Xbox Games Showcase 2023 – Everything Announced

The Xbox Games Showcase 2023 was stellar, and easily the best showing from Microsoft’s gaming brand since 2020. Sentiment around Xbox has been somewhat lacklustre in recent years courtesy of missed release targets and a general lack of exclusives – but only when compared directly to competitors. Nevertheless, the latest show is a return to form for Xbox, which was filled to the brim with first and third-party titles, including some outlandish surprises and important updates on long-awaited games. Without further ado, here is everything announced at the Xbox Games Showcase 2023.

FABLE BRINGS BACK CHICKEN KICKING AND BRITISH SLANG

Playground Games are absolute wizards, and the latest trailer showcasing Richard Ayoade, chicken kicking and out of this world “in-engine” graphics should whet the appetites of all Fable fans, and more. No release date yet, sadly.

AVOWED ARRIVES IN 2024

Obsidian’s massive new fantasy Role Playing Game gets a new trailer feature a seemingly all new look for the title, as well as snippets of gameplay and assurances of the style and quality the studio is known for.

STAR WARS OUTLAWS IS UBISOFT’S NEW OPEN WORLD STAR WARS GAME

From the Ubisoft Massive team comes an all new open world take on the Star Wars universe. Arriving in 2024, the minds behind The Division and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora are creating an original story set between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. More info will be made available at the upcoming Ubisoft Forward.

STARFIELD LOOKS INCREDIBLE AND THE COLLECTOR’S EDITION IS OVER THE TOP

If Starfield can deliver even a quarter of what has been promised, and showcased, then Bethesda will rightfully be producing a generation defining game. The additional 45-minute long Starfield Direct following the Xbox Games Showcase gave everyone a taste of what is to come, and Xbox gamers are going to have a massive feast on their hands when this title launches later this year. The Collector’s Edition also looks superb, with fully functioning smart watch!

A SEXY NEW STORAGE OPTION ARRIVES WITH THE CARBON BLACK XBOX SERIES S

The “new” Carbon Black variant of the Xbox Series S arrives September 2023, and it will now come with 1TB of SSD storage. A great new low cost entry for gamers who have yet to jump into this new generation or for those looking for the best value for money ‘Game Pass machine’.

LIMITED EDITION STARFIELD ACCESSORIES

Starfield arrives in September, with grossly over the top collectors edition to boot; but there will also be two new Xbox accessories to celebrate the release of the game. Debuting at the Xbox Games Showcase 2023, the themed Xbox Wireless Headset and controller look fantastic, and will both likely sell out before the game releases.

CLOCKWORK REVOLUTION CHANNEL BIOSHOCK INFINITE

inXile, developers of Wasteland, Arcanum and much more, are bringing a brand-new Intellectual Property to light by the name of Clockwork Revolution. It looks like a steampunk action RPG with hints of Bioshock Infinite and Deathloop forming part of the game’s essence. It looks awesome!

FORZA MOTORSPORT GETS A 10/10/10 RELEASE DATE

Turn 10s latest Forza Motorsport arrives on 10 October 2023. For the keen eyed: Turn 10’s game arrives on 10-10. It looks like standard Forza fair, but with new car manufacturers and better visuals to boot.

MICROSOFT FLIGHT SIMULATOR 2024

In a move away from annual releases, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 arrives a good 4 years after the genre defining new update. Powered by massive advances in its already-impressive tech, the 2024 version of the title adds a long list of new features, including living out fantasies of private chartered air flight, fire rescue, construction and quite a bit more.

SENUA’S SAGA: HELLBLADE II ARRIVES IN 2024

Ninja Theory released a new trailer for Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II showcasing a pretty incredible performance from Melina Juergens as Senua, and teases what kinds of psychological horrors gamers can expect when the title releases sometime in 2024.

SOUTH OF MIDNIGHT

Compulsion Games, developers of We Happy Few, have finally revealed the very first new IP after having been acquired by Microsoft. South of Midnight looks fantastic, with a unique  art style and has clearly been influenced by Southern folklore. The trailer offered a taste of what is to come.

TOWERBORNE IS FROM THE CREATOR’S OF THE BANNER SAGA

Considered an ‘action RPG brawler’, this new title from Stoic aims to redefine the genre. Not much is known about the title, but this trailer from the Xbox Games Showcase 2023 is enough to tide us over until the game releases in 2024.

33 IMMORTALS WITH 33-PLAYER CO-OP

Thunder Lotus, makers of Spiritfarer, are behind this rather ambition new co-op action rogue-like. Raiding with 32 other players certainly sounds entertaining, but only time will tell if this Xbox Games Showcase 2023 reveal will live up to the chaotic hype it hopes to offer.

CITIES SKYLINES 2 IS COMING SOON TO GAME PASS

Cities Skylines is an incredible title, and is the “Sim City” fans have always longed for. The original hit is now finally getting a well deserved upgrade, one that is bigger, better and far bolder than the original. The ‘sequel’ arrives on 24 October 2023 and will debut day one on Game Pass.

DUNGEONS OF HINTERBERG IS VERY EXTRA AND I LOVE IT

This new action-adventure RPG is set around a new tourist hotspot in the idyllic Austrian Alps. There is a lot to take in from the trailer, but this new dungeon-crawling adventure sure looks like it could be one to watch.

CLIMB TO THE JUSANT

Jusant is an action-puzzle climbing game where players climb with a cute ethereal companion. It looks great, and a demo is now available on Steam for those curious to try it out.

LIKE A DRAGON: INFINITE WEALTH

Arriving in 2024, a very naked Ichiban Kasuga is now on the hunt for ‘infinite wealth’. Like a Dragon 8 arrives in 2024.

METAPHOR: REFANTAZIO IS A HIGH FANTASY GAME FROM PERSONA DEVS

Studio Zero have announced a new ‘high fantasy’ RPG title, one featuring many hallmarks of a Persona game, but without actually being a Persona title. It looks interesting, to say the least.

KUNITSU-GAMI: PATH OF THE GODDESS

Then not pumping out glorious Resident Evil remakes, Capcom does have the capacity for something unique and unusual. Enter Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess, a brand new title upholding the Japanese developer’s legacy for original and innovative works.

PAYDAY 3 ARRVIES IN SEPTEMBER… FOR MORE PAYDAY

The new trailer for Payday 3 showcases more… Payday. It arrives on 21 September and is seemingly made for fans of the series.

XBOX + ATLUS = NEW PERSONA GAMES

The Xbox x Atlus love continues with a pair of new Persona games, each making their official debut at the Xbox Games Showcase 2023. Persona 5 Reload is a reimagining of the cult classic, including a revamped battle system, new graphics and gameplay, enhanced audio and featuring an all-new English voice-over, along with much more. The new Persona 5 spin-off title, Persona 5 Tactica, will be a tactical RPG starring the Phantom Thieves, and it will bring new allies and playable characters as well.

STILL WAKES THE DEEP WILL KEEP YOU AWAKE

Taking place off the coast of Scotland, Still Wakes The Deep is a new fist person horror title from the minds behind Dear Esther and Everybody’s Gone To The Rapture, and Little Orpheus. The new narrative horror experience is set on an oil rig and looks like it will offer quite an unforgettable experience.

CYBERPUNK 2077: PHANTOM LIBERTY HAS A RELEASE DATE

Cyberpunk 2077 is getting an all new expansion, one featuring the return of Keanu Reeves as Johnny Silverhand, whilst adding Idris Elba as Solomon Reed and a host of other new updates and changes to the title. It will also take place in a new section of Night City, and seems to right all of the wrongs from the original debut of this rather excellent title.

THE ELDER SCROLLS ONLINE: NECROM

Debuting at the Xbox Games Showcase 2023, The Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom arrives on 20 June 2023. It is technically still part of the Shadow Over Morrowind adventure and tasks players with discovering the forbidden secrets of Apocrypha to fight and preserve reality.

FALLOUT 76 IS GOING TO ATLANTIC CITY

Despite the original bumpy launch, Fallout 76 has continued to grow in popularity with yearly add-ons and updates. The latest addition sees the denizens of Vault 76 gearing up to go out and hopefully find more safe haven, quests, loot and monsters in Atlantic City.

SEA OF THIEVES GET GUYBRUCH THREEPWOOD IN MONKEY ISLAND CROSSOVER

Monkey Island’s Guybrush Threepwood is finally making an appearance within Sea of Thieves. In what was most likely the most ‘no brainer’ reveal at the Xbox Games Showcase 2023 event, Rare revealed how Sea of Thieves is getting a pretty great multi-episode arc of Monkey Island content – an almost perfect addition to the already swashbucklingly good title. The new update will be free to all who own the game or have it through Game Pass and will bring Monkey Island’s iconic cast of characters to Sea of Thieves from 20th July 2023.

OVERWATCH 2: INVASION

Despite the game’s major expansion content being binned, it appears as if Overwatch 2 might still retain some of what was being worked on. From the 10th of August 2023, gamers will gain access to a new Hero, Story Missions, new maps, modes and a bunch of additional content.

MICROSOFT FLIGHT SIM GETS THE ORNITHOPTER FROM DUNE

Denis Villeneuve’s Dune is a sublime re-creation of the original classic. Now fans of Microsoft Slight Simulator will be able to take control of the film’s ornithopter, and just in time for the second instalment of the franchise’s arrival in cinemas. A pretty cool game-to-movie tie-in.