Thanks to the games it’s already released in 2025 and the titles that are coming later this year and beyond,Xboxis genuinely in the midst of a general run. The originalXbox’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, withMicrosoft diverting resources to Kinect gamesand 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.
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 strategyhas proven to be controversial but highly lucrative, withForza Horizon 5proving 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
When it comes to Xbox Game Studios, 2025 has already seen the release of Obsidian Entertainment’sAvowedand Compulsion Games’South of Midnightalong with the early access launch ofTowerborne. On July 29,Grounded 2will hit early access through the Xbox Game Preview Program, whileGears of War: Reloadedis dropping on August 26. For those unfamiliar with these games,Avowedis a first-person RPG similar to theElder Scrollsseries, whileSouth of Midnightis a stylish action-adventure game about a woman with magical powers encountering mythical creatures from southern folklore.Towerborneis a co-op side-scrolling action-RPG fromThe Banner Sagateam that has been very well-received in early access, and finally,Gears of War: Reloadedis a remaster of the originalGears of Wargame, updated to take better advantage of modern hardware with improved graphics and performance.
In October,three more Xbox Game Studios games will be releasedto the masses.Keeperfrom Double Fine is coming on October 17, whileNinja Gaiden 4andThe Outer Worlds 2are launching on October 21 and October 29, respectively.Keeperis a unique adventure game where players take on the role of a living lighthouse, whileNinja Gaiden 4is an intense, action-packed character-action game and the first main series installment in 13 years.The Outer Worlds 2is 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 likeFallout.
Bethesda Games for 2025
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 shooterDoom: The Dark Agesto mostly positive reviews andThe Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered, which has proven to be a huge hit.Oblivion Remastered’s shadow dropimmediately 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 Remasteredalso features some notable changes and quality-of-life features that make it smoother sailing than the original game for many fans.
Activision Games for 2025
Activision is another studio Microsoft has acquired to boost its game lineup, with the company set to publishTony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4on July 11.Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4combines content from the third and fourthPro Skatergames and gives them a makeover to meet the standards of modern-day graphics. Later this year, Activision also plans on publishingCall of Duty: Black Ops 7, though an exact release date has yet to be announced.Black Ops 7will serve as a direct sequel toBlack Ops 2and willfeature 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 aboutBlack Ops 7at the time of this writing, but more information on the highly-anticipated game will be coming this summer.
Xbox Games Confirmed for 2026
So far, we know of three Xbox Game Studios games that are coming out in 2026. The newFablegame from Playground Games will be dropping at some point next year, plus the prequel gameGears of War: E-Dayis releasing in 2026 as well.Head of Xbox Phil Spencer casually confirmedthat a newForza Motorsportis 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 originalHalo: Combat Evolvedbuilt with Unreal Engine 5.
Xbox Games in Development
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 thatBlade, developed byDishonored’s Arkane Studios, is in the works, plus there’s alsoThe Elder Scrolls 6.The Elder Scrolls 6was announced all the way back in 2018and updates on the project have been few and far between since then. But with Bethesda wrapping up its work onStarfield, one has to imagine thatElder Scrolls 6development 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-promisingClockwork RevolutionFPS, which looks to have seriousBioShockvibes, as well as the mysterious multiplayer gameContraband.Everwild, the next game from Rare, is also still supposedly on the way, while fans can count on a newHalowaiting in the wings as well.OD, meanwhile, is anew horror game from Hideo Kojima and Jordan Peele, whilePerfect Darkis a reboot developed by the big talent Xbox studio The Initiative in collaboration with Crystal Dynamics. Finally,State of Decay 3is 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.
