Best upcoming Xbox Series X games: The top next-gen games for 2020 and beyond

The next generation of console gaming is rapidly approaching, with the Xbox Series X hitting stores at the end of 2020.

Of course, no console is much without games - not even the "most powerful" in the world.

That's why we've put together a list of the games that have either been confirmed already, or hinted at coming to the Xbox Series X in the coming year or so.

Some could even be part of the monthly Xbox Game Pass membership scheme, which will save you a stack of money. And one or two will be a free upgrade if you purchase the Xbox One version prior to getting the new console..

squirrel_widget_158169

So here are the best upcoming games for Xbox Series X we've heard about so far. Enjoy.

Dirt 5

• Publisher: Codemasters
• Release date: October 2020
• Exclusive? No, also on Xbox One, PS4, PS5, Windows 10

The latest in Codemasters long-running arcade racing series, Dirt, is coming this October for most formats and Xbox Series X when the console is available.

Most exciting perhaps is that it will have Uncharted 4's Nolan North and Troy Baker playing your rival and mentor respectively. That's a real nod to proper games fans.

Yakuza: Like a Dragon

• Publisher: Sega
• Release date: Holiday 2020
• Exclusive? No, also on Xbox One, PS4, Windows 10

Having already released for PS4 in Japan earlier this year, Xbox (specifically future Xbox Series X) owners will be thrilled it is coming to their platform too.

It's the eighth in the Yakuza series of games, and will be a launch game for the next console. It features turn-based combat, with an involving storyline that takes the action out of Tokyo for once, to Yokohama.

Halo Infinite

• Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
• Release date: Holiday 2020
• Exclusive? No, also on Xbox One and Windows 10

Halo Infinite is scheduled to be one of the launch games for Xbox Series X, so will also be available during the holiday season. As with a few games on this list, it will be part of Xbox's Smart Delivery initiative, whereby you can buy the game on Xbox One and get the Series X version for free as a download when you upgrade to the new machine.

As for the game itself, Infinite will see the return of Master Chief after a five year hiatus and is being called a "spiritual reboot".

Assassin's Creed: Valhalla

• Publisher: Ubisoft
• Release date: Holiday 2020
• Exclusive? No, also on Xbox One, PS4, PS5 and Windows 10

This year's Assassin's Creed game is set in the Viking age, with main character Eivor leading a settlement of norsemen on English soil. However, when King Alfred has other ideas for the land, it leads to a long and bloody adventure.

Like Odyssey and Origins, Valhalla will feature considerable RPG elements. And sailing will return, this time in longboats. Skol!

Bright Memory: Infinite

• Publisher: FYQD-Studio
• Release date: Holiday 2020
• Exclusive? No, also on Xbox One, PS4 and Windows 10

Developed by Chinese studio FYQD, Bright Memory: Infinite will be an expanded, enhanced version of first-person shooter Bright Memory, currently available on Steam for PC.

It's a near-future shooter, with melee combat elements as well as hardcore gunplay. And, looking at the trailer, will likely make great use of the Series X's ray tracing abilities.

Cyberpunk 2077

• Publisher: CD Projekt Red
• Release date: 17 September 2020 (on current gen)
• Exclusive? No, also on Xbox One, PS4, PS5, Windows 10

What can be said about Cyberpunk 2077 that hasn't been said before? CD Projekt Red's long-awaited sci-fi role-player always looked like a next-gen game in waiting and so it will prove to be. However, like Halo Infinite, it is also coming out for the current generation consoles and features Smart Delivery, so you will be able to buy the Xbox One version and update for free once you own an Xbox Series X. Very nice indeed.

Observer: System Redux

• Publisher: Blooper Team
• Release date: Holiday 2020
• Exclusive? No, also on PS5

A greatly enhanced version of Blooper Team's superb indie cyberpunk thriller, Observer, will be a launch title for Xbox Series X. It stars the late Rutger Hauer and will feature not only improved graphics, but new gameplay elements and extra story segments.

The Ascent

• Publisher: Curve Digital
• Release date: Holiday 2020
• Exclusive? Yes

Xbox-exclusive The Ascent is an action RPG based in a cyberpunk futuristic world, something that seems to be on trend this year - what with Cyberpunk 2077 also coming up.

The Medium

• Publisher: Blooper Team
• Release date: Holiday 2020
• Exclusive? No, also on Windows 10

Blooper Team's second game for Xbox Series X will continue its tradition of dabbling in psychological horror, but The Medium also features a soundtrack by Akira Yamaoka - the composer behind the eerie musical scores of Silent Hill.

Second Extinction

• Publisher: Systemic Reaction
• Release date: Late 2020
• Exclusive? No, also on Windows 10

Systemic Extinction is a three-player online co-op shooter where mankind must survive in a land now ruled by mutated dinosaurs. Queue fast-paced velocirator chases galore.

Scarlet Nexus

• Publisher: Bandai Namco
• Release date: Late 2020
• Exclusive? No, also on Xbox One, PS4, PS5 and Windows 10

A new JRPG series from Bandai Namco is always welcome and the anime overtones of Scarlet Nexus make it stand out among the other ray traced games here. It is set in the far future and features some "explosive action". Hopefully we'll see more on it soon.

Outriders

• Publisher: Square Enix
• Release date: Late 2020
• Exclusive? No, also on Xbox One, PS4, PS5, Windows 10

Developed by People Can Fly (Bulletstorm, Gears of War: Judgment), Outriders is an all-new intellectual property that could prove to be an early hit on the platform. It is a third-person online shooter in the style of Destiny, but with a far darker tone. At least, that's what we've taken from the early reveals so far.

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2

• Publisher: Paradox Interactive
• Release date: 2020
• Exclusive? No, also on Xbox One, PS4, PS5, Windows 10

A new, superb trailer has got us even more excited for this long-awaited RPG sequel. We also saw previous footage running with ray-tracing at an Nvidia event during Gamescom 2019, so have a great idea what to expect on Xbox Series X with its similarly capable graphics.

Chorus

• Publisher: Deep Silver
• Release date: 2021
• Exclusive? No, also on Xbox One, PS4, PS5, Windows 10, Google Stadia

An all-new IP for Deep Silver, Chorus is a space-flight combat shooter featuring Nara and her sentient starfighter Forsaken. There will be plenty of space dogfights, but we're hoping there'll also be open world (universe) play and a deep storyline, although it's hard to tell from the trailer right now.

Senua's Saga: Hellblade II

• Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
• Release date: TBC
• Exclusive? No, also on Xbox One and Windows 10

Ninja Theory's first Senua game - Hallblade: Senua's Sacrifice - not only wowed with its almost photorealistic graphics, but the clever, well informed grasp on mental health issues was much lauded. The sequel looks even more stunning, based on a trailer made entirely using the in-game engine. The action-adventure will be available on the current generation Xbox, but we suspect it'll be the Series X version everyone will be talking about.

Scorn

• Publisher: Ebb Software
• Release date: TBC
• Exclusive? Yes

When we first saw the trailer, we thought someone was making a game of Ridley Scott's Prometheus - or the abandoned ship section of Alien. Scorn, from debut studio Ebb, is about as HR Giger-esque as it comes, with first-person horror overtones and creepy audio. Definitely one to watch.

Call of the Sea

• Publisher: Out of the Blue
• Release date: TBC
• Exclusive? No, also on Xbox One and Windows 10

A first-person adventure/puzzle game set in the 1930s, Call of the Sea promises 4K graphics at 60fps minimum. It'll also be Smart Delivery ready, so you can play it on Xbox One and upgrade for free to the Series X version when you get the console.

Dying Light 2

• Publisher: Techland
• Release date: TBC
• Exclusive? No, also on PS5, PS4, Xbox One and PC

Although Techland is yet to officially confirm Dying Light 2 is coming for next-gen machines, its release delay and sheer scope suggest that it is a shoo-in for the new consoles. The game is a sequel to the amazing first-person parkour zombie-a-thon we're still playing to this day, but it takes the concept to an all-new level. Every action and decision you make in the game will affect the entire gameworld - with different factions growing and fading depending on your choices.

Rainbow Six Siege

• Publisher: Ubisoft
• Release date: TBC
• Exclusive? No, also on Xbox One, PS4, PS5, Windows 10

Ubisoft has announced that several of its existing and forthcoming games will be available on Xbox Series X - we just don't know when. Still, putting Rainbow Six Siege on the platformer is a no-brainer to us. The multiplayer online shooter has an enormous following and it is that kind of hardcore gaming market that will likely be formed of early adopters.

Watch Dogs: Legion

• Publisher: Ubisoft
• Release date: TBC
• Exclusive? No, also on Xbox One, PS4, PS5, Windows 10

This was one of our favourite games of last year's E3 and was originally scheduled for release on current gen machines on 6 March 2020. However, thanks to Ubisoft getting cold feet after the seemingly rushed release of Ghost Recon: Breakpoint, it held back its jewel in the crown until the following fiscal year for extra polish. That means it could appear anytime between April 2020 and March 2021.

That makes it an ideal launch candidate for Xbox Series X. Especially as, from what we've played so far, the play as anyone in the game mechanic lends itself well to a new era of advanced gaming.

Gothic

• Publisher: THQ Nordic
• Release date: TBC
• Exclusive? No, also on PS5, Windows 10

After releasing a playable teaser for PC on Steam, which was very well received, THQ Nordic decided to greenlight a fully remastered, remade version of RPG Gothic. It also announced that it will be coming to the next-generation consoles too.

Gods and Monsters

• Publisher: Ubisoft
• Release date: TBC
• Exclusive? No, also on Xbox One, PS4, PS5, Windows 10

Ubisoft's new game series - from the in-house studio behind Assassin's Creed - was one of the games delayed in a recent purge. However, it has now been confirmed for next-gen machines as well as existing consoles. And, we expect the action-adventure to be part of the Xbox Series X launch lineup.

Rainbow Six Quarantine

• Publisher: Ubisoft
• Release date: 2020
• Exclusive? No, also on Xbox One, PS4, PS5, Windows 10

Another Ubisoft game with no fixed release date as yet, Rainbow Six Quarantine caused quite a stir during the company's E3 2019 presentation. It dispenses with the real-world combat-style themes of Siege - instead shifting to survival horror, with three-player teams battle an infected population.

The Lord of the Rings - Gollum

• Publisher: Daedelic Entertainment
• Release date: 2021
• Exclusive? No, also on PS5, Windows 10 (rumoured)

There is no trailer for Gollum as yet and it is unlikely to see the light of day for a while yet, but we do know that the game with be a story-driven action-adventure and from a studio well-versed in such things. We also know it's coming to next-gen consoles.

The Elder Scrolls 6

• Publisher: Bethesda
• Release date: TBC
• Exclusive? No, also on PS5, Windows 10 (rumoured)

We've not heard a peep about The Elder Scrolls 6 since its tease at E3 2018. However, if it doesn't come to Xbox Series X we'll eat our big floppy hats.

Starfield

• Publisher: Bethesda
• Release date: TBC
• Exclusive? No, also on PS5, Windows 10 (rumoured)

Like The Elder Scrolls 6, little is known about Starfield right now. It is thought to be a sci-fi RPG though and something of a departure from the Fallout franchise.

from Pocket-lint https://ift.tt/2Vepxte
via IFTTT