I think that 2024 is going to be the best year for the Xbox Series X yet. Then again, it kind of has to be. We're officially at the halfway point of the current generation, with Microsoft Gaming reportedly viewing the lifecycle of the Xbox Series systems to be eight years. Now is the time where we should be seeing first-and third-party developers pushing the capabilities of the console, and the platform holding delivering on its massive investments and seismic acquisitions.
Thankfully, that looks to be exactly what we're getting when you look at the lineup of upcoming Xbox Series X games for 2024. While there has been no shortage of excellent titles released for the platform in the last four years – you need only glance at our lists for the best Xbox Series X games and best games on Xbox Game Pass to get a better sense of that – this is looking like a banner year. The sort of 12-month span that can drive attention towards the Xbox platform, even as Sony runs rampant with the PS5 and Nintendo reportedly prepares to launch its Nintendo Switch 2.
The Activision Blizzard acquisition is finally complete. Xbox and Game Pass have momentum coming into the new year following the release of Forza Motorsport, Hi-Fi Rush, and Starfield, not to mention the resurgent interest in Halo Infinite. Between massive first-party releases, awesome looking third-party offerings, the threat of new hardware, and a promising year for Game Pass, 2024 could be a record-setting year for Microsoft Gaming. So let's get into what you should expect to see from Xbox this year.
Xbox Series X console exclusives deliver a statement of intent
Microsoft Gaming has struggled to shake this perception that Xbox has a game flow problem. It's a perennial issue, one which reared a head in the awkward Xbox One phase and has (quite unfairly) persisted into the Xbox Series X era – propagated by tentpole titles like Halo Infinite, Redfall, and Starfield missing their intended release windows. The platform holder seems intent on changing that narrative in 2024, and it hasn't wasted any time in getting started. The Xbox Developer Direct was used to outline a clear statement of intent: the video games you want are coming, and soon.
Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 was given a May 21 date, making it the first notable Xbox Series X exclusive of the year. Ninja Theory appears to be positioning the niche adventure as a true system showcase for the Xbox Series X, proof of what a nimble development team is able to achieve with a strong creative vision and the time to properly experiment with Unreal Engine 5 and new motion capture technologies. It looks utterly sublime, and news that it's being scoped to an eight-hour runtime is promising – the less bloat the better with something so psychologically intensive.
Avowed was handed a Fall 2024 launch window, and while the ambiguity is a little disappointing, my confidence that Obsidian Entertainment will hit this mark was bolstered by an extensive look at unfiltered gameplay. Beautiful, varied biomes becoming a home for all of your fantasy-RPG aspirations, regardless of whether you want to be spell-slinging magecaster or a sword-and-shield warrior battling against the corrupted blight sweeping the Living Lands. It's great to see Xbox position a key console-exclusive RPG for 2024, particularly as the likes of Fable 4, The Outer Wilds 2, and The Elder Scrolls 6 are still years away.
Avowed and Hellblade 2 look fantastic, but Xbox's key release is undoubtedly Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. This new action-adventure has been assigned an ever wider "2024" release window, but again, there's a real sense that it'll materialize given how much we were shown in a single-sitting. If history has taught us anything about Xbox (Hi-Fi Rush excluded), it's that appetizingly cinematic reveal trailers are often accompanied by a multi-year wait for information – I'm looking at you Everwild, Perfect Dark, and State of Decay 3.
Thankfully, MachineGames understands the value in showing rather than telling. The studio went all out with extensive insight into the production, a scene-setting trailer, and a look at the game in action – a phenomenal expansion of the work this team has achieved with titles like The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay, The Darkness, and Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus. The Great Circle looks to be a dream come true for Indiana Jones fans, and an incredible example of what is possible when an IP is properly matched up with a willing development team; promising, given that Arkane's take on Marvel's Blade is on the distant horizon.
A strong showing from third-party developers
While I'd wager that 2024 will also see the release of other key exclusives from the Xbox Game Studios group – there's over 13 titles in development over there that we know about, and that's without us having a real sense of what teams like Double Fine, id Software, and The Coalition are up to – there's also a smattering of excellent looking third-party console exclusives on the near horizon from external development partners that you really should be getting excited about.
Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl was recently given a September 5 release date for Xbox Series X and Game Pass, with the long-awaited immersive first-person shooter set to deliver a stunning return to the Chornobyl Anomalous Exclusion Zone. Asobo is working on an expansive Microsoft Flight Simulator sequel this year too, building on the startling simulation of the Earth's most open highways to support a wider variety of aviation career paths beyond commercial pilot.
Those two video games are guaranteed to command a lot of attention, but there's some smaller titles that may have slipped under the radar that are well worth your attention. Microbird Games is making its debut with Dungeons of Hinterberg, a fun adventure game which has you exploring lush alpine environments armed with little more than a sword and a tourist guide for company. The Banner Saga developer Stoic is working on Towerborne, an entertaining co-op game that looks to capture the spirit of Castle Crashers for a new generation. And then there's 33 Immortals, a delightful 33-player roguelike coming from Thunder Lotus Games – the studio behind Spiritfarer and Sundered.
That's all to say that 2024 looks to be a banner year for third-party exclusives on the Xbox platform. While I really hope that we see the likes of Ark 2, Contraband, Routine, and Replaced emerge after extended stays in hibernation, there's enough on the docket that Xbox can still have an excellent year without them. PlayStation may have locked up support from Arrowhead Game Studios (Helldivers 2) Square Enix (Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth), and Team Ninja (Rise of the Ronin), but I do appreciate that Microsoft is continuing its investment in experiences which span a wide variety of genres and appropriate age-ranges.
The best year for Game Pass yet
6 Xbox Series X exclusives that need to be on your radar in 2024
If everything goes to plan for Microsoft Gaming in 2024, Game Pass will transform from being a must-own subscription service to something you would be foolish to go without. Every upcoming Xbox game that I have mentioned so far is coming to the platform day one, included as part of your subscription to Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. It's incredible value for players of all persuasions, so how could it possibly get any better?
Microsoft completed its $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard after months of court battles with industry regulators across the globe, and 2024 is when we'll start to see results in a tangible sense. While Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer has kept his plans a tightly guarded secret, it is anticipated that Game Pass is going to be flooded with a wave of Activision Blizzard titles this year.
That could mean everything from Diablo 4 to the best Call of Duty games, and even stretch to include legacy franchises like Crash Bandicoot, Spyro the Dragon, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, and countless others. It also isn't out of the realm of possibility that Call of Duty 2024 (reportedly a Gulf War-set Black Ops installment) could launch day one on the service. Factor these unknown possibilities in with other surefire Game Pass releases – Flintlock: Siege of Dawn, Persona 3 Reload, and Hollow Knight: Silksong – and we're looking at one of the strongest years in the history of the service.
Expect new hardware and storefronts
Watching the Activision Blizzard acquisition play out in the courts (both of the legal and public opinion variety) all last year was definitely as fascinating as it was frustrating, it did give us some excellent insight into Xbox's plans for the future. Namely, an accidentally-revealed roadmap indicates that an Xbox Series X refresh is on the cards for Fall 2024. Codenamed Brooklin, the system appears to offer a brand new cylindrical design (made possible thanks to the optical disk drive being removed) which comes with 2TB of storage as standard.
What I am perhaps most excited by, however, is the Xbox Universal Controller. This long-overdue refresh of the Xbox controller is said to include a rechargeable battery, improved haptic feedback, an accelerometer, and more seamless support for switching between devices as Microsoft continues its investment in mobile and cloud gaming. It sounds great, however my secret real hope for 2024 is that we finally get an Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 3 – preferably with a built-in capture button, because enough is enough Xbox.
A long-overdue refresh of the Xbox controller is said to include a rechargeable battery, an accelerometer, and improved haptic feedback.
Given that Candy Crush developer King has come under the Xbox Game Studios banner as part of the Activision Blizzard deal, I wouldn't be surprised to see Microsoft make a strong push into mobile gaming – setting up specific storefronts on Apple and Android devices. There's also the question of Keystone too, a streaming-only device set to capitalize on Xbox's gains in the cloud gaming market.
Development of the console was reportedly shelved in 2022 due to concerns over its production cost and consumer pricing, although given how closely Microsoft's movements in the Cloud streaming business was scrutinized during the Activision Blizzard court battles there could be other forces at play here. Still, I wouldn't be shocked to see it re-emerge this year in some capacity.
2024 is Xbox's for the taking. Bolstered by an attractive line-up of first-party titles and strong third-party support, there should be little doubt that there will be plenty to play on your Series X throughout the year. What's exciting is that there's still more to come, with Microsoft likely to date other titles that it has in production over the summer and into the fall windows. It's going to be a great year for Xbox owners – one to remember, should it all come together.
