Summary

• The Xbox Series X and Series S consoles are entering their fourth year in 2024, and will be receiving a number of high-profile releases – both exclusive and multi-platform.
• 2024 is set to see the release of a few long-awaited sequels for Xbox consoles, but original games of varying genres are coming as well.
• 2024 is unlikely to match the deluge of acclaimed releases from 2023, but the first few months of the new year are especially packed with big games to look forward to.

Microsoft's latest console platforms, the Xbox Series X and Series S, reached their third anniversary in November 2023, but with the year drawing to a close, much of the industry's attention has turned toward anticipated games slated for release in 2024. 2023 was a famously busy year for quality releases, and even though a relative slump in 2024 wouldn't be surprising, there are still plenty of Xbox games to keep an eye out for. From exclusives to some of the year's biggest multi-platform titles, the most anticipated games of 2024 will ensure Xbox Series X/S owners don't let their console collect any dust.

Following a series of development studio acquisitions, the most recent and high-profile of which is Marvel's Blade, and the Indiana Jones game from MachineGames and Bethesda Softworks. The qualifying titles below aren't all Xbox exclusives, but they all either have a release date already announced, or are currently on track to release before the end of 2024.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart Of Chornobyl - Q1 2024

Xbox Console Exclusive: Yes

The development of STALKER 2 has faced significant setbacks due to the war in Ukraine, where developer and publisher GSC Game World is based. Loosely based on Roadside Picnic, a novel by Soviet brothers Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, and taking influence from Andrei Tarkovsky's 1979 film, Stalker (also an adaptation of Roadside Picnic), STALKER 2 takes place in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone after a second, fictional disaster in 2006. The survival horror FPS sees players in control of a Stalker, one who explores The Zone and its anomalies, and is set to arrive in the first quarter of 2024.

Star Wars Outlaws - 2024

Xbox Console Exclusive: No

Massive Entertainment and Ubisoft are attempting to deliver the first truly open-world Star Wars game in Star Wars Outlaws, expected to arrive sometime in 2024. While it remains to be seen how extensive said open world will actually be, just the idea of being set loose in the galaxy far, far away with a ship and a handful of companions is enough to pique interest. The third-person action adventure game follows Kay Vess in its creation of a "scoundrel outlaw fantasy" which tasks players with navigating the franchise's criminal underworld, including direct involvement with a number of notorious crime syndicates.

Avowed - 2024

Xbox Console Exclusive: Yes

Obsidian Entertainment's fantasy RPG, Avowed, has drawn a lot of comparisons to Skyrim, but is expected to be a more focused experience, hinging on Obsidian's strengths in character-driven plot development. Avowed doesn't have a release window any more precise than sometime in 2024, but it has been known for quite a while that the game will take place in Eora, the setting of Obsidian's Pillars of Eternity CRPG series. The two Pillars games are celebrated for their writing and world-building, so Avowed already has a lot of latent potential alongside its perspective shift to first-person.

Skull And Bones - February 16, 2024

Xbox Console Exclusive: No

Ubisoft's Skull and Bones has had an incredibly fraught development, beginning in 2013 as an expansion to Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag. After a decade, though, Skull and Bones' release is finally on the horizon, set for February 16, 2023. Set during the Golden Age of Piracy on the Indian Ocean, the game is expected to allow for a significant amount of player freedom in customization and gameplay possibilities. Playable in single-player, or with others in online multiplayer, Skull and Bones' ability to deliver a compelling pirate game after so long in development remains to be seen, but it'll certainly be one of the most intriguing Xbox releases of early 2024.

Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 - 2024

Xbox Console Exclusive: Yes

Although its predecessor, Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, is available on multiple platforms, Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 will be an Xbox console exclusive following Microsoft's acquisition of developer Ninja Theory in 2018. The game was initially revealed alongside the Xbox Series X/S, teasing the graphical fidelity that would be possible in the new console generation. Hellblade 2 is still shaping up to be incredibly cinematic, and the action-adventure game is poised to be one of the most photorealistic games ever released. It's currently set to launch at an unspecified date in 2024.

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 - Q4 2024

Xbox Console Exclusive: No

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 is an incredibly long-awaited sequel, expected to arrive two decades after the first game near the end of 2024. The original Bloodlines holds a legendary cult classic status, revered for its branching narrative derived from player input. For years, the sequel seemed like something of a pipe dream, with rumors finally turning into confirmation of production, which was followed by a number of delays and news of the game's developer changing entirely. 2024 may finally see the release of Bloodlines 2 and the return of the original's acclaimed RPG gameplay.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 - 2024

Xbox Console Exclusive: Yes

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 will be a successor to 2020's Microsoft Flight Simulator, the series' big return after a 14-year hiatus. As such, Flight Sim 2024 will official add-ons ed for the 2020 game, which should entice players hesitant to move on to a whole new entry. The real attraction, however, is a bevy of new career mode missions centered around specialized aviation, including aerial firefighting, mountain rescue, air racing, weather recon, experimental aircraft test flights, and much more. The new entry, expected sometime in the eponymous year, will also introduce a number of new aircraft to pilot, such as gliders, airships, and hot air balloons.

Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League - February 2, 2024

Xbox Console Exclusive: No

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is a bit of a curveball from developer Rocksteady Studios, eschewing the Batman: Arkham series' influential combat and stealth mechanics for a high-octane third-person shooter. Playable in single-player or online co-op, Suicide Squad: KTJL sees the titular team sent to Metropolis to – as the name implies – kill the Justice League, who have come under Brainiac's control. Releasing on February 2, Rocksteady's next offering has had its fair share of pre-release criticism for its unexpected gameplay turn and some unwanted elements reminiscent of live-service games. The premise is, however, titillating, and the gameplay looks quite polished in recent trailers.

Everwild - 2024

Xbox Console Exclusive: Yes

Rare's Everwild has remained quiet for the last few years, but the developer is "'optimistically' targeting a 2024 release," according to VGC. Much is still unknown about the game, potentially due to its production being rebooted under new leadership at one point. It's been purported that Everwild will feature no combat at all, perhaps being something akin to Viva Piñata. Regardless, Rare's involvement and its cel-shaded, painterly art style are enough to warrant keeping an eye on Everwild as an Xbox console exclusive coming in 2024.

Dragon's Dogma 2 - March 22, 2024

Xbox Console Exclusive: No

Dragon's Dogma 2 is another long-awaited sequel set to release in 2024 (March 22, specifically), a follow-up to 2012's Dragon's Dogma and its enhanced version, subtitled Dark Arisen. The series tells the cyclical story of the Arisen, chosen to face a dragon which appears to bring about the end of the world. A third-person fantasy RPG, Dragon's Dogma 2 will attempt to follow its predecessor in distinguishing itself through emergent gameplay, climbable enemies, and dynamic, powerful magic. It will also boast a fascinating asymmetrical multiplayer system, where customizable Pawns from other players' worlds are summoned to help, complete with knowledge they've gained while questing in their home realm.

This console generation got off to a fairly slow start (exacerbated by hardware and development issues stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic), but Xbox is set to have a fairly robust slate in 2024. The pace of marquee releases in 2023 is unlikely to continue through the whole year, but the first few months at least each have highly anticipated titles coming to Xbox Series X/S, even if none of the consoles' exclusives have set dates just yet.

Source: VGC