As 2022 draws to a close, it’s time to look ahead. If you prefer the Xbox Series X|S or Xbox One, there’s much to be excited about, with several console exclusives and numerous third-party titles arriving on Microsoft’s platforms in 2023 and beyond.
Arc Raiders
Arc Raiders is Embark Studios’ planned free-to-play, co-op third-person shooter. In it, you play as a member of the human resistance, fighting against an endless army of machines sent to Earth by an unknown enemy. You collaborate with other players to respond to larger-than-life threats and protect the planet, using a variety of traditional guns as well as more sophisticated equipment such as jetpacks. Arc Raiders is set to release in 2023 on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC.
Atomic Heart
Mundfish’s Atomic Heart is a forthcoming first-person shooter. Atomic Heart is set in the Soviet Union in 1955, in a hypothetical alternate history. After defeating Nazi Germany with superior robotics, the Soviets were motivated to go all-in on a high-tech future, building a totally automatic labour force directed by a collective hivemind. Excellent decision. There are no evident drawbacks. Anyway, as a Soviet KGB official, you’re given an experimental power glove and a hefty arsenal of weaponry and told to go halt an army of bizarre robotic creatures that are now attempting to take the lives of their human creators. On February 21, 2023, Atomic Heart will be released for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, and PC.
Blue Protocol
Bandai Namco’s Blue Protocol is an upcoming action-RPG featuring MMO components. Blue Protocol appears to be a fun story-driven adventure with friends, where you travel on a quest to discover your origins, with extensive character customization (you decide your character’s face, hairstyle, clothes, accessories, weapons, and mounts) that comes alive with a vibrant anime-like art style. Blue Protocol is set to be released in 2023 for Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and PC.
Cocoon
Cocoon is an upcoming puzzle adventure game from Geometric Interactive, led by Jeppe Carlsen, who was the chief gameplay designer for both Limbo and Inside. Cocoon, like earlier games, appears to explore its story without using words, as you travel progressively exotic alien worlds, each of which can be carried as a little sphere on your back. Every orb represents a new universe to explore and discover, and each has a unique ability, such as illuminating unknown passageways, resulting in Inception levels of world-within-world riddles. Cocoon is set to be released in 2023 on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
Dead Space
Dead Space, a remake of the 2008 survival-horror game of the same name, is in the works. Dead Space, developed by Motive Studios, casts you as engineer Isaac Clarke, who discovers the gigantic mining starship has been invaded by horrible undead abominations of the ship’s crew while investigating a distress signal emitted by the USG Ishimura. Isaac must flee the crumbling ship while fighting off the infected by surgically chopping off their limbs, using a variety of engineering and maintenance tools as makeshift weapons. Dead Space is set to release on January 27, 2023 on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC.
Diablo IV
Blizzard Entertainment’s Diablo IV is an upcoming action-RPG. In Diablo IV, your character is entrusted with stopping Lilith, who has been revived and is capitalising on the events of the previous games, which saw both demons and angels decimated. Choose one of five playable classes for your hero—Barbarian, Sorceress, Druid, Rogue, or Necromancer—and then venture into five open-world zones packed with randomly generated dungeons, either alone or with a party of four. Diablo IV, like its predecessor, is an always-online game that allows you to meet and befriend other players in town or when adventuring. On June 6 2023, Diablo IV will be released for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, and PC.
Everspace 2
Everspace 2 is a fast-paced spaceship shooter in development by Rockfish Games. Surprisingly, Everspace 2 abandons its popular roguelike format in favour of an open-world, narrative-driven experience with a more cerebral sci-fi story, optional side quests to do, and a lot more RPG-inspired components.
The furious dogfight gameplay that rewards strong flying and flexibility remains essentially unchanged—just it’s as good as you remember if you played the first game. Currently available through Steam Early Access and GOG’s Games in Development, the game’s 1.0 build is scheduled to arrive in 2023 for Xbox and PlayStation consoles (Rockfish has not specified which ones) and PC.
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