It was a rough year for the Xbox home consoles in 2023. Several exclusives did not do as well as initially projected, and a few were lackluster entries into the Xbox Game Pass library. But with surprise hits like Hi-Fi Rush, blockbusters like Starfield, and darling indies like Venba, the Xbox Series X|S consoles were not out for the count, and 2024 clearly looks to continue this positive trend.
There is a strong line-up of games barreling toward us in 2024, including but not limited to Senua’s Saga 2, Dungeons of Hinterberg, and Microsoft Flight Simulator. We here at TheGamer are more than excited about this year’s slate of Xbox launches, and here are our most anticipated titles.
Updated June 20, 2025:The coming year promises a host of new games for Xbox owners, and we’ve updated this article to include more titles we are absolutely hyped for. 2024 is an exciting year for gamers in general, Xbox fans in particular!
Stalker 2: Heart Of Chornobyl
Seth Parmer, Staff Writer
Due to the unfortunate circumstances in Ukraine, Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl has been delayed several times for understandable reasons. However, despite these postponements, I am still unbelievably excited for its release, as I’m left in awe every single time it gets shown off.
Stalker is a fascinating and unique series that handles its horror elements flawlessly, something the devs seem to understand and run wild with in Heart of Chornobyl, making it not only my most anticipated Xbox game of next year but also my most anticipated horror game as well!
Star Wars Outlaws
Ben Jessey, Staff Writer
Star Wars has a fairly decent track record in the video game realm, including 2023’s brilliant Jedi: Survivor. So, a new game based on the sci-fi franchise doesn’t create a sense of dread as it does for some other franchises that didn’t originate in the gaming world.
Being a Star Wars game isn’t the only reason I’m intrigued by Outlaws, though. The fact it looks like a different sort of Star Wars gaming adventure than we usually get is what really builds anticipation. It is not about Jedi or Sith. It’s seemingly more focused on the criminal world, which is an interesting place in the Star Wars universe that doesn’t always get explored. Plus, the footage shown so far looks promising.
Clockwork Revolution
Amanda Hurych, Evergreen Content Lead
I’m lukewarm on steampunk as set dressing for a game, but I’m absolutely wild about properly implemented time-bending mechanics. (Dishonored 2’s time-travel mission still makes me swoon.) So as soon as I saw the trailer for Clockwork Revolution, I knew that I would need to play it or risk having a future-me come along and beat me up for missing out on what could be the greatest gaming experience of my life.
It’s a first-person shooter made by inXile Entertainment of Wasteland fame that features steampunky robot soldiers, time travel, and a grandiose-sounding villain. It might be wishful thinking to say it’s my most anticipated game of 2024, but hey, here’s to clockwork dreams!
The Wolf Among Us 2
Helen Ashcroft, Evergreen Trainer and Editor
It’s been a long time coming but soon Bigby will be back, and I can’t wait. The first Wolf Among Us tapped into my love of twisted fairy tales, mysteries, and a strong narrative. I was completely immersed in the unfolding story as I was sent from one dark and mysterious place to another, finding out so much about a complex world grounded in myth.
Now the wait is over at last, and I can once more put on my detective hat, assuming I’ll need it, throw away my razor, embrace my inner wolf, and immerse myself in whatever lies ahead.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2
Stacey Henley, Editor-in-Chief
If we ignore the false start of Redfall, Xbox finally seems set to have a great run of exclusives in the next 12 months or so. I’m not sure Hellblade is my single most-anticipated game that will launch on Xbox next year, but I am rooting for the company to start landing some heavy punches.
The original Hellblade had something special at its core, but was rough around the edges and a little too short and simple for the themes it dealt with. The sequel is going even harder on the photorealism, but if it can step up its narrative and mechanics to hit the heights of Senua’s Sacrifice consistently, it will be a crucial game for Xbox. Of all the games set to release next year, it’s the one I’m most intrigued by.
The Lord Of The Rings: Return To Moria
Ben Sledge, Features Editor
Of course the Lord of the Rings guy has picked a Lord of the Rings game. But come on, this looks great, right? I wasn’t sure what to expect from Return to Moria – the initial teasers made me think it was a microtransaction-filled mobile game akin to Evony for some reason – butrecent Gamescom previews have piqued my interest.
A survival game set in Khazad-dûm? You’re leading the team of dwarfs delving too greedily and too deep? The Tolkien Professor, Corey Olsen, on board to advise? I rarely dive into the survival genre, but Return to Moria will change that for sure.
Killing Floor 3
James Troughton, Cross-Department Editor
There aren’t enough good zombie arcade games these days. Back 4 Blood was a messy attempt to replicate the glory days, Call of Duty Zombies became another cog in the bloated money-printing machine that is Activision, while Dead Island and Dying Light didn’t scratch that same itch.
We’re starved out here, but Killing Floor 3 could feed our bloodlust. Sure, the enemies aren’t technically zombies (even though they’re referred to as ‘Zeds’), but wave after wave of experiments to slaughter as we earn cash to buy new weapons is the purest kind of zombie experience that I’ve been hungering for. I just hope Tripwire sticks the landing and brings back that British humour the second game was sorely missing.
Dungeons Of Hinterberg
Joshua Robertson, News Editor
Xbox’s big first-party offerings never really appeal to me much, and it’s always the smaller titles like Hi-Fi Rush and the Ori series that keep me from tossing my Series X into the nearest dumpster.
Dungeons of Hinterberg is 2024’s indie that has convinced me to keep my Xbox around for another year, as its unique art style and interesting mix of monster slaying, exploration, and puzzle solving immediately captivated me when it was announced earlier this year. you’re able to also snowboard, rail grind, and ride tornados, so it’s pretty much the perfect package all around.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024
David W. Duffy, Database Editor
I have a habit of starting a Game Pass subscription then doing nothing at all with it, cancelling only after I realise it’s been a sizable chunk of cash spent for no return. I originally bought a Series S purely for Flight Simulator, to relax when combat-based games exhausted me (a more regular occurrence in my old age), but then never really played it.
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Axel Bosso, Evergreen Trainer and Editor
Yes, I’m making the call. Even if we haven’t heard anything from Team Cherry since Xbox’s event in June 2022, my gut tells me we could see this awaited sequel in 2024. It has been years since its announcement and the irregular flow of new information could be worrying for some, but let’s face the facts: Hollow Knight is one of the best video games of our century. Period. How can you come out with a new game that has at least the same quality? It sounds impossible, but maybe the team has the chance to catch lightning in a bottle twice.
