Xbox Game Pass has started 2025 with a bit of a whimper. The early January Game Pass line-up mostly consists of titles that were previously available on higher tiers coming to the lower-priced Xbox Game Pass Standard tier. The only two truly new additions to Game Pass so far this year have been Carrion and Road 96.
But the rest of January is looking much brighter for Xbox Game Pass. Eternal Strands, Sniper Elite: Resistance, and Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector are all day-one launches for Xbox Game Pass this month. On top of those upcoming additions, Xbox Game Pass subscribers can also mark January 23 on their calendars, with Xbox having just confirmed that another Developer Direct is on its way, bringing some new looks at some highly-anticipated Xbox titles.
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The 2025 Xbox Developer Direct Could Mean Big Things for Xbox Game Pass
Everything Confirmed to be Appearing at the 2025 Xbox Developer Direct
Much like the last two Xbox Developer Directs, this year’s January showcase will focus on four of Xbox’s upcoming titles. Three of these games have already been confirmed, those being Doom: The Dark Ages, South of Midnight, and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.
First announced during Xbox’s June 2024 showcase, a bit more light will be shed on Doom: The Dark Ages on January 23. If previous Xbox Developer Directs are any indication, fans can probably expect to see id Software briefly discuss the experience of developing Doom: The Dark Ages, highlighting its differences and improvements over previous entries. It’s likely this developer commentary will be accompanied by some new gameplay footage.
A similar approach can probably be expected of Compulsion Games’ South of Midnight and Sandfall Interactive’s Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. South of Midnight‘s developers will likely discuss the game’s unique American Deep South influences, while Clair Obscur‘s developers will probably mention the game’s impressive cast and the challenges of being a new studio creating its first game.
All three of these games will be hitting Xbox Game Pass on day one, and all three have a general release window of 2025. Fans might get to see some concrete release dates for these games during the Xbox Developer Direct.
The 2025 Xbox Developer Direct will air at 10am PT/1pm ET on January 23.
What The 2025 Xbox Developer Direct Mystery Game Could Be
But there’s one other game confirmed for Xbox’s 2025 Developer Direct, a mysterious “brand new game” from an unidentified studio. The wording used in the official description of the event implies that the game is something that hasn’t been previously announced before, which rules out games like Perfect Dark or Gears of War: E-Day. But there are a few rumors circulating about what it could be.
One of the biggest rumors over the last years or so has been that Bethesda has an Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion remake or remaster in the works. The Xbox Developer Direct might be the perfect opportunity to reveal this long-rumored project. Another possibility is that the newly rebranded Halo Studios could reveal one of its next projects, with it having been confirmed that “multiple new games” using Unreal Engine 5 are currently in development.
While these potential announcements would be huge for fans of Xbox (and Xbox Game Pass subscribers who would likely get the games day-one), it’s more likely that those types of high-profile reveals would be saved for Xbox’s summer showcase. But regardless of what this mystery game is, the Xbox Developer Direct is sure to be a must-watch for Game Pass subscribers keen to find out more about a handful of the experiences they’ll be playing later in the year.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is the highest tier of Microsoft’s flagship game subscription service that offers over 100 game titles that you can play with a single purchase, making it one of the most outstanding value propositions of the Xbox ecosystem to date.