It’s currently up on Steam to wishlist, and though details are sparse, the story involves players confronting a new danger with “high‑stakes encounters, thrilling challenges, and never‑before‑seen locations, as you set out to save a world in crisis.” Of course, based on datamining from last year, players will apparently have several new zones to explore, including Honeycomb Fields, Desert and Forest.

The first game was released in 2020 and achieved a 70 Metascore based on 52 critical reviews. Unlike Minecraft, it’s an isometric action RPG akin to Diablo with various skills to unlock, loot to farm and mobs to kill. By September 2023, it crossed over 25 million players, though by that point, the team had already “moved on to other projects” and released one final update.

By now, it’s clear that a sequel was one of those “other projects.” Will it improve on the original and address its many criticisms? Maybe lean even further into a Diablo-style gameplay loop for the hardcore? How will it coexist in a world where Xbox Game Studios already has Diablo 4? Time will tell, but there’s certainly an audience for it. Stay tuned for updates and further announcements in the meantime.

But what are they up to, and are their offerings going to be enough to either go toe to toe with the PS5, or, at the very least, gather enough momentum to attempt reversing the two consoles’ fading fortunes? We’re here to help answer those questions.

Join us as we take a look at what Xbox Game Studios is cooking up for a year that’s shaping up to be just as good as the one before it on the gaming front. It’s also a big year as the Xbox turns 25, and as such, there’s going to be a lot to be excited about if you’ve been a fan over the years. Let’s get started.

The Coalition

The studio behind the Gears of War franchise is all set to take the meta-narrative it has established over the years back to its roots, bringing back Marcus and Dom to the stage for a prequel that has fans excited to learn more about the gruff soldier’s turbulent relationship with his superiors and the events that led to the Locusts rising as a threat to his world in Gears of War: E-Day.

In a look back at the year it had at 2025, which featured studio heads discussing future projects, Mike Crump (who heads The Coalition) was pretty excited to assert that E-Day is the franchise’s “most ambitious title yet”, and confirmed that it was on track to release later this year with Polish studio People Can Fly joining the studio to lend a helping hand.

We’re going to be watching out with very sharp eyes for a release date announcement, and we’re sure that those among you who love Gears of War share our enthusiasm.

Compulsion Games

The South of Midnight developer has been basking in the success of the title, expressing gratitude for its excellent reception and confirming that a new project is already in the works. It has been stated that the lessons it picked up from developing South of Midnight have allowed it to grow and mature as a studio, and that this new project is going to reflect those learnings to be a game that is made to impress.

However, the studio is likely to focus on the multiplatform release for South of Midnight over this year, and its new project is likely not going to surface in 2026.

Double Fine

The studio has been relatively silent since the release of Keeper last year, and with little to no news about its next project surfacing in the months that followed, we can only guess that the team behind a very unique game is getting some well-deserved rest while they put down ideas for their next big thing on the drawing board.

That’s not to say we may not hear from the studio over the course of the year, though, and we’re hoping for more unique ideas, given its last project was a game with no dialogue that still managed to keep us glued to our screens.

Halo Studios

It looks like Halo is taking the Gears of War route this year, with Halo Studios all set to release Halo: Campaign Evolved sometime this year for the PS5, PC, and Xbox. A remake of a timeless classic, the new game is slated to bring several improvements to the original’s gameplay loop, such as the ability to hijack vehicles, weapon zooming, a redesign for the Warthog, up to 4-player online coop and 2-player couch coop, and so much more.

The visuals are also getting a leg up with Unreal Engine 5 powering the experience. The game’s iconic multiplayer being given a pass is a bummer, though. However, getting to see the campaign in a whole new light is something we’re definitely excited about. The bonus missions that act as a prequel are another nice touch that we’re curious about.

InXile Entertainment

We’ve been looking forward to Clockwork Revolution ever since this title was announced by inXile back in 2023. With a solid look into how the game works last year, and rumors that it could be slated for release this year, which must be taken with a pinch of salt, this is definitely one to watch out for.

If you’re unfamiliar with the game, it brings a very interesting premise with some time-travel shenanigans that pits you against a manipulative antagonist and her quest to consolidate power with a customizable protagonist. It’s quite impressive, and we hope the rumors that it’s making its way to our screens later this year are true, although we’re only carefully optimistic on that front.

Mojang Studios

There’s a lot to be excited about if you’re into Minecraft, as Mojang is bringing eight new baby farm mobs to the game, replete with visual changes that make them quite adorable indeed. However, the drop is still in its testing phase, and you might have to wait a while for an official release announcement, depending on how things progress.

However, that’s still good news, and we’ll be sure to have an update for you as soon as we can confirm any changes to the status quo.

Ninja Theory

The studio behind Hellblade is reportedly working on a new title that’s focused on being more interactive and action-oriented than its past offerings while sustaining the cinematic quality that it is now known for, as per Windows Central’s Jez Corden.

While there is speculation that the new title could be Hellblade 3, it could very well be a new IP. Either way, it’s likely that 2026 might be a quiet year for Ninja Theory, but that could very well change in the coming months.

Obsidian Entertainment

There are reportedly four new projects in development, along with speculations that a remake of Fallout: New Vegas in the vein of last year’s Oblivion is likely coming this year. However, that remains currently unconfirmed, so hopefully this month’s Xbox Direct may bring news on that front.

But if you happen to miss it, fret not, since we’re definitely going to have your back on that one!

Playground Games

The long-standing staple of Xbox Game Studios is going to be front and center at the Developer_Direct event, with both Fable and Forza Horizon 6 slated to make an appearance in what is shaping up to be a big year for the studio.

With no gameplay currently available for both titles, we’re quite certain that we’ll be getting quite a close look at what each of them is bringing to the table. While Fable is poised to be a reboot of the franchise, aimed at modernizing it for a new generation of players, Forza Horizon 6 is going to take you to Japan this time around, with a map that’s touted to be the biggest one yet in the franchise and a lot to look forward to in it.

We expect a release date announcement later this month, although that could take a little longer. Both games are currently slated for a 2026 release, though.

Rare

While the cancellation of Everwild is sure to have been a blow to the Sea of Thieves developer, the appointment of Lousie O’ Connor as the Chief of Staff for Xbox Game Studios might help with dealing with that loss and the layoffs that affected the studio.

It’s looking like a quiet year that’s going to be spent figuring out a way forward for the studio; however, we’re hopeful that we at least get a hint at what it aims to do next.

Turn 10 Studios

The studio behind Forza Motorsport is going to stop updates to its flagship title in order to help Playground Games with Forza Horizon 6. While that news is bittersweet, we’re still happy that the studio has managed to survive the turbulence of last year and come out on top.

Who knows, we might even get news of a new project a little later down the line. But for now, it’s looking like a relatively quiet year for this one.

Undead Labs

We’re still waiting on news about State of Decay 3 after Undead Labs posted that very cryptic teaser ahead of the 2025 edition of Summer Games Fest. However, things have been very quiet on that front, and the studio’s layoffs from last year have us a tad worried about the title’s current status.

We’re still holding out hope, however, and would be delighted to hear some good news at Developer_Direct later this month. Fingers crossed, we’d say.

World’s Edge

The studio’s job postings from last year fuelled a lot of speculation that it was taking a more hands-on approach to Age of Empires, and that an Unreal Engine-powered new addition to the franchise was in the works. And while nothing is confirmed at this moment, that could very well change later this year.

It would make sense for the studio to bring out a new title in its flagship franchise, and you can bet that we’d be very happy to hear about it over the course of this year. Once again, we’re going to advise cautious optimism, but one can always hope, right?

And that’s a wrap on all of the big releases and potential announcements from Xbox Game Studios as it gears up for a year that’s quite the landmark for the iconic console. We can’t wait to get our hands on all of the titles that are coming our way, and hope to join you as we enjoy a year of great games from these talented studios.

This is done by exploring the world in third-person, forming alliances with “unexpected friends” and commanding them in battles against the Piglins. Some brief, pre-release gameplay showcases Minecraft’s building mechanics. Players can construct a fort, command forces to specific points, rush headlong into battle and fight off foes, and destroy entire fortresses.

Developed by Mojang Studios and Blackbird Interactive (which is also working on Homeworld 3), Minecraft Legends is slated to release in 2023 for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC. It will be available for Game Pass on PC and Xbox consoles along with releasing on Steam. Stay tuned for more details and gameplay in the coming months.

Minecraft has been one of the biggest games for years now, selling over 200 millions copies since its original launch. As one of the biggest titles ever, you’d think there would be more spin-off attempts, but by and large the game has focused on improving itself. But that will change in a few days with the upcoming Minecraft Dungeons. And today we got some new videos to highlight several features.

We got two videos below, the first of which is from the good folks at GameSpot, that’s roughly 14 minutes of unfiltered gameplay. It highlights the combat as the blocky warriors go through a Tier 6 Redstone Mines. It accumulates with a boss battle. The second is from Game Informer and is about the game’s co-op, and is presented with some commentary to give you a good idea of how the feature works and what it’s like to play with friends. That’s over 40 minutes of footage to give you an idea of what to expect from this dungeon crawling spin-off.

Minecraft Dungeons will release on May 26th for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch and PC. You can also read about how the game was originally much Zelda-like through here.

Mojang, which recently rebranded to Mojang Studios, continues to see incredible success with its flagship property Minecraft. The sandbox title released in 2009 and has sold over 200 million copies till date across a number of platforms. Studio head Helen Chiang even noted in an official blog that there were 126 million players each month.

That’s not including the fact that it was YouTube’s most viewed game of 2019. What’s next for the vaunted property? The Minecraft RTX beta for Windows 10, which offered ray-traced areas in the game, has met with praise. Then there’s the free update to the Nether coming this Summer.

Mojang also has Minecraft Dungeons releasing on May 26th for Xbox One, PS4, PC, and Nintendo Switch. As an overhead action RPG dungeon crawler with support for four players, it will be available at launch for Xbox Game Pass. We’ll see how it pans out in the coming week, not to mention any post-launch plans that Mojang could have.