Xbox Gamescom 2021 showcase - Everything announced

Forza Horizon 5 Cover Cars — (Image credit: Playground Games)

The Xbox Gamescom 2021 showcase is all over, and it might not have been quite as bombshell-filled as we had imagined, but did deliver some nice update on some upcoming Xbox Series X games, along with some brand new DLC announcements. Here's everything that was announced at the Xbox Gamescom 2021 showcase:

Dying Light 2

A brand new trailer for Dying Light 2 dropped as the big opener to the Xbox Gamescom 2021 showcase, giving a bit of an overview of some of the characters you'll meet in the game. As you'd expect from a post-apocalypse, not all of them are exactly welcoming. We also got a sneak peek of a new traversal mechanic, the parachute, along with the various tweaks and improvements coming to the game's iconic parkour and melee combat. You can now stagger enemies, which will let you unleash more attacks on them - no doubt super helpful for the infected hordes.

Flight Simulator World Update 6

There's a ton of new stuff heading to Microsoft Flight Simulator on September 7th when World Update 6 arrives. The new content will see big updates to Germany Austria and Switzerland with new Aerial Maps, improved 3D city scans, and 100 of the most famous landmarks added in around the various improved areas. As well as all that a bunch of new airports are getting upgraded like Lubec and Stuttgart, and a new Local Legends is arriving in the shape of the classic 1930's German plane, the Junker. There's also more stuff to look forward to with big EVTOL air taxis coming in November, and competitive multiplayer arriving in Fall with the RaRa, the Reno Air Racing Association.

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Humble Games coming to Xbox Games Pass

In another boon for Xbox Games Pass subscribers, it's been revealed that all Humble Games published titles are going to be Day One launch titles for Xbox Games Pass. The Gamescom showcase offered up a fantastically enticing montage of 10 of the games confirmed for launch, ranging from Unpacking to Signalis. You can watch the montage above to get yourself excited.

Into The Pit

Big Hexen vibes to this retro shooter that sees you fighting a range of doomy monsters and occult enemies with magic hands. Think old school doom but with spells and Cthulhu as you circle strafe hordes and fight the evil back. It's a mix of grim monsters, colorful powers and big bosses to test your skills.

Age of Empires 4

Ahead of its release on October 28, the Age of Empires 4 developers took the time to talk a little about one of the fan-favorite features, the Trebuchet. We got a bit of a history lesson about the iconic weaponry via a real-life demo at the UK's Warwick Castle. Everyone else learned most of their history from Age of Empires, right? Right??

Xbox Cloud Gaming coming to Xbox Series X and Xbox One

You're about to cut down on your download times and install sizes because Xbox Cloud Gaming is coming to Xbox consoles as part of Xbox Games Pass. It'll just be a case of looking for the game on the store and then hitting the "Play" button with the little cloud on it to start playing straight away. It'll also let you play Xbox Series X content on Xbox One, with all the same quality as you'd expect on the newer hardware too.

Wasteland 3 DLC: The Cult of the Holy Detonation

There's new nuclear DLC coming to Wasteland 3 on October 5 with The Cult of the Holy Detonation. It'll see players battling a cult of devolved bomb worshiping people who have decided it's their religious duty to detonate a pre-war bomb and share its holy radiation. Microsoft also revealed the Colorado Collection, a special edition of the game bundling in all the DLC so far, arriving the same time as the DLC. It's also coming to Games Pass.

A new Sea of Thieves Borderlands themed ship

Starting tomorrow, August 25, you'll be able to get the Mayhem Ship by taking part in special events until September 7th. This new boat is Borderlands-themed, featuring that familiar logo on its sails and a hard-to-miss Claptrap figurehead. Head to any outpost to start the event and take the steps you need to earn and sail the Mayhem.

State of State Decay 2: Homecoming

The Xbox Gamescom 2021 showcase did deliver a bit of an unexpected curveball. What we were initially thinking was an exciting new trailer for State of Decay 3 - a game we've not seen since E3 2020 - turned out to be footage of a brand new DLC for State of Decay 2. Called State of Decay 2: Homecoming, it will be a sequel to the last DLC - Heartland - and will feature the fifth core open-world map, which expands into two brand new territories that weren't accessible in Heartland. "This isn't the Trumbull Valley that people will remember", teases the dev, before adding it will add a "juggernaut" load of new content.

Stray Blade

Looking like a faster, more colorful Dark Souls, this combat heavy action RPG about a rogue adventurer exploring a magical land with a weird little furry buddy. It's all about the combat though with anticipation of enemies moves and fast reactions key to staying alive. There's a big exploration element as well as you look for resources, gear and loot. The world also changes as you fight and die, meaning you never quite know how your progress will move forward.

Crusader Kings 3

The Medieval strategy game that launched at the end of last year on PC is coming to Xbox consoles at some point in the near future. This isn't a direct port of the PC version, but rather a special version that delivers a refined UI to make it more accessible to console players.

Psychonauts 2

Ahead of the game's launch tomorrow, we got the delightful Psychonauts 2 launch trailer, which you can watch above.

The Gunk

Originally scheduled to launch this month, The Gunk did get a new trailer at the Xbox Gamescom showcase, and a release date was sneakily announced on the Xbox blog for this December. It was good to get a fresh look at the next title from the developer behind Steamworld Dig, but it was short and sweet.

Forza Horizon 5

There's a brand new Limited Edition Forza Horizon 5 Xbox Series X controller inbound, and it's translucent neon yellow with amazing spray paint features in blue and pink. It made the entire GamesRadar team turn its head.

But, along with the new controller, we also got to see the opening drive of Forza Horizon 5. Showing off a variety of vehicles speeding through the different biomes of Mexico, from jungles to desert land and even an active volcano, it's quite the ride to the Horizon festival. The two shiny new cover cars also make an appearance. One thing's for sure: We can't wait to get behind the wheel.

For a longer list of titles on their way to Xbox, check out this list of upcoming Xbox Series X games.

Sam Loveridge is the Brand Director and former Global Editor-in-Chief of GamesRadar. She joined the team in August 2017. Sam came to GamesRadar after working at TrustedReviews, Digital Spy, and Fandom, following the completion of an MA in Journalism. In her time, she's also had appearances on The Guardian, BBC, and more. Her experience has seen her cover console and PC games, along with gaming hardware, for a decade, and for GamesRadar, she's in charge of the site's overall direction, managing the team, and making sure it's the best it can be. Her gaming passions lie with weird simulation games, big open-world RPGs, and beautifully crafted indies. She plays across all platforms, and specializes in titles like Pokemon, Assassin's Creed, The Sims, and more. Basically, she loves all games that aren't sports or fighting titles! In her spare time, Sam likes to live like Stardew Valley by cooking and baking, growing vegetables, and enjoying life in the countryside.