Thanks to the games it's already released in 2025 and the titles that are coming later this year and beyond, Xbox is genuinely in the midst of a general run. The original Xbox's sales paled in comparison to the PlayStation 2, but the Xbox 360 gave the PS3 a run for its money. Thanks to years of high-quality console exclusive games, the Xbox 360 became the best-selling Xbox console of all time and dominated the PS3 for most of the seventh generation.
Unfortunately, the Xbox 360 exclusives pipeline started to dry up near the end of the console's life, with Microsoft diverting resources to Kinect games and failing to keep the console's momentum going strong. The disastrous Xbox One reveal is something that the brand never really recovered from, and that generation, through the early parts of the current one, were relatively rough with the occasional bright spot.
All the Xbox Game Pass Games Confirmed at the 2025 Showcase
The 2025 Xbox Showcase revealed an exciting lineup of games that will also be made available on Xbox Game Pass, most on day one.
Now it seems Xbox has finally gotten its groove back, regularly releasing high-quality first- and second-party games, some of which are console exclusives and others that are multi-platform releases. Xbox's multi-platform strategy has proven to be controversial but highly lucrative, with Forza Horizon 5 proving to be a massive hit on PS5. But even though Xbox games are now coming to PlayStation, Xbox Game Studios and the company's other publishing labels are on a generational run of seemingly endless high-quality new game releases.
Xbox Games for 2025
- Avowed - Available Now
- South of Midnight - Available Now
- Towerborne - Available Now (Early Access)
- Grounded 2 - July 29 (Early Access)
- Gears of War: Reloaded - August 26
- Keeper - October 17
- Ninja Gaiden 4 - October 21
- The Outer Worlds 2 - October 29
When it comes to Xbox Game Studios, 2025 has already seen the release of Obsidian Entertainment's Avowed and Compulsion Games' South of Midnight along with the early access launch of Towerborne. On July 29, Grounded 2 will hit early access through the Xbox Game Preview Program, while Gears of War: Reloaded is dropping on August 26. For those unfamiliar with these games, Avowed is a first-person RPG similar to the Elder Scrolls series, while South of Midnight is a stylish action-adventure game about a woman with magical powers encountering mythical creatures from southern folklore. Towerborne is a co-op side-scrolling action-RPG from The Banner Saga team that has been very well-received in early access, and finally, Gears of War: Reloaded is a remaster of the original Gears of War game, updated to take better advantage of modern hardware with improved graphics and performance.
All of the games listed in this article will be available to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers on the day of their release.
In October, three more Xbox Game Studios games will be released to the masses. Keeper from Double Fine is coming on October 17, while Ninja Gaiden 4 and The Outer Worlds 2 are launching on October 21 and October 29, respectively. Keeper is a unique adventure game where players take on the role of a living lighthouse, while Ninja Gaiden 4 is an intense, action-packed character-action game and the first main series installment in 13 years. The Outer Worlds 2 is being positioned as Xbox Game Studios' flagship release this holiday season, and like its predecessor, it's a first-person action-RPG similar to titles like Fallout.
The Outer Worlds 2
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 82 /100 Critics Rec: 87%
- Released
- October 29, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Intense Violence, Blood and Gore, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Obsidian Entertainment
- Publisher(s)
- Xbox Game Studios
WHERE TO PLAY
Bethesda Games for 2025
- Doom: The Dark Ages - Available Now
- The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered - Available Now
Microsoft acquired Bethesda years ago to bolster its lineup of first-party games, and this year has already been a strong one for the company. As a publisher, Bethesda has put out the intense first-person shooter Doom: The Dark Ages to mostly positive reviews and The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered, which has proven to be a huge hit. Oblivion Remastered's shadow drop immediately drew hundreds of thousands of players, with nostalgic fans jumping on the chance to take a drip down memory lane and newcomers experiencing Cyrodiil for the first time, but with vastly improved visuals and performance. Oblivion Remastered also features some notable changes and quality-of-life features that make it smoother sailing than the original game for many fans.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 82 /100 Critics Rec: 87%
- Released
- April 22, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Sexual Themes, Violence
- Publisher(s)
- Bethesda
WHERE TO PLAY
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 5
- Genre(s)
- Action, RPG, Open-World, Adventure
Activision Games for 2025
- Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 - July 11
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 - TBA 2025
Activision is another studio Microsoft has acquired to boost its game lineup, with the company set to publish Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 on July 11. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 combines content from the third and fourth Pro Skater games and gives them a makeover to meet the standards of modern-day graphics. Later this year, Activision also plans on publishing Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, though an exact release date has yet to be announced. Black Ops 7 will serve as a direct sequel to Black Ops 2 and will feature the return of David Mason. Fans can also look forward to a co-op campaign and the return of the franchise's multiplayer and round-based Zombies modes. There is still a lot left to be revealed about Black Ops 7 at the time of this writing, but more information on the highly-anticipated game will be coming this summer.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 66 /100 Critics Rec: 34%
- Released
- November 14, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Drugs
- Developer(s)
- Treyarch, Raven Software
- Publisher(s)
- Activision
WHERE TO PLAY
Xbox Games Confirmed for 2026
- Fable
- Forza Motorsport
- Gears of War: E-Day
So far, we know of three Xbox Game Studios games that are coming out in 2026. The new Fable game from Playground Games will be dropping at some point next year, plus the prequel game Gears of War: E-Day is releasing in 2026 as well. Head of Xbox Phil Spencer casually confirmed that a new Forza Motorsport is also launching at some point in 2026, and he teased that a fourth game is also on deck for next year. That fourth project has yet to be revealed, but it's rumored to be a remake of the original Halo: Combat Evolved built with Unreal Engine 5.
- Developer(s)
- The Coalition
- Publisher(s)
- Xbox Game Studios
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 5
- Franchise
- Gears of War
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter
Xbox Games in Development
- Blade
- Clockwork Revolution
- Contraband
- Everwild
- Halo
- OD
- Perfect Dark
- State of Decay 3
- The Elder Scrolls 6
To that end, there are nine Xbox-published games that have already been announced, but are currently awaiting release dates. Some of these games will potentially release in 2026, but Xbox gamers may have to wait a little longer for others. From Bethesda, we know that Blade, developed by Dishonored's Arkane Studios, is in the works, plus there's also The Elder Scrolls 6. The Elder Scrolls 6 was announced all the way back in 2018 and updates on the project have been few and far between since then. But with Bethesda wrapping up its work on Starfield, one has to imagine that Elder Scrolls 6 development has ramped up significantly, and so hopefully fans will see the game again sooner rather than later.
In the meantime, the rest of the in-development Xbox games are from Xbox Game Studios itself. This includes the very-promising Clockwork Revolution FPS, which looks to have serious BioShock vibes, as well as the mysterious multiplayer game Contraband. Everwild, the next game from Rare, is also still supposedly on the way, while fans can count on a new Halo waiting in the wings as well. OD, meanwhile, is a new horror game from Hideo Kojima and Jordan Peele, while Perfect Dark is a reboot developed by the big talent Xbox studio The Initiative in collaboration with Crystal Dynamics. Finally, State of Decay 3 is the next installment in the fan-favorite zombie franchise, and as one of the first games ever revealed for the Xbox Series X, fans should be able to expect a big update on it at some point soon.
- Brand
- Microsoft
- Original Release Date
- November 10, 2020
- Original MSRP (USD)
- $499
- Operating System
- Proprietary (Windows-based)
- Processor
- Custom AMD 8-core Zen 2 3.8 GHz
- Resolution
- 720p - 4K UHD