Microsoft has announced some new titles for Xbox Game Pass this month, each coming under the ID@Xbox. These include Night Call, which is available today and sees a cab driver in Paris fighting to solve a mystery. Though it released for PC last year, this will be the adventure title’s debut on Xbox One.

Other big names include Observation from No Code, better known for Stories Untold. It takes place in a space station where the crew has gone missing. Only Dr. Emma Fisher remains to solve the mystery but that’s not your role. You play as S.A.M., the station’s AI, and must help Emma (while also figuring out what’s going on internally). Observation will be available tomorrow for Xbox One and PC subscribers of Xbox Game Pass.

Then there’s Sabotage Studio’s retro homage The Messenger which is coming to Xbox One tomorrow. It stars a ninja trying to save his world from demons and jumps back and forth between 8-bit and 16-bit gameplay. Streets of Rogue might also be worth checking out as an immersive sim/rogue-lite RPG with free-roaming AI that will react dynamically to your decisions.

Microsoft’s ongoing subscription service, Game Pass, is going strong. Some people aren’t huge fans of it in its current state, but Microsoft is going full steam ahead for the foreseeable future, and for July it looks like we’re getting more games, including some classics, for the service.

Headlining the July roster is no doubt Metal Gear Solid V on July 18th. Despite being obviously unfinished, the game is one of the best stealth games that’s been released this generation. The ever present action horror classic Resident Evil 4 will be available on the Xbox One version of Game Pass July 25th.

Along with them will come Night Call coming day and date with its release on July 17th, a stylish new indie title that you read about here. It will be available for both the Xbox One and PC Game Pass, and along with it will come Killer Instant: Definitive Edition and For the King on July 25th. The Banner Saga 3 will also storm its way into both, the Xbox and PC services on July 18th.

Can't believe the box was full of new games. we never saw that coming pic.twitter.com/9DStu4FRWK

— Xbox Game Pass (@XboxGamePass) July 16, 2019

https://twitter.com/XboxGamePass/status/1151170659122204673

Microsoft recently hosted a new ID@Xbox Game Pass Showcase, unveiling some of the indie titles that would coming to the Game Pass service. With Xbox Game Pass for PC now available, what can PC players expect in terms of game selection? To start with, Undertale, Yoku’s Island Express and My Time At Portia have been confirmed.

Undertale will actually be exclusive to Xbox Games Pass on PC. Other exclusives include Timespinner, Unavowed, Machinarium and For The King, each an incredibly solid release in their own right. Of course, there’s plenty more coming in the future.

Bloober Team’s Blair Witch is bound for Xbox Game Pass while tinyBuild will bring Pathologic 2 and Secret Neighbor to the service as well. Thunder Lotus’s Spiritfarer is also due for the service along with titles like Raw Fury’s Night Call. If that weren’t enough, you can expect Worms W.M.D., GoNNER and The Banner Saga 3 on there as well. Check out the showcase below for more information.

Revealed during The PC Gaming Show 2018, Raw Fury’s Night Call officially has a release date. It’s out on July 17th for PC via Steam and sees one assuming the role of a taxi driver. A serial killer is on the loose in Paris and to prove your innocence, you work with the police, questioning passengers to find the real culprit.

Developed by Monkey Moon and Black Muffin, Night Call has more than 70 characters, each with their own quirks and backstories. Investigating them means conversing and finding little bits of information that will help your case. Perhaps most interesting is the fact that a character who acts as the killer in one playthrough may not be in another.

This offers a fair bit of replay value as you attempt to find a different culprit in each playthrough. Night Call will be coming to Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PS4 at a later date so stay tuned for more details. It will also launch for Xbox Game Pass on PC in July so it might be worth checking out if you’re a subscriber.

https://twitter.com/RawFury/status/1143874293970812931

PUBG 1.0 Dated for Xbox One

Amid its various issues and Bluehole’s desire to fix things, the developer announced that PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds would be launching version 1.0 on Xbox One on September 4th. Not only that but the new Sanhok map, custom games and War Mode would also be included with the update. Though PUBG on the Xbox One had a shoddy start and – depending on who you ask – isn’t the best Battle Royale title available, it still has a very, very healthy player base. And they’ve got a whole lot to look forward to.

Devil May Cry 5 Release Date and Gameplay

Arguably the star of Gamescom 2018, Devil May Cry 5 astounded all who played it on the show floor. Along with faster movement, mid-air dodging and a whole variety of combat options, the sequel re-established the Devil May Cry flavour that we knew and loved. Not only that but Capcom announced a release date of March 8^th 2019. Footage for Dante, more details on the mysterious third character “V” and much more are in store but for all intents and purposes, we’re kind of thinking Devil May Cry is back.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice Out in March 2019

Perhaps the second most hyped game at the trade fair, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice was also playable. Activision took to announcing a release date of March 22^nd 2019 and a Collector’s Edition, complete with a statue of the protagonist. However, it was the gameplay that honestly excited us. Sekiro doesn’t have a stamina meter, boasts impressive movement thanks to a grappling hook and channels a contemporary Tenchu more than you’d think. Despite this, combat is intense, relying on threshold meters that increase with damage taken, leading up to execution-style attacks. It’s bloody, grim and has that From Software vibe to it. Suffice to say, that’s good news.

The Surge 2’s First Look at Combat

If you happened upon that leaked gameplay clip for The Surge 2 a while ago, then nothing in the current trailer really surprised you. For everyone else, it was the first look at a game that’s still relatively Souls-like. The previous game’s special limb-targeting system is looking good, the movement seems more fluid and overall, the world feels more realized. That may not seem like a big deal but those cloaked Hunters and transforming statue gave us hope for what’s to come.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps – Spirit Trials

Did Microsoft announce a release date for Ori and the Will of the Wisps? No. It did the next best thing though with the reveal of Spirit Trials. This is essentially time trials as players attempt to beat their friends’ best times. Competing against them will be “ghosts” of said friends, amping up the competitiveness even more. Perform well enough and you’ll unlock some rewards. This already sounds like an awesome way to cater to the speed-running and hardcore fan base, having them come back for more after the main story is finished. Now let’s hope a release date shows up sooner than later.

Halo: The Master Chief Collection Coming to Xbox Game Pass

It’s hard to forget just how much of a disaster Halo: The Master Chief Collection was at launch. However, 343 Industries has been working to improve it and all that effort comes to fruition when the game launches for Xbox Game Pass on September 1^st. Along with Xbox One X support (including 4K and HDR), it will bring a large patch that improves matchmaking times, lets players pick and choose which games they want, or whether to forgo multiplayer entirely for the single-player experience.

Desperados 3 Announced by THQ Nordic

This has been a long time coming, especially following the lacklustre Desperados 2: Cooper’s Revenge. THQ Nordic unveiled Desperados 3 and pretty much confirmed that it would be the same isometric, real-time tactics, Wild West title that the very first game did so well. Nothing else was revealed beyond that but it’s out in 2019 so there’s still time to learn more.

Supermassive Announces The Dark Pictures Anthology

In an interesting twist, Bandai Namco – who’s been on fire with the partnerships this year – will be working to bring Supermassive’s next horror anthology to all platforms. The first title in The Dark Pictures Anthology is Man of Medan, a story about tourists who mess with some underwater relics and have to deal with a haunted ship. The textures and animation are pretty great and it’ll be out in 2019.

Overwatch’s Shooting Star and New Control Map

A new animated short is always a special occasion for Blizzard’s Overwatch. While “Shooting Star” didn’t do much to advance the main plot, it did give some backstory into Hana “D.Va” Song. The production quality and presentation were stellar as always but it perhaps pales in comparison to Busan, the new Control map. Available now on PTR, it offers new environmental hazards and interesting geometry while still maintaining the Control essentials. Expect to see it sometime in the coming month or two on live servers.

Life is Strange 2 First Gameplay

Life is Strange 2 finally revealed its premise and gameplay aspects, telling the story of Sean and Daniel Diaz who are on the run after an incident. Magic powers are once again at play but thanks to the age difference of the brothers, the decisions of Sean will have an influence on Daniel. Episode 1 arrives on September 27^th for Xbox One, PS4 and PC but early gameplay shows that the Life is Strange aesthetic is more or less intact. Let’s hope the story-telling is up to par as well (or ideally better).

Cyberpunk 2077 Screenshots Tease FPS Gameplay

CD Projekt RED sadly didn’t showcase its behind-closed-doors E3 2018 demo. However, it did release some screenshots that gave us a better idea of what the first person perspective would look like. Furthermore, it announced that a major development milestone was reached with the game being playable from start to finish. Bug testing and other optimization still remain to be done but we could be seeing the game sooner than expected.

Dark Souls Trilogy Announced for US

Remember that Dark Souls collection that was only released for Japan on PS4 earlier this year? Bandai Namco announced that both Xbox One and PS4 players in the United States and Asia could pick up the Dark Souls Trilogy on October 19^th (sorry Europe). So you get Dark Souls Remastered, Dark Souls 2: Scholar of the First Sin and Dark Souls 3: The Fire Fades Edition, all for $80. On the one hand, it’s kind of lame for those who recently bought Dark Souls Remastered. On the other hand, if you never played Dark Souls, this is the best way to get into it with all the DLC included.

Metro Exodus Continues Looking Gorgeous in New Trailer

What’s more terrifying than a post-apocalyptic, bombed out Moscow crawling with monsters? Heading out into the great unknown. Because for all the beautiful sights out there in Metro Exodus, from lush green valleys to calm wildlife, there are some nasty things lurking in the dark. Other human factions that nail bodies to walls for fun, wolves, giant bears – you name it and it’s probably trying to kill you. Still, Metro Exodus looks great and we’re looking forward to its upcoming February 2019 release all the more.

Battlefield 5 Open Beta Dates Announced

For all the criticism that Battlefield 5 has received over its customization and depiction of World War 2, it does look insanely good. DICE teamed up with Nvidia to showcase the first person shooter on the upcoming GeForce RTX, which was quite the visual feast. However, it also unveiled the open beta for September, bringing the new Rotterdam map to Conquest. It’s available for Origin Access Basic/Premier and EA Access subscribers on September 4^th but everyone else can jump in on September 6^th.

This War of Mine, Windjammers 2 and More Heading to Switch

Nintendo isn’t running out of indies for its Switch platform any time soon. At the start of Gamescom, it unveiled numerous titles like 11 bit Studios’ Children of Morta, This War of Mine and Beat Cop for the platform. Moonlighter also received a more solid release window, which was great, but that wasn’t all. Slay the Spire, Night Call, Monster Boy and The Cursed Kingdom, Everspace, The Gardens Between, Bad North and so much more looked great. Oh, and did we mention Windjammers 2? Because Windjammers 2 is FINALLY happening. Sure, many of these are already available or coming to other platforms but having them on the go is just fantastic.

Soulcalibur 6’s Libra of Soul and Tira Revealed

Not content with a traditional single-player campaign, Project Soul announced another story mode for Soulcalibur 6. Libra of Soul does have its differences though as players will create a custom fighter and engage with other player-created fighters and main roster heroes. Each of these encounters will have different rule sets to mix up the battles further. The customization system harkens back to Tekken 7 in many ways so hopefully, the voice-acting for Libra of Soul is on point. Oh and Tira is back but as a DLC character. So that’s a thing to either get excited or upset about.

Shenmue 3 Releasing on August 2019

Ys Net’s Shenmue 3 will be releasing on August 27^th 2019. Now, all jokes aside about another possible delay, the sequel is actually looking pretty good. The animation is mostly on point, textures look nice and sharp, and even the story is very well presented. I mean, who didn’t mark out when Lan Di was shown after so long? Honestly, the biggest compliment I can give the latest trailer is that it evokes the same feelings that the original Shenmue’s reveal did in the Dreamcast era. Take that for what you will.

THQ Nordic Bringing Microsoft Titles to Steam

Xbox One/Windows 10 titles that have been relegated to the Microsoft Store are finally coming to Steam and physical retail. THQ Nordic announced a deal with Microsoft for the same and will release games like ReCore, Super Lucky’s Tale and Zoo Tycoon: Ultimate Animal Collection. All these titles will arrive on September 14^th. It may not seem like that big of a deal compared to other announcements but could lead to other Windows 10 exclusives arriving on Steam. No, not Gears 5 or Halo Infinite but some other stuff, probably.

Ace Combat 7 Arrives in January 2019

Bandai Namco had announced that Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown will be released on January 18^th 2019 for Xbox One and PS4. Even better, PC players can get their hands on it in February 2019. The newly unveiled trailer was full of intrigue, political dealings, high-flying action and…more political dealings. Regardless, the game looks gorgeous and a worthy follow-up even if some of the English voice-acting is…different, to say the least.

New Settlers Game Announced

Champions of Anteria? Get out of here with that nonsense because The Settlers are back. Not only is Ubisoft re-releasing all of its old Settlers titles on November 15th but it has a new game in development. Releasing in Autumn 2019 and simply named The Settlers, the game runs on Massive’s Snowdrop Engine and heads to a new world. Will it live up to the old games? Maybe not but hey, maybe it will. There’s always hope, right?