window, so we will be waiting a bit longer to get our hands on it!

12

Ark 2

Three years ago at The Game Awards, the sequel to the wildly popular Ark: Survival Evolved was announced by Studio Wildcard. Except this time, it features Vin Diesel, which is weird, cool, and tremendously dumb in all the best ways.

Ark 2, being a current-gen-only title, aims to bring much-needed improvements to the game and a nice graphical overhaul along with it.

Ark 2 was set to release in 2023 but has since been delayed indefinitely, and there is no current release date or window. Just give us our Vin Diesel dinosaur game already!

11

Winter Burrow

Are you a fan of cozy-looking survival games where you play as an adorable rodent with severe undertones of depression and bleakness? Well, if so, then Pine Creek Games’ Winter Burrow is your cup of tea, as it checks all of those boxes and then some, as you can see in its gorgeous reveal trailer from the Xbox Games Showcase that happened in June of this year.

Winter Burrow is set to release early next year, but it looks like it’s going to hit the ground running with its visuals, coziness, and story. There’s also a free Demo available for it right now on Steam, so check it out if you’re interested in it!

10

Contraband

Announced back in 2021 as an open-world co-op adventure, Avalanche’s Contraband has received very little attention since then, making it yet another upcoming Xbox Series X exclusive with no concrete release date or window.

While it is very unlikely that this fictional ’70s co-op heist game will be released this year, nothing is impossible or off the table, but we would suggest expecting to see more of it next year!

9

Replaced

Replaced is an upcoming retro-platformer set in a sci-fi world developed by Sad Cat Studios. The game takes place in an alternate version of the ’80s; outside of that, there isn’t much else known outside of its gameplay reveal trailer.

However, there is no release window or solid release date yet, but we hope it hits its target of ‘Coming Soon,’ as this 2.5D adventure looks every bit as stunning as it does exhilarating. But we won’t count on it landing by the end of the year, so expect a vague 2025 for this title!

8

State Of Decay 3

State of Decay 3 was announced in 2020 at Microsoft’s E3 presentation and has been oddly silent since then. Aside from being confirmed to run on Unreal Engine 5 and The Coalition helping them make it, there hasn’t been much else revealed or shown by Undead Labs.

There’s not even a release year, let alone a window, and with awful allegations surrounding the studio, we didn’t expect to see anything from them for a while. However, during the Xbox Games Showcase in June of this year, we received a new trailer for the game that still had no concrete release date.

7

33 Immortals

Spiritfarer was the last title released by Thunder Lotus Games back in 2020, making the 2024 release date for their next game, 33 Immortals, that much more excruciating, which became even more excruciating when it got pushed back to a vague 2025 release window.

33 Immortals is a 33-Player, online cooperative Roguelike that will pit all players against hordes of enemies and formidable bosses with a vast array of weapons and abilities, all within a beautifully hand-drawn world with hand-drawn animations to boot.

There are also an immense amount of upgrades and mechanics that will ensure no two runs are the same, making this one of the most highly anticipated Roguelike titles announced at the moment. Thunder Lotus Games is on pace to knock another project out of the park.

6

The Outer Worlds 2

According to Obsidian, development on The Outer Worlds 2 began after the first game was released in 2019, putting it in its fourth year of development currently. This is particularly interesting since the game was only just revealed two years ago at the Microsoft and Bethesda Showcase event.

Fortunately, at the 2024 The Game Awards, The Outer Worlds 2 received its first gameplay trailer along with a vague 2025 release window. Whether or not they land the release next year remains to be seen, but considering it’s been in development for a very long time, we would assume they’re confident in their estimations!

5

Project MARA

Project MARA was revealed all the way back in 2020 as Ninja’s Theory’s next project after Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2. And, seeing how Hellblade 2 is just now releasing this year, you can expect to wait a bit longer before getting any meaningful updates on MARA.

Nonetheless, we are beyond excited to see the ‘horrors of the mind’ and be scared senseless by whatever this shapes up to be, especially considering how Ninja Theory can nail psychological horror in a way very few other devs can!

4

Project Maverick

Project Maverick is the now-confirmed next project from People Can Fly, but it has yet to be officially announced with a working title, release window, or date. It is confirmed to be an exclusive for the Xbox Series X console.

Outside of that, we just have to wait and see what People Can Fly has been cooking up all this time, and we hope they deliver another exhilarating shooter and experience!

3

Perfect Dark

Perfect Dark was revealed four years ago as Microsoft’s new “AAAA” studio’s (The Initiative) first project and has since gone dark aside from a few interesting tidbits. Tomb Raider devs, Crystal Dynamics, are now heading the project, starting heavy speculation that The Initiative was struggling to get the game up to snuff.

However, the head of Xbox Game Studios, Matt Booty, stated that things are going well, ensuring everyone that the final product will be worth the wait.

Interesting tidbits aside, Perfect Dark was finally showcased again during the Xbox Games Showcase of this year but still didn’t offer anything new or concrete about its release date, window, or anything of the sort, meaning it is likely still a ways off!

2

Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector

Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector is a sequel to one of 2022’s best releases. It is confirmed to be an Xbox Series X console exclusive and will be available on Game Pass on day one.

And, unfortunately, besides the ‘Coming Soon’ release window, there is no solid release frame for this highly anticipated release from indie devs Jump Over The Age. However, we will be ready to jump on this release the moment it has a date and is released. But until its full release is upon us, you can spend that time tackling its demo, which is now available on Steam!

1

Everwild

Speaking of anticipated releases that may be struggling behind the scenes, Rare’s breathtaking co-op adventure game, Everwild, might be a bit of a mess, according to reports.

Which, if true, will be a bit disappointing considering a next-gen-only title from Rare seems magical, and it certainly looked it from the gameplay demonstrations.

Everwild currently has no release window, and we hope it doesn’t get one anytime soon. We just want Rare to take their time and create the best game possible.