Schlagwort: nextgen games

There’s plenty to explore this Free Play Days weekend with something for everyone! Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege, WRC Generations, Dead by Daylight, and Cities: Skyline – Xbox One Edition are available this weekend for Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members to play from Thursday, March 9 at 12:01 a.m. PDT until Sunday, March 12 at 11:59 p.m. PDT (Rainbow Six Siege will be available until Thursday, March 16).

How to Start Playing

Find and install the games on each of the individual game details page on Xbox.com. Clicking through will send you to the Microsoft Store, where you must be signed in to see the option to install with your Xbox Live Gold or Xbox Game Pass Ultimate membership. To download on console, click on the Subscriptions tab in the Xbox Store and enter the Gold member area to locate the Free Play Days collection on your Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.

Keep the Fun Going

Purchase the game and other editions at a limited time discount and continue playing while keeping your Gamerscore and earned achievements during the event! Please note that discounts and percentages may vary by title and region.

Game Details

• Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege
• WRC Generations – The FIA WRC Official Game
• Dead by Daylight
• Cities: Skyline – Xbox One Edition

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege

Start your Rainbow Six Siege journey during the Free Play Days from March 9th to March 16th, 2023 and experience the full game including all maps and modes. The game features explosive 5v5 attack vs. defense gameplay and intense close-quarter combat with destructible environments. Engage in a tense, tactical team-based shooter where superior planning and execution triumphs. If you like the game, Rainbow Six Siege is available at up to 60% off for a limited time! All your progress and Operators will carry over if you decide to upgrade to the full game.

WRC Generations – The FIA WRC Official Game

Rise to all the challenges of the most comprehensive, realistic, and demanding rally simulation ever developed by KT Racing with WRC Generations – The FIA WRC Official Game. Dive into the heart of the action and drive the cars from the 2022 WRC championship, including the new hybrid models. For fans of competition, the new Leagues mode lets you challenge other players of similar skills. Finish ahead of your competitors to move up the ladder in the Legends category! Take advantage of an exclusive 50% discount for any purchase of WRC Generations until March 13th.

Dead by Daylight

There’s no better time to step into The Fog. Dead by Daylight is free to play this weekend, with up to 50% discounts on the base game and select DLCs until March 20. In addition, the Tools of Torment Chapter is now available on Xbox, featuring new Killer – The Skull Merchant, and new Survivors – Thalita Lyra and Renato Lyra.

Cities: Skyline – Xbox One Edition

Cities: Skylines is a single-player open-ended city-building simulation developed by Colossal Order and published by Paradox Interactive. Design, build, and manage the city of your dreams, from public services to civic policies, and challenge yourself to grow from a simple town to a bustling metropolitan hub. With Free Play Days, you’ll have the chance to play it for free on Xbox.

Don’t miss out on this exciting Free Play Days for Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate member! Learn more about Free Play Days here and stay tuned to Xbox Wire to find out about future Free Play Days and all the latest Xbox gaming news.

Hi, this is Justyna Urbanska from Klabater, bringing you some good news. In cooperation with Goblinz Publishing, we proudly announce that the game Defend The Rook, developed by One Up Plus Entertainment, is coming to Xbox on March 16th!

What is Defend The Rook about?

To put it simply, Defend The Rook is a board game roguelike with tower defense elements.

Enemies are coming at you in five waves from different angles to destroy the main building – the Rook.

To stop them, you have heroes, towers, traps, barricades and spells.

Heroes

There are three basic types of heroes: The Warrior, the Rogue and the Sorceress. Each one of them has three more variations with unique skills.

Towers

Here is where tower defense games come to mind when playing Defend The Rook.

You’ve got three basic towers:

• Cannon Tower – long range, low damage
• Arcane Tower – medium range, medium damage
• Emerald Tower – short range, high damage

Playing around their range and damage is crucial from the tactical point of view. Each one of them has two upgrades, giving towers unique traits.

Traps and Barricades

We won’t make it easy for the monsters to reach your towers. To stop them, you have a few traps that can slow down your foes or damage them. Placing them in the right spot may be the difference between winning or losing the battle, as, for example, some of your heroes benefit from traps.

Spells

Again, just like with Towers and Barricades, spells pack a punch or provide utility for your units. You’ll face a choice to damage the enemy and possibly take them out, or protect your defenses.

Enemies

Enemies come in waves. In each round, there are five waves of enemies with a boss in the last round. Killing the boss grants you a gem, which you can later use for upgrades. Your heroes don’t have to survive and their falling doesn’t mean the end of the game. They will be reviewed at the beginning of the next round. It means you can go all-in at the boss; however, you won’t want to lose heroes prior to the last wave.

The Rook

Contrary to MOBA games, like League of Legends, DotA 2, or Smite, the Rook is not just an immovable object you need to protect. In Defend The Rook, you can move the Rook, and it also has some offensive capabilities.

You can upgrade the Rook. This is where the game resembles mobile base-building games like Clash of Clans, and all of its clones.

Basic Rook

Fortress

Sanctuary

The Fun Doesn’t End There

The first campaign is just a starter before the main course, called the Ascension. In Ascension, the difficulty increases with each level you choose, making it more challenging. It is where the game will put your strategic and planning skills to the test.

Overall with all the upgrades, progression system, choices to make and sheer game mechanics Defend The Rook offers many possibilities with different outcomes to uncover. You’ll be facing tough decisions like: “Should I sacrifice the tower to prevent heroes from losing HP, or should I make the hero soak up the damage to prevent the tower from burning down?”. Defend The Rook is one of these games with a steep learning curve, but as soon as you get the hang of it, you’re sucked into it for good.

Defend the Rook

Klabater

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

$14.99 $13.49

A roguelike tactics board combat combined with tower defense elements. Defeat the invading hordes to stay alive and save the land! Deploy your heroes to outsmart the enemy!
Enjoy more tactics than your average TD game, whilst fighting through waves of enemies. Turn the tables on the invaders with the aid of devastating spells! Overcome the odds and outsmart the enemy. Build and upgrade your towers to survive the onslaught!
To survive you’ll need to utilize more than just your heroes wit and prowess! Careful placement of towers and upgrades will be necessary to ensure victory. Place traps and barricades to defend your castle!
Use these wisely to funnel and confuse the invaders. Wreak havoc amongst their ranks and break up their carefully manicured ranks! Become a champion to save the kingdom!
Do you have what it takes to save the land? Jump right in and enjoy a set of procedurally generated roguelike turn-based battles like no other! Every battle fought is unique.

Today, Nacon hosted its annual Nacon Connect livestream, showcasing new updates and trailers from a number of upcoming games. We got a look at some big titles already in the works, including Lord of the Rings: Gollum and RoboCop Rogue City, and new information on the likes of Ravenswatch, Capes, Clash: Artifacts of Chaos and more.

We also saw new content for upcoming title War Hospital, and gameplay reveals for Ad Infinitum and Gangs of Sherwood, among others. Read on for a summary of all of the announcements fresh from the showcase.

Face Your Nightmares in Ravenswatch on April 6

Ravenswatch is an upcoming dark fantasy roguelite where players are transported to Revery, the world of dreams, to battle vicious nightmares plaguing the land.

The character roster features twisted takes on classic fairytale heroes, including Little Red Riding Hood, The Snow Queen and Aladdin. Six heroes are on offer so far, with more to come during early access.

Each character has their own unique set of skills, which includes a core ability, as well as several offensive and defensive moves. You’ll also have the opportunity to upgrade them with experience gained in battle.

Hop into Ravenswatch and take on corrupted foes alone, or party up with up to three other players to face the nightmares when the game arrives on Xbox Series X|S.

Uncover Your Cape-abilities in Capes later this year

Experience superhero carnage in Capes, an upcoming turn-based tactics game with a selection of unique, powerful heroes at your disposal.

Summon crystals that can stall your enemies as Facet, embrace the shadows and strike unseen as Rebound, or beam electricity through baddies as Weathervane. Each hero has their own set of abilities, different in impact but all equally as devastating.

Capes is due to launch on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One in 2023, so more updates are expected soon.

Juggle Dreams and Reality In Ad Infinitum

In upcoming psychological horror title Ad Infinitum, you play as a German soldier trapped between two different realities.

In one, you’ll explore an abandoned mansion and uncover the secrets that haunt it. In the other, you’ll be transported to Eastern France during World War I and find yourself plagued by the twisted memories of what happened. It’s up to you to unravel each place and figure what’s real and what is a nightmare.

As you explore, you’ll discover haunting locations, environmental puzzles and clues that explain more about both of your perspectives. More information is expected on this atmospheric first-person adventure heading to Xbox Series X|S later this year.

Return to Zenozoik in Clash: Artifacts of Chaos on March 9

We got a glimpse at some gameplay for Clash: Artifacts of Chaos, a new action fantasy title and the third instalment of the Zeno Clash series.

Players assume the role of Pseudo, a martial arts master tasked with protecting a small mysterious creature from the clutches of perilous forces. As Pseudo, you must travel through the land of Zenozoik exploring strange locations, discovering new inhabitants and battering through any foe that stands in your way.

The world of Zenozoik is also dynamic; at night, Pseudo transforms into a wooden alter ego, which allows him to traverse through areas that are impassable while the sun is up. There are also more stakes at night; enemies are darker and more difficult, and it’s the only time that Pseudo can die. Should that happen, it’s up to you to fight through enemies and get back to your normal body before it’s too late.

Clash: Artifacts of Chaos launches March 9 on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.

Balance Savior And Sacrifice In War Hospital

War Hospital is an upcoming simulator title where you’re tasked with managing a medical camp in a warzone. Wounded soldiers will arrive from the battlefield, and it’s your job to make sure they’re seen to, while deciding who needs help the most.

You’ll also be managing resources needed to help the injured, and when supplies run low, you’ll need to send scouts out into the field to retrieve more, which can result in tough decisions and sacrifices.

Some soldiers will be ready to return to the field, others will be sent to different destinations. It’s up to you to decide the fate of these men. War Hospital launches August 31 on Xbox Series X|S.

Reimagine Robin Hood in Gangs of Sherwood

Explore a fresh twist on the legend of Robin Hood in Gangs of Sherwood, a new action title that presents the classic tale in a darker setting.

Play as familiar characters from the Merry Men including Robin Hood himself, Little John, Marian and Friar Tuck, each with their own combat styles.

Gangs of Sherwood trades traditional fairytale for futuristic dystopia, and presents your party with oppressive castles, sinister forests and unnerving, mechanical foes.

Fight the armies of the Sheriff of Nottingham alone, or party up with up to three friends to take down enemies together. Gangs of Sherwood launches fall 2023 on Xbox Series X|S.

A Precious Update on Lord of the Rings: Gollum

We got another peek at The Lord of the Rings: Gollum, the upcoming adventure game centered around the series’ favourite ring keeper. In a trailer, we see a little more of Gollum’s story, and a look at both new and familiar faces from the Tolkien epic.

The trailer also showed off a multitude of settings, and showcased different combat options, from grappling enemies, to shimmying across high peaks and swimming through caves.

Lord of the Rings: Gollum is due to release on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One sometime in 2023, so keep your eyes peeled for more details.

Become The Law in Robocop Rogue City, launching September

To round off the event, we got a look at Robocop Rogue City, an upcoming first-person shooter based on the classic franchise.

Assuming the role of the titular cyborg law enforcement officer, it’s your job to restore order to the streets of Detroit, usually with gratuitous violence. Explore neon-coated settings and take out disruptive citizens in this new take on the sci-fi series, complete with voice acting work from the original RoboCop Peter Weller.

Robocop Rogue City is set to launch on Xbox Series X|S in September 2023.

Other announcements

A few more announcements were also made during the showcase. Transport Fever 2 Console Edition is out now for Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One, and we saw a short trailer for TT Isle of Man Ride On The Edge 3, which is scheduled to launch on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One in May 2023.

Attention Troopers! I am Morgan Lean of Epiphany Games and we’re thrilled to announce that our action-packed, twin-stick shooter, Tiny Troopers: Global Ops, launches today on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One.

Celebrating the return of the Tiny Troopers franchise, Global Ops is a modernizing sequel that has kept all of the elements which made the original games great, while introducing new features and upgrades for a modern audience. In an epic campaign with over 40 missions set across six theaters of war, we have prepared some important intel and mission objectives to aid your deployment. Get ready for some explosive action, where miniature warfare is seen on a global scale!

Mission Objective #1: Lock & Load

Starting off in Tiny Troopers: Global Ops, you will be armed with a pistol as your primary weapon, progressing throughout the story will soon allow you to unlock a lethal arsenal of weaponry from assault rifles to rocket launchers!

Completing a wide-range of objectives within each mission will help you to earn more XP and upgrade your troopers via the HQ. Be sure to frequently check back into the armoury to upgrade your weapons, rank and abilities. Some items are dependent on your trooper’s rank, so the more you rank up – the more items you can unlock!

Mission Objective #2: Adapt and Survive

In Tiny Troopers: Global Ops you will need to tackle lots of objectives such as VIP rescues, elimination missions, search & destroy and wave-based survival! Keep an eye out for hidden objectives throughout the battlefield, completing these will give you bonus XP and may even unlock new costumes from beach wear to chicken suits!

You can style your Trooper from head to toe in the barracks, with a wide range of clothing options from astronauts to clowns. Not sure where to start on unlocking new costumes? Try clicking on the arcade machine in the HQ for an “egg-citing” surprise.

Mission Objective #3: Join Forces in Co-Operative Multiplayer Action

Team-up in cooperative play with up to four players in online cross-pay or couch co-op. Compete in the global leaderboards where squads can combine specialist abilities such as airstrikes, drones, stim packs and reinforcements, making overwhelming the opposition that much easier!

Mission Objective #4: Disrupt Enemy Intel

Your supervillain enemies are causing chaos on a global level. They are well-equipped, organized and ready for a fight. Throughout your missions you will encounter the Troopers’ deadliest foes yet, but do not fear – if your teammates take too much damage on the battlefield, simply revive them. But be warned, if a Trooper is left behind during a mission – they will be gone for good!

Mission Objective #5: Most Importantly… Have Fun!

We are so proud to be releasing Tiny Troopers: Global Ops, a fast-paced, arcade twin stick shooter, taking players across the globe to take down hordes of unscrupulous enemies. Whether you are leading your elite squad of battle-hardened specialists through an epic campaign alone, or battling alongside a group of friends, we can’t wait to see you on the battlefield and ascending the leaderboards troopers!   

Tiny Troopers: Global Ops

Wired Productions, Kukouri Mobile Entertainment

☆☆☆☆☆ 4

★★★★★

Global Warfare! Attention! The Tiny Troopers are BACK in Global Ops, a fast-paced arcade twin-stick shooter! Your mission? Lead an elite squad of battle hardened specialists through an epic campaign of 40+ missions across 6 theatres of war!
Take your troopers into explosive battles through scorching deserts – dense, sweltering jungles and the coldest of frozen tundras! Multiplayer Crossplay! Join forces with up to four players online with full cross platform play! Whether you’re PC or console, you can battle solo or go online with 2 to 4 Unit Squads! Featuring global leaderboards, you’ll be able to combine your specialist abilities including airstrikes, drones, stim packs and reinforcements to overwhelm the opposition! If you’re not ready to deploy online, grab 2 to 4 friends in local co-op mode! Lock & Load! Gear up with a lethal arsenal of weaponry including rifles, rocket launchers, flamethrowers and assault shotguns, or get to the chopper and mount up on heavy machine guns to lay waste to your enemies! Rank Up! Complete objectives and earn XP to upgrade your troopers’ weapons, rank, and abilities in HQ. Customize their appearance with new uniforms, heads, skin tones and accessories, or increase their survivability and effectiveness in battle! Enemy Intel Your enemies are well equipped, organised and ready for a fight! Encounter the Troopers deadliest foes yet, with advanced AI controlling hordes of drones, insurgents and PMC’s – alongside intense boss battles! Adapt and Survive Troopers always answer the call of duty! Tackle a wide range of objectives including VIP rescues, elimination missions, search & destroy and wave based survival! Adapt on the battlefield with additional side and hidden objectives to discover and complete!

We can’t wait to see the reaction of our fans to the new Monster Energy Supercross – The Official Videogame 6. It’s never easy to surprise, especially with a franchise that has now arrived at its sixth chapter, but our passion for dirt bikes inspired us to develop a gaming experience capable of delivering the true spirit of Supercross, bringing together the love for competition on one side, and the desire to have fun with your bike on the other.

Under the coaching of sports legend Jeremy McGrath, this year you can enjoy renovated gameplay that’s more realistic and rewarding. Starting with the Supercross Academy, the “King of Supercross” will get you ready to compete in the official Supercross championships through a series of interactive tutorials and challenges designed to let you find the right feeling on the bike, regardless of your initial skill level. This way, both newcomers and returning players will have a chance to make their way in the career mode, from the first races in the 250SX class to fighting their idols for the 450SX championship title. To meet the needs of all types of players, we also added a number of new tools and settings that allow the complete customization of the riding aids (e.g. auto steering, auto brakes, auto throttle, etc.), and bike set-up options.

As mentioned earlier, one of the aspects we have focused on the most is giving fans the possibility to enjoy their bikes beyond pure racing. Riding is a lifestyle and just like in real life, in Monster Energy Supercross – The Official Videogame 6 you might decide to relax and go for a ride just for the pleasure of it. This is possible thanks to the new Supercross Park, a massive free-roaming environment to discover alone or with friends. We designed five different areas where players will find huge jumps, original tracks, and so much to explore away from the pressure of the competition. They will choose whether to hurtle at full speed down the Peak or experiment with the most reckless stunts at an abandoned Airport; a mysterious Quarry to be discovered awaits the most curious riders and at the Stadium, everyone will feel the atmosphere of a real arena. Besides free-roaming, in the fifth area – inspired by the real-life FanFest – there will be dedicated missions for players to improve their skills.

Finally, to spice up the fun with friends we have also introduced Rhythm Attack. This new game mode will consist of quick 1v1 shootout races on a straight section to be played in split-screen. No turns or second chances: riders will compete in a single-elimination tournament until the champion is crowned.

Monster Energy Supercross – The Official Videogame 6 is now available for Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One with support for Smart Delivery, featuring all the riders and tracks from the official 2022 season.

Monster Energy Supercross – The Official Videogame 6

Milestone S.r.l.

☆☆☆☆☆ 48

★★★★★

Mud, sweat, fun and adrenaline: find the rider in you and jump into the action with Monster Energy Supercross 6!
Live all the emotions of the Monster Energy Supercross 2022 Championship with the official bikes, riders, and tracks.
Take advantage of the wide range of settings to customize every detail of your game experience, freely choosing the amount of realism and riding ease. This year, Supercross 6 follows an entirely new and unique perspective – yours! YOUR PERSONAL COACH
Leave your mark in the Supercross world with the aid of your coach and mentor, the legendary Jeremy McGrath!
Learn all of his tricks in the Supercross Academy and rely on his teachings to reach the peak of the Championship in a Career mode that is more immersive than ever.
Rack up successes, impress the sponsors, race through unique rivalries, and become the Supercross world champion! LET’S GO FOR A RIDE
From the airport to the mine, from the mountain to the stadium, the new Supercross Park offers unique locations to explore on your own or with friends!
Every area is connected by Supercross circuits and motocross tracks that you can use to practice, perform stunts, or simply take in the view. RHYTHM ATTACK
You. Your opponent. A straight road. Everything else is superfluous.
Open the throttle and follow the flow to cross the finish line first in the new Rhythm Attack mode.
Prove your worth, race after race, in the single elimination tournaments that take place in breathtaking locations like canyons and forests. YOUR CHALLENGE, YOUR JOURNEY
Customize every part of your climb until you become the world champion!
Ride your bike with an ultra-realistic feel, or take advantage of the riding aids. This way, you will always be able to approach each race with a style that suits your needs.
Choose how to develop your rider’s skills and adjust each detail of your bike’s setup.
And that’s not all! Build your ideal track with the Track Editor, create an unmistakable style with the Helmet Editor and customize the rider and the bike thanks to a wide range of accessories. RACE ONLINE Crossing the finish line before everyone else, performing perfect maneuvers, riding for hundreds of miles on your bike – thanks to the new online ranking system, you can earn points and climb the leaderboards with these or other activities, or even by specializing in the ones you prefer.
And everything is integrated with the new cross-play function, so you can play with your friends on any console!

Some of my earliest memories include watching my dad play as Master Chief in Halo: Combat Evolved. My brother and I would hide behind the couch to sneak a peek at the super soldiers and aliens in battle, which my mother thought might be too much for our young eyes. But it left an impression on me.  When I was a little older, I dropped into battle with my customized Spartan, who had pink armor and a unicorn banner, right alongside my brother.

Even though gaming is one of my passions, I struggled to find gamer friends at the all-girls school I attended. Aside from an occasional party game session, gaming just didn’t seem like a way I could connect with my friends. As a girl, I didn’t identify with the perceived competitive, macho culture that was associated with gamers at the time. Few games were marketed toward girls, and most of them involved pets or brand name dolls. While I enjoyed those games too, I also wanted to experience RPGs, first-person shooters, and action-adventure games where I could be the hero. One of my brothers, though, got to enjoy Halo LAN Parties with his friends. He got Xbox Live and played with online friends, too. I was envious that I couldn’t share that same experience with my friends.

I’m grateful, though, that the industry has changed to be more inviting and inclusive of all people. I’ve worked with Microsoft for five years and landed this amazing role with Xbox working as a Senior Product Manager with the Xbox Store. I’m proud to be part of an organization that continues to evolve to increase diverse representation in its game collection and among game creators. I also find fulfillment in teaching computer science to high school students as part of the Microsoft TEALS program, which pairs industry volunteers with teachers to impart curriculum to them in a sustainable way. It means so much to me to see women increasingly represented in those classes and serve as a role model to those interested in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) careers.

Halo was the first game I experienced which allowed me to customize my character to represent me in some way. Even still when I play a game, whether it is Disney Dreamlight Valley, Fortnite, or Animal Crossing, I enjoy customizing my character’s appearance, gear, and skins. Having that representation creates an emotional connection for me that makes me want to turn on my console, grab a cozy blanket, and return to my favorite games over and over again.

In honor of women, and especially women who enjoy gaming, here are a few ways that Team Xbox is uplifting and supporting women this year.

Gaming and Impact with Microsoft Rewards

Microsoft Rewards members can earn and donate points to organizations supporting women with Xbox. The organizations below will be featured on console throughout March:

• Girls Who Code: Girls Who Code is a nonprofit organization working to close the gender gap in tech by equipping students who identify as girls or nonbinary with the necessary computing skills to pursue 21st century opportunities. (Canada, UK, and US)
• Games & Online Harassment Hotline (via Feminist Frequency): The Games and Online Harassment Hotline is a free, text message-based, confidential emotional support hotline. This Hotline was created specifically for the gaming community. Whether you’re a player, a developer, a streamer, a competitor — any part of this community — they are here for you, whether that means offering emotional support or finding the referrals and resources that you need. (US)
• Women in Games International: Women in Games International works to cultivate resources such as advanced knowledge sharing, access to technology, and actionable mentorship programs to normalize diversity in the games industry through increased representation. (Global)
• National Center for Transgender Equality: NCTE advocates to change policies and society to increase understanding and acceptance of transgender people. In the nation’s capital and throughout the country, NCTE works to replace disrespect, discrimination, and violence with empathy, opportunity, and justice. (US)

Xbox gamers can earn Microsoft Rewards points in various ways, such as playing or purchasing games after downloading the Microsoft Rewards app on Xbox. Earn points and redeem them for real rewards. Join us today and donate through Xbox.

Artist Tacha P Shares Her Vision of Womanhood and Gaming through her Xbox Logo Design

My work is focused on conceptualizing the realms of digital and physical experiences through immersive visuals, and I often take inspiration from the gaming community, especially in character development and world-building. It’s an honor to be part of Women’s History Month celebrations at Xbox and share a design concept inspired by growth, dreams, and stepping out one’s comfort zone without necessarily knowing the outcome.

The idea of womanhood fueled my creativity here, and specifically, choosing to see the beauty that exists everywhere in the world – even places you’ve never been, or within feelings not yet tapped into. This is personal to me as I know that the path lies ahead, yet the destination is unclear. Spiritually, I feel a distinct connection to my future that fuels my own growth. In the piece, golden rays highlight the controller, signifying the positivity brought into the world by the gaming community. Meanwhile, abstract shapes and larger-than-life objects invite us to dream big and know that we hold the power to shape our own destinies.

Check out more of Tacha’s work at HotSupply.

Xbox Sponsoring First-Ever All Women’s Valorant Team to Compete on a National Stage at the CECC

Xbox is partnering with EportsU and Paidia Gaming to provide women gamers with opportunities for competition, greater visibility and access to experts in the gaming field, as well as deliver content that celebrates high achievement, inclusivity, and positive play. This activation includes three gaming events and two content series, designed to spotlight collegiate women gamers as well as up and coming female shoutcasters. This groundbreaking partnership concludes with sending the first ever women’s team and two new female shoutcasters to the national Collegiate Esports Commissioner’s Cup (CECC) in Texas this May.

Find out more about how you can follow and support the women on their ‘road to nationals’ journey in the following events and content series:

• Competitive national, collegiate Valorant qualifying tournament with colleges participating across the United States and Canada.
• Finals at the Collegiate Esports Commissioner’s Cup (CECC) in Texas, which runs May 5 to May 7, 2023.
• Women’s Matchmaking Season, a separate national competition for women gamers, with top two teams competing at CECC Texas.
• “Road to CECC” will highlight participating teams as they prepare for competition in Texas.
• “Cast This” will focus on discovering and developing budding shoutcasting talent.

Xbox Women’s History Month Affirmation Deck

Regardless of where they are in their careers, the women that work across the entire organization of Microsoft are essential and integral to our mission, success, and culture. In support of the talented women who work at Xbox, we collected affirmations and quotes that inspire us and our personal journeys. We created this interactive Xbox Affirmations Deck for you to download or the Xbox Affirmations Deck for you to print. We encourage you to use these cards as part of your self-care routine, to meditate on these words, and to set a positive tone for your day.

Women’s History Month 2023: Xbox Ambassadors Share Their Stories

The Xbox Ambassadors community is made up of diverse gamers from around the world and we love to amplify and highlight the voices of these players. In celebration of Women’s History Month, we asked select Xbox Ambassador Community Champions what it means to them to be a woman in gaming.

Here’s a sneak peek from our Q&A with Xbox Ambassadors BlondiebutGeeky and oOGingerAleOo.

What is your favorite memory as a woman in gaming?

“I would have to say when a younger female gamer came to me and thanked me for helping them. While we look at each other as all gamers, it is nice to be some kind of a role model for younger women.” – oOGingerAleOo, Xbox Ambassador

From your perspective, what does the future look like for women in gaming?

“I think it looks very promising. Ever growing. With more women in the industry, from game developers to hundreds of other roles. Women will be a part of every avenue and making the gaming space bigger and brighter. I watch how the narrative of games has expanded, grabbing the attention of women, and turning them into gamers. Programs like STEM and Women in Games are encouraging women to explore fields they might not normally gravitate towards. Empowerment like this is making huge differences in the growth of women in gaming and technology. We need to raise the awareness and have more conversations about representation for women in gaming.” – BlondiebutGeeky, Xbox Ambassador

Visit the Xbox Ambassadors Community Blog to see the full story!

The Xbox Ambassador community is also celebrating Women’s History Month with a series of XA Missions that feature games with powerful women. Play, share, and discuss your favorite games by becoming an Xbox Ambassador today!

Explore Games Featuring Powerful Women and Games Created by Women

Women have been a huge part of innovative technology since the beginning and the history of video games is no different. Not only have women been involved in the creation of games every step of the way, but studies are showing more and more that women play and enjoy games as much as men do. Since seeing ourselves represented is so important, we want to showcase that powerful can mean many things, from being able to take on a horde of enemies to being able to practice empathy for others.​

During March and beyond, we are highlighting games that bring focus to powerful women protagonists and games created by women. These collections are available on The Microsoft Stores on Xbox, Windows, and within the Game Pass mobile app year-round as part of our ongoing work to create more inclusive gaming ecosystems and elevate content that resonates with communities.

Featured titles within the collections on the Microsoft Stores on Xbox and Windows, Xbox Game Pass, and PC Game Pass include:

• Signalis (Available with Xbox Game Pass and Rated M) – Created by Yuri Stern and Barbara Wittman, this artistic take on survival horror follows the story of a humanoid android, Elster, on a quest to find her missing partner, Ariane. Discover terrifying secrets, challenging puzzles, and nightmarish creatures all while searching for lost love in a dystopian solar system. ​

• The Walking Dead: Michonne (Available with Xbox Game Pass and Rated M) – Haunted by her past, this game explores the trauma from the devastating loss and difficult decisions that the resilient character, Michonne, had to endure in order to survive the zombie apocalypse on her own. Nichole Martinez, Meghan Thornton, Erica Harrell, and Desirée Proctor were all contributing writers for this deeply emotional mini-series. ​

• A Plague Tale: Requiem (Available with Xbox Game Pass and Rated M) – Take on the role of Amicia, the intelligent protector of her cursed younger brother, Hugo, in this heartrending sequel to A Plague Tale: Innocence. Embark on a journey to find a new home in a twisted world of supernatural forces and figure out just how far Amicia is willing to go in order to save her brother. ​

• Cities: Skylines Remastered (Available with Xbox Game Pass) – Originally brought to us from lead designer Karoliina Korppoo, this city building game has now released a remastered edition for console. The latest edition provides the opportunity for bigger and more beautiful cities. This game encourages creativity and self-expression by allowing players to design a city of their dreams while managing the ever-changing demands of thousands of citizens. ​

• Gears 5 (Available with Xbox Game Pass and Rated M) – As the first woman protagonist of this iconic franchise, Kait Diaz is on a mission to uncover the origins of the Locust Horde. Kait not only battles her way bravely through swarms of enemies, but also endures disturbing visions that inevitably help her get the answers she seeks. Experience Kait’s journey of self-discovery as she learns her family’s true history.​

New Gamerpics, Profile Theme, Wallpaper and Avatar Items to Celebrate Women’s History

In partnership with women communities at Xbox, we’re introducing a new gamerpic, profile theme, wallpapers and avatar items! The gamerpic and profile theme will be available on console and the Xbox PC app. Get your avatar items and wallpaper items here. Content is subject to availability by country.

Xbox Plays Livestreaming

Every Monday during the month of March, the Xbox Plays team will be spotlighting some of our favorite women streamers and inviting them to take over the Xbox Twitch Channel in celebration of Women’s History Month! Tune in and catch all the action on Twitch.tv/Xbox!

March 6

• Atiyana playing Disney Dreamlight Valley (11am PT)
• Ashlinaa playing Disney Dreamlight Valley (3pm PT)

March 13

• Emme playing Disney Dreamlight Valley (11am PT)
• TacticalGramma playing Call of Duty Warzone 2 (3pm PT)

March 20

• Laelindra playing Disney Dreamlight Valley (11am PT)
• Bettynixx playing Disney Dreamlight Valley (3pm PT)

March 27

• Blushi playing Minecraft (11am PT)
• OathxX playing Halo Infinite (3pm PT)

Her reign is built on a mountain of bone. Dead by Daylight’s latest Killer is The Skull Merchant, a ruthless apex hunter driven to pursue prey worthy of her talents.

After years of experimentation, she has finally perfected her deadliest tool: Drones, designed to observe and track any Survivor in its vicinity. Meticulously handcrafted using the skulls of her many victims, these grotesque combinations of bone and metal cast an oppressive shadow.

To effectively master this Killer, you must be prepared to set traps, analyze key points of interest, and capitalize on emboldened Survivors. While The Skull Merchant comes with three Character Perks – Game Afoot, Thwack!,and Leverage – this guide is focused on her Power and how to use it.

The Drone Zone

The Skull Merchant’s Power, Eyes to the Sky, allows her to position multiple Drones in places of her choosing. Some potential places could be around Generators, Hex Totems, or areas that may see heavy travel. You will also have a Radar device, which will allow you to track the location of Survivors under certain circumstances.

Once a Drone has been placed, it enters Active Mode and detects Survivors within its surrounding radius. Note that will you be Undetectable while in this radius, and any Survivor that enters it will be revealed on your Radar. While inside the Active Zone, the Drone will gradually Lock-On to that Survivor, revealing their exact location through Killer Instinct. They will also become Exposed.

If several seconds pass and no Survivor enters the radius while the Drone is in Active Mode, the Drone will switch to Scouting Mode. While in Scouting Mode, the Drone will slowly rotate to catch Survivors in its line of sight. It’s far safer for a Survivor to approach during this time, provided they can avoid the Drone’s rotating sightlines. Should the Drone detect them however, it will immediately enter Active Mode.

Once you place your Drones, you’ll have the ability to recall them or manually set them to Active Mode, though you cannot force a Drone to return to Scouting Mode. Consider using this if you predict that a Survivor is attempting to approach and disable a Drone, though you’ll have to primarily trust your instinct on this one. Remember, the more Survivors actively stressing about Drones, the better.

Key Placements

One of The Skull Merchant’s biggest strengths is her ability to keep tabs of Survivor locations. When you first spawn into a Trial, remember that Survivors will generally spawn at a considerable distance. As the Skull Merchant does not have cross-Map mobility to effectively disrupt their early game plans, you should try to get into a mindset of predicting their future actions.

While you make your approach, you’ll notice several Generators that have yet to be touched – the closer together they are, the better. These are ideal areas to station a Drone, as Survivors will eventually make their way toward those Generators. From there, they will have to choose whether to ignore the Drone and commit to the Generator, build progress to become Exposed and revealed through Killer Instinct, or attempt to disable the Drone and receive a Claw Trap.

Claw Trap: Whenever a Survivor successfully hacks and disables one of your Drones, they will receive a Claw Trap. When a Survivor receives a Claw Trap, their location will be trackable on your Radar until the Trap’s battery dies.

Because Drones create such a perilous zone for Survivors, it’s effective to widen the scope of your web by placing multiple. That way, you maximize the possibility of a favourable outcome. You’ll either end up targeting an Exposed Survivor or gain the ability to track a Claw Trapped Survivor on your radar. It may happen that a Claw Trapped Survivor attempts to draw you away to an inconvenient location – in that case, it’s up to you to decide whether taking that chase is worth it.

At the end of the day, The Skull Merchant is a Killer who specializes in trap placement, so don’t be discouraged if you lose a few Generators in the early game.

Drones and Radar

Dealing with all these Drones can feel overwhelming – especially when your initial placements prove ineffective, and you’re left improvising on the fly. Drones can have significant value in a chase, especially when you’re pursuing a Survivor around a complex loop with limited line-of-sight.

Not only will their exact location eventually be revealed by Killer Instinct if they remain in the Drone’s Active Zone, but you’ll also get the immediate benefit of becoming Undetectable. That means you won’t have to worry about hiding your Red Stain, and Survivors will have a harder time gauging your location.

As for your Radar – remember, you have it for a reason, so use it to obtain crucial information on Survivor whereabouts. The leftmost light informs you where you can place a Drone, while the rightmost one informs you when a Survivor is inside a Drone’s Active Zone. The Radar will remain unlit when your Power is on Cooldown. Keep an eye on those visual signals!

The Skull Merchant is all about control, and you’ll soon find that an effective setup can lead to some truly merciless results. The Skull Merchant is now available in Dead by Daylight’s Tools of Torment Chapter on Xbox.

Dead by Daylight

Behaviour Interactive Inc.

☆☆☆☆☆1337

★★★★★

$29.99 $14.99

Xbox Game Pass

Ever wished to play as one of the characters from your favorite horror movies? Dead by Daylight is a 1v4 multiplayer game that draws from all corners of the horror world from a powerful slasher to a terrifying paranormal entity. Choose between playing an unstoppable Killer and one of 4 Survivors trying to evade a gruesome death. Each character has their own deep progression system and plenty of unlockables that can be customized to fit your personal strategy. Work together to escape, or stalk and sacrifice every Survivor. This Edition of Dead by Daylight gives you access to a roster of 7 Killers (The Trapper, The Hillbilly, The Wraith, The Nurse, The Hag, The Huntress and The Doctor) and 9 Survivors (Meg Thomas, Claudette Morel, Jake Park, Dwight Fairfield, Ace Visconti, Nea Karlsson, Bill Overbeck, Feng Min and David King). It also includes two cosmetic add-ons packed with outfits for various characters.

The latest entry in the Guilty Gear series, Guilty Gear -Strive-, is now available on Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and Windows!

Xbox is no stranger to fighting games and we are excited to rejoin this passionate community. Even better, Xbox Game Pass allows gamers to pick up new and exciting titles with incredible ease, and with Guilty Gear -Strive- coming to Xbox and Game Pass, this is a match made in heaven (or hell).

With revolutionary graphics, an intense story mode, online multiplayer pitting players from all over the world against each other, and more, Guilty Gear -Strive- provides the cutting edge of the fighting game experience. And now you can experience it for yourself on Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and Windows!

The Cutting Edge of Fighting Games

Guilty Gear -Strive- has received such awards as The Game Awards 2021 Best Fighting Game and 25th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards Fighting Game of the Year for its balance of ease of entry and the deep game mechanics Guilty Gear is known for!

A Smooth Online Experience for Players Across the World

A balance between accessibility for players new to Guilty Gear and the gameplay that defines the series. Step onto the stage of intense battle, from the exciting stage wall break system, to the deep game mechanics designed to bring out the strategy unique to fighting games, to the rollback netcode allowing players far apart to enjoy smooth online matches!

The Story Comes to a Climax!

Guilty Gear -Strive- brings more than just matches with its next generation visuals, further evolved down to the smallest details and hardly distinguishable from hand-drawn anime. Don’t miss the hefty Story Mode delving into the deep world of Guilty Gear.

The in-depth story of Guilty Gear has been told across more than 20 years. Now, the many interconnected fates of the cast come to a conclusion! What shocking truth awaits them?

Guilty Gear -Strive- brings jaw-dropping visuals, incredibly fun head-to-head combat, and a blistering hard rock soundtrack to Xbox. The game has been optimized for the Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and Windows, bringing the performance you expect on the platform you love. We look forward to seeing the many Xbox gamers jumping online with some of the best netcode around and showing the world that they too are ready to ROCK!

Take this chance to play Guilty Gear -Strive- with your friends and family!

Guilty Gear -Strive-

ARC SYSTEM WORKS

☆☆☆☆☆95

★★★★★

PC Game Pass

Xbox Game Pass

Amazing graphics and animations! New revolution in fighting games! [Game Contents]
“Guilty Gear -Strive-“ is the latest entry in the critically acclaimed Guilty Gear fighting game franchise. Created by Daisuke Ishiwatari and developed by Arc System Works, “Guilty Gear -Strive-“ upholds the series’ reputation for groundbreaking hybrid 2D/3D cell-shaded graphics and intense, rewarding gameplay. There is a fully voiced story mode diving deep into the Guilty Gear universe, new characters joining fan favorites, and robust rollback net code. ◆Amazing Graphics and Animations
The cutting-edge 2D/3D hybrid graphics pioneered in the Guilty Gear series have been raised to the next level in “Guilty Gear -Strive-“. The new artistic direction and improve character animations will go beyond anything you’ve seen before in a fighting game! ◆New Revolution in Fighting Games!
Guilty Gear -Strive- brings a number of new and innovative game play mechanics designed to allow players new to the series to quickly learn the fundamentals while maintaining the deep, creative gameplay Guilty Gear is praised for. New additions to the series such as a wall-breaking mechanic will allow for new and exciting approaches to battle. ◆The fate of the universe will be determined…
The story of Guilty Gear, spanning over 20 years, will finally come to a conclusion in “Guilty Gear -Strive-“. The trials and tribulations of the series’ heroes and villains will finally be resolved. Discover the astonishing truth awaiting at the end of all things.

The team here at Rebellion has been hunkered down, working hard on a host of new content for Sniper Elite 5 and we are delighted to announce that Season Pass Two is now available, bringing awesome new missions, weapons, and skins. The first drop, called Rough Landing, has just hit the Xbox Store and it comes with an incredible new mission and two explosive additions to your arsenal of weaponry.

Developed in partnership with our friends at Flix Interactive, the new Rough Landing mission takes you deep into dense woodland after a group of Allied airmen have been shot down and are now being hunted by Nazi forces. They are holding invaluable intelligence that needs to be kept out of enemy hands at all costs. It’s down to you to find the crash sites and discover where the airmen are holding up.

Playable in both single player and co-op, the expansive map offers a wide variety of challenges with thick forest areas, a village, a mine shaft, and huge railway bridge for you to explore. There will also be plenty of opportunity for close quarters combat, meaning that you may need some additional firepower.

You will also receive two brilliant new guns as part of the Rough Landing pack: the Mosin-Nagant rifle and Sjögren shotgun. I have asked Lloyd Everson, Senior Designer at Flix Interactive to give us some insight into your new firepower:

“A famously powerful and reliable Russian rifle, the Mosin-Nagant has seen frequent use from its development in the 19th century to modern times, with the M91/30 the most prolific variant. It has excellent stopping power, thanks to its 7.62mm Russian rounds, and offers great stability, making it an excellent choice for long range sniping.”

“The Sjögren 12G Swedish Inertia was one of the world’s first semi-automatic shotguns. It features a unique inertia-operated system that is still replicated in various modern shotguns over 80 years later. This system gives the weapon’s recoil a distinctive feel, which can be controlled to deliver accurate shots at a reasonable rate of fire.”

The brand-new Rough Landing Mission and Weapons pack is available now as an individual purchase or as part of Season Pass Two, which has far more content to launching in the coming weeks. In addition to Rough Landing, we are also bringing a host of new weapons to all players today for FREE! Everyone will receive the Trench Warfare Weapons Pack as part of the latest title update. Trench Warfare delivers some devastating firepower, perfect for close quarters combat, in the shape of the Carl Gustav M/1945 SMG, Trench Gun and Double 1866 pistol.

The Carl Gustav M/1945, better known as the Swedish K, was adopted in 1945, taking features from various World War II firearms to produce a reliable and well-balanced sub-machine gun. Firing at 600 rounds-per-minute, the Gustav provides accurate single shots, while also offering great control in continuous fire.

A powerful pump-action shotgun, the Trench Gun was first used by US Forces during World Wars I and II. Fed with 12-gauge shells from its 6-round tube magazine, it sacrifices range and fire rate for extreme damage at close quarters.

Finally, the Double 1866 is a double-barrel pocket pistol designed in the 19th Century as an easily concealable backup that can be drawn at speed. Despite only featuring a single-action trigger, and producing a very low muzzle velocity, the D.1866’s unique traits make it a powerful close-range weapon.

That about wraps it up for the latest update from the Sniper Elite studio. We have plenty more great content coming in Sniper Elite 5 Season Pass Two, as well as lots of free drops for all players, so make sure that you are following Sniper Elite on Twitter for all the upcoming announcements.

Happy sniping!

Sniper Elite 5: Rough Landing Mission and Weapon Pack

Rebellion

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

Season Pass Two kicks off with the release of an amazing new mission called Rough Landing. Allied airmen, including a high-ranking officer with critical intelligence, have been shot down over a dense woodland and are now being hunted by Nazi troops. Karl’s mission is to find the hidden pilots and retrieve the intelligence. Set deep in a forest and featuring a cramped mine shaft, expect plenty of close quarters combat which will test your skills.
Rough Landing also includes two new weapons, the Mosin Nagant rifle and Sjogren shotgun. A famously powerful and reliable Russian rifle, the Mosin Nagant has seen frequent use from its development in the 19th century to modern times. The excellent stopping power produced from its 7.62mm Russian rounds and its great stability make this an excellent sniper rifle at very long range.
The 12G Swedish Inertia was one of the first semi-automatic shotguns, featuring a unique inertia-operated system that would later be seen in various modern shotguns. The result of this system is a distinctive feel of the recoil, which can be controlled to deliver accurate shots with a reasonable rate of fire.
Included in this pack:
• Rough Landing Mission
• Mosin Nagant rifle
• Sjogren shotgun

Sniper Elite 5 Season Pass Two

Rebellion

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

With two new immersive Campaign Missions, six packs of authentic World War 2 weapons and new skins for both characters and weapons, Sniper Elite 5’s Season Pass Two comes packed with new content. Divided into four content drops, your Season Pass content will become available in-game once it is released.
Season Pass Two contains:
2 Campaign Missions
6 Weapon Packs
2 Weapon Skin Packs
4 Character Skins

Sniper Elite 5

Rebellion

☆☆☆☆☆1196

★★★★★

Continue the fight with thrilling extras when you pre-order Sniper Elite 5!
Pre-order the Sniper Elite 5 Standard Edition to receive:
• Target Führer: Wolf Mountain Campaign Mission The latest instalment in the award-winning series, Sniper Elite 5 offers unparalleled sniping, tactical third-person combat and an enhanced kill cam. Fight your way across the most immersive maps yet, with many real-world locations captured in stunning detail, and an improved traversal system that lets you explore more of them than ever before.
France, 1944 – As part of a covert US Rangers operation to weaken the Atlantikwall fortifications along the coast of Brittany, elite marksman Karl Fairburne makes contact with the French Resistance. Soon they uncover a secret Nazi project that threatens to end the war before the Allies can even invade Europe: Operation Kraken. EXPANSIVE CAMPAIGN
Many real-world locations have been captured using photogrammetry to recreate a living, immersive environment, and multiple infiltration and extraction points and kill list targets provide a whole new perspective on each mission. Take on the Nazi plot solo or work with a partner, with improved co-op mechanics allowing you to share ammo and items, give orders and heal each other. ADVANCED GUNPLAY PHYSICS AND TRAVERSAL
Use ziplines, slide down slopes and shimmy along ledges to reach the perfect vantage point, or to sneak past a sharp-eyed lookout. Factor in rifle stock and barrel options along with gravity, wind and heart rate while you line up your sights on the target. HIGH CALIBRE CUSTOMISATION
Use workbenches to customise and upgrade virtually every aspect of your weapon – change scopes, stocks, barrels, magazines and more. Rifles, secondaries and pistols all have a huge variety of options. On top of that you can select the ammo to suit your target, from armour-piercing right down to non-lethal. INVASION MODE – CAMPAIGN DROP IN PvP AND CO-OP
Invade another player’s Campaign as an Axis sniper and engage in a deadly game of cat and mouse, providing a new dimension to the challenge as you stalk your prey. Alternatively, as Karl you can call for assistance and have a second sniper drop in to help you out of a tricky situation. TENSE ADVERSIAL MULTIPLAYER
Customise your character and loadout and earn XP, medals and ribbons as you take on intensely competitive 16 player battles that will really test your sharpshooting skills. If co-op’s more your style, you can team up with up to 3 other players against waves of enemies in Survival mode. ENHANCED KILL CAM
More realistic and grisly than ever, the trademark X-ray kill cam returns, showing you the true destructive power of each shot. Bones deflect bullets unpredictably, ripping a new path through enemy bodies. SMGs and pistols can also trigger kill cams, including multiple shots in dramatic slow motion.

Everyone has a favorite color, something that speaks to you unlike any other. At Xbox, we’re quite partial to green. That’s why we are excited to announce the Xbox Wireless Controller – Velocity Green, which sports our signature green color. This is the newest addition to our line of colorful wireless controllers, joining fan favorites like Shock Blue, Pulse Red, Deep Pink, and Electric Volt. The Velocity Green wireless controller comes with all the features you need to elevate your game and adds a vibrant pop of color to your gaming experience.

The benefits of the Velocity Green wireless controller go beyond aesthetics, as this generation of Xbox controllers are packed with game-changing features. This includes textured grip on the triggers, bumpers, and back case for added control. The hybrid D-pad provides accurate yet familiar input, and up to 40 hours of battery life allows you to play uninterrupted for long periods of time, making gaming sessions more satisfying. Attach your favorite headset using the 3.5mm jack to chat with friends or get further immersed in the action.  Share with your friends your best clips and highlights using the dedicated Share button, which can be customized to record or take screenshots using the Xbox Accessories App. While on the Accessories app, you can customize your controller even further with button remapping and create custom controller profiles. Feel free to take your controller beyond the Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One consoles, with Bluetooth technology that allows for wireless gaming on your PC and mobile devices.

If you’re looking to round out your setup in a stylish way, consider the Razer Universal Quick Charging Stand – Velocity Green. This charging dock makes for a perfect place to store your controller and ensures that you have enough battery charge to jump right into gameplay without interruption.

Dress to impress with the Xbox Icon Collection Velocity Green Hoodie from the Xbox Gear Shop. Inspired by the new Velocity Green wireless controller with a dash of added luck, this new Velocity Green hoodie is sure to make your squad green with envy.

The Xbox Wireless Controller – Velocity Green is available worldwide for $64.99 USD ERP. Check your local retailer for product availability in your region. For more product details, visit Xbox.com.

Welcome back friends; we have games coming soon and even a surprise available today to keep your backlog nice and healthy. Don’t forget to feed your pre-installs a few files like Minecraft Legends and MLB The Show 23 while you’re picking out a few games to play today!

Available Today

Guilty Gear -Strive- (Cloud, Console, and PC)
The cutting-edge 2D/3D hybrid graphics pioneered in the Guilty Gear series have been raised to the next level in Guilty Gear -Strive-. The new artistic direction and improved character animations will go beyond anything you have seen before in a fighting game. Let’s rock!

Coming Soon

Dead Space 2 (Cloud) EA Play – March 9
Three years after the Necromorph infestation aboard the USG Ishimura, Isaac Clarke awakens from a coma, confused, disoriented, and on a space station called The Sprawl. Fight new enemies and explore this open world’s massive zero-gravity environments to discover the truth with Xbox Cloud Gaming via EA Play.

Dead Space 3 (Cloud) EA Play – March 9
Journey across space to the icy planet of Tau Volantis with Isaac Clarke and Sgt. John Carver to destroy the source of the Necromorph outbreak. Overcome avalanches, ice climbs, violent wilderness, and an army of deadly, evolved enemies to save mankind from the impending apocalypse with Xbox Cloud Gaming via EA Play.

Valheim (Game Preview) (Console) – March 14
Available now with PC Game Pass and coming soon to Xbox consoles! Valheim is a brutal exploration and survival game for 1-10 players set in a procedurally generated world inspired by Norse mythology. Craft powerful weapons, construct longhouses, and slay mighty foes to prove yourself to Odin!

Sid Meier’s Civilization VI (Cloud, Console, and PC) – March 16
Civilization VI offers unique ways to interact with your world, expand your empire across the map, advance your culture, and compete against history’s greatest leaders to build a civilization that will stand the test of time.

Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom – The Prince’s Edition (Console and PC) – March 21
Once upon a time, there was a world torn by endless war. But then came a great king who would change this world forever. Join the young king Evan to found a new kingdom in the Prince’s Edition, which includes all DLCs.

Game Updates

Fallout 76: Mutation Invasion – Available now
Mutation Invasion is here and mutations from Daily Ops’ missions have infected Public Events! Play a Mutated Public Event every hour for additional rewards and challenges and jump back into Daily Ops to earn scaling rewards and experience a new variety of locations, enemies, and mutations. Read more about the Mutation Invasion update.

No Man’s Sky: Fractal Update – Available now
Completely immerse yourself in an infinite universe with No Man’s Sky update 4.1, Fractal! Introducing a catalogue of your most incredible discoveries, the stunning Utopia Speeder starship, a huge number of quality of life and accessibility improvements, and much more! Learn more here.

Halo Infinite Season 3: Echoes Within – Available today
Halo Infinite’s largest multiplayer update yet is available starting today! Season 3: Echoes Within offers players a new 100-tier Battle Pass, new maps, a new mode and, for the first time, a new weapon and equipment item. For more details, check out this interview with 343 Industries Head of Live Performance, Sean Baron.

Sea of Thieves: The Forts of Fortune & 5th Anniversary Celebration – March 16 & 20
The Forts of Fortune are heating up again on March 16! New Chests of Fortune have been spied in their Vaults, offering coveted cosmetics and Commendations to any pirate who can hold on to them long enough to hand in. Enjoy new Pirate Legend Voyages and world changes too! Plus, celebrate Sea of Thieves’ 5th anniversary on March 20 with an exclusive log-in bonus, time-limited celebration selfie wall and a supersized Community Weekend event! Find out more about how Sea of Thieves is celebrating its fifth anniversary here.

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Perks

Madden NFL 23: EA Play Supercharge Pack – Available until March 9
Don’t forget to claim a limited-time reward for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members. Give your Ultimate Team a boost with the EA Play Supercharge Pack – just head to the Game Pass Ultimate Perks page by March 9 to claim the pack.

Halo Infinite: Corrupted Assault Rifle Bundle – Available today
Overwhelm your foes with the exclusive “Corrupted Hex” Assault Rifle Weapon Coating, four 2XP Boosts and four Challenge Swaps! This Perk requires Halo Infinite Multiplayer to use.

F1 22: Champions Content Bundle – Available now
Join the grid in F1 22 with three My Team Icons, two drivable safety cars (available only in Time Trial Mode), 18,000 PitCoin, and more. EA Play members can claim this Bundle now until April 3, 2023.

The Sims 4: Sleepover Sleepwear Set – Available now
Get the family ready for a cozy night in with The Sims 4 Sleepover Sleepwear Set, available with your EA Play membership!

Xbox Game Pass Quests

March Game Pass Quests are available for you to complete and claim! Redeem your completed Quests for points on your console in the Game Pass section, PC, or on the Xbox Game Pass mobile app. The more you play, the more you earn with opportunities to try out daily, weekly and monthly Quests.

Available now:

• Overcooked! 2 (250 points – Ultimate only): Burn 30 items
• Signalis (5 points): Play
• Earn an Achievement in any Game Pass Game (50 points)

Leaving March 15

The following games are leaving the Game Pass library soon, which means it’s time to give these a proper farewell and jump back in before they go. Don’t forget you can save up to 20% off your purchase on games available in the Game Pass library.

• F1 2020 (Console) EA Play
• Goat Simulator (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Kentucky Route Zero (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Paradise Killer (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Undertale (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Young Souls (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Zero Escape: The Nonary Games (Cloud, Console, and PC)

We’ll be back with more games. In the meantime, swap out what controller you use as player 1, change up your RGB colors for your keyboard, and find a new spot to try cloud gaming. New vibes without endangering that high score streak. Talk to you soon!

It’s been almost five years since Sea of Thieves launched on March 20, 2018, and we’re planning on celebrating the momentous milestone in true style! Starting today, an amazing array of activities, bonuses and swag will be on offer for keen corsairs to collect as they set sail throughout the month of March.

All the details were announced on this evening’s stream, recorded at Rare’s on-site tavern – so if you’d like to catch up on the reveal as it happened, please head over to our YouTube channel for the full unveiling. However, for those of you who might appreciate a word-based whistle-stop tour through March’s seafaring schedule, we can help you out with all the key dates to mark in your calendar now.

Marauder’s Medley

Today saw the kickoff of the Marauder’s Medley Event, with Challenges that revisit updates and additions from Sea of Thieves’ last five years over the course of 10 days. Drop in regularly to complete Goals and unlock cosmetics, and enjoy being taken on a greatest hits tour of some of Sea of Thieves’ most memorable updates.

A Cornucopia of Cosmetics

Joining in with the festivities may be its own reward, but just in case you still need a little push, all players who sail the seas from March 17–22 (10am UTC) will also be awarded the celebratory Lustrous Legend Figurehead.

Players swinging by the Emporium to spend their Ancient Coins will find that their currency travels a little further too, as there’s a huge discount sale active from March 17–28 – including some classic ship sets, costumes, weapons and Sea of Thieves: A Pirate’s Life items. Visitors to the Emporium can also pick up a Down the Hatch Emote for free during this sale!

Twitch Perfect

Anyone hoping to grab more free gear should head on over to their Sea of Thieves Twitch stream of choice from March 16–20. Just a few hours of viewing will help pad out your cosmetic chests nicely, with a suite of sought-after skins available throughout this period. Before you tune in to any participating streamer, just make sure you’ve got your Twitch account linked to guarantee your goodies making it to your pirate safely.

Sea of Thieves: Voyage of a Lifetime

On the anniversary itself, March 20, we’ll be premiering a feature-length documentary about the journey of Sea of Thieves from inception through to today. Featuring previously unseen footage and a candid look at the highs and lows of Sea of Thieves’ development and release, this honest and in-depth doc pulls back the curtain and shows the game’s evolution in the most detailed and raw way it’s ever been discussed.

Community Weekend

The heart of Sea of Thieves has always been its community, so we can’t let an anniversary pass by without a chance to celebrate our pirates during a Community Weekend from March 25–27! Double the length of regular Community events, this special weekend comes with the promise of big multipliers, exclusive login bonuses like the gold and black Community Day flag and Baker’s Barrel Disguise Emote, and a free Pirate Legend Voyage for all who log in while the event is active.

Not only that, but if our players successfully push us to Community Emissary Grade Five, Ancient Skeletons will appear more frequently within the game while the event is still live. These special skellies will have 50m Ancient Coins to hand out before their appearances start to slow once more – so be quick off the mark to ensure you can capitalize! There’ll be more on how this event will work closer to the time, so please keep your eyes peeled for the particulars.

Sea of Thieves Season Nine

While the first half of today’s stream focused on how we’re celebrating the journey so far, the second half focused on the future of Sea of Thieves – namely Season Nine, which will release on March 16. To close out the stream’s shenanigans, the Season Nine Content Update trailer premiered, giving players a full preview of what to expect from the next few months on the seas:

Season Nine’s headlines include a high-value loot item named the Chest of Fortune, which brings its own new Commendations and cosmetics. Players can also expect linked changes to Reaper’s Chests, new Voyages for Captains and Pirate Legends, World Events being better balanced based on crew size and much, much more – including 100 more levels of Seasonal progression for players to work through and earn rewards by raising Renown!

Community feedback has fuelled a lot of Season Nine’s changes and updates, with improvements coming to harpooning treasure, the introduction of a food radial menu and seagulls circling the loot from sunken player ships. Reapers will no longer be able to run into the Devil’s Shroud to make their treasures inaccessible, with loot from these out-of-bounds running ships now spawning to a safer spot nearby – a fairer outcome for chasing crews.

We’ll be revealing more about Season Nine in a Deep Dive video soon, with our developers spilling the beans on new features and their design intent, so make sure you’re subscribed to the Sea of Thieves YouTube channel to catch that when it lands! However, for now, we’re thrilled to be offering such an exciting month for sailors old and new – we’ll see you on the seas!

Find Out More

For more information on the latest Sea of Thieves update, including full release notes, visit the Sea of Thieves website. The update is available for free to all Sea of Thieves players who have bought the game on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows 10/11 PC or via Steam, or players who have access to it with Xbox Game Pass. Simply download and install the latest Sea of Thieves update to get access.

New to Sea of Thieves? Find out about the latest free content updates on our What’s New page, get familiar with Who’s Who or pick up some gameplay tips from our Pirate Academy, which provides invaluable information on topics ranging from sailing to swordplay as you prepare for your maiden voyage. Learn more about Sea of Thieves here, or join the ongoing adventure at www.seaofthieves.com where you can embark on an epic journey with one of gaming’s most welcoming communities!

Sea of Thieves

Microsoft Studios

☆☆☆☆☆949

★★★★★

$39.99 $31.99

Xbox One X Enhanced

PC Game Pass

Xbox Game Pass

Xbox Live Gold membership required to play on Xbox One; sold separately. ========= About the game
Sea of Thieves offers the essential pirate experience, from sailing and fighting to exploring and looting – everything you need to live the pirate life and become a legend in your own right. With no set roles, you have complete freedom to approach the world, and other players, however you choose. Whether you’re voyaging as a group or sailing solo, you’re bound to encounter other crews in this shared world adventure – but will they be friends or foes, and how will you respond? A vast open world
Explore a vast open world filled with unspoiled islands, sunken ships and mysterious artefacts. Take on quests to hunt for lost treasure, seek out cursed Skeleton Captains or gather valuable cargo for the Trading Companies. Go hunting and fishing or choose from hundreds of optional goals and side-quests. Unforgettable stories
Play through the Tall Tales to experience Sea of Thieves’ unique take on a story-driven campaign. With 11 tales to play through across two epic storylines, these immersive and cinematic quests provide around 30 hours of the ultimate pirate fantasy. Become Legend On your journey to become a Pirate Legend you’ll amass loot, build a reputation and define a unique personal style with your hard-earned rewards. Adventurer. Explorer. Conqueror. What will your legend be? A game that’s always growing
With five major expansions and almost a year’s worth of monthly updates, Sea of Thieves is a service-based game that is continually growing and evolving. Check back each month to see what new content has been added.

It’s time to play some games! Paradox Interactive announced three new titles and more exciting content at the Paradox Announcement Show 2023.

We have been working on some exciting projects for some time and today, with our Announcement Show sponsored by Xbox, we finally shared them all with our fans! Nine new content releases, including full games and expansions for titles in the Paradox catalog.

In case you missed it, you can watch the Paradox Announcement show here!

Let’s start from the beginning, as we kicked off our Announcement Show with The Lamplighters League, an original game created by Seattle-based Harebrained Schemes, featuring globetrotting pulp adventure and strategic turn-based combat set in an alternate, stylish 1930s.

The next big update we reserved for our beloved Crusader Kings III. Alexander Oltner, the Game Director of Crusader Kings III, joined us in the studio to talk about the next expansion, “Tours and Tournaments”, which adds new actions and adventures for characters, with new ways to gain prestige at home and abroad!

The team at Paradox Tinto, our studio in Sitges, Spain, came to visit us in Stockholm to tell us more about Europa Universalis IV: Domination. In this new expansion pack, many of the most popular and powerful nations are getting updated mission trees and other historical details, in an add-on with truly global reach: it’s time to change history once again!

Talking about ever-evolving scenarios, alternate stories, and looming dangers, we invited the Game Director of Surviving the Aftermath to share some interesting details about their last expansion “Rebirth.” Thanks to terraforming, it seems that with this expansion your colonists can finally see the light at the end of the Aftermath!

In our Announcement Show, we wanted to celebrate the 8th Anniversary of Cities: Skylines coming up on March 10. But we didn’t do just that…we also took the next step for the franchise and announced Cities: Skylines II!

Much more happened during the show, we also shared updates for Stellaris and Age of Wonders, so, let’s go back and rewatch the whole thing! 2023 is going to be memorable and we can’t wait to see you creating your own stories with our games.

Halo Infinite Season 3: Echoes Within, launches tomorrow, and it’s bringing a lot to the game – in fact, it’s the biggest multiplayer update the game has received so far. It brings maps, modes, a new weapon and equipment item, new narrative content to chew on, and more. With that in mind, who better to talk through what Echoes Within brings to fans than 343 Industries’ Head of Live Performance, Sean Baron?

Over the course of an hour-long interview, I asked Sean to walk me through every one of Season 3’s additions to the game in detail, getting a look into what they’ll offer, how they were designed, and even a tease of how some of these changes represent what’s coming for Halo Infinite’s live service future.

So, that’s enough of me – let Sean Baron walk you through Echoes Within.

Sean Baron: “We have – surprise! – three maps. We’re releasing two arena maps, Chasm and Cliffhanger – and one Big Team Battle map, Oasis.”

Cliffhanger: “Cliffhanger is an arena map. It’s asymmetrical, with a cross-map man cannon. It’s got a great Halo: Reach vibe. Feels very much like that moment when you’re dropping down into the first mission, “Noble Actual”. It’s got some of that circular, modular buildings-built-into-the-sides-of-hills vibe. The map mixes elevation and sightlines, as well as interior spaces that are really rewarding for close-quarters combat.  I’d say that this is a theme across all of our new maps – you can find any type of combat space you’re looking for, you have a lot of variety in all of these.”

Chasm: “Chasm is a unique map, its much smaller than any of our other current maps so combat will be more frenetic. It is leaning very heavily into the Forerunner art style, and is a direct call back to one of Infinite’s initial campaign missions, “Foundation”. In that mission, you’re dropped by the Pilot into the Zeta Halo underworld, which has begun to break apart – there are broken columns, gaps to jump over, lots of ways to move around the environment. In Chasm, this causes lots of really fun moments for high-skill movement players.  For those players who can move around really quickly, and jump, and time those jumps really well – great at parkour – this is an environment where there’s a lot of risk-reward. It also has tight spaces with interesting verticality.  It’s just a great arena for finding combat quickly. I believe it’ll work well for Free-For-All and Fiesta.”

Oasis: “Oasis is my favourite map. I don’t know if I should have favourites? I guess it’s not like kids, so I can. It’s a BTB map. It’s asymmetrical. It has great lanes for vehicle combat, but those lanes don’t leave you at a huge disadvantage as a player on foot. The vehicle combat on this map should be pretty compelling. But that doesn’t come at the cost of more close-quarters-combat.  The map features great indoor spaces – some of them are quite large – that players can control if they want to avoid being outside dealing with vehicles. I love this map’s design direction. It feels like a gigantic version of Standoff from Halo 3. It’s not set in that same place, but something about it feels that way. And then it also – for me – calls back to the “Tip of the Spear” mission from Halo: Reach”

“This is Halo Infinite’s version of a gun game mode. In the Arena variant the starting weapon is the SPNKR and the ending weapon is the Oddball, the skull. Those are two really iconic Halo bookend weapons. In Arena, you’ll work your way through 11 total levels of weapons, and the team with the player who gets the kill with the Oddball wins.”

“The other Halo wrinkle that I think is going to add on layers of variety and strategy from players is that, in our Escalation Slayer mode, as your weapons change, you get a different secondary weapon at each level, and you get a different piece of equipment each time. It has such a Fiesta mode vibe to it. It’s like, ‘Okay, I know that I’m gonna want to get this combo. I love that combo. Okay, next thing, what do I have now?’ It’s very fun in that way. That adds tons of possible combinations. There’s tons of options that we have with this, and tons of directions we can take it, so I’m really excited to see it released, and even more excited to see what players do with it.”

“What is the UNSC’s futuristic version of a smokescreen? It’s the shroud screen. It doesn’t protect anybody inside the screen, other than obfuscating that you’re in it or what’s behind it. If someone drops a Shroud Screen, I can throw grenades into it, I can shoot into it. If I was in the Scorpion tank, I could shoot into it and people inside would probably die.

“The Team, when they were building out the Shroud Screen, they wanted to create something that was much more of a utility equipment item, something that has multiple uses, and then creates novel strategic or combat moments that you don’t see in our combat dance right now.  You can use it to conceal movement, which then sets up different attack routes or different strategies. And another thing – and I’m really interested to see how players do this – is being able to bait players into combat encounters. For example, they won’t necessarily know that you’re in there waiting with a Bulldog or a sword. But you drop the Shroud Screen and it creates these moments of tension for the attacker. You’re using it in a way that’s different than anything we currently have with an equipment piece or combat utility item in our sandbox. And that’s really the goal.”

“The goal with the Bandit is to add a new utility weapon—something that you can spawn with and be effective in most combat situations. It’s a precision semi-automatic kinetic weapon. A five-shot kill. It really rewards skilled players who can pace their shots and stay on target. The team wanted to create something analogous to the Halo 5 Magnum from a timing and DPS perspective.”

“When you’re playing with it, it has more effective range than the Assault Rifle but a little less range than the Battle Rifle. And because it doesn’t have a scope on it, it doesn’t get descoped. As a result you can have an interesting combat dynamic between a ranged player using something like a Shock Rifle or a BR – who have more effective range and a scope – and you as a player holding a Bandit.”

“The story continues from Lone Wolves.  We’re still following Spartan Dinh, one of our Lone Wolf Spartans. He’s got this Banished AI that’s infected his mind through his Spartan neural interface, Iratus. It’s continuing that story… but there are lots of secrets… I’m not going to spoil those secrets. The narrative ties into some of the gameplay additions – Dinh hands your Spartan a Bandit, elements from the Oasis map show up, some of our UI reflects the narrative. However, it’s not ‘required reading’ to enjoy the game.”

“With the Battle Pass, we are now offering some immediate unlocks. When you purchase the Echoes Within Premium Pass, you’ll instantly unlock the Red Steel Splinter Armor Coating for all available cores, in addition to earning 1,000 cR over the course of the pass. The 100-level Battle Pass, I think, is really going to resonate with our core players – and because our Passes never expire, players who want to spend some time working through all those levels can do that at their own speed. With Match XP tuned well and the changes we’ve been making to the Challenge system based on player feedback, I’m confident that players are going to move through at the right pace.

We also have two new free armor cores: there’s the fan-favorite, throwback ONI-ish looking Spartan core, “Mirage” – that’s going to be particularly sweet for our core players – and then we have a more bonkers core, “Chimera”, that’s tied to the Season 3 Fracture event.

“That’s the thing that for me is a big deal – as we move forward with the service, we need to multiple options for our different kinds of players. Some people hate cat ears on their Spartan – maybe they really want to keep investing in that hardcore, military, Spartan aesthetic. Some people, like me, love cat ears on their Spartan. That’s awesome. We’ll have both. We’re going to explore what appeals to folks – to me, a service is a relationship, and we need to explore what that relationship means. What do players want? ‘Okay, well, you don’t want that. We won’t give you any more of that.’ And so there’s going to be some really fun variety that I think pushes in directions that, from a uniqueness perspective, we haven’t done so far.”

I feel very confident with where we’ve gone with Season 3, and I have very strong confidence that we’re going to be able to keep improving that consistency, and avoid, completely, the long seasons of the past.

“In our preview of Season 3, I said that this is the beginning of what seasonality is for Halo Infinite. But ‘seasonality’ is restrictive. To me, seasonality is really about consistency – we need to be consistent in everything. I feel very confident with where we’ve gone with Season 3, and I have very strong confidence that we’re going to be able to keep improving that consistency, and avoid, completely, the long seasons of the past. We’re going to be more consistent. We’re going to continue to evolve the game in close partnership with our players. We’re focused on shipping Season 3 and then, as Chief said, we’re ‘[r]eady to get back to work.’”

Halo Infinite

Xbox Game Studios

☆☆☆☆☆1025

★★★★★

PC Game Pass

Xbox Game Pass

Season 3 Available Now!
Halo Infinite’s largest multiplayer update yet is available now! Season 3: Echoes Within offers players a new 100-tier Battle Pass, new maps, a new mode and, for the first time, a new weapon and equipment item. Free-to-Play Multiplayer:
Halo’s celebrated multiplayer returns, reimagined and free-to-play! Seasonal updates evolve the experience over time with unique events, new modes and maps, and community-focused content.
Forge Beta:
Halo’s legendary content creation tool is back and more powerful than ever with advanced features like a new visual scripting engine, object scaling, lighting and audio tools as well as marked improvements in fidelity and object budget limits. Whether it’s remaking iconic experiences from previous Halo entries or creating something entirely unique, the possibilities for thrilling custom maps and game modes are infinite. Cross-Generation and Cross-Platform Gaming: Halo Infinite provides an amazing experience across the Xbox One and newer family of consoles as well as PC with stunning 4k graphics and world-class cross-platform play. And, on Xbox Series X as well as supported PCs, enjoy enhanced features like up to 120FPS and greatly reduced load times creating seamless gameplay that usher in the next generation of gaming.*
*Up to 120FPS and 4K Ultra HD available on Xbox Series X consoles and compatible PCs only across supported maps and modes; compatible TV or monitor required.

Welcome to Next Week on Xbox! In this weekly feature we cover all the games coming soon to Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows, and Game Pass! Get more details on these upcoming games below and click their profiles for further info (release dates subject to change). Let’s jump in!

Great New Games Spotlight has officially kicked off and we’re excited to bring you a ton of games every week for the next six weeks — more than 100+ new games will launch on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One between February 28 and April 10 – and if you spend $50 on eligible games and movies, you can receive 2,500 Microsoft Rewards points! Get more details here.

Romancelvania – March 6
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S

Take a bite into Romancelvania, a darkly comic genre mashup, combining side-scrolling action and tongue-in-cheek romance into one completely absurd and unforgettable adventure. Play as a lovelorn, brooding Drac who, after a century of moping around post-heartbreak, is thrown into a monster reality-dating show, hosted by the Grim Reaper.

Sentry Paragon – March 7
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

In this isometric action game where enemies are coming at you in droves, try to defend yourself and survive against the growing and strengthening threat by making the right strategy and moves.

Caverns of Mars: Recharged – March 8

Descend into tunnels beneath the surface of Mars in a mad dash to destroy the reactor and furthest depths of the enemy’s base. Dodge debris, clear out obstacles, and blast enemies, all while conserving ammunition as you descend at high speed into enemy territory.

Cions of Vega – March 8
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

Guide a father as he searches the countryside and a mysterious cult-like town in hopes of bringing his daughter home. Accompanied by his brother, Logan, you’ll need to search for notes, drawings, keys, and other clues along the way.

Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse – March 8
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

Originally released in Japan in 2008 as the fourth game in the Fatal Frame series, Mask of the Lunar Eclipse returns for current-gen platforms with upgraded graphics along with new modes and costumes. After returning to Rogetsu Isle following a supernatural event when they were younger, a group of teenagers will learn to rely on the Camera Obscura, a camera with the power to capture and seal away unthinkable horrors, as they attempt to discover the truth of their haunting past.

KartRider: Drift – March 8

KartRider: Drift is coming to Xbox with free-to-play online cross-platform kart racing and deep customization. Race in a variety of modes on different tracks with players across the globe in this latest entry to the KartRider series.

Monster Energy Supercross 6 – March 8
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

Mud, sweat, fun and adrenaline: find the rider in you and jump into the action with Monster Energy Supercross 6. Live all the emotions of the Monster Energy Supercross 2022 Championship with the official bikes, riders, and tracks. Take advantage of the wide range of settings to customize every detail of your game experience, freely choosing the amount of realism and riding ease.

Super Arcade Football – March 8

A fast-paced football game where you don’t get to catch your breath. With simple controls that let anyone pick up and play, online and local multiplayer, and more, every match is sure to grab your attention from kick-off until the final whistle.

Super Arcade Racing – March 8

A retro-inspired racing game with an intriguing story, online and local multiplayer, and more than 80 unique tracks with full car customization.

Zapling Bygone – March 8
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

Play as an alien hive-mind who murders bosses, steals their abilities, and wears their skulls. Zapling Bygone is a twisted metroidvania where you murder your foes and steal their abilities by wearing their skulls. Make every inch of the alien planet your playground as you learn its secrets and use them to your advantage.

Clash: Artifacts of Chaos – March 9
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

Play as Pseudo, a master of martial arts who lives as a recluse in the strange land of Zenozoik. When you cross paths with the Boy, a small creature whose mysterious powers have attracted the attention of Gemini, the Mistress of the Artifacts, you decide to protect him, unaware that much greater forces are involved.

Figment 2: Creed Valley – March 9
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

Nightmares have shattered the Moral Compass, making The Mind unable to function properly. Dusty and his ever-optimistic sidekick, Piper, must travel to Creed Valley, where The Mind’s ideals are formed to restore peace. A journey filled with musical showdowns and mind-bending puzzles await in this action-adventure game set in the human mind.

Papetura – March 9

Papetura is a labor of love and a love letter to both the craft of paper modeling and to old-school adventure games. Let the game transport you into a world of imagination and immerse yourself fully in paper fantasy as the soft and fragile music of Floex sets the mood for your journey.

Space Tail: Every Journey Leads Home – March 9

A 2.5D adventure platformer that immerses the player in a deep, emotional plot, and lets them explore new planets and interact with alien civilizations. A story about self-exploration, transformation, and understanding of the world around us.

Transport Fever 2: Console Edition – March 9
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

The classic transport simulation genre has a new gold standard with Transport Fever 2. Discover a whole new world by navigating transport routes through land, water, and air. Provide the world with the transport infrastructure it needs and make a fortune with custom-made transport services. Carry people on their way to work or play and be the reason cities grow and thrive.

Titanium Hound – March 9

A retro-looking cyberpunk game where you pilot a huge and agile exoskeleton to crush hordes of crazed security drones and abominations while working to uncover a global conspiracy.

Volley Pals – March 9

Simplified arcade volleyball where you hit the ball and pass it to your opponent’s field. However, in Volley Pals, you can also do many other interesting things including but not limited to: invading your opponent’s area, using your opponent’s service before they do, increasing the height of the net, playing rock/paper/scissors, and various other things.

Zombie Derby: Pixel Survival – March 9
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

Get in the driver’s seat and put the pedal to the metal! Smash your way through hordes of zombies and countless obstacles in a rip-roaring racing arcade. Experience the zombie apocalypse like you’ve never seen it before.

EvilUP – March 10
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

An adventure for roguelike and RPG fans. Fight with bloodthirsty monsters, explore the dark corners of the labyrinths, and improve your skills and character development with challenging quests, various equipment, numerous types of enemies, and random generation of levels that will make your every attempt unique.

Flashout 3 – March 10

Take part in an exciting, head-to-head fight to the finish in Flashout 3, featuring ultra-fast ships, loops, jumps, and razor-sharp turns! Test your skills on the most impressive sci-fi racing tracks and try not to fall behind by unleashing rockets, guns, bombs, and mines to help you level your competition.

When The Outer Worlds was released to critical success, we at Obsidian Entertainment were excited to see our community thoroughly enjoy this RPG that we felt was fun, fresh, and concise. Now that we’ve announced The Outer Worlds: Spacer’s Choice Edition, an upgrade for the new generation of hardware, we thought we’d go over some of the cool changes we are bringing in and the thought process behind it. If you aren’t familiar with the game, here’s a quick recap:

Lost in transit while on a colonist ship bound for the edge of the galaxy, you awake decades after your planned date only to find yourself in the midst of a deep conspiracy threatening to destroy the colony. Explore the various planets and locations of Halcyon, including the mysterious Gorgon Asteroid and the delightful distillery on Eridanos. As you encounter various factions, all vying for power, the decisions you make determine how the narrative unfolds.

Since its release, over 5 million lucky spacers have explored the celestial bodies of Halcyon and taken an active part in the power struggle rocking the colony. Everything was going just fine. But then, just over a year later, the Xbox Series X and S arrived in people’s living rooms, pushing the boundaries of console gaming ever further. In a sense, the game was released in between two console generations. When opportunity insists on striking, it’s best to use a Prismatic Hammer.

Living on in the new console generation

With the release of this new generation of consoles, we wanted The Outer Worlds to live on for future spacers to enjoy. We wanted to make The Board proud and prevent this must-play RPG from aging prematurely as new games come rolling in, while at the same time providing a relevant, modernized space colonist experience for all newcomers to Halcyon. The technical capabilities introduced with the Xbox Series X and S made it clear there was room for improvement! Not just in how the game looks, but also regarding how the game feels.

This meant brushing up what were already some of the strengths of the core game: an engrossing storyline influenced by the in-game choices you make, quirky yet endearing companions – each with unique abilities and their own missions for you to help them complete – a freely diversified combat system yielding high-intensity encounters with your enemies, and much more…

The road to making the definitive version of The Outer Worlds

So we grabbed our spacer’s dev kits and got to work. Of course, we worked on visual improvements such as bringing 4K, 60FPS graphics, volumetric lighting, improved special effects, better particle physics, and enhancing the environments with increased asset density and visual storytelling.

But we also strived to create a smoother gaming experience by making the combat and companion AIs smarter, improved the open-world sensation through better depth, reworked the vistas already in the game, and updated weather variations. On top of that, we reworked character models and animations to improve the feel of the game. Finally, we thought this Spacer’s Choice Edition would make even more sense if it included the base game’s DLC expansions, Peril on Gorgon and Murder on Eridanos, so we did just that. Now the experience is even richer! And we increased the level cap to 99, to give players even more ways to build their character from the seven branches of the skill tree.

So, what are you waiting for, spacer? Halcyon calls to you! Get in your space pods, put yourself to cryo-sleep, and come play this hit RPG in its definitive version. The Outer Worlds: Spacer’s Choice Edition arrives on March 7.

If you already own The Outer Worlds base game (excluding via Xbox Game Pass) and its associated DLC, Peril on Gorgon and Murder on Eridanos, for Xbox One, you will be able to upgrade to The Outer Worlds: Spacer’s Choice Edition on Xbox Series X | S for a reduced purchase price.*

*Based on Private Division’s suggested retail price for The Outer Worlds: Spacer’s Choice Edition. Actual price may differ. Limit of one upgrade per account. See platform store for details and terms. Players who own the digital version of the base game for Xbox One must be signed into an Xbox Series console using the same Microsoft Account they used to purchase the base game and its associated DLC for Xbox One.

Ever wonder what would happen if you were an invincible player in an RPG? Meg’s Monster is available now on Xbox consoles and combines a heartfelt story with a unique twist: The main character shrugs off almost every hit, but he has to protect his newly found friend if he wants to protect his world from a sudden disaster.

There is a place known as the Underworld where monstrous creatures snack on humans that find their way into the land. Unfortunately for the lost girl Meg, she’s in grave danger… until Roy comes in. An invincible ogre that’s the strongest in the land, he reluctantly decides to help her reunite with her mother. However, there’s one little problem: If she starts crying, then the Underworld will be destroyed. Players will need to guide Roy to reunite Meg with her mom in an adventure filled with quirky characters and dangerous enemies.

While the story of Meg’s Monster revolves around Meg and Roy, there are a number of cool creatures to encounter. The Council consists of four intimidating (but well-meaning) monstrous members, and each enemy has a quirky personality that oozes out of each battle. Each fight will come with a unique creature and a different way to navigate the fray. The turn-based battle system also keeps you on your toes, even when you can tank hits with ease. You need to help Roy balance dishing out damage while protecting Meg from harm.

Meg’s Monster is Odencat’s most ambitious title so far. This is our first title made specifically for consoles, and our team has put their heart and soul into creating a story that will stay with you long after the credits roll. From the amazing soundtrack of Reo Uratani (Monster Hunter, Atelier Ryza 2, Hi-Fi Rush)and Laura Shigihara (Deltarune, Plants Vs. Zombies, Rakuen) to the luscious pixel art of Tomas Praestholm, we’ve made sure that this journey is a memorable one.

From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you for taking the time to experience Meg’s Monster on Xbox. Stay tuned for more updates, and have fun!

Meg’s Monster

Odencat

☆☆☆☆☆4

★★★★★

$14.99 $13.49

Welcome to the Underworld—a land of monsters and mutants who eat humans for breakfast. One such monster—a hulking ogre by the name of Roy—has no interest in eating humans. But one day, he and his best friend Golan stumble upon a lost little girl named Meg, and discover something truly terrifying: the moment she starts wailing in fear, a blood-red hue washes over the sky, and the earth itself begins to tremble and quake. That’s right: this small girl’s tears hold the power to bring forth the apocalypse—and the only way to stop it is for them to help find her mother so she can make it safely back home. Meg’s Monster is a short, story-driven JRPG with a big twist. Players control Roy, who begins the game with 99,999 HP and is virtually untouchable—but the real concern is keeping Meg safe, because if she starts crying, it’s game over for everyone. Players will have to master the unique mechanics and mini-games baked into each battle, all while protecting Meg and using her favorite toys to keep her pacified. Over the course of their journey together, Roy and Meg will encounter a host of quirky and colorful characters, all lovingly rendered in Odencat’s trademark vibrant pixel aesthetic that makes even scary monsters look cute. There’s plenty of drama and intrigue to be found here—and even previously defeated enemies can be befriended through optional sub-events. What begins as a relatively simple and heartwarming story about two unlikely friends ultimately expands into something much greater, as Roy and Meg slowly begin to unravel the mysteries surrounding the Underworld and themselves. The result is an emotional journey that, like any good storybook, will remain in your heart for years to come.

In November, the Winter Update brought a host of new maps, modes, and features to Halo Infinite. One of the most exciting additions was the Forge Beta, a powerful fan-favorite toolset that Spartans have used to unleash their creativity since its inception in Halo 3. We’re happy to announce that, as of January 2, more than 1 million creations have been forged!

We followed up the release of the Forge Beta with the addition of the Custom Game Browser in December, allowing players to host and connect to custom matches, including Forge creations. As of January 2, more than 8.5 million custom matches had been played since Custom Game Browser launched.

Earlier this month, we featured four amazing community Forge creations in the Community Collection playlist, which has been the most popular Halo Infinite playlist since the game’s launch. This playlist will continue to be updated with even more community content in the future, so stay tuned!

As a refresher, the maps included in the Community Collection thus far are:

Absolution

• Credits: Anvil Prime 52, Savesme6464, b0b is here
• Bookmark: Absolution
• A map we previously showed off in our third issue of Forge Features, Absolution has some familiar aspects of a few different maps—from Halo 2’s Sanctuary to Halo 3’s Guardian, with that weathered, stone-based Forerunner aesthetic that defined the look of Delta Halo.

Perilous

• Credits: Sikamikanico, Whos Blaze, UnknownEmerald, tdubfed1, Bubba
• Bookmark: Perilous
• While not a direct remake of the iconic Lockout from Halo 2, many areas of this map carry elements of that beloved classic that lend a hint of familiarity to this new space.

Salvation

• Credits: Black Picture, InfiniteForges, Hofsta, tdubfed1
• Bookmark: Salvation
• Damnation from Halo: Combat Evolved sees a fresh coat of Banished paint and a beautifully revamped industrial aesthetic within a vast cavern.

Starboard

• Credits: Pwn Jones, TheHoodedManZ, bissuetox, The MetaChief, Hitbox unKnown, Max Extra
• Bookmark: Starboard
• All hands have been summoned to battle stations on this stunning UNSC-ified spiritual remake of Halo 2’s Midship.

The Halo community continues to blow us away with the breadth of its imagination and innovation, and we have many more plans for Forge, from a Mini Game mode to new map budget categories to help support your creativity. We’re so excited to see what’s created next in Forge, and can’t wait to jump into Season 3: Echoes Within with you on March 7.

Xbox Wire can exclusively reveal one of Overwatch 2’s upcoming One-Punch Man collaboration skins – support hero Kiriko in the form of Terrible Tornado. The legendary skin comes as part of a wider collaboration between Overwatch 2 and One-Punch Man, which has already seen Doomfist revealed in a skin based on the eponymous superhero himself, Saitama.

The Legendary Terrible Tornado – Kiriko skin will arrive as part of a bundle, available for 2,100 coins in the Overwatch 2 in-game store. The bundle includes the legendary skin, the Terribly Impressive Victory Pose, and the Terrible Tornado namecard. The skin – and the rest of the One Punch Man collaboration – will be available from March 7 until April 6.

It’s the first major in-game collaboration for Overwatch since a LEGO-inspired Bastion skin in 2019, and I caught up with Art Director, Dion Rogers to find out how this unexpected partnership emerged:

“It’s something we’ve been wanting to do for a while,” he begins. “You know, Overwatch’s art style is kind of a marriage of West-meets-East aesthetics and values – there’s a bit of an anime look to Overwatch. So, being fans of anime, we were looking for a partner to collaborate with. And we looked at various studios, and then when One-Punch Man came up, it was surprising how many people on the team knew the anime, they loved it, they watched it. Aaron Keller, our game director totally knows all the characters and things backwards and forwards.

“So it was pretty surprising. We felt like that’s a great one because the team would be very excited by this idea – because the team knew the anime so well, and they were so excited, it’s at that point that it really felt like the right fit.”

Rogers wasn’t wrong. He says that the collaboration was so popular in the studio that, on the very first team meeting about it, the character artist for the Saitama – Doomfist skin began drawing designs during the call, and was sharing them soon after. If you wanted some measure of how much the Overwatch team likes One Punch Man, consider the fact that Doomfist had a voice line referencing the show for years – “One punch is all I need” – before this crossover came together. “Yeah, we were inspired,” Rogers laughs when I ask about it.

So, what about Kiriko’s costume specifically? Terrible Tornado is an incredibly powerful psychic in the world of One-Punch Man, and comes with a distinct personality all of her own. What made Kiriko the right fit to put on her costume?

“Part of the challenge of bringing some of the heroes in is basically [because of] a silhouette change. So gameplay-wise, we have to be careful. Doomfist, for example: as Saitama he gains a cape. Doomfist, we never give him a cape, in any of the skins, so that his silhouette – the shape that players are used to seeing – remains. So we were very careful when we applied this.

“Kiriko – on top of needing some more skins, because she’s a newer hero in the game – she fits the silhouette of [Terrible Tornado] pretty well. So it just felt like a natural choice – we could do her hairstyle, but a lot of Kiriko’s base silhouette comes from her skirt, the little kind of angled parts on her clothing. So we could keep that look while capturing [Terrible Tornado] in kind of cosplay form.”

Rogers raises an interesting point about this collaboration – in most games, you’d kind of assume the heroes were meant to be a version of the One-Punch Man characters but, in Overwatch 2, they’re cosplaying as them.

“Our heroes are basically aware of the anime and are fans too. And they’re cosplaying as the heroes.”

“That’s our approach; that our heroes are basically aware of the anime and are fans too. And they’re cosplaying as the heroes. So when you see Doomfist wearing the Saitama outfit, he’s a fan too.”

It raises the question – is this a one-off, or could we see more cosplay-esque collaborations for Overwatch 2 in future?

“We definitely want to do more collaborations over time, but with the right opportunity [because] it took us a long time to reach here – hopefully it doesn’t take us as long for the next one. But our goal is to do more. It was super fun for the team. It’s surprising, I think our approach overlaps with Overwatch very well.”

“And what I like about the new game is it’s seasonal, we have the seasonal cadence of things now. It’ll allow us to pursue more things like this, because we have targeted seasons that we can plug these things into.”

I can’t let Rogers go without asking the obvious follow-up: what would his dream collaboration be once One Punch Man is done? “Oh yeah. Dragon Ball – that’s one of them. Actually, Street Fighter, I’d love to combo with Street Fighter at some point.” Here’s hoping one (or both!) happen one day soon.

Overwatch 2 is out now on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One. The Overwatch collaboration event, including the Legendary Terrible Tornado – Kiriko skin, will begin on March 7 and run until April 6.

Overwatch® 2

Blizzard Entertainment

☆☆☆☆☆2000

★★★★★

Xbox One X Enhanced

Overwatch 2 is an always-on and ever-evolving free-to-play, team-based action game set in an optimistic future, where every match is the ultimate 5v5 battlefield brawl. Team up with friends and dive into the reimagined PvP experience as a time-jumping freedom fighter, a beat-dropping battlefield DJ, or one of over 30 other unique heroes as you battle it out around the globe. EVER EVOLVING HEROES, NEW MAPS, NEW WAYS TO PLAY AND UNIQUE COSMETICS! Lead the charge, ambush your enemies, or aid your allies as one of Overwatch’s distinct heroes. Take them into battle across 24 futuristic maps inspired by real-world locations, and master multiple unique game modes. SEASON THREE IS NOW LIVE New heroes, maps, and game modes will be added in seasonal updates every nine weeks. Drop into Season Three to explore new terrain in the newest map, ANTARCTICA, and over 20 tiers of completely free rewards on the Battle Pass. Purchase the Premium Battle Pass to unlock an additional 60 Tiers of cosmetic rewards including the all-new Mythic Kiriko skin, legendary skins, sprays, voice lines, weapon charms, and more! A mobile phone number must be linked to your Battle.net Account to play Overwatch.

When PowerWash Simulator launched in July of 2022, I initially dismissed it as just another sim game. When it began topping the charts, trending on social media, and skyrocketing in popularity, I decided to give it a shot — and was immediately hooked. After I completed the campaign and cleaned up nearly every achievement, I wound up having a conversation with a fellow fan about the endless collaboration opportunities available to the game, and potential expansions I hoped to see.

Fast forward to present day and my PowerWash Simulator dreams are coming true, as FuturLab and Square Enix have brilliantly partnered to bring some of the biggest brands in the gaming industry for future power washing opportunities. January delivered us the Tomb Raider Special Pack, and today, we’re being treated to one of the most unforgettable episodes in the Final Fantasy series. What’s even more amazing is both packs are available as free add-ons to the base game, which is also included with Game Pass.

The PowerWash Simulator Midgar Special Pack features five new levels, including the Hardy Daytona and Shinra Hauler, Scorpion Sentinel, Seventh Heaven, Mako Energy Exhibit, and the Airbuster.

Final Fantasy fans will appreciate some of the subtle details paying tribute to the original games, but even if you’re not a hardcore fan, you’re still likely to recognize a few items symbolic of the series. When I discovered one of these items in the Seventh Heaven level, I didn’t even recognize it right away since it was completely covered in debris and bio-residue (one of the new types of dirt you will encounter). Once I did, I shut my power washer off and just gawked at it for a minute, as if I had just discovered some long-lost treasure. I was not expecting PowerWash Simulator to invoke such a surreal moment.

TIP: Different equipment configurations (power washers, extensions, and nozzles) work better on the various types of dirt, and sometimes your best option is a soap nozzle and one of the cleaning liquids for a specific surface type.

Most of the items you power wash in the game are static models, but with this add-on, the developers added small animations and interactive elements. It’s a little detail, but a nice touch that adds to immersion and realism.

Power washing the Scorpion Sentinel was a little unsettling. A giant mechanical scorpion armed with all sorts of deadly weaponry and better known for being a boss battle in Final Fantasy VII Remake now sits in a Shinra Warehouse waiting for you to restore it to a shiny, like-new condition. It’s “eye” scanner darts back and forth, and left me wondering if it was viewing me as its next target.

In a different part of the warehouse rests the Airbuster, a massive and fearsome machine that is another boss battle from the game. It’s a pretty simple task, but the Airbuster’s spinning Waist Gears are one of the neatest things you’ll clean. You’ll also have to open its chest door plates and big bomber cannon covers to get to those hard-to-reach crevices.

TIP: If you’re struggling to complete a job and can’t find the remaining areas needing cleaned, bring up the job details page in your tablet (Menu Button) and it will show you the status of each item. If you select a specific item and close the tablet, the corresponding item will flash on the object, identifying its location.

These are now some of my favorite levels from the game and expansions. They’re not the largest, but they are some of the most detailed, with each model containing numerous parts, articulated joints, and complex weapons systems. The Scorpion Sentinel and Airbuster undergo a significant transformation after you finish scrubbing all the muck off them. It’s like discovering the plastic protective film on your new gaming monitor you never removed and then peeling it off and feeling like its brand new again.

You’ll also get to communicate with recognizable characters from the world of Final Fantasy, including Heidegger, Tifa Lockhart, and Reeve Tuesti. Their stories will be shared via incoming text messages in similar format used throughout the base game, and you’ll discover what led to each of these locations and objects getting mired in muck.

The Midgar Special Pack add-on introduces Bio Residue, Mako Residue, and Battle Damage dirt-types unique to this expansion. In a game where all dirt is the enemy and must be eliminated, this isn’t a major change, but it does add a toxic sludge appearance to some of the levels – a more befitting look than some of the traditional dirt types like moss and mold.

TIP: You can easily identify soiled areas using the “show dirt” feature by pressing right on the D-Pad. This will illuminate the affected spots, so you’ll know where to focus your power washer.

Whether you’re jumping into PowerWash Simulator for the first time or a returning player looking for something new to clean, the Midgar Special Pack is some of the best content available for the game and it’s available today as a free add-on.

PowerWash Simulator is available for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S, plus it’s included with Xbox Game Pass, PC Game Pass, and Cloud Gaming.

PowerWash Simulator Midgar Special Pack

Square Enix Ltd.

☆☆☆☆☆6

★★★★★

Your PowerWashing services are needed in Midgar! Combine the super-soothing fun of PowerWash Simulator with the gritty yet gripping world of one of Final Fantasy’s most unforgettable installments.
It takes a lot of power to clean the mess left behind by Midgar’s usual suspects – Don Corneo’s lackeys, Professor Hojo’s specimens and Heidegger’s tech. Tackle new dirt types, such as bio-residue, as you clean up iconic locations, vehicles and mechs muddied by events you couldn’t dream of happening back home in Muckingham… Magic, monsters, mako – evidence of this world’s strife is everywhere. Frontline in the fight against dirt, it falls to you to restore Midgar’s metropolis back to its shining former glory, accepting commissions from all that request your power washing prowess – from Shinra’s big shots to Avalanche’s most loyal members. Discover their stories through text messages as you power wash to a sparkling finish. Wash and explore five new levels, including:
– The iconic Hardy Daytona & Shinra Hauler
– The mighty Scorpion Sentinel
– The charming Seventh Heaven
– The breathtaking Mako Energy Exhibit
– The formidable Airbuster

PowerWash Simulator

Square Enix Ltd.

☆☆☆☆☆148

★★★★★

$24.99 $19.99

PC Game Pass

Xbox Game Pass

Release the Pressure with PowerWash Simulator! Wash away your worries with the soothing sounds of high-pressure water. Fire up your power washer and blast away every speck of dirt and grime you can find. Build your own power-washing business and unlock new tools, upgrades and more – all with the simple satisfaction of power-washing to a sparkling finish. TIME TO CLEAN UP THE NEIGHBOURHOOD
Build up your business in Career Mode and complete a variety of dirty jobs across the dusty town of Muckingham. There’s no right or wrong; no time pressure or final score, just you and the tools you need to soak away your stress. Want a clean start? Chill out and replay your favourite jobs in Free Play. POWERWASH AND CHILL
Relax, unwind, and play with friends in Online Co-Op! Lend a helping hand to your closest pal in Career Mode, or up to 6 friends can splash around in Free Play, tackling any job the host has already completed. KEEP IT CLEAN
For those looking for a little more pressure, beat your best scores in Challenge Mode! Fight grime in different scenarios; wash against the clock in Time Challenge or test your accuracy by using as little water as possible in Water Challenge.
GOOD CLEAN FUN Graffiti, grime, moss, and mould, no dirt is too tough for your range of washers, nozzles, cleaners, and extensions. Different dirt types have different levels of toughness, so make sure you’re getting tactical with your equipment. Feeling fancy? Then customise your look with washer skins and gloves!
RELAXATION, SATISFACTION GUARANTEED
From casual, clean freaks to players looking to get into the nitty-gritty, everyone can pick up and play to feel immersed. Absorb the relaxing atmosphere and stress-free pace as you strip dirt from patios, pavements, vehicles, and public parks. Stress gets to us all, so sit back, relax, and wash your worries down the drain.
THE WORLD IS YOUR CANVAS Create art by cleaning the way you want. Your nozzles are your brushes; the neighbourhood is your canvas. Unleash your creative talents and transform ordinary dirt into exceptional artwork. Share your techniques and showcase your power-washing prowess and mud-caked masterpieces!

Hack n’ Slash your way through demonic hordes, manage your own train company, or join up with friends in a physics platformer this weekend with Free Play Days! Diablo III: Eternal Collection, Train Life: A Railway Simulator, and Human Fall Flat are available this weekend for Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate member to play from Thursday, March 2 at 12:01 a.m. PDT until Sunday, March 5 at 11:59 p.m. PDT. 

How to Start Playing

Find and install the games on each of the individual game details page on Xbox.com. Clicking through will send you to the Microsoft Store, where you must be signed in to see the option to install with your Xbox Live Gold or Xbox Game Pass Ultimate membership. To download on console, click on the Subscriptions tab in the Xbox Store and enter the Gold member area to locate the Free Play Days collection on your Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.

Keep the Fun Going

Purchase the game and other editions at a limited time discount and continue playing while keeping your Gamerscore and earned achievements during the event! Please note that discounts and percentages may vary by title and region.

Game Details

• Diablo III: Eternal Collection
• Train Life: A Railway Simulator
• Human Fall Flat

Diablo III: Eternal Collection

Play Diablo III and battle demonic hordes during Free Play Days. Shake the earth, blast your enemies with fire and ice, and summon otherworldly minions as you wield the powers of your heroic birthright as one of many playable classes. You can also experience the latest Season 28 ‘Rites of Sanctuary’, one of the biggest seasons ever in this epic action RPG. Advance through the new Altar of Rites progression system to enhance your skills, salvage, and craft primal items, and more with epic new features and seasonal rewards.

Keep an eye out for the release of Diablo IV later this year when this next gen action RPG launches June 6. With ceaseless demons to slaughter, countless abilities to master, nightmarish dungeons, and legendary loot, this vast, open world brings the promise of adventure and devastation. Pre-order any digital edition today and get Open Beta Early Access from 3/17 – 3/19.

Train Life: A Railway Simulator

For the first time in a videogame, become the driver and the railway company manager with Train Life: A Railway Simulator! Drive your passengers or goods across 10 countries and learn to control your locomotive expertly, while following the railway signs and adapting to the weather conditions. Create your own company; buy and maintain your trains; hire conductors and give them new contracts; explore new routes; and optimize your Passenger and Freight activities!

Human Fall Flat

Human: Fall Flat is a hilarious, light-hearted platformer set in floating dreamscapes that can be played solo or with up to 8 players online. Each dream level provides a new environment to navigate, from mansions, castles and Aztec adventures, to snowy mountains, eerie nightscapes, and industrial locations. Free new levels keep its vibrant community rewarded.

Don’t miss out on this exciting Free Play Days for Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate member! Learn more about Free Play Days here and stay tuned to Xbox Wire to find out about future Free Play Days and all the latest Xbox gaming news.

Hey there, this is Alex Tintor, co-founder of Blue Isle Studios. We’re launching a new game called Leap that has major mod support…something that is pretty near and dear to my heart.

I got my first taste of modding at ten years old, when I started making mods for the Command & Conquer series of games. I worked on the Command & Conquer: Red Alert map editor which I continued to collaborate on with a group of others through my high school years with the Blitzkrieg 2 mod for Command & Conquer: Generals. I met my colleague and studio co-founder Brenden years down the road when Starcraft 2 came out with an impressive set of modding tools. I was on a mission to start a total conversion modding project and had been told I needed to connect with Brenden.

Together at Blue Isle Studios, we have brought numerous games to market over the past decade and have always envisioned developing a game where players are offered the opportunity to mod within the game and create content that adds to the game’s playability. Leap was the perfect game to introduce our Leap Design Works suite of mod tools.. All of our games have amazing communities, and Leap has had an especially active community of modders who have been in the game since our Early Access launch last year. Their content paired with our new partnership with the modding leader Overwolf has set us up to have a nice selection of user-generated content (UGC) from modders all over the world available to play today!

Some of the UGC I am most looking forward to checking out include a mod called “One Bullet One Kill” by Overwolf modder “th_mrow,” and another is located within a private server from another Overwolf modder, Lukas, called “Leap Hardpoint.”

In addition to modding being one hundred percent functional for console launch, Leao also features two modes (PVE and PVP), tons of map maps, weapons, and personal vehicles as modes of transportation (my personal favorites being the robo moose and hoverboard). Leap continues to grow daily as our modding community expands and continues to implement new servers and content. We also have a solid roadmap of content planned for the coming months that includes new weapons and levels among other things that we will reveal soon.

While Leap delivers on what players have come to know and expect from a solid FPS, we are excited to stand out with our partnership with Overwolf, and look forward to keeping our servers filled with imaginative players.

This is a big moment for Brenden and me, as we look back on those hours spent in our teenage bedrooms come full circle; we hope with the launch of this game, it will provide an avenue for new and experienced modders to create content for years to come.

Welcome to Leap! We can’t wait to see what experiences you’ll have and what creative modding content you’ll create – not that I’ll be judging or anything.

LEAP

Blue Isle Publishing

☆☆☆☆☆6

★★★★★

$29.99 $23.99

LEAP is a fast-paced, multiplayer first-person shooter featuring epic large scale battles, each with players armed to the teeth. Become an elite LEAP mercenary as you soar into battle. Fight for either the United Earth Defense Coalition (UEDC) or the rebel Exo-Terrans – whoever pays the most, wins your trigger finger and excessive arsenal. Work together with your teammates, use powerful weapons and unique class abilities, and traverse the terrain quickly with grappling hooks, jetpacks and outrageous vehicles to seize victory. Jump on your hoverboard and backflip into battle, or saddle up onto a mechanical moose and lead the charge. Whatever your play style, every LEAP mercenary is equipped with a Personal Vehicle (PV), allowing you to quickly cover distances and close the gap on your enemy. Every exosuit comes equipped with match altering abilities – Call in an Orbital Laser to wipe out a group of enemies, or throw down a Support Shield to take temporary cover from enemy fire. Every obstacle is an opportunity to soar, dash or charge, and an elite mercenary will use their unique movement abilities to navigate the battlefield quickly. Use your grappling hook to reach greater heights or your directional dash to dodge enemy fire. The glory of victory only gets sweeter with rewards. Customize your mercenary with helmet emojis and distinct skin options for exosuits, vehicles and weapons. Flaunt and taunt your frenemies with style and sass.