Xbox Series X Games That Will Blow You Away

If there was ever an indie game striving for a AAA feel, Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice met the mark and then some. Developer Ninja Theory crafted a dark, disturbing world oozing with atmosphere, and invited players on Senua's treacherous journey into the very depths of hell to face demons both real and imagined. Ninja Theory's effort was so impressive, in fact, Microsoft moved to buy the studio outright in 2018. Now Ninja Theory sails under the Xbox Game Studios flag, and the highly anticipated sequel to Hellblade is slated to release on both Xbox Series X and PC. 

Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 flips the title around a bit, implying you'll be be accompanying Senua on an all-new adventure that takes place after the first game. The spooky trailer shown at The Game Awards 2019 teased armies, giants, and a rather bone-chilling chant. Senua appears ready for war, and thanks to her debut title, she's battle tested. Outside of that brief sneak peek, however, there are no other clues as to what Senua might encounter on her next outing, or when you might get your hands on Hellblade 2.

All that's known right now is that Ninja Theory is hard at work bringing its next masterpiece to life.

After two great releases in Origins and Odyssey, the Assassin's Creed franchise is once again hot. Ubisoft has slowly but surely moved away from the stealth focus of the series. Now Assassin's Creed games are basically open world RPGs, and with Assassin's Creed: Valhalla, it doesn't look like Ubisoft will stray from that formula.

If you like Vikings, this game has them. If you've ever wanted to raid and pillage a town, Valhalla will make that dream come true. Playing as either a male or female Eivor, you'll lead your people through Scandinavia and Europe, building your legacy while brutally murdering Saxons. And Eivor can even throw his axe — that is pretty darn cool.

Beyond the promising premise and mechanics, Ubisoft dropped some pretty disappointing information about Valhalla: it'll only run at 30 FPS on the Xbox Series X. Despite this, the Series X version will undoubtedly be a visual masterpiece, and could make the upgrade to Microsoft's next-gen console worth it. Fortunately, the two seem to be launching in close proximity to one another. The Xbox Series X is set to launch in Holiday 2020. As fate would have it, so is Assassin's Creed: Valhalla.

Most horror games give you some kind of idea about what to expect. Resident Evil makes it pretty clear early on you'll be dealing with zombies. Alien: Isolation has the enemy right there in the title. You know an alien is involved, and it's probably not coming to give you a big hug. The idea that these kinds of games set expectations is what makes Scorn so very interesting. Because the more of the game you see in previews, the less you understand it.

Scorn is, as the official Xbox website puts it, "a first-person horror adventure game designed around the idea of being thrown into the world." What kind of world? Well that's unclear, as is the story that'll inevitably unfurl when you start playing. The primary details revealed about Scorn at this point is that it proudly touts H.R. Giger as a huge inspiration, it looks creepy as all hell, and it's coming to Xbox Series X. The developers will undoubtedly share more as time goes on, but for now, Scorn remains a fairly big mystery.

Bloober Team is a development studio that, for whatever reason, really enjoys making horror games. Do you remember Layers of Fear? That was all Bloober Team. Did you skittishly make your way through the new Blair Witch? That was also put together by the same crew.

It should come as no surprise, then, that Bloober Team's next game slots into the horror category. If you're all about the paranormal, The Medium might be something you'll want to check out.

According to the game's description, The Medium invites you to "become a medium living in two worlds: the real and the spirit one." After you start experiencing visions of a murdered child, you'll be compelled to "travel to an abandoned hotel resort" as you "search for difficult answers." 

From what little has been seen of the game so far, it looks great. It could very well sound great, too. Bloober Team recruited Silent Hill composer Akira Yamaoka to collaborate on The Medium's soundtrack. Expect those strings to swell at the scariest moment possible.

What's unclear is when you'll be able to play The Medium. It'll enter straight into Xbox Game Pass when it launches, which is a nice perk. Bloober Team just hasn't shared when new owners of the Xbox Series X will be able to get their hands on it.

The Fable franchise has sure been through the wringer, hasn't it? Between the closure of Lionhead Studios and the cancellation of titles like Fable Legends, it looked like Fable was set to fade from existence. That would've been a huge loss for the Xbox brand, as earlier entries were key parts of both the Xbox and Xbox 360 libraries.

Fortunately, Fable is poised to rise from the ashes like a phoenix. Hopefully, that phoenix doesn't get immediately gobbled up by a frog. Playground Games — the studio best known for Forza Horizon — will revive Fable in what appears to be a reboot of the fantasy franchise. Little has been seen of the new title so far, other than a trailer that does more to paint a portrait of the world than show off gameplay. But if this new Fable game is half as well received as Playground's racers, it could still end up being pretty solid.

What does the world know about Everwild so far? To start, it's a new intellectual property. Second, it's being developed by Rare. Third, there's a trailer that many are still trying to wrap their heads around. Honestly, that's about it.

Everwild has the look of a fantasy adventure title. The game's tagline reads, "Unique and unforgettable experiences await in a natural and magical world." The trailer certainly delivers on the promise of magic. There are also some adorable animals. But what will players do in Everwild, exactly? That question remains unanswered.

Some might view a title like Everwild with some skepticism. After all, games that look pretty don't always play that way. This project is attached to Rare, however, so perhaps it warrants some benefit of the doubt. There's no word yet on when Everwild might see a release, but you definitely shouldn't expect it for the Xbox Series X's launch. This one is still very much in development.

One look at the trailer for Avowed and you might have the urge to repeat "Skyrim" like Ace Ventura repeats "Shikaka." The two games do appear to share the same genre and a very similar aesthetic. When you think about who is developing Avowed, however, that might not come as a total shock. Bethesda-style games aren't new to this studio.

Obsidian Entertainment is the company behind Avowed, and if that name rings a bell, look to recent releases like The Outer Worlds, or past projects like Fallout: New Vegas. In the latter, Obsidian literally took a Bethesda franchise and ran with it. In the former, Obsidian evolved that idea into what Engadget called "Fallout in space."

What will Avowed have in store for players? The aforementioned trailer doesn't give much away. Based on Obsidian's track record, though, it might be a mistake to expect a straight Skyrim clone. You'll have to wait for more information on Avowed to get a better sense of what it offers, though — the game is still in development.

Those who enjoy weird games have likely played a Double Fine title or two. As Microsoft mentioned when announcing its acquisition of the studio, Double Fine "has been a beacon of creativity and spirit in game development," providing players with positively out-there experiences. There was the original Psychonauts many years back, and in 2021, the Xbox Series X will receive its long-awaited sequel: Psychonauts 2.

What should you expect if you're new to the Psychonauts universe? Microsoft's own description of the title is pretty telling. The platformer reportedly delivers "mind-bendy worlds, memorable characters, and Tim Schafer's characteristic mix of snappy comedy and grand adventure." On top of that, the Gameplay Music Trailer from the July Xbox show revealed Jack Black as a talking orb of light. How do you beat that?

As mentioned earlier, you'll be able to play Psychonauts 2 sometime in 2021. You'll have to wait a bit longer for an exact release date, unfortunately.

In terms of highly anticipated games, there's nothing bigger than Grand Theft Auto 6. The franchise is a money-maker, and the studio behind it — Rockstar — rarely has a miss. Unfortunately, the developer has not provided any details about the followup, including whether it even exists. Rumors about it are flying around like crazy, and Rockstar certainly has plans for a sixth entry. Yet, no official announcement has come.

Grand Theft Auto 6 will supposedly take place in an all-new city. Some believe the title could have a more futuristic theme than previous installments. You'll likely see some fresh faces as far as characters go. It's possible GTA 6 could be targeting the next generation of consoles. If all of that sounds incredibly vague, that's because it is. A host of leaks have surfaced purporting to contain information about the next GTA. Those are the few consistent bits that have popped up.

Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser is on his way out the door, so his departure could effect development on Grand Theft Auto 6, but again, that's even assuming work has started. You'll likely have to wait some time to get official word from Rockstar; hopefully that word consists of more than a screenshot or two.

Bethesda's Starfield may be one of the more intriguing — and mysterious — projects on this list. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out the game is based in space (Bethesda has confirmed as much). Nor would you be crazy for thinking this is likely an RPG (as so many Bethesda-developed games are). Outside of that, though? It's hard to say what Starfield is or might be.

The first and last look at Starfield unfolded back at E3 2018. While the game's trailer didn't offer much, Bethesda has at least dropped other tidbits in interviews. Starfield is Bethesda's primary focus. The project has apparently been in the works for a long, long while, too. And here's something crazy: Bethesda's Todd Howard actually made a special trip to SpaceX just to ensure Starfield was getting the space stuff right. That's commitment.

When will you see Starfield? Your guess is as good as any. It probably won't drop anytime soon, though, which makes it a perfect candidate for the Xbox Series X and that other next-gen console currently in the works. If this is remotely close to something like Skyrim in space, it'll likely need all that additional horsepower. Space is big.

Ever since Microsoft founded the The Initiative back in 2018, clues about what the studio is working on have remained scarce. While teaser tweets from Phil Spencer and job postings have circulated, these details have inspired more questions than answers. It's unclear what The Initiative plans to release at this time, but the studio has hired an awful lot of talent.

That talent could very well take the studio's first project past AAA into AAAA territory, if all goes well. Microsoft started by hiring the former head of Crystal Dynamics, Darrell Gallagher, to lead the team. Then came the director behind Sunset Overdrive. After that, three designers from Sony's God of War signed on for duty. And the studio is still hiring. The aforementioned lineup alone should impress. The idea that The Initiative could still be on the lookout for even more talent? This implies the studio wants to essentially become the Naughty Dog of Xbox, something the brand desperately needs.

There are all sorts of unsubstantiated rumors floating around about what The Initiative might be working on, but you should likely reserve your judgement. There could be a very big announcement on the horizon.