In case you haven’t been keeping an eye on this one, it’s a co-op side scroller that takes you to the fictional City of Numbers. The naming is ironic as it houses the last remnants of humanity who are under attack from a shadow that only you and the Aces can fight. As the last line of defense against a vicious enemy, the Aces bring unique skill sets and archetypes to the field for you to make use of. You’re sure to find one to suit your playstyle once you dive and test a few out in the Belfry, the game’s central hub.

Progress is going to be hard-won, but worth it with Towerborne adding a full story and a very challenging Brutal Mode. Those who’ve been playing since early access and looking for some prime endgame content to tackle can start a new playthrough with Brutal rules,  new biomes to explore, and a whole lot more in the final release.

Check out the trailer below and decide if this one is something you can see yourself playing.

What about the here and now? Well, today sees the arrival of Aerial_Knight’s DropShot and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora for Ultimate and PC Game Pass. Premium subscribers can also finally go hands-on with Avowed, which is getting a meaty new Anniversary Update today alongside its PS5 port.

Death Howl, a Souls-like deck builder, follows on February 19th for all three tiers, along with EA Sports College Football 26 for Ultimate subscribers. However, the standout addition is undoubtedly The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Complete Edition for Ultimate and Premium. Right on time for that rumored new DLC.

TCG Card Shop Simulator arrives on February 24th, though it’s still in early access, with Dice A Million joining on February 25th for Ultimate and PC Game Pass. Towerborne’s 1.0 release is also out on February 26th and will be available for all three tiers. And for those who don’t care that Henry has come to visit us on March 3rd, they can experience Final Fantasy 3 instead.

Check out all the titles that will be leaving on February 28th (available to purchase at a 20 percent discount for Game Pass members):

• Monster Train (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Expeditions: A MudRunner Game (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Injustice 2 (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Middle Earth: Shadow of War (Cloud, Console, and PC)

Forza Horizon 6

Forza Horizon 6 looks set to continue Playground Games’ mastery of open-world racing, building on one of the most consistently polished franchises in the genre. Set against the gorgeous backdrop of Japan, Forza Horizon 6 takes players across an even more dynamic map, deeper seasonal systems, and expanded social features – and of course, plenty of race events. With stunning visuals and an ever-growing roster of cars, Forza Horizon 6 feels like a dream of motorheads come true.

However, more important is the fact that the co-op side-scrolling beat ’em up will no longer be free-to-play or always online. Instead, it’s shifting to a one-time purchase, one that’s playable offline (though online co-op will still be available). As for what you can expect in terms of content, there’s the story finale and boss alongside a revamped Bounty Board and fresh side quests.

Alongside the main antagonist, there are two new bosses, lieutenants and Umbra enemies. The difficulty has also been fully rebalanced, but those who want a challenge can still enable “Brutal mode.” Other notable additions include a reimagined map, a new biome (set on a scenic coast), new encounters, gear, a new Forge system, and much more.

You can also expect even more excellent music from composer Austin Wintory. And to make things even better, all cosmetics will be free and earnable through gameplay, with new additions incoming. There are even multiple slots for different characters. For more details on Towerborne, check out our early access review here.

As a side-scrolling beat ’em up, Towerborne takes place in a fantasy world where the remnants of humanity have holed up in the Belfry. Several threats remain, so they dispatch the Aces to navigate the tile-based world. Clearing a tile nets rewards, including weapons and gear, though you may also discover familiar-like beings called Umbras that can lend a hand.

Check out our review of the PC version when early access began; however, several updates have since gone live, including the Class Mastery Update. Available alongside the Xbox Series X/S version, it overhauls progression and adds over 50 new missions. Cross-platform play is also finally available alongside more Job variety, new Legendaries, and a “more refined” questline.

April 16th sees the arrival of Neon White (Standard) and SpongeBob SquarePants: The Patrick Star Game (all tiers), followed by Crime Scene Cleaner and Tempopo on April 17th for Ultimate and PC Game Pass. On April 24th, Sandfall Interactive’s Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 will be playable on PC Game Pass and Ultimate as a day-one release.

April 29th sees Stoic’s Towerborne, or at least the Game Preview, going live on April 29th, months after launching into Steam Early Access. The month concludes with Far Cry 4 for all three tiers. Starting May 1st, Anno 1800 will be available for Ultimate, Standard and PC Game Pass alongside Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2022). On May 6th, all three tiers can play the Lovecraftian-esque fishing title Dredge.

Of course, several titles will be leaving the service on April 30th. Check out the list below:

• Have a Nice Death (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Kona 2: Brume (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Sniper Elite 5 (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• The Last Case of Benedict Fox (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Thirsty Suitors (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• The Rewinder (Cloud, Console, and PC)

“Class Mastery” is the title and focus of this update. As players complete missions, they’ll earn Skill Points to allocate to Focus Skills and new Class Mechanics. These can be swapped freely, granting far more customization and build variety. The world map is also overhauled with a “more refined” questline.

Over 50 new handcrafted missions await while some bosses have been moved. You can also look forward to two more Umbra, a new enemy (the Merk Brawler), new Legendaries, an overhaul to Aspects, greater Job variety, and much more. Also, you can finally remap the controls.

Class Mastery goes live on April 29th alongside the console version. Check out the Xbox Wire article for more details, or read our review for the base version of Towerborne to learn more about its world and combat.

Though Stoic is best known for The Banner Saga trilogy, Towerborne features a similar animated style and soundtrack by Austin Wintory. It takes place in a post-disaster fantasy world where most of humanity resides in the Belfry, and it’s up to the Aces to venture out, exterminate threats and garner resources.

Overall, it’s an intriguing mesh of side-scrolling action, beat ’em up mechanics and action RPG-like loot progression. Best of all, console players can look forward to couch co-op support for up to four players.

Towerborne arrives for Xbox, the Microsoft Store and Game Pass alongside a new update, Class Mastery. You can also check out our early access review for the base version, which has seen numerous other updates, content additions, and balance changes.

Thus far, Microsoft has Fable, Avowed, The Outer Worlds 2, South of Midnight, DOOM: The Dark Ages, and the full release of Towerborne officially scheduled for 2025. Taking to BlueSky, Warren has claimed that in addition to those titles, the company also has additional games coming in 2025 that we don’t yet officially know about. 

Leaks have claimed that an Xbox Developer Direct presentation is planned for January, where the rumoured remake of The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion will be unveiled ahead of a 2025 release. Meanwhile, previously leaks have also suggested that Gears of War: E-Day could be targeting a 2025 launch.

For starters, update 3 adds a new story quest that will see players accompany Forge overseer Bumble to the mountains to rekindle his holiday spirit, while you can also expect holiday-themed gear, with new gear sets, weapons, and more inbound. Daily surprises will also bring 12 new festive in-game stickers, while the Belfry – your hub location – will also now sport wintery decor.

Additionally, the update also adds localization support for 18 languages, more events and enemies, qualify of life improvements, bug fixes, and more. For full details on the update, head on over here. 

Towerborne is available in early access for PC, and is set to release for Xbox Series X/S sometime in 2025. Read our review of the game’s early access release through here.