Whatoplay presents 25 of the biggest Xbox Series X and S
games coming out next year! All arranged by release date.
To see the complete list, check out our page on all upcoming Xbox Series X and S games.
1. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Extraction
A huge leap from the series’ staple tactical first-person shootouts. Extraction borrows
mechanics from notable horde shooters like Left 4 Dead and the recent Back 4 Blood.
It features a 3-player multiplayer mode where we control the iconic operators from Siege.
Use their tools and fend off an otherworldly threat. It comes out this January 20.
2. Dying Light 2 The sequel to Techland’s
parkour slash zombie shooter. This second chapter will focus on role-playing elements,
including making tough choices that affect the story’s course. There will be more freedom
of movement, making it easier to jump around rooftops with swag. It comes out this February 4.
3. Elden Ring The recent 15-minute gameplay preview had us
all hooked. Elden Ring is FromSoftware’s biggest game to date. It’s Dark Souls mixed with Breath
Of The Wild’s gorgeous open-world formula. It’s still challenging according to what we’ve seen,
and there will be a ton of exploring to do. We can’t wait to see this world on February 25.
4. Saints Row This soft reboot of Saints Row
returns and it comes with a ton of improvements. There’s a whole new world to explore here. If
you have a friend coming along, the game has a drop-in/drop-out co-op. You can even customize
your character and create the goofiest designs you can think of. Gangs are still around though,
and you can go on crazy rampages in its open-world environments. Coming this February 25.
5. Grand Theft Auto V Rockstar’s open-world action
game has stood the test of time. Released on almost all modern-generation platforms,
this re-release is intended for the new-gen experience, notably the Series X and S.
Expect improved visuals and smooth performance without the unnecessary hiccups. Now we can
finally swap characters without worrying about long loading times. Coming this March 2022.
6. Cyberpunk 2077 On the other side of things,
CD Projekt Red’s ambitious open-world RPG was… something else. The company reshuffling
was a result of failed expectations and human greed. Next year, they promise a
new-gen experience for their futuristic baby. Expect smoother frames, better performance and
a slew of free downloadable content. Who knows, an expansion might come out soon.
7. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl We’re finally back to the irradiated wastelands
of the Chernobyl exclusion zone. This sequel is a massive step-up to a janky yet atmospheric shooter
from GSC Game World. The Heart Of Chernobyl will adapt to the modern gaming industry
with impressive new tech at its disposal. The few snippets from its trailer show a
ton of new improvements, notably with use of Unreal Engine 5. It comes out this April 28.
8. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Complete Edition CDPR’s second title for the new-gen consoles.
This Complete Edition pretty much has the same content that includes all two massive expansions.
What sets it apart from its old-gen counterpart is its performance boost. The game supports improved
visuals and a smooth-sailing adventure for our Geralt of Rivia. Coming second quarter next year.
9. Starfield Bethesda’s most-ambitious project
yet. Todd Howard promises big things from this science fiction counterpart of their
beloved Skyrim series. Starfield is massive. Although no gameplay footage has been shown,
we’ve seen snippets and concept arts with a lot of promise. Knowing Bethesda,
they might deliver. But then again, it’s Bethesda, so who knows. Coming November 11 next year.
10. A Plague Tale: Requiem The follow-up to Asobo Studios’
emotional stealth-adventure game. As a sequel, expect big budget set-pieces
as its two characters escape from the nightmarish moments of Europe’s dark age.
The siblings must make their way through terrible situations and escape from god
knows what. Gameplay is still nonexistent, but we may see more of it before it comes out next year.
11. Star Ocean: The Divine Force The return of Star Ocean was
something we didn’t expect. Revealed just recently on Sony’s State of Play,
this next Star Ocean chapter is also coming to the Xbox Series X and S consoles
next year . From the trailer, it’s evident they’re going for an open-world formula akin
to Xenoblade Chronicles’ scale. This space opera still retains its signature real-time combat.
12. Hogwarts Legacy It’s hard to keep our excitement for
this role-playing version of the Wizarding World. Legacy takes place years before the events of the
movies and books. We play as our customized characters, picking our houses, crafting our
wands and embarking on a magical tour around the hallowed halls of Hogwarts. Unfortunately,
details are scarce but we might hear more about this game before it comes out next year.
13. Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodhunt Next year is gonna be big for The World
Of Darkness fans. Swansong, Bloodlines and this one might come out in the same year
if all goes well. Bloodhunt is already out in Early Access on Steam and it’s
struggling to get decent reviews due to server issues and hackers. There’s still
more room to improve this Vampire Battle Royale before this major release next year.
14. Gotham Knights The Court of Owls’ conspiracy
goes deep in Gotham’s criminal underbelly. Batman is no longer around and it’s up to four
of his star students to quell this impending disaster. Following Rocksteady’s footsteps,
Knights retains the good ol’ brawler combat but with a strong focus on RPG elements and co-op.
15. Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League Rocksteady’s next big project bids adieu to
their Caped Crusader’s crime-busting adventures. Next year, we’re playing as characters of chaos.
Harley, Deadshot, King Shark and Captain Boomerang take center stage as they stop
an evil version of the Justice League in a hilarious anti-hero story. No gameplay yet, sadly.
16. LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
9 of Star Wars’ major chapters get LEGO-fied in this massive collection. Delayed to almost
oblivion, it’s finally getting a release window and it’s expected to come out next year. Expect
goofy LEGO humor and fun puzzles alongside extra characters around the Star Wars universe.
17. Path of Exile 2 Dubbed as the ‘Diablo Killer’, this major
sequel to Grinding Gear Games’ isometric RPG goes crazy with two massive campaigns under one game.
It coexists with the original PoE so players don’t have to worry about starting over again. This also
includes a variety of added content including equipment, gems, classes and so much more.
18. The Dark Pictures: The Devil in Me The fourth installment from the Dark
Pictures anthology from Supermassive Games. The House of Ashes may have just been released,
the horror train doesn’t stop there. The Devil In Me continues the interactive
horror experience and it centers on a whole new story with new characters.
It’s the final episode for Season One of the anthology and it comes out next year.
19. Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora Ubisoft takes on the challenge of
adapting James Cameron’s million-dollar movie franchise into a video game.
Although it’s set in a different timeline, we’re still back on Pandora
and we can interact with its strange alien world. Unfortunately, with no gameplay footage available,
we can only speculate. It’s expected to come out next year.
20. Redfall Horde-mode against zombies
is overrated. What about a game where you take down an army of Vampires? Now that’s something.
Arkane’s next big project revolves around a co-op multiplayer experience where you
team up with 3 friends for some vampire hunting action. It comes out next year.
21. Slime Rancher 2 A sequel to the adorable and straightforward
adventure where you manage a ranch and raise cute extraterrestrial slimes. There’s a plethora of
fun things to do and they’re reminiscent of farm-simulator classics like Harvest Moon.
Combined with some science-fiction shenanigans and a first-person perspective, you get Slime Rancher.
22. Somerville If you’ve ever
played INSIDE or LIMBO before, Somerville looks like a PlayDead game but it isn’t.
It’s made by its former devs and it’s evident from the game’s atmosphere and
third-person perspective. The trailer follows a family escaping from some sort of invasion.
Like all their games, it’s depressing as hell. It comes out next year.
23. Tom Clancy's The Division: Heartland A free-to-play Tom Clancy game from Ubisoft.
It was recently delayed to late next year to make room for Ubisoft’s other games coming next year
such as Rocksmith+ and Prince Of Persia. Heartland takes place inside the The Division universe
and it’s still about shooting stuff. As of the moment, there’s no gameplay available.
24. ARK II It’s hard to forget
this game when the trailer has Vin Diesel taking center stage. ARK II is the sequel
to the sandbox survival-crafting game from Studio Wildcard and it takes place years after Genesis.
With its improved engines, it has big things in store especially for new-gen consoles like the
Series X and S. Details are still nada as of the moment, but it’s expected to come out next year.
25. The Callisto Protocol From Glen Schofield, the former
co-creator of Dead Space, comes a whole new kind of slaughterfest taking place in a dark sci-fi
world. Oddly, it’s set in the same universe as PlayerUnknown’s BattleGrounds with its prison
colony of malevolent secrets. Still no gameplay yet but it’s expected to come out next year.