Microsoft promised “games, games, games, and Starfield” ahead of its annual Xbox Games Showcase held Sunday, a promise it did indeed deliver on. Xbox executive Aaron Greenberg set expectations ahead of the event, saying Microsoft’s new game trailers were focused on in-game and in-engine footage. Across the two-hour event, Microsoft and Bethesda (acquired by Microsoft in 2020) outlined their slate of upcoming games coming in 2023 and beyond.
Playground Games’ Fable kicked off the show, while the reveal of new Xbox Series S hardware ended it, with some Star Wars, Persona, and several new properties stuffed in between all the fast-moving trailers.
Here’s all the biggest announcements from Sunday’s Xbox Games Showcase.
Fable
Microsoft announced in 2020 that developer Playground Games is working on Fable, a revival of the beloved franchise. But beyond that initial trailer, which was essentially one minute of a fairy flying around, Microsoft and Playground Games have kept Fable under wraps. That is, of course, until Sunday, where a closer look was debuted. The Fable trailer starred giant British actor Richard Ayoade and his take on Fable’s telltale humor.
Fable is a Microsoft exclusive, coming to Xbox Series X and Windows PC.
South of Midnight
Compulsion Games debuted South of Midnight, which will come to Xbox Series X and Windows PC — day one on game pass. South of Midnight is set in the American Deep South, specifically, it looks to be in the bayou. It’s clearly got fantastical elements mixed up in the southern setting; South of Midnight developer Compulsion Games describes the tone as “macabre.”
Star Wars Outlaws
Lucasfilm Games’ new Star Wars game Star Wars Outlaws features a new protagonist in a world overrun with crime syndicates. Not a Jedi or a Sith, she’s living in the grey world of smugglers and thieves. It’s developed by Massive Entertainment, and a gameplay reveal for the open-world, story-driven game is coming during the Ubisoft Forward event on Monday.
33 Immortals
Spiritfarer developer Thunder Lotus Games debuted its next game, 33 Immortals, with a surprise: 33-player co-op. So that’s what the 33 in 33 Immortals is for. All those little champions flood the battlefield together to fight together in a top-down world.
Payday 3
Payday 3 is coming Sept. 21. The new trailer has a bunch of thieves starting on a heist that goes bad. There’s cops, guns, and hostages, like you’d expect of any Payday game.
Persona 3 Reload
Whoops! Atlus announced its Persona 3 remake a bit too early, leaking its own trailer on its Instagram page. But the announcement was originally planned for the Xbox Game Showcase on Sunday. The trailer itself is a quick, one-minute look at the game, truly enhancing the PlayStation 2 original up to Persona 5’s visual quality, with the game running on Epic Games’ Unreal Engine.
Persona 3 Reload is expected on Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Windows PC, and will be available through Game Pass. The trailer didn’t confirm its release on PlayStation platforms, but it’s likely they’ll come there, too.
Avowed
Obsidian Entertainment is working on Avowed, announced first at the 2020 Xbox Games Showcase. The first-person fantasy role-playing game is set in Eora, which is where the popular Pillars of Eternity series takes place. The new trailer showed off the first-person gameplay where players will take on a mysterious corruption overtaking the world.
Avowed is coming to Xbox Series X and will be available on Xbox Game Pass.
Sea of Thieves: The Legend of Monkey Island
Sea of Thieves is getting some new content in The Legend of Monkey Island. The trailer that debuted Sunday brings pirates to Monkey Island, meeting a crew of quirky inhabitants in what looks to be a fantasy world. It’s out on July 20.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024
Asobo Studio is upgrading Microsoft Flight Simulator to do more than just flying planes. In Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, pilots can take on jobs, like agriculture aviation, helicopter and mountain rescue, aerial construction, cargo transport, hot air balloon pilot, and air firefighting. It looks like a stunning evolution of the plane simulation game, and it’s expected out in 2024.
Microsoft Flight Simulator Dune expansion
Microsoft Flight Simulator is heading to Arrakis in a Dune expansion that’s coming on Nov. 3 alongside the film Dune: Part Two.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2
There are a lot of voices in Senua’s head in the new trailer for Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2. The creepy trailer has Senua investigating a wet cave, where the voices interrogate her. Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 is coming in 2024.
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
Ichiban Kasuga wakes up on a beach naked in the debut of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. Yikes! The new Yakuza/Like a Dragon game is coming out in early 2024.
Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess
Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess is described as an “an epic clash between the spirit realm and mortal man, featuring traditional Japanese aesthetics” from Capcom.
Forza Motorsport
Turn 10’s new Forza Motorsport is a follow-up to Forza Motorsport 7 and is highly anticipated; it’s been a whole six years since the last game was released. The wait, however, is almost over: Forza Motorsport will launch on Oct. 10, Microsoft announced Sunday. Forza Motorsport is as visually stunning as you’d expect for a game of this type — it looks really good, and is clearly a showcase of the Xbox Series X’s power.
Forza Motorsport will come to Xbox Series X and Windows PC, available immediately on release for Xbox and PC Game Pass subscribers.
Overwatch 2 Invasion
Overwatch 2 is getting a whole bunch of stuff, like the new Flashpoint game mode, hero mastery, a co-op event, firing range, story missions, and more. Game Pass Ultimate subscribers can unlock the six newest heroes, legendary skins, and in-game cosmetics. It’s all coming on Aug. 10.
Persona 5 Tactica
Altus also confirmed that it’s working on a Persona 5 spinoff game called Persona 5 Tactica. It’s scheduled for release on Nov. 17, taking Persona 5 into a genre more akin to Fire Emblem or XCOM with turn- and grid-based gameplay.
Persona 5 Tactica is slated for release on Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Windows PC. Like Persona 3 Reload, it’s likely this game will come to PlayStation platforms.
Starfield
Bethesda’s Starfield is getting its own one-hour showcase immediately following the Xbox Games Showcase, but Microsoft gave viewers a peek at a new trailer ahead of its dedicated slot. The trailer showed several different environments and biomes, a dinosaur, and lots of space exploration.
Starfield will be released Sept. 6 on Xbox Series X and Windows PC.
Jusant
Don’t Nod’s next game looks to be an exploration platformer, with an emphasis on all sorts of climbing. The stylish fantasy world of Jusant will debut in fall 2023.
Still Wakes the Deep
Secret Mode and The Chinese Room debuted Still Wakes the Deep with a haunting trailer that takes horror to the ocean. It’s expected out in early 2024.
Dungeons of Hinterberg
Skateboarding on a blade, journaling, and puzzles — count me in! Dungeons of Hinterberg was announced for a 2024 release date.
Cyberpunk 2077
CD Projekt Red is working on a Cyberpunk 2077 sequel, previously codenamed Project Orion, but it’s also got its Phantom Liberty expansion for the original game. Phantom Liberty stars Idris Elba, who plays a law enforcement officer within the New United States of America.
Oh yeah, and Keanu Reeves, who will be returning as Johnny Silverhand, was on hand to introduce the trailer. Phantom Liberty is scheduled to launch Sept. 26 on PlayStation 5 as well as PC and Xbox Series X for $29.99.
Cities: Skylines 2
Classic city builder Cities: Skylines is getting a sequel, Cities: Skylines 2. It’s slated for release on Oct. 24.
Metaphor: ReFantazio
The creative talent behind Persona 3, Persona 4, and Persona 5 are working on a new Japanese role-playing game called Metaphor: ReFantazio. Here’s Atlus’ synopsis of the game, which is being developed by Studio Zero for PC and Xbox Series X: “Write your destiny and rise above fear as you step into a fantasy world unlike anything you’ve seen before. Fraught with unsettling mystery, the kingdom stands on a precipice. Now, you must embark on a journey, overcoming obstacles and forging bonds with friends.”
Towerborne
People of the world are stacked up high and living in a single belfry, forced to fight monsters to reclaim their village in the co-op fighter Towerborne, coming in 2024.
Clockwork Revolution
It’s not BioShock! This steampunk game from InXile Entertainment is set in an authoritarian city where you’ll have to change the past to control the future, per the trailer. There are mechs, too. Clockwork Revolution doesn’t have a release window just yet.
Xbox Series S in Carbon Black
Microsoft will release a 1 TB Xbox Series S model in the Carbon Black colorway on Sept. 1 for $349.
