Willkommen zurück! Wie immer haben wir spannende Neuigkeiten, Spieleankündigungen und Updates dabei. Apropos Neuigkeiten: Davon gab es auf der Developer_Direct 2025 jede Menge. Falls Du die Show verpasst hast, kannst Du Dir hier noch einmal die Highlights ansehen:
Far Cry New Dawn (Cloud, Konsole und PC) Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, Game Pass Standard
Du wachst im postapokalyptischen Hope County, Montana, auf – 17 Jahre nach einer globalen Nuklearkatastrophe. Stelle Dich dem Kampf gegen die Highwaymen, die versuchen, die letzten verbliebenen Ressourcen zu erobern.
Bald verfügbar
Another Crab’s Treasure (Konsole) – 5. Februar Jetzt enthalten im Game Pass Standard
Ein Soulslike-Abenteuer, das in einer verwüsteten Unterwasserwelt spielt. In der Rolle des Einsiedlerkrebses Kril musst Du den Müll um Dich herum als Schutzschild nutzen, um den Angriffen Deiner Feinde standzuhalten, die Dir weit überlegen sind. Begib Dich auf eine epische Schatzsuche, um Deine entwendete Muschel zurückzukaufen und die dunklen Geheimnisse hinter der Verschmutzung des Ozeans zu ergründen.
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes (Konsole) – 5. Februar Jetzt enthalten im Game Pass Standard
Versammle Deine Verbündeten für Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, das große JRPG-Abenteuer. Stellen Dein sechsköpfiges Team aus mehr als 100 Held*innen zusammen und lenke Dein Schicksal in dieser atemberaubenden 2,5D-Welt, die von Krieg, Intrigen und Magie geprägt ist. Verwalte Deine Stadt mit lebendigen Charakteren, meistere aufregende Minispiele und freue Dich auf eine unvergessliche Geschichte mit grenzenlosem Charme.
Starfield (Xbox Series X|S) – 5. Februar Jetzt enthalten im Game Pass Standard
Mit Starfield liefern die Bethesda Game Studios, das preisgekrönte Entwicklerstudio hinter The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim und Fallout 4, ihr erstes neue Universum seit 25 Jahren. In diesem Rollenspiel der nächsten Generation, das inmitten der Sterne spielt, kannst Du Dir Deinen eigenen Charakter erstellen und Dich mit ihm auf eine epische Reise begeben, um das größte Geheimnis der Menschheit zu lüften.
Madden NFL 25 (Cloud, Konsole und PC) EA Play – 6. Februar Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
Überwinde die Verteidigungslinien und erhalte unbegrenzten Zugang zu Madden NFL 25, das bald Teil der Play List sein wird. Als Mitglied des PC Game Pass oder des Game Pass Ultimate kannst Du das Spielfeld via EA Play auch über Xbox Cloud Gaming (Beta) dominieren. Sei schnell und sichere Dir von 6. Februar bis 6. März ein exklusives Supercharge Pack.
Kingdom Two Crowns (Cloud und Konsole) – 13. Februar Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Standard
Ein Comeback in die Game Pass-Bibliothek! Im brandneuen Solo- oder Koop-Kampagnenmodus von Kingdom Two Crowns geht es darum, Dein eigenes Königreich aufzubauen und es vor Bedrohungen zu schützen. Lerne neue Technologien, Einheiten, Feinde und Geheimnisse in der nächsten Evolution der preisgekrönten Mikrostrategie-Reihe kennen!
Avowed (Cloud, PC und Xbox Series X|S) – 18. Februar Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
Direkt zum Release verfügbar! Willkommen in den Living Lands, einer geheimnisvollen Insel voller Abenteuer und Gefahren. Avowed ist ein First-Person-Fantasy-Action-RPG des preisgekrönten Teams von Obsidian Entertainment und spielt in der fiktiven Welt von Eora, die Du vielleicht noch aus der Pillars of Eternity-Reihe kennst. Game Pass Ultimate- und PC Game Pass-Mitglieder haben die Chance, das Avowed Premium Upgrade Addon zu erwerben, um bis zu fünf Tage früher loszuspielen, zwei Sets von Premium-Skins und Zugang zum digitalen Artbook und Original-Soundtrack von Avowed zu erhalten.
Falls Du es verpasst hast
Ninja Gaiden 2 Black (Cloud, Konsole und PC) – ab sofort verfügbar Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
Das hochgelobte und legendäre Spiel aus dem Jahr 2008 kehrt grafisch überarbeitet zurück! Ninja Gaiden 2 Black erweckt die rasante Ninja-Action des legendären Helden Ryu Hayabusa und dessen tödliches Drachenschwert zum Leben. Stürze Dich in die Schlacht gegen furchterregende Feinde, kämpfe um Dein Leben und schlüpfe in die Rollen der Charaktere Momiji, Ayana und Rachel. Weitere Informationen gibt es auf Xbox Wire DACH.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor verfügbar für Xbox One und Cloud Gaming (Beta) über EA Play Game Pass Ultimate
Kämpfe gegen die Dunkelheit in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, dem Preisträger des IGN-Preises für das beste Actionspiel des Jahres 2023 – jetzt in der Play List! Du bist Mitglied des Game Pass Ultimate? Dann setze Cal Kestis‘ Reise auf Xbox One oder über Xbox Cloud Gaming (Beta) via EA Play fort.
DLC / Game Updates
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Season 02 – ab sofort verfügbar
Freue Dich auf vier neue 6v6-Multiplayer-Maps, beliebte Modi wie das Gun Game sowie einen neuen Multiplayer-Modus, in dem Du Dir einzigartige Buffs verdienen kannst. Für den Zombie-Modus gibt es ebenfalls eine brandneue Karte: The Tomb. Begib Dich auf die Suche nach dem mysteriösen Wächter-Artefakt! Die Jagd war noch nie so aufregend wie jetzt. Weitere Infos findest Du auf dem Call of Duty Blog.
No Man’s Sky Worlds Part II Update – ab sofort verfügbar Das neueste kostenlose Update für No Man’s Sky, Worlds Part II, bringt Milliarden neuer Sterne und Planeten mit sich (darunter epische und volatile Gasriesen, Tiefsee-Ozeane und neue Biome), massive Upgrades für das Lighting, verschiedene Terrains und das Wasser.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Vorteile
Schaue regelmäßig in den Game Pass-Bereich auf Deiner Konsole, in der Xbox Mobile App oder der Xbox App für den PC, um neue Ingame-Inhalte und Angebote zu entdecken. In Anzahl und Inhalt können die Vorteile je nach Region, Plattform und Zeit variieren.
Stumble Guys: RIP Streamer Pack – ab sofort verfügbar
Schnapp Dir den RIP-Streamer-Skin, das Emote „Ban Hammer“ sowie 250 Edelsteine und 50 Token in diesem spaßigen Multiplayer-Knockout-Battle-Royale!
Diese Spiele verlassen den Game Pass
Die folgenden Spiele werden die Game Pass-Bibliothek am 15. Februar verlassen. Doch es gibt noch mehr als genug Zeit, sie zu spielen, bevor sie verschwinden. Nutze Deinen Mitgliedschaftsrabatt von bis zu 20 Prozent, um sie in Deiner Sammlung zu behalten.
A Little to the Left (Cloud, Konsole und PC)
Bloodstained Ritual of the Night (Cloud, Konsole und PC)
EA Sports UFC 3 (Konsole) EA Play
Indivisible (Cloud, Konsole und PC)
Merge and Blade (Cloud, Konsole und PC)
Return to Grace (Cloud, Konsole und PC)
Tales of Arise (Cloud, Konsole und PC)
Wir fügen der Sammlung „Streame Dein eigenes Spiel“ für Game Pass Ultimate-Mitglieder kontinuierlich weitere Spiele hinzu. Hier findest du die Liste der über die Cloud spielbaren Titel, die Du auf unterstützten Geräten streamen kannst, wenn Du sie besitzt.
Wir sind schon bald mit weiteren Ankündigungen zurück. Stelle in der Zwischenzeit sicher, dass Du den sozialen Kanälen des Game Pass, des PC Game Pass und Xbox folgst, um keine Neuigkeiten mehr zu verpassen. Cheers!
Starfield, a game set in the vast expanse of our galaxy, is receiving a new expansion called “Shattered Space” in which players can don novel weapons and gear to take on the latest challenge. As part of its release, the expansion’s publisher Bethesda reached out to cosplayer Jonas Zibartas and tasked him with creating a pair of render-accurate helmets that could be worn all day at conventions.
Within the first couple weeks of nonstop designing and test fits, Zibartas had a helmet model that consisted of 130 individual parts and where airflow was a major priority. Similar to a motorcycle helmet, the inner layer is comprised of soft fabric overlayed on top of a rigid, yet porous, helmet shell. Two fans near the front bring in fresh air from the outside and help prevent the transparent visor layer from becoming too foggy due to the wearer’s breathing. Raised just above this shell is a secondary set of 3D-printed accent pieces that give the helmet its finer details/form.
In Shattered Space, these helmets have lighting accents both inside the visor and at various points outside the helmet which act as indicators or headlamps. Zibartas was able to embed all of these features thanks to a dense strip of LEDs and an Arduino Nano.
The meticulous process of constructing these incredibly detailed helmets can be found here in Zibartas’s YouTube video below!
Bei Xbox möchten wir allen die Freude und das Gemeinschaftsgefühl des Gamings zugänglich machen. Heute geben wir unsere Kollaboration mit Amazon bekannt, durch die Xbox Game Pass Ultimate-Mitglieder in über 25 Ländern die Möglichkeit bekommen, direkt über die Xbox App auf ausgewählten Fire TV-Geräten via Cloud-Gaming zu spielen. Dies bietet den Menschen noch mehr Auswahl darüber, wie sie ihre Lieblingstitel spielen.
Die Xbox App wird bald auf dem Fire TV Stick 4K Max (2023) (79,99 Euro) und dem Fire TV Stick 4K (2023) (69,99 Euro) verfügbar sein. Für Gaming-Neueinsteiger*innen oder für diejenigen, die eine weitere Art des Spielens suchen, ist dies eine großartige, kostengünstige, praktische und mobile Option, um in den Genuss einer riesigen Spielebibliothek zu kommen.
Um loszulegen, wird lediglich ein Fire TV Stick, ein Bluetooth-fähiger Wireless-Controller und eine Xbox Game Pass Ultimate-Mitgliedschaft für einen sofortigen Zugriff auf Hunderte von hochwertigen Spielen benötigt. Zu diesen Spielen zählen Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, Starfield und Forza Horizon 5 und viele mehr.
Außerdem sind die beliebten Fallout-Spiele, wie Fallout 76 und Fallout 4, von Bethesda Game Studios ebenfalls im Game Pass Ultimate verfügbar. Fallout-Fans können diese Spiele auf ausgewählten Amazon Fire TV-Geräten genießen und die gefeierte Fallout-TV-Show auf Prime Video erleben, die im April veröffentlicht wurde.
Nach dem Download bietet die Xbox App ein reibungs- und nahtloses Erlebnis. So funktioniert es:
Installiere und starte einfach die Xbox App auf Deinem Fire TV Gerät.
Melde Dich mit Deinem Microsoft-Konto an, um zu spielen. Wenn Du Xbox Game Pass Ultimate-Mitglied bist, hast Du sofortigen Zugriff auf Hunderte von Cloud-fähigen Spielen.
Kein Mitglied? Kein Problem! Du kannst Xbox Game Pass Ultimate zu einem geringen monatlichen Preis abonnieren oder Fortnite ohne Mitgliedschaft ausprobieren.
Verbinde einen Bluetooth-fähigen Wireless-Controller. Controller wie der Xbox Wireless Controller, Xbox Adaptive Controller, PlayStation DualSense oder DualShock 4-Controller sind alle kompatibel.
Fang an zu spielen!
In den letzten Jahren haben wir uns auf eine Reise begeben, um Cloud-Gaming für mehr Geräte und für mehr Menschen auf der ganzen Welt bereitzustellen. Wir freuen uns, unsere wachsende Familie von Cloud-Gaming-Geräten mit Fire TV zu erweitern, und sind gespannt darauf, neue Spieler*innen willkommen zu heißen.
Mehr Details folgen. Weitere Informationen zu Xbox Cloud Gaming (Beta) auf Fire TV Geräten findest Du hier im Amazon-Blog. Weitere Informationen zu Xbox Cloud Gaming (Beta) findest Du unter xbox.com/cloudgaming.
Last year, we invited content creator Bruce Greene to become our Autumn curator for PC Game Pass titles and, with a huge Summer coming up for the service, we’ve invited a new creator to help you find the perfect games for your collection. With hundreds of games to choose from, meet your helping hand – TikTok’s own Cupquake.
“Hey everyone, my name is Tiffany, but people online know me as Cupquake. I have been a gaming content creator for over 14 years and love to experience a variety of games. Gaming has always been a massive part of my life, and I love being able to share that experience with everyone online!”
If you want to find out more, read on for her thoughts on each of the games included. And if you want to hear more from Cupquake, make sure to follow her on TikTok.
Among Us
Innersloth
☆☆☆☆☆541
★★★★★
$4.99$2.99
PC Game Pass
Xbox Game Pass
Among Us “This game gave me trust issues, but in the best possible way. A game of mystery and deceit, you must work together to find out who the imposter is before they murder and lie their way to victory!”
Minecraft
Microsoft Studios
☆☆☆☆☆2001
★★★★★
$19.99$9.99
Xbox One X Enhanced
Xbox Game Pass
Minecraft “This is one of my all-time favorite games. There are endless possibilities in this sandbox game, and I have so many fond memories of playing it either solo or with friends!”
Overcooked! 2
Team17 Digital Ltd
☆☆☆☆☆237
★★★★★
$24.99$19.99
Xbox Game Pass
Overcooked! 2 “A game that will put your communication skills and friendships to the test! I played through this whole game with my husband. Who knew creating food recipes and dishes could be so stressful and fun at the same time!?”
Disney Dreamlight Valley
Gameloft SE
☆☆☆☆☆339
★★★★★
$39.99$29.99
PC Game Pass
Xbox Game Pass
Disney Dreamlight Valley “This is one of my favorite cozy games that hits on another level of nostalgia. Build relationships with Disney characters while creating and designing a cute, custom town!”
Gang Beasts
Boneloaf
☆☆☆☆☆772
★★★★★
$19.99$7.99
PC Game Pass
Xbox Game Pass
Gang Beasts “This party game is really easy to pick up. The character mechanics are silly, which adds to the quirkiness of the game. You will definitely get some laughs with this one!”
Slime Rancher 2
Monomi Park
☆☆☆☆☆409
★★★★★
$29.99$23.99
PC Game Pass
Xbox Game Pass
Free Trial
Slime Rancher 2 “Another big favorite of mine. Discover, collect, and breed adorable little slimes and collect their poo…I mean plorts for currency! You can also customize your farm as you discover the storyline.”
GRIS
Devolver Digital
☆☆☆☆☆235
★★★★★
$16.99$13.59
Xbox Game Pass
Free Trial
Gris “This stunningly beautiful puzzle game is such a relaxing experience. It’s the perfect game to wind down and get lost in.”
Stardew Valley
ConcernedApe
☆☆☆☆☆674
★★★★★
$14.99$11.99
Xbox Game Pass
Stardew Valley “Dare I say one of the best farming simulators you will ever play!? Its charming 8-bit art style feels a bit nostalgic, and it is so pleasant to play. The pacing is perfect, and the soundtrack is amazing.”
Superliminal
Pillow Castle
☆☆☆☆☆450
★★★★★
$19.99$15.99
PC Game Pass
Xbox Game Pass
Superliminal “Prepare to have your mind blown! This puzzle game uses optical illusions and forced perspectives and is just a wonderful piece of art to experience!”
Unpacking
Humble Games
☆☆☆☆☆337
★★★★★
$19.99$15.99
PC Game Pass
Xbox Game Pass
Unpacking “I would be lying if I said this game didn’t make me cry. It’s a cozy and quaint little game about… unpacking. I was surprised at the storyline for this one but also at how much comfort I got from unpacking and arranging items. “
Some planets also feature multiple biomes to explore, which further complicated things. “We also had to consider which biomes they appeared in – if a creature only appeared in one, less common biome, they would be much harder to find and scan than if they appeared in multiple biomes,” explains Combs. “Having a manageable number of creatures that the player was required to find to complete a planet survey was a consideration. The density of creatures spawned is also controlled by the biome – some have higher density where it makes sense.”
I was curious to know if that placement was based on a lifeform’s evolution trajectory, because by the time we meet these creatures in the game, they’ve already reached their phase of surviving and thriving in a particular hospitable environment.
“We had an amazing variety of creatures created by our artists to choose from — there was not a specific system that determined how creatures evolved,” says Combs. “When placing creatures, there was thought put into which creatures made the most sense for which world: hard armored crabs might make sense for harsh, marshy worlds, for example. A big part of the process was if the creature looked right on a certain planet — ‘does this look like something that would thrive in the savannas of Akila?’ But they are also alien worlds, so sometimes you want a creature that looks alien.”
Piecing it Together
Creating all the creatures in Starfield required a significant amount of thought and effort from the development team. Nogueira shares that, during concepting, they produced dozens of silhouettes to create a diverse pool of alien creatures. Each of these concepts were grounded in realism by studying real creatures from our planet, while taking note of how diverse our own ecosystem is.
2024 is going to be a great year for Xbox players. Across Xbox consoles, PC, Cloud, and Game Pass, you’ll find a truly special line-up on the way. As you saw in the recent Developer_Direct broadcast, our teams and partners are bringing world-class experiences to Xbox platforms. With new ideas, long-awaited sequels, incredible exclusives, and more all on the way, no matter what kind of game you’re looking for, you’ll find it on Xbox.
To try and cram it all into a single article would be impossible, but we’ve arranged a choice selection of just some of the upcoming games into categories, to give you a sense of what’s coming this year to Xbox and PC.
Avowedsees Obsidian taking us back to the world of Eora (the setting of the Pillars of Eternity franchise), and into the unexplored Living Lands, a fantastical, vibrant island filled with adventure and danger. As with all of Obsidian’s games, it’s going to be a journey to remember – this fantasy action RPG is built around the studio’s mantra of playing “your worlds, your way,” including opportunities to approach story and combat in multiple ways, as you ultimately uncover a mystery that affects not only you and your party, but the fate of the Living Lands themselves. Coming to Xbox Series X|S, PC and cloud (and available with Game Pass on day one) this fall.
Advance into a New Age of Grand Strategy with Ara: History Untold
The team at Oxide Games is comprised of strategy gaming veterans – many who have worked on the acclaimed Civilization franchise together. Now they’re paving their own path to create a game they’ve always wanted to make, while finding new ways to build upon the framework of what makes the genre so great to begin with.
With an innovative crafting and simultaneous turns system, unique leaders, and a pedigree of talent behind them, Ara: History Untold isn’t just shaping up to be the next great grand strategy game – it’s planning to usher in a whole new arena of innovation to the genre that has us excited to advance into this next age with them. Ara: History Untold arrives this fall on Windows and Steam, and will be available with PC Game Pass on day one. We recommend that you Wishlist the game on Steam for the latest breaking game news.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II Makes Its Haunting Return
Ninja Theory reignites the journey of Senua inSenua’s Saga: Hellblade II, the long-awaited sequel to Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice. The story follows Senua’s next steps across a stunning 10th Century Iceland, taking you through dark and dangerous encounters, seen through the eyes of someone who experiences psychosis, and all intertwined in a truly unique audio-visual experience – rooted in staying true to its remarkable predecessor. We can’t wait to jump back into this unique gaming world, which tells an immersive, brutal story about facing the darkness within and without. Senua returns on May 21 for Xbox Series X|S, PC and Cloud, and will be available with Game Pass on day one.
Join a New Adventure in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
This new journey starring the legendary archaeologist comes from the award-winning team at MachineGames – the minds behind Wolfenstein: The New Order and Wolfenstein: The New Colossus – in collaboration with Lucasfilm Games and executive produced by Bethesda Game Studios’ Todd Howard.
Set between “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and “The Last Crusade”, Indiana Jones and The Great Circle is a first-person, single-player adventure that will take you all over the world, uncovering clues and solving an ancient mystery. Become the adventurer in a race against sinister forces. Your journeys will take you from the hallowed halls of the Vatican and the arid deserts of Egypt to the lush and sunken temples of Sukhothai and the frigid peaks of the Himalayas.
Indiana Jones and The Great Circle is coming later this year to Xbox Series X|S and PC, and will be available with Game Pass on day one.
Soar to New Heights with Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024
This brand-new simulator is designed to take advantage of the latest technologies in simulation, cloud, machine learning, graphics and gaming to create the most sophisticated, immersive and awe-inspiring flight simulator of all time. Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024goes beyond letting us polish up those virtual pilot wings on our uniforms, it will allow us to pursue our dream of an aviation career.
With features like aerial firefighting, search and rescue, commercial flights, remote cargo ops, VIP charter service, air racing, and more, we’ll not only be experiencing the joy of flight, but experience the pilot career we always dreamed of. The sky is calling – Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 takes off on PC and Xbox Series X|S this year, and will be available with Game Pass on day one.
Gear up and for a brand-new take on action-RPGs in Towerborne, a new adventure from Banner Saga developer Stoic and Xbox Games Publishing. A colorful tale of courage and heroism with a rich arsenal of weapons and combat abilities, Towerborne will offer a ton of replayability and charm, set in a gorgeous, dynamic world that evolves as players progress. Towerborne will make its grand debut for Xbox Series X|S and PC in 2024, and will be available with Game Pass on day one.
There’s a reason open worlds are among gaming’s most popular places – the scope they offer for freedom, discovery, and self-expression are unmatched by most. Thankfully, there are some very big hitters coming in 2024. Star Wars Outlaws is the first-ever open world Star Wars game, set between the events of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. Fight, steal, and outwit crime syndicates as you join the galaxy’s most wanted. Final Fantasy XIV Online arrives on Xbox for the first time this year, welcoming you into its huge, beautiful MMO world, and inviting you to explore every inch with your friends.
2024 also sees the long-awaited return of two cult classic franchises with wide open worlds. Dragon’s Dogma2brings us another eldritch blast of Capcom’s unique action-RPG, mixing high fantasy with some truly outlandish combat – once you’ve taken down a cyclops with a meteor, you’ll know why people loved the first game quite so much. STALKER 2 (coming on day one to Game Pass) will reintroduce us to The Zone after many years away, asking you to explore a mutating world by way of intense, painstaking survival action.
If turn-based role playing fans thought they were eating good last year, with celebrated entries such as Baldur’s Gate 3 and Sea of Stars, it’s time to loosen that belt another notch; a feast of massive adventures is on the menu in 2024. Following November’s more action-focused Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, RGG Studio shifts focus back to turn-based battle in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, out now. This one’s as epic as it is wacky, with a full island-building game embedded as an optional diversion from Ichiban’s adventures in Hawaii – the first game in the series set outside of Japan. This week, Atlus revisits one of the most beloved RPGs of all time with Persona 3 Reload (coming on day one to Game Pass), complete with overhauled visuals, new music and voice performances, and modernized gameplay features.
Vaunted developer Vanillaware is known for its visually distinct RPGs, and it’s bringing its first-ever titleto Xbox in March, the stunning tactical RPGUnicorn Overlord. The much-anticipatedEiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes (coming on day one to Game Pass) promises an immersive JRPG experience with a focus on rich storytelling. Players can look forward to intricate town-upgrading mechanics and engaging combat, exploring a world brimming with diverse characters and compelling narratives. Finally, one of the most striking titles at last year’s Xbox Games Showcase, Metaphor: ReFantazio is a new fantasy RPG from some of the creative minds behind the Persona series.
Horror is one of the most captivating genres in gaming. Designed to thrill while pulling you into a world of terror, these types of games have a way of staying with you even after the lights have come back on. 2024 might be upping this a notch with one of the masters of modern gaming horror, The Chinese Room, bringing us into their newest universe with Still Wakes the Deep(coming on day one to Game Pass). You’ll be stranded on a warping North Sea oil rig being seemingly consumed by a supernatural entity. Sounds fun; sign us up.
Some of these fearful encounters in 2024 will be returns to the familiar. Supermassive Games is taking the reins from Tarsier Studios with Little Nightmares III, bringing their horror pedigree to this beloved puzzle-platform horror adventure series. We’ll also be taking a return trip into Red Barrels’ excellent survival horror series with The Outlast Trials. One of the newest features there will be the opportunity to play with friends within the walls of a corporate-controlled sanitorium.
Speaking of returns, we’ll also be treated to a long-awaited arrival of a new Alone in the Dark, now with a reimagined take on a horror gaming classic starring David Harbour and Jodie Comer as playable protagonists.
Perhaps one of the most exciting parts of gaming is finding a brand new series, and a brand new world, to explore, shape, and fall in love with. 2024 is going to offer many, many opportunities to do that, with multiple games marking the start of brand new journeys for players. From Xbox, Towerborne and Ara: History Untold are the beginning of brand-new series, but our partners are also bringing a bevy of new ideas to the table.
Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn weaves together brutal melee, gunplay, and magic for a fantasy narrative that looks strikingly original. Meanwhile, Dungeons of Hinterberg(coming to Game Pass on day one) will take us to a fantastical version of the Alps, The Plucky Squire will jump between 2D and 3D in its storybook world, and 33 Immortals (coming to Game Pass on day one) turns the action-roguelike template into a never-before-seen 33-player co-op experience.
Sometimes, the only thing better than getting lost in a new world is sculpting that world yourself – “simulator” can mean many things in gaming these days, and 2024 brings ample opportunity to sculpt an empire, or create peaceful hangouts along with friends.
In Manor Lords(coming on day one to PC Game Pass), dynamic, medieval settings meet real history in a fresh take on city-building and real time strategy. For a quieter adventure, take your mech for a stroll through the cozy cosmic hills of Lightyear Frontier(coming day one to Xbox Game Pass), an open-world farming adventure that can be explored alone or with friends.
And of course, as we mentioned above, Flight Simulator 2024 takes flight this year, so be sure to keep your eyes to the virtual skies (and Xbox Wire) for updates.
Returning to a story you know and love can be the ultimate joy, and 2024 is packed with shiny new spins on some classic titles. Explore the depths in Tomb Raider I – III Remastered, which includes the first three games in the classic series complete with upgraded graphics. Star Wars: Dark Forces Remaster also promises a triumphant return to a classic tale of good vs. evil, complete with stunning new visuals that’ll entice old and new Star Wars fans alike. Plus, you can relive an Xbox indie gem with Braid: Anniversary Edition, a lovingly updated version of the time-bending platformer, complete with charming new graphics, improved sound, and developer commentary.
Many of the stories and worlds that we already love are making big comebacks this year. Tekken 8 – out now – is on top form, with cutting edge combat, stunning visuals and a bombastic new story – it’s the perfect instalment for new and returning fighting fans to jump into.
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2by The Chinese Room takes players to the dark underbelly of Seattle, where vampires struggle for survival and supremacy. As an Elder vampire, players meet compelling characters, navigate complex political relationships, stalk the streets for prey, and engage in intense combat to uncover the city’s secrets. Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 launches later this year, ending our 13-year wait to step back into the boots of Captain Titus as he hacks, slashes and boltguns through hordes of vicious Tyranids in a glorious sequel.
A fresh entry into the enchanting Mana series – and its first appearance on Xbox consoles – is also on the way. As we discovered during Developer_Direct, Visions of Manapromises a beautiful reimagining of the series’ vibrant worlds, breathtaking environments and heartwarming characters, all within an epic RPG.
First impressions are everything, and this year is bringing some games that will open your eyes as much as they expand your mind. In a true, ‘I never thought I’d see that in a game’ moment, Harold Halibut(coming to Game Pass on day one) is a handmade adventure built with traditional stop-motion techniques – imagine a playable Wes Anderson movie set on a submerged spaceship and you’re on the right track.
Rise of the Golden Idol is a sequel to the beloved (and truly bizarre) detective game Case of the Golden Idol, and brings with it a style that somehow fuses the painterly and the grotesque while evoking classic ’90s point ’n’ clicks. Open Roads(coming to Game Pass on day one) on the other hand blends a 3D world with beautiful, graphic novel-style characters to striking effect, helping to tell the story of a mother and daughter embarking on a road trip and uncovering long-lost family secrets.
From our partners, you can of course expect Fortniteto continue to grow in truly unexpected ways, Destiny 2 will receive its epochal The Final Shape expansion, and Apex Legends will celebrate its fifth anniversary. That’s not to mention the likes of Grand Theft Auto Online, the EA Sports catalogue, Rainbow Six Siege, and many, many more.
With all of these new games on the way, don’t forget that Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass already contain hundreds of titles for you to try out – your new favorite game might already be waiting for you. Encompassing console, PC, and cloud (with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate), Game Pass offers new games, new genres, and new ideas, wherever you want to play.
2023 saw some incredible games join the service, and 2024 will be no different. We’ve already started strong with the likes of Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, Resident Evil 2, and many more joining Game Pass in January, and the year ahead is looking very good – Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, Persona 3 Reload, Manor Lords are just a few of the titles on their way. Make sure to check back with Xbox Wire to find out what’s coming, and when.
Starfield is the first new universe in over 25 years from the award-winning creators behind Skyrim and Fallout 4, Bethesda Game Studios. Gamers from around the world were excited to jump into this interstellar universe rich with adventure, peril, and excitement.
But before anyone hops into space, they need something critical: a spacesuit.
So, Xbox has partnered up with the European Space Agency (ESA) to give Starfield fans around the world a chance to win the spacesuit of their dreams, in real life, in addition to other incredible Xbox prizes. This is a physical, wearable, one-of-a-kind garment, fabricated for the most intrepid explorers.
Whether using a provided template as a base, or pushing their imagination to the limit with any creative format of their choice, fans will be asked to provide both a visual illustration of the suit from all sides—hand-drawn, 3D-rendered, or however their vision sees fit—as well as a description of the inspiration of the suit. More specifically, Xbox, Bethesda and the ESA want to know what you would wear in outer space – how would your spacesuit reflect your personal style, individuality and vision for space travel?
After submitting suits through the campaign webpage, the most creative option—the one that truly gives weight to the phrase “out-of-this-world individual style”—will win a full replica of their design, complete with an authentic ESA patch. The contest opens today and runs until 8pm Pacific Time on February 24, 2024, so make sure to hit that spacesuit workbench soon. After that, the winning suit will enter a two-month intensive fabrication process on the path to becoming reality. To see the full rules, visit here.
Fantastic role-playing games are all about player expression, and this contest allows fans to experience that in a completely different way. Our stories are unique to us, so what we wear while we travel through those stories should be too. So, submit your own design, then while you wait, we suggest downloading and exploring the worlds of Starfield with Xbox Game Pass.
About Starfield
Starfield is the first new universe in over 25 years from Bethesda Game Studios, the award-winning creators of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Fallout 4. In this next generation role-playing game set amongst the stars, create any character you want and explore with unparalleled freedom as you embark on an epic journey to answer humanity’s greatest mystery. Experience it for yourself on Xbox Game Pass.
About ten hours into my Starfield playthrough, I started collecting ‘Earth books’ for fun. I thought it would be a fun personality quirk; my celestial cowboy scuttling across systems looking for long-lost literary links to the past. Forget precious ores and mysterious celestial relics, I wanted art, and Starfield’s cluttered landscapes allowed me to cram my cargo hold full of whatever junk I desired.
For as long as I can remember, I (and many others) have been sprinting around in Bethesda’s vast, open worlds, hoovering up every form of trinket and treasure we can find. Often it’s something useful, like a rare or valuable resource. For the most part, it’s just junk – it’s worthless, you can’t consume it or craft with it, whether it’s books, weird ornaments or far more potatoes than you could ever need.
Why is it all there? How is it made? And perhaps most importantly – why has Bethesda stuck to its guns on filling its RPGs with endless items, and why are we so compelled to collect them?
To answer these burning queries, I sought out the best possible representatives for Bethesda’s art of clutter. John Valenti, Lead Set Dressing Artist and Robert Wisnewski, Lead Props Artist, have worked together to create thousands of assets for Bethesda’s roster of mammoth titles, from The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion right up to Starfield. If anyone can explain how this stuff works, it’s them.
So, where do they start? Wisnewski laughs and says while this question might sound simple, it really isn’t. The short answer is, Bethesda began with a huge list of items that Starfield absolutely needed, but by the end of development, that list was about 20 times bigger than their original estimate. One of the main things that guides this ever-growing list of objects is lore created by the wider team.
“We try and learn about the people that inhabit these cities, settlements, and outposts, including factions,” Valenti explains. “What are they like? How do people live and what items would they need to survive? What types of jobs would people have out in the settled systems? What items would they need to use to complete their tasks?”
The research gets even more granular; the team starts to consider the personalities of the individual NPCs that inhabit a particular space, be it a politician, an outlaw, or a miner. What objects would a worker have on their desk? What tools would a medical professional have? What personal items would they keep? All of these small questions contribute to the larger picture of these environments, that are all deeply personal to the characters that live within them.
With thousands of different little items to contend with, a management system is needed. This is where ‘clutter sets’ come in – groups of objects that are organised in some way, be it individual assets that can be used to form other objects – kind of like game dev Lego – or, for smaller items, bits that are pooled together by a theme. Wisnewski tells us that it’s not viable to make unique clutter for every single space in a game as expansive as Starfield, so objects are created with multiple uses in mind.
Setting The Scene
All of Starfield’s environments are populated by hand. There’s a system that can randomly generate important gameplay loot, such as ammo, healing items, and thematic objects for quest rewards, but anything considered ‘non-essential’ – every mug, every coffee stain, every scuff mark on the floor – is placed with intent, and with a personal touch.
“Set dressing is best when artists are doing the work and making the decisions about what should go where,” Wisnewski says. “We generally feel better when things are done that way. I feel there’s no better source material than what you see in the real world. I look at ceilings and lights. Some of the pipework and cables in the Zenimax building were inspiration for ceilings in Starfield. Stains on buildings. Construction sites. Airports. Recycling centers and landfills are a goldmine for ideas to me.”
Wisnewski adds that he often envisions himself in game locations before populating them, and the pair have even added easter eggs from their real lives to Starfield‘s environments. One example is a set of plushies arranged like the cover of The Ten Apples Up on Top by Dr Seuss, which Wisnewksi highlights as a nod to his children. This arrangement of objects appears randomly inside Starfield’s abandoned research towers.
“We could probably write a book about all of the little easter eggs that appear in our games,” he says.
We give our artists the creative freedom to make believable and lived spaces, and I believe that this is what makes our games so special, and it is why I love working on them.
John Valenti
Valenti adds that it’s his goal to use miscellaneous objects to create a scene that has meaning, but is also open-ended enough for the player to come up with their own conclusion based on their own unique perspective. This is where that earlier research of environments and who occupies them comes in.
“I work with the designer to figure out who is inhabiting the location, run through the quest and get an idea of who they are, and [then] set dress and design that location based off their preferences and personalities,” Valenti explains. “If the location is unoccupied, I create my own characters – who occupies this location? – and flesh out their personality with things like what hobbies they have or what types of food they prefer. My approach to an occupied office or home will differ from an unoccupied one. People separate work from personal life, living differently from office to home. The office may be more minimalist, organized, and clean, while a home may be a bit more dishevelled, densely cluttered and have knickknacks scattered around on display.”
“We give our artists the creative freedom to determine what goes where and let them have fun with it to make believable and lived spaces, and I believe that this is what makes our games so special, and it is why I love working on them.“
Life Off Earth
One particularly prevalent theme in Starfield is the fate of Earth, and the story of its demise is represented in the artifacts that made their way from the now-abandoned planet into the Settled Systems. There are a number of different museums scattered across the galaxy that make a point of archiving a number of ‘key’ Earth objects, in the same way any real-world museum would, from everyday household items to historical milestones.
“The first location that pops into my mind regarding old Earth clutter is the NASA Museum,” Valenti tells me. “It was important for us to preserve and pay homage to early space flight in this museum, so we kept many of the museum model displays intact, so that they were not only recognizable to the player but also helped tell the main quest’s story.”
This location also gave players a chance to pick up interesting, thematic rewards that feed into the story about Earth. Valenti adds: “I felt like these items may not have been important enough for humans to take during the time of evacuation, but are important and interesting enough for the player to see as a collectable and worth taking home, whether that be their ship or outpost, for decoration.”
A second example stems from a Starfield sidequest, which follows the story of a colony ship that has been floating around in space for 200 years. The fate of the ECS Constant and its crew is up to the player, but the clutter found aboard the ship deftly weaves a tapestry of a small group of people suspended in time, and quite literally, space.
“We wanted to have some historic pieces on the ship, objects that we still use and hold dearly to this day – things like baseball trophies and basketballs – as well as some Earth produce that would be used throughout the Settled Systems,” Valenti explains. “It made sense to have some Earth-related clutter on the ship passed down [within families], and it made everything feel a bit more personal. These items are relatable and normal to us, and to the Constant members, but for other characters that live throughout the Settled Systems, these objects may have been ancient artifacts, or even ‘alien’. I find that to be a very interesting spin.”
Both the NASA Museum and the ECS Constant feel like very different locations, telling very different stories – and so much of that feeling comes from the clutter spread around within them. You might not notice it in the moment, but it’s clear that Bethesda Game Studios puts a huge premium on creating a vibe through junk alone.
Architectural Ingress
Starfield‘s environments, both interior and exterior, begin as empty architectural shells, to which level designers and artists add a wide variety of medium and large objects to. This includes everything from machinery, electronics, light fixtures, containers, displays, shelving, rugs, furniture, signs – allobjects that a player can’t directly interact with.
Once those elements are in place, the smaller set dressing objects are used to further define and personalize the locations. This is the ‘clutter’ that the player can interact with; food, medical items, tabletop decorations, tools, sculptures, games and toys, minerals and inorganic objects, ammo boxes, switches – thousands upon thousands of different assets in total according to the pair.
Deciding which items should be immovable and which can be picked up is described by Valenti as a “challenging and interactive process” throughout the course of development. This is down to the sheer number of objects, how they interact with one another, and what feels right as a player. An item’s scale, value and functionality helps the team decide which category it should slot into.
“There is a visual component to these decisions as well.,” Valenti adds. “For example, if a storage box or a barrel is closed with a lid, it can be assumed that it is filled with something and that it is too heavy to move, so we make it a static object. Collectable objects are typically eye-catching items that are small enough to grab and go. If I want to place it in my outpost, I want to be able to loot it!”
Some larger items that don’t quite fit into those categories are marked as movable statics – objects that will, for example, fly across the room if they’re subject to an explosion. Wisnewski adds: “We make those items so environments seem more lively when gameplay physics occur: explosions, projectiles, powers, and NPCs/players bumping into them.”
Traditionally, Bethesda strives to give players the opportunity to loot as many things as possible from extremely interactive environments, and Wisnewski adds that the decision comes out of a very simple conclusion – players like to do it.
“Many people, myself included, love collecting objects in games, and lots of players love to use lootable items as decorations in their ships and outposts, or just for fun.” Wisnewski says. “For me, I do everything possible to find ways to exploit our systems during our testing phases in order to keep obscene amounts of items. Allowing our players the freedom to do absurd things with [physics-enabled] objects to make themselves and others laugh is really important to us.”
Allowing our players the freedom to do absurd things with [physics-enabled] objects to make themselves and others laugh is really important to us.
Robert Wisnewski
“And oh boy, do our players really like pushing that limit! Our programmers work miracles in optimizing code so that players can largely do as they please. Jamie Mallory’s sandwich collecting is a perfect example of this.”
Perfectly Balanced
All of this work is a delicate balancing act in a number of ways. While Bethesda enjoys giving players freedom to collect practically any junk they want, there shouldn’t be so many shiny trinkets on offer that players feel overwhelmed.
“Too many items can make inventory management difficult, and that’s something we had to consider as well” Wisnewski says. “Densely cluttered environments vs ‘too much stuff’ to carry is a constant balancing act during development.”
Clutter Consistency
It’s rare for modern games to include such a gargantuan number of non-essential items, but for Bethesda, it’s a core part of the flavor of RPG they are known and lauded for.
“Having interesting settings where the player can find lots of items – and come up with stories as to why the objects are there and who lived in those spaces – is as important to us as having gameplay reasons for having those objects,” Wisnewski says. “Game mechanics aren’t always the primary reason as to why we do things like this… sometimes it’s just because it makes the game more fun.”
Valenti says that Bethesda has stuck with this formula because it makes their worlds feel more believable, and adds: “We want to empower players to play however they want and make the game their own, and having interactive objects allows for some magical things to happen.”
That’s a sentiment that many players share. In the rolling peaks of The Elder Scrolls, the quirky wastelands of Fallout, and now, the awe-inspiring retro-futurism of Starfield – that intricately placed clutter is what makes the environments we spend hundreds of hours wandering through so special. Every hand-crafted bedroom, office, abandoned outpost, is a microcosm of Starfield‘s incredible universe, full of characters, history and hope. It’s also a symbol of player agency; the freedom to horde cheese wheels, or sandwiches, or in my case, 37 copies of War of the Worlds. It’s your story.
I couldn’t leave the conversation without finding out what these two masters of clutter favored above all else. Valenti’s answer is prompt and sweet: My Friend Wilby, a series of collectible crochet creatures. For Wisnewski, it’s the paper airplane, which he describes as a “small easter egg” relating to the Frontier. He adds: “Someone will eventually figure it out.”
It was incredible to join our fans in the celebrations at Comic Con Experience (CCXP23) in Brazil last week. Xbox became part of the largest pop culture event in Latin America for the first time ever, alongside big brands from movies, television series and animations, and helping to show fans how gaming is becoming a part of the entertainment industry as a whole.
We sit in the middle of a show that is about TV and movies, and yet we see Halo (TV Show), we see Fallout (TV Show), we see things that come from video games now going into movies.
Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming
CEO of Microsoft Gaming, Phil Spencer, welcomed the fans at FanFest – in a booth spanning over 1,000 square meters – helping to reveal games news and updates, offering a first glimpse at the Fallout TV show, and much more.
“One of the things that is really special to me about CCXP this year is that this was the first time, anywhere, where our booth has our Xbox Games Studios games, our Bethesda games and our Activision Blizzard King games—all in one booth”, said Spencer on the main stage of CCXP.
Missed some of these moments? Stick around as we recap everything about Xbox’s presence at CCXP23.
We welcomed 300 of our passionate fans to CCXP, who were greeted by Phil Spencer, Melina Juergens, our Senua actress from the Hellblade series, and Pablo Schreiber, who gave life to the iconic Master Chief in the Halo TV show – and is coming back for season 2.
Fallout
During his panel at CCXP23, Phil Spencer brought up the fact that Fallout 76 is about to receive its next major expansion – Atlantic City – with the first content, Boardwalk Paradise arriving on December 5. He provided players with a sneak peek of what to expect in this new explorable area with new expeditions and enemy groups, casinos and fresh dangers to overcome.
Fallout fans were in for a surprise with the premiere of the teaser trailer for the Fallout live-action TV show, produced in partnership with Amazon Prime. Fans were thrilled to see the first glimpse of the post-apocalyptic Wasteland coming to life on the big screen. Fallout premiers on Amazon Prime on April 12, 2024.
I was blown away (by the Fallout TV Show trailer). I think they have done an awesome job capturing both the brutality of the Fallout universe as well as the humor and kind of melancholy in a special way.
Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming
Starfield
The epic new RPG from Bethesda Game Studios has been a special game for Xbox in 2023 – and for Phil Spencer. That’s why he was excited to reveal that Starfield now has over 12 million players, taking a place in the top 10 most-played games from Xbox’s studios.
Our goal is for Starfield to be a massive hit and for people to continue playing even 12 years later, like Skyrim.
Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming
Halo
The community has been with us in this journey since launch, and it’s really great to see the state of the game where it is today.
Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming
Halo fans were thrilled to receive more updates on Halo Infinite, with Forge Lead Designer, Michael Schorr and Community Director Brian Jarrard sharing further details about the highly anticipated new mode, Firefight: King of the Hill, which arrives as part of a free update on December 5.
Minecraft unveiled the upcoming Jurassic World Adventures DLC, based on the blockbuster movies, much to the delight of the fans present. Brazilian content creator Forever joined Phil Spencer onstage to introduce the Minecraft content and talk about the ever-evolving, community-centric game, saying:
“I love the Minecraft community that I’ve created and the fact that I can always do something different in the game. Whether I’m playing vanilla or checking out a new content drop, the game is always fresh, always new for me.”
Forza Motorsport
Forza Motorsport unveiled a special commemorative livery for the fans. The livery can be applied for the Honda NSX car both in Forza Horizon 5 and Forza Motorsport.
This beautiful open-world survival craft game is coming to Xbox, and we were able to learn more about its mechanics and the world through a wonderful trailer.
Sopa
Inspired by works from Miyazaki, Coco,and The Little Prince, this emotional narrative adventure about the things we pass along warmed our hearts with a thrilling trailer. Made in Colombia, by StudioBando, it was announced during CCXP23 that the game will be released with Game Pass in 2024.
With millions of players enjoying Stumble Guys on PC, Xbox players can now join the fun multiplayer knockout battle royale. The beta is already live, and players can race, run, dash and jump through obstacle courses against up to 32 players online.
It was incredible to celebrate with our fans at CCXP23, and to take a moment to look back at how they shaped Xbox’s 2023. And, with the new announcements we have made, we want to make sure our fans have something to celebrate well into the future.
If you’re looking to give the perfect present to a gaming fan over the holidays, it can be a little daunting to work out exactly what to put in their stocking. Thankfully, Xbox offers a huge amount of variety, meaning there’s a perfect gift for every player. With multiple consoles, subscriptions tailored to every player’s needs, games across every conceivable genre, and personalized accessories, you’re spoiled for choice when you’re looking to spoil a loved one.
With that in mind, we’ve put together “stockings” for multiple kinds of gaming fans. From buying them a very first console, to figuring out what to get for a veteran player, here are some suggestions of Xbox goodies to gift your loved ones over the holidays.
Their First Console
There’s nothing quite like unwrapping that suspiciously big box and finding your first games console inside. If you’re planning on gifting someone a console this year, the Xbox Series S – Starter Bundle is the perfect choice – this all-in-one gaming gift includes an Xbox Series S , designed to play next-gen games, as well as 3 months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. With Game Pass Ultimate, you’ll get access to four generations of Xbox games, including our biggest titles, meaning the lucky recipient is sure to find something perfect to play – from the year’s biggest releases like Starfield or Forza Motorsport, to family-friendly gems like Minecraft Legends (and with our convenient Xbox Family Settings App available on iOS and Android, you can set your parental controls and choose what’s appropriate to play, who your child plays with and more)., you can choose what’s appropriate to play).
If you want to make this holiday extra special, consider customizing their own Xbox Wireless Controller fromXbox Design Lab. Here you can create the perfect controller to match their personality – and you can even engrave their name or Gamertag to make it truly their own.
The Seasoned Player
Some players will already have their Xbox in heavy rotation, but there are some perfect ways to make their gaming experience even better. To give your giftee a truly top-tier experience, consider creating an Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 withXbox Design Lab just for them. Built to let seasoned players have the best possible experience, with adjustable thumbsticks, rubberized grips, and components built to last. With Xbox Design Lab, you can customize the perfect controller, right down to adding extra paddles, or a carrying case and charging pack.
Of course, they’ll want some games to play as well, and an Xbox Game Pass Ultimatemembership is the perfect solution. With hundreds of titles included as part of the price – and access to them across Xbox consoles, PC, and Xbox Cloud Gaming (Beta) – it offers some of the best value in gaming. Play huge releases like Starfield on day one, discover indie gems, and even get access to EA Play for even more games, all in one package.
With all those games to download, your giftee might need some extra space to store them on. Consider adding an Xbox Series X|S Expansion Card into the mix to help with that. Both the WD_BLACK C50 and Seagate Storage Expansion Cardoffer a seamless way to offer more space on their console.
The PC Player
Xbox games don’t have to be played on a console – if you’re gifting for a PC player, PC Game Pass is their ticket to hundreds of new experiences. Including PC favorites from our own studios and incredible partners – like Starfield, Age of Empires IV, andCrusader Kings III – you’ll be opening up multiple new worlds to play with a keyboard and mouse.
If you really want to treat the PC player in your life, consider giving them a new way to play. The ASUS ROG Ally is a portable gaming PC that includes full support for Game Pass (and even comes with 3 months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for free), and supports Xbox Play Anywhere, meaning you can start a game at home and pick it up again on the move.
Your Far-Flung Multiplayer Partner
Sometimes, your perfect Halo Infinite comrade can’t be nearby – but with Xbox that doesn’t need to be a problem. Keeping in touch over comms is never easier than with the Xbox Wireless Headset, which offers crystal-clear sound, a cable-free direct connection to the console, and a comfortable design for those long multiplayer sessions. It’s an affordable way to get the very best online experience.
If you’re the kind of players who don’t want to stick with a single game, an Xbox Game Pass for Consolemembership is the way to go. The gigantic catalogue includes multiplayer games from many genres – battle it out in Party Animals, compete for the fastest finish in Forza Motorsport, or survive together in State of Decay 2: Juggernaut Edition.
A Budding Co-op Player
If you’re hoping to play with a partner in your own home, make sure they have the perfect controller to play with. The Xbox Wireless Controller comes in multiple styles, meaning there’s something for everyone. The new Gold Shadow Special Edition offers a sophisticated gold-to-black metallic finish, the Remix Special Editionoffers a multi-toned green finish and one third is made from regrind and reclaimed materials, and the Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 offers a best-in-class gaming experience.
And if you both want a screen to yourselves, the new Xbox Series S – 1TB (Black) offers an affordable way to add a second powerful console to your home. Get the same next-gen speed and performance of our Xbox Series S, now with double the storage. And if you do want to play together, Xbox Game Pass Coreunlocks online gaming on Xbox, as well as a slate of over 25 games to try, including multiplayer favorites like Grounded, Gang Beasts, and Among Us.
The Sci-Fi Fan
Some players want to immerse themselves in new worlds – none more so than sci-fi fans. Starfield (available with Game Pass) is the perfect gift for the explorer in your life. Discover over a thousand worlds in Bethesda Game Studios’ first new universe in 25 years and embark on an epic journey to answer humanity’s greatest mystery.
For the full Starfield experience, you can help customize their console, too. The Starfield Xbox Series X Console Wrapoffers a striking design inspired by the game, made to offer a precision fit around their console.
The Racing Fan
Some players want the thrill of a race on their console, and Forza Motorsport (available with Game Pass) offers the most advanced racing simulation ever created across Xbox Series X|S and PC. With over 500 cars, 20 tracks, 800 performance upgrades, and more on the way Forza Motorsport will keep fans racing for years to come.
For the true at-home racing experience, consider adding a Designed for Xbox Racing Setup– these creations from our partners allow you to add a dash of real-life drama to your racing fantasies, all designed to work perfectly with your Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S. The Logitech G Pro Racing Wheeldelivers 11Nm of force feedback in a low-latency direct drive motor for ultimate realism, the Thrustmaster T128Xadds a wheel-and-pedal bundle to bring the simulation home, while the Fanatec ClubSport Universal Hub v2 for Xboxallows you go fully modular, offering customization with multiple wheel rims, steering wheels, wheel bases, and pedals.
“I think that the more classical tone is the more dominant one in our [score]. However, if you listen to the whole score, there are many areas where electronic and sound design elements are 50, sometimes 60, or even 70% of the score. The score is vast and there are many cues that are actually not what we call classical at all. I think the interesting thing is the combination that we created.
“At many points, you cannot really put your finger on what is sound design, what is electronic, and what is orchestral, because everything really is intertwined. Sometimes there is a more traditional accompaniment, or orchestral background, but then the instrument that carries the melodies is actually synth. And sometimes it’s the other way around; there’s more ‘sound design-ish’ elements, but the [main] instrument is classical.”
The result is a score that can slide from mood to mood, style to style, seamlessly – helped by the fact that it’s enormous, surpassing the five-hour mark. Of course, five hours of music is still a fair bit less than the hundreds of hours some players will put into a game like Starfield, meaning Zur’s other challenge was in crafting a score that can keep hitting its key themes without feeling overly repetitive.
“It’s about finding this balance between, ‘How can I create something new, but make it feel like part of the same family?’ There are many ways to go about it: you could change the timbre, you could change the tempo, you could create variations that are different enough, but still remind the player, ‘Oh, yeah, this reminds me of the theme’, but it’s not the theme, it’s something different.
“It’s like painting. If you add a little bit more grey or black, automatically, the painting feels more gloomy. And there’s a way to do it in music. It’s almost like drawing the picture and fine-tuning the colours and themes. In this way, you create environments that are different enough, on one hand, but then still part of the same DNA.”
On Xbox, fans have been treated to a wonderful collection of first-party games this year, starting with the rhythm action game Hi-Fi Rush, the cutting-edge racing game Forza Motorsport, and the massive interstellar RPG Starfield. And to see so many games recognized by today’s nominations from our third-party partners, like Alan Wake 2, Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, and Sea of Stars, make this an incredible time to be a player!
On behalf of all the creative teams across Xbox, from Bethesda Softworks to our newest members at Activision Blizzard, congratulations to this year’s nominees.
DORITOS, MTN DEW, and ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK are some of players’ favorite snacks, powering casual co-op missions and endless late-night campaigns alike. And now, PepsiCo, Frito-Lay and Xbox have teamed up to reward their fans with the chance to unlock in-game content and limited-edition prizes. Beginning October 9 through December 29, players can purchase specially marked DORITOS, MTN DEW, and ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK products to receive a code offering new subscribers a free 1-month subscription to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and giving all players points toward gaming rewards.
Eligible products will feature Xbox-inspired imagery from iconic titles like Starfield, Forza Motorsport, and Sea of Thieves among others. Each product contains a code that, when registered and entered at DoritosDewRockstar.com , unlocks access to exclusive downloadable content (DLC), contest entries, and more. With their first code entry, new subscribers receive a free month of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, with instant access to hundreds of high-quality games including Starfield. Additional purchases and codes will enable players to earn more points to spend on the online rewards marketplace. Points can be redeemed at any time for exclusive in-game content such as the Forza Motorsport “Magma Racing Suit”, Sea of Thieves “Chipped Tankard”, and more.
Xbox and PepsiCo will also be hosting weekly sweepstakes, which fans can enter with rewards points. These giveaways include custom game-themed e-bikes from SUPER73, PC gaming rigs, and bundles of Xbox consoles and accessories. Rockstar Energy Drink code entries also automatically put players in contention for the ultimate grand prize, a decked-out Starfield-inspired 2023 Corvette Stingray.
To earn rewards faster, entrants can multiply points by combining codes from multiple brands. Entering two codes from two different brands (such as one from a DORITOS item and one from MTN DEW) results in two times the standard number of points. For maximum rewards, submit three codes from all three brands to triple the bonus points received.
Get more information, redeem your codes, and enter for a chance to win the grand prize at DoritosDewRockstar.com.
This marks an incredible week for PC Game Pass members – on the heels of Starfield, highly anticipated titles Lies of P, Payday 3, and Party Animalsall arrive this week – and October is shaping up sterling as well with the likes of Forza Motorsport and The Lamplighter’s League. That’s on top of well over a hundred more PC games available at your fingertips; sometimes the question is: where to start?
To help players find the right game for them, we asked one of our favorite variety streamers, Bruce Greene, to pick some of his favorites from the PC Game Pass library. Why him?
“I’ve been playing PC games for 25 years and I’m super impressed by what’s on PC Game Pass,” he told me, as he shared his list. “When I was asked to pick games from PC Game Pass that you would recommend, I picked like 40 or 50 cause like there were so many good games on there and I had to pare them down which is hilarious. Being a curator, it’s perfect for me.”
You’ll find Bruce’s full list of picks in the Xbox App for your Windows PC, and he dives a bit deeper into some of his selections below. You can also find more of Bruce Greene’s picks of favorite games in the PC Game Pass catalog by checking out the Xbox app for Windows PCs or follow him on Twitch.
ASTRONEER
System Era Softworks
☆☆☆☆☆258
★★★★★
$29.99$23.99
Xbox One X Enhanced
PC Game Pass
Xbox Game Pass
Astroneer “This game I played when it was first in Alpha back in, I think it was 2017, and it was kind of like this epiphany I had because generally those sorts of crafting games just don’t get me. Astroneer is like the perfect mix of survival, crafting, and exploration. And it’s also space and I love space. I just recently played through it again a few months ago and it’s practically perfect. It’s basically LEGO in space — it’s just an amazing progression of exploration and crafting.”
HITMAN World of Assassination
IO Interactive A/S
☆☆☆☆☆625
★★★★★
$69.99$55.99
Xbox Game Pass
Hitman World of Assassination “I liken Hitman very much to a Bethesda Softworks game, because it’s an open world, go anywhere, do anything type of game — you can be as ridiculous as you want. You can dress up as wacky characters, like a clown or a mascot or whatever, and eliminate people in discrete ways. That’s the best part of all of the newest Hitman’s in 1, 2, and 3. The World of Assassination is all of those packaged together, in addition to a rogue-light mode for Hitman. That’s even wilder because it’s like you’re playing a bunch of Hitman levels in a row, but you can’t get caught or die — which is so hard in Hitman! You can play it really fun and wacky, or you can be super “tryhard” about it and then go through the rogue-light mode. But Hitman is just like the perfect example of an open world game that really vibes with my personality.”
Microsoft Flight Simulator Standard 40th Anniversary Edition
Xbox Game Studios
☆☆☆☆☆216
★★★★★
$59.99$47.99
PC Game Pass
Xbox Game Pass
Microsoft Flight Simulator “I’ve been playing PC games for 25 years, so I have a real attachment to, in general, flight simulators. Microsoft Flight Simulator is the one that I remember first playing when I was a kid. It blows my mind because it’s like, ‘wait… how can you fly anything like a real aircraft, or even a fun fictional aircraft?’ The newest Microsoft Flight Simulator is just otherworldly. It’s almost exactly what you would want, because now you can travel and see different parts of the Earth via a flight simulator, which is something I’ve always wanted to do. I wanted to be a pilot, so yeah, it vibes perfectly with me.”
Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord
TaleWorlds Entertainment
☆☆☆☆☆334
★★★★★
$49.99$39.99
PC Game Pass
Xbox Game Pass
Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord “The best part of Mount & Blade 2 Bannerlord is you are moving across a map, conquering different parts, very much like Civilization. However, each encounter, when you’re conquering, turns into third-person massacre. So, you get on your horse with your polearm and then battle a bunch of people individually as you’re conquering. So rather than just watching the numbers go up or down when you’re conquering specific areas of the map, you’re actually getting out there along with a bunch of other friendly or enemy AI. It’s great.”
Starfield
Bethesda Softworks
☆☆☆☆☆1158
★★★★★
$69.99
PC Game Pass
Xbox Game Pass
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition
Bethesda Softworks
☆☆☆☆☆1775
★★★★★
$39.99$31.99
Xbox One X Enhanced
Xbox Game Pass
Starfield and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition “Working a full-time job and making content for YouTube, I never had time to sit down and put hours into these games. Now that I’m streaming — and I’ve been streaming for four years full-time — it’s perfect because if you want to play two hours of it, you can play a couple of hours of it. If you want to play seven or 16, you can do it and it’s like this constant stream of meeting new NPCs and combat. And the really fun, engaging stories work perfectly for not only my own personality, but also for streaming. I had never played Skyrim or, well, obviously Starfield, but I hadn’t played those games until recently. I played Skyrim for the first time for a 24-hour stream and as soon as I was done with that, I stopped the stream, rested, and then came immediately back to Skyrim because I was having so much fun.”
Warhammer 40,000: Darktide
Fatshark
☆☆☆☆☆7
★★★★★
PC Game Pass
Warhammer 40,000: Darktide “I’ll be perfectly honest: I’ve never been attached to Warhammer or Warhammer 40K lore. I’ve been playing Warhammer miniatures for years; we’re talking 10-15 years, long before they were ever major video games like Vermintide. Darktide is the “sequel” to Vermintide, and Darktide, in my opinion hits that formula pretty close to perfection. In terms of Vermintide and Darktide, it’s Left 4 Dead, but in the Warhammer universe and it’s just fun to play again and again with your friends — I have played Darktide for 100 hours so far. Fatshark (the developers) have a really passionate community and are always wanting to make sure the game is perfected. They’re working very, very hard to make sure that that game gets better and better. It’s great.”
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