What to expect from Xbox Series X in 2024: Massive AAA exclusives, a banner year for Game Pass, and new hardware
Opinion | 2024 is the year where Xbox Game Pass will become unstoppable, and where Microsoft finally delivers on its commitment to deliver trend-setting 🎐first-party exclusives

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 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Microsoft Gaming reportedly viewin🍸g the lifecycle of the Xbox ꦓSeries systems to be eight years. Now is the time where we should be seeing first-and third-party developers pushing the capa൩bilities 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 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询: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 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Xbox Series X games and 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询: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 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Sony runs rampant with the PS5 and Nintendo reportedly prepares to launch its 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Nintendo Switch 2.
GamesRadar+ is exploring the most anticipated video games of the year with 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Big in 2024. Look for new articles every day in January.
The 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Activision Blizzard acquisition is finally complete. Xbox and 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询: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 l🦂et'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 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Halo Infinite, Redfall, and 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询: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 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Xbox Developer Direct was used to outline a clear statement of intent: the video games you want are coming, and soon. ♈;
澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询: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 a🧔n eight-hour 🌞runtime is promising – the less bl🐻oat the better with something so ps𝓰ychologically intensive.
Avowed was handed a Fall 2024 launch window, and while the ambiguity is a little disappointing, my confidence that 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询: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, 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:The Outer Wilds 2, and 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:The Elder Scrolls 6 are still years away.
Avowed and Hellblade 2 look fantastic, but Xbox's key release is undoubtedly 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询: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 (澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询: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, 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Perfect Dark, and 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:State of Decay 3.
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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 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询: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 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询: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, 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:id Software, and The Coalition are up to – there's also a sma𓂃ttering of excellent looking third-party console exclusives on the near horizon from external development partn⛄ers that you really should be getting excited about.
澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询: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 del⭕iver 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 aܫre well worth your attention. Microbird Games is making its debut with Dungeons of Hinterberg, a fun adventure ꦗgame 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, 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询: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 (澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth), and Team Ninja (Ris🐎e of the Ronin), but I do appreciate that Microsoft is 𝓰continuing 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 exc꧂lusives that need to be on your radar iꦦn 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, inc🐲luded 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 Blizz♛ard titles this year.
That could mean everything from Diablo 4 to the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询: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 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Hollow Knight: Silksong – and we're looking at one of the strongest years in the history ofඣ the se𝓰rvice.
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 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Xbox Series X refresh is on the cards for Fall 2024. Codenamed Brooklinꦓ, 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-ไoverdue 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 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询: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 Ke🥃ystone 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 moveme꧑nts 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-pa🦩rty support, there should be little doubt t𓆉hat 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.

Josh West is the Editor-in-Chief of GamesRadar+. He has over 15 years experience in online and print journalism, and holds a BA (Hons) in Journalism and Feature Writing. Prior to starting his current position, Josh has served as GR+'s Features Editor and Deputy Editor of games™ magazine, and has freelanced for numerous publications including 3D Artist, Edge magazine, iCreate, Metal Hammer, Play, Retro Gamer, and SFX. Additionally, he has appeared on the BBC and ITV to provide expert comment, written for Scholastic books, edited a book for Hachette, and worked as the Assistant Producer of the Future Games Show. In his spare time, Josh likes to play bass guitar and video games. Years ago, he⛦ was in a few movies and TV shows that you've definitely seen but will never be able to spot him in.