For starters, we have Frostpunk 2, of course, with is set to launch for PC on September 20 and will also be available via Game Pass on the day of its release. 11 bit studios’ post-apocalyptic survival city builder sequel will be followed not long afterward by turn-based 4X strategy game Ara: History Untold, which releases on September 24 as a day and date Game Pass title.

Meanwhile, Robotality and Chucklefish’s turn-based strategy title Wargroove 2, which launched last year, will be preceding both titles when it lands for Game Pass on console, cloud, and PC later this week, on September 17.

Game Pass’ newest console tier, Xbox Game Pass Standard, launched recently at $14.99 per month, though as previously confirmed, it will not feature any day and date releases.

There will also be theater presentations for Avowed, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle and Starfield: Shattered Space. Other playable titles from third-party studios include Star Wars Outlaws, Little Nightmares 3, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, Atomfall, and a new demo for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl.

Indie titles like Squirrel with a Gun, Winter Burrow, The Alters, REPLACED, and Creatures of Ava will also be available in a dedicated Indie Selects area. Check out the list of available games here.

Gamescom 2024 runs from August 21st to 25th. Before that, Gamescom Opening Night Live returns on August 20th with new announcements. Stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks.

Microsoft has, for instance, confirmed that it will be attending Gamescom this year, as recent leaks had suggested. Set between August 21 and 25, the event will see Microsoft bringing its biggest ever booth for Gamescom, with the company’s lineup of titles being a packed one. The first-party Xbox titles that are confirmed for Gamescom so far are Avowed, Ara: History Untold, Towerborne, Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred, World of Warcraft: The War Within, and Age of Mythology: Retold, among others. Further updates on The Elder Scrolls Online and Fallout 76 will also be shared.

Of course, a couple of the aforementioned titles (specifically, Towerborne and Avowed) do not have specific release dates, in spite of being officially set for 2024 releases, so it’s likely that Microsoft will announce launch dates for them at Gamescom.

So far, Ubisoft and THQ Nordic have also confirmed that they will be in attendance at Gamescom this year. On the other hand, however, PlayStation and Nintendo will be skipping the event.

But you want to know about the games, huh?

Just a few you can expect to see: Age of Mythology: Retold, Avowed, Ara: History Untold, Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred, Diablo Immortal, The Elder Scrolls Online, Fallout 76, Towerborne & World of Warcraft: The War Within. More to come!

— Xbox (@Xbox) June 20, 2024

Ara: History Untold involves leading a nation in a procedurally generated world while developing its various aspects. The world offers numerous resources to collect and biomes to explore, with leaders like Sappho from Greece, George Washington of the United States and Queen Nefertiti of Egypt to play. Of course, you can also create a custom leader.

While you’ll spend time constructing buildings, each with different benefits, and researching technologies, accounting for your rivals is also paramount. With a Prestige system that encourages different approaches and a simultaneous turn system to resolve all players’ turns, Ara: History Untold offers some interesting spins on the long-running formula. Stay tuned for more details ahead of its release.

Wrapping up the discussion, Matt Booty, head of game content and studios and Microsoft, revealed that Microsoft will once again host a showcase in June, where it will be talking about new releases lined up for 2024. The same was reiterated by the company via its official Twitter account.

“2024, the year coming up, we’ve got more than 10 major releases,” Booty said. “Hellblade 2, they’ve got the Diablo 4 expansion, they’ve got Avowed, Ara, the Indiana Jones game. And there’s more in development, which I think we’re going to be able to share more about at out June showcase coming up soon.”

In addition to the games mentioned by Booty, Microsoft currently also has Towerborne and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 officially lined up for release in 2024, while from the Activision side of things, we’re going to get the inevitable yearly Call of Duty game as well (in October, if recent reports are to be believed).

Microsoft has also revealed that Game Pass has now hit 34 million subscribers across PC and Xbox (including Game Pass Core, which was formerly Xbox Live), and stated that the service is going to remain exclusive to Xbox and PC.

Xbox is keeping our promise to bring more games to more players around the world.

With an incredible year of major releases like Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Avowed, Ara: History Untold, Towerborne and more — 2024 is going to be great for Xbox…

— Xbox (@Xbox) February 15, 2024

The Prestige system revolves around doing various things to earn Prestige. This can range from military actions, or, for more peaceful players, going down the research tree into sci-fi territory, or even building massive monuments based on real-world human achievements, like the Pyramid of Giza.

The showcase also highlights Ara: History Untold‘s unique simultaneous turn system. Unlike other games in the genre, all players in a match take their turns at the same time. This means that, rather than reacting to each other, players are instead encouraged to figure out their own strategies that could potentially help them overcome their opponents.

The studio has also revealed that the Insider Program through which testing was done on Ara: History Untold will continue even after the game’s launch, which will ultimately lead the developers to consistently releasing newer updates for the title.

Ara: History Untold is slated for release in Fall 2024 on PC, and will be available on Game Pass on day one.

So what will that mean for the showcase’s total runtime? Well, unsurprisingly, it’s going to be a meaty one. The Direct has been uploaded to YouTube as a video that will premiere at 12 PM Pacific, which, of course, means that we know what its runtime is going to be. The event will be roughly 48 minutes long, as compared to the 44-minute runtime of last year’s showcase.

As for the contents of the show, Microsoft has confirmed that it will be spending over 10 minutes showing and talking about Indiana Jones. A trademark filing has potentially revealed that the game will be called Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, and allegedly, it will be launching this year itself. Meanwhile, a report has also claimed that Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 will release on May 21, and that its release date will be unveiled at the Direct.

Microsoft has also confirmed that, unlike last year with Hi-Fi Rush, this year’s Developer_Direct won’t feature any shadow drops, though allegedly, the company will be showing off a fifth mystery game that it hasn’t previously confirmed for the show.

Among some of the reveals include the first gameplay for Indiana Jones from MachineGames, a behind-the-scenes look at the development of Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2, a deep dive into Obsidian Entertainment’s Avowed, and gameplay for Oxide Interactive’s Ara: History Untold. Following the Direct, ZeniMax Online Studios will reveal the next chapter, story, and zone for The Elder Scrolls Online at 1 PM PT/4 PM ET.

Unfortunately, there won’t be any updates for Activision Blizzard titles, but Microsoft has teased news from its teams for later in the year. Additionally, while the Direct’s lineup looks solid as it is, there are also rumors of a shadow-dropped title, not unlike Hi-Fi Rush last year. Time will tell, so stay tuned for more details when it airs

Fans of the 4X strategy subgenre with a lot of what Ara: History Untold is doing. Maps will be dynamic and set across a variety of biomes, while players will be able to play as several different nations and leaders. The gameplay trailer showcases various different buildings being made, citizens being put to work, attempts at diplomacy (both failed and otherwise), and more. Check out the gameplay trailer below.

Meanwhile, Microsoft has also confirmed that Ara: History Untold will launch for PC next year. 2024 is shaping up to be a packed year for Xbox first party releases, with the likes of Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2, Towerborne, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, and Avowed also in the pipeline.

On the first party front, Microsoft will have a number of upcoming titles playable at its Gamescom booth, including Towerborne and Ara: History Untold, as well as ongoing games with new content in the pipeline, like Sea of Thieves, The Elder Scrolls Online, and Microsoft Flight Simulator. The company is also bringing Starfield, Forza Motorsport, and Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 to its booth, but instead of having playable booths, their presence will be limited to photo opportunities, meet and greets, and theater experiences.

A numbr of major third party titles will also be present and playable, with one of the highlights being S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl. Other notable titles that will be present include Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon, Jusant, Under the Waves, Payday 3, Persona 5 Tactica, Sonic Superstars, Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, Mortal Kombat 1, and Ghostrunner 2, among others.

Meanwhile, a number of indie titles are also included in the lineup, including Lightyear Frontier, SteamWorld Build, The Lamplighters League, COCOON, Mineko’s Night Market, and more. You can check out the full lineup below.

Gamescom is set to kick off on August 22 with Gamescom Opening Night Live. Whether or not the show will also feature new looks at any of the titles in Xbox’s lineup remains to be seen.

Xbox Gamescom 2023 Lineup:

• Starfield*
• Towerborne
• Microsoft Flight Simulator
• The Elder Scrolls Online: Necrom
• Jusant
• Infinity Strash: DRAGON QUEST The Adventure of Dai
• Dungeons 4
• Under the Waves
• Ara: History Untold
• Sea of Thieves*
• Forza Motorsport*
• Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2*
• Payday 3
• S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl
• Sonic Superstars
• Persona 5 Tactica
• Party Animals
• Immortals of Aveum
• Mortal Kombat 1
• Ghostrunner 2
• Overwatch 2
• Diablo 4*
• Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon
• Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
• Another Crab’s Treasure
• Headbangers
• The Lamplighters League
• SteamWorld Build
• Worldless
• Lightyear Frontier
• Little Kitty, Big City
• COCOON
• Dead Pets
• Mineko’s Night Market
• Naiad
• Botany Manor
• Island of Winds
• Stumble Guys
• Antstream Arcade

*won’t have playable game stations