Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord War Sails designer on ships that mimic horse archers and dredging for inspiration in French bogs

Can a ship be a horse archer? This is one of the many maritime musings Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord‘s devs had to grapple with when putting together the flotilla of vessels which make up its naval warfare-themed War Sails expansion.

Ahead of War Sails’ release on November 26th, I chatted to a couple of its developers. Naturally, I was keen to hear about what the process of assembling the expansion’s armada. A particular challenge as each of Calradia’s historically-inspired nations has access to unique ships.

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Review: iMP Gaming Mini Arcade Pro – Turns Your Switch (Or Switch 2) Into A Bartop Cabinet

Coins not required.

While we’ve all become accustomed to using fancy analogue controllers these days, there’s still a large sector of the market which loves a good, old-fashioned eight-way digital arcade experience – and to that end, accessory company iMP has produced the Gaming Mini Arcade Pro for Switch and Switch 2.

On the surface, this looks like a bartop arcade cabinet, but in reality, it’s a cradle for your Switch console that allows you to use authentic arcade-style controls with games that benefit from digital input – such as old-school titles, shmups and fighting games.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

The Full Screen Experience is available for Xbox Insiders Starting today!

The Full Screen Experience is available for Xbox Insiders Starting today!

Today the full screen experience (FSE) is generally available on Windows 11 handhelds currently in market, bringing performance optimizations and the ability to boot directly into Xbox for a smoother, more seamless way to play. Designed to minimize friction and get players into their games faster, this update helps deliver a console-like experience on handheld devices. For more information on how to set up, check out the full screen experience support page.

In addition to handhelds, the Xbox full screen experience is now available in preview for more Windows 11 PC form factors, such as laptops, desktops, and tablets, tailored for the PC experience. 

The Xbox full screen experience introduces a controller-navigable UI that brings an immersive, console-like experience to Windows 11 PC form factors. Designed for controller-first navigation, it provides a gaming-first, full-screen environment where players can easily browse and launch titles from across their game libraries- including most popular PC storefronts. A powerful Task Switcher enables quick movement between games and apps, delivering a seamless experience. 

How to Get Access to the PC Preview: Join Xbox Insider and Windows Insider Program 

  1. Join the Xbox Insider Program if you haven’t already: Xbox Insider Home | Xbox Support 
  • Install/Launch the Xbox Insider Hub app 
  • Navigate to Previews > PC Gaming Preview 
  • Select Join 
  1.  Join the Windows Insider Program Join the Windows Insider Program and manage Insider settings – Microsoft Support
  • Join Beta or Dev channels

Once you’ve joined – how to enter FSE: 

For more information about the Xbox full screen experience, including details about how to be among the first to try it out, visit Extending Xbox full screen experience to Windows 11 PC form factors. 

How to Provide Feedback

Share your thoughts in Feedback Hub, accessible via keyboard shortcut (WIN + F) or via the Xbox PC App (by selecting “Report a Problem”). Be sure to submit your Feedback under Gaming and Xbox > Gaming Full Screen Experience

How to Get Xbox Insider Support and Share Your Feedback

We want to thank all the Xbox Insiders for the feedback you share with us. If you’re an Xbox Insider looking for support, please join our community on the Xbox Insider subreddit, where official Xbox staff, moderators, and fellow Xbox Insiders are there to help. We recommend adding to threads with the same topic before posting a brand new one. This helps us support you the best we can! We’re grateful to our Insider community for the helpful feedback you provide, it continues to shape the future of Xbox.

For more information on the Xbox Insider Program, follow us on Twitter at @XboxInsider and keep an eye on this blog for all the latest news.

Other resources:

For more information: follow us on X/Twitter at @XboxInsider and this blog for announcements and more. And feel free to interact with the community on the Xbox Insider SubReddit.

The post The Full Screen Experience is available for Xbox Insiders Starting today! appeared first on Xbox Wire.

Share of the Week: Side Quest

Last week, we asked to venture off the main path and share moments from a side quest using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here’s this week’s highlights:

​​

jobolts_ shares a moment fishing in Red Dead Redemption 2

shovoiceactor shares Alan Wake 2 side character Alex Casey

AlifGreat shares Astro Bot finding a spot to take a scenic framed photo

RhodWulfLeon shares Cal speaking to a shopkeep in Star Wars Jedi Survivor

clarkimooo shares Atsu embarking on the Spider Lily General side quest in Ghost of Yōtei

Yu_games727 shares the titular Stray finding one of the hidden napping spots

Search #PSshare #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme, or be inspired by other great games featuring Photo Mode. Want to be featured in the next Share of the Week?

THEME: Harvest
SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on November 26, 2025 

Next week, we’re ready to feast! Share moments gathering food and having a feast in the game of your choice using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured.

Seasons Of Solitude is a wistful turn-based strategy game with constantly changing prehistoric maps

Seasons of Solitude is a soulful balance of survival game and turn-based strategy about an exiled prehistoric tribesman who is trying not to trash his own habitat. It’s the work of Estonian developers Ninjarithm Studio, and is based on Estonian myths.

There’s a demo on Steam, which I’ve spent barely any time with, but this seems Interesting – Interesting enough that I wanted to get a write-up in front of you before the weekend. Please disregard the rapid-fire editing of the trailer below: it works as an overview of the mechanics, but doesn’t really convey the sleepy pensiveness of the actual game.

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The IGN Readers’ Top 25 Nintendo Games of All Time

Recently, IGN teamed up with Nintendo Life to rank the Top 100 Best Nintendo Games of All Time. But this celebration wasn’t just about what we think: we also wanted to know what your list would be, too. This was calculated through our Face Off tool, which pits two games against each other until you’ve run through all of the permutations, and then places the games in order of their win percentage. So, following a face-off in which thousands of you voted — with your number one pick being involved in 21,405 duels — we’ve got a Top 25 based on the IGN audience’s opinion.

The games that appear in this list actually aren’t too different from the ones that make up our own top positions, albeit with quite a different order. You favour Super Mario and The Legend of Zelda series over most others. So much, in fact, that the top 10 is dominated entirely by these two Miyamoto creations.

What follows is the Top 25 as voted by IGN readers, with a handy comparison below that shows your picks alongside the IGN and Nintendo Life’s list.

25. Mario Kart 64 – 59.0% Win Rate

24. Super Mario Bros. – 59.2% Win Rate

23. Pokemon Yellow (Red/Blue) – 59.4% Win Rate

22. Donkey Kong Bananza – 61.2% Win Rate

21. Chrono Trigger – 61.2% Win Rate

20. GoldenEye 007 – 61.9% Win Rate

19. The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening – 62.7% Win Rate

18. Super Metroid – 62.7% Win Rate

17. Super Smash Bros. Melee – 63.4% Win Rate

16. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess – 65.3% Win Rate

15. Metroid Prime (+ Remastered) – 65.6% Win Rate

14. The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask – 66.1% Win Rate

13. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – 66.1% Win Rate

12. Super Mario Galaxy 2 – 66.8% Win Rate

11. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate – 66.9% Win Rate

10. Super Mario. Bros 3 – 67.9% Win Rate

9. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker – 68.4% Win Rate

8. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past – 69.0% Win Rate

7. Super Mario Galaxy – 69.6% Win Rate

6. Super Mario World – 70.5% Win Rate

5. Super Mario 64 – 70.5% Win Rate

4. Super Mario Odyssey – 71.3% Win Rate

3. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – 73.2% Win Rate

2. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – 77.1% Win Rate

1. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time – 77.5% Win Rate

So, that’s what you voted as the 25 best Nintendo games ever, but how does it compare to IGN and Nintendo Life’s version? Well, there are a few notable differences. The IGN readers picked Mario Kart 64 as number 25 — a game that didn’t even make our Top 100 as one of our two Mario Kart entries. On the flip side, we had Tetris placed at 5, but it was all the way down at 33 in the public vote.

You can check out the table below to get a direct comparison between the top 25s. Which do you ultimately agree with more? Let us know in the comments below!

Simon Cardy is a Senior Editor at IGN who can mainly be found skulking around open world games, indulging in Korean cinema, or despairing at the state of Tottenham Hotspur and the New York Jets. Follow him on Bluesky at @cardy.bsky.social.

PUBG: Black Budget is an extraction shooter spin-off with an island trapped in a time loop of supernatural munching

Krafton have revealed PUBG spin-off Black Budget, just in time for alpha testing of the extraction shooter to kick off next month. As you might expect given the genre, this latest work from PUBG Studios is all about getting out of the bad vibe zone in good time, after shooting some baddies in said zone. Oh, sorry, tactically shooting some baddies in the bad vibe zone.

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How Disneyland Wrote the Video Game Rule Book

The name “Disney” has been showing up in quite a lot of gaming-related headlines as of late. As part of its arms race with Netflix, the conglomerate announced plans to add AI-powered user-generated content and “game-like features” to Disney+. Last year, it acquired a $1.5 billion stake in Epic Games, adding yet another cash cow to its portfolio. That deal paved the way for Disneyland Game Rush, a Fortnite island released earlier this month to celebrate the theme park’s 70th birthday that features well-received minigames based on Space Mountain, Haunted Mansion, and other iconic rides.

These developments are more than a little surprising, not least because it’s been close to a decade since Disney pulled the plug on its own, in-house gaming initiatives. Disney Interactive Studios, lovingly remembered for its work with Square on Kingdom Hearts and that 1989 NES DuckTales platformer that inspired the bounce mechanic in Shovel Knight, closed down in 2016 following the cancellation of its flagship project, Disney Infinity. Asked why, Bob Iger – who was then nearing the end of his first stint as CEO – told shareholders that while the company was great at making movies and building theme parks, they weren’t nearly as skilled at designing games.

Others would beg to differ. While it’s true that Disney has never managed to compete with Nintendo, Ubisoft, or Electronic Arts, its influence on games as a medium might well be greater than all of these three companies combined. To understand how the company was able to leave a mark on the one part of the entertainment industry it couldn’t conquer, you need to go where Fortnite has gone: to Disneyland.

When Don Carson quit his job as a senior designer at Walt Disney Imagineering – the research and development group in charge of creating new rides for Disney’s theme parks – he filled up some of his spare time playing video games. To his surprise, his new hobby heavily reminded him of his old job, so heavily that he felt compelled to write a long and – in due time – widely-read article for Game Developer (formerly Gamasutra) about what people working in one industry could learn from those working in the other.

Carson’s article was originally published in 2000, when 3D games like Wolfenstein, Doom, and Quake III Arena were all the rage and the industry found itself on the cusp of a revolution. “The ability to create virtual worlds is relatively new to us,” reads one particularly nostalgic line. “With the growing popularity of multiplayer games and the promise of higher band widths, I relish the day I can meet friends and explore these worlds together.”

Despite its age, the article’s central argument – that gaming and themed entertainment “are not that far apart” – still rings true today, perhaps even more so than it did 25 years ago. Sure enough, the two have more in common than you’d think. Both can be described as immersive experiences where people move through a carefully constructed space that responds to their presence. More importantly, both are born from the same design philosophy – one Carson boils down to the following question: “How do I draw my audience into my imagined world and make them want to stay?”

How do I draw my audience into my imagined world and make them want to stay?

All too often, the answers point to the original Disneyland. Prior to its opening in 1955, most theme parks were disappointingly light on theming. As one the world’s leading providers of escapism, Walt Disney did not merely want to distract guests with thrills and frights – he wanted to transport them to a different reality. To sell this fantasy, Disneyland turned its ride vehicles into boats, spaceships, and teacups, covered up tracks and scaffolding, and made sure that each of its major attractions told a story that incorporated the rider. When you get on the Cyclone at Coney Island, you are you, riding the Cyclone at Coney Island. Not so in Disneyland. On the Jungle Cruise, you’re a tourist exploring the tropics. On Peter Pan’s Flight, you’re placed in the shoes of its titular character, soaring over London and Neverland. The list goes on.

Video games have traveled down a similar road, enhancing raw experience with increasingly immersive theming. While some of the first-ever arcade games – think Pong and Pacman – took place in geometric voids, subsequent titles mapped their gameplay loops onto more clearly defined locations and situations, from Donkey Kong’s construction site to the roads and rivers of Frogger.

This transition repeated itself when gaming veered into the third dimension. While large parts of Super Mario 64 played out in liminal spaces, levels in Super Mario Sunshine – released 6 years later, in 2002 – are all part of a single, interconnected, fully realized setting: Delfino Island. Echoing Disneyland’s ride design (Tokyo Disneyland, featuring many of the same attractions found in LA, opened in 1983,) Sunshine not only fleshes out the environments, but also serves up a more ambitious narrative. No more saving Princess Peach from Bowser because game. This time, Mario is going vacation, is framed for a crime, and has to clear his name to earn back his freedom.

Disneyland’s influence on games is most evident when it comes to level design. To help guests find their way around the park – and encourage exploration on their own terms – Walt Disney envisioned a hub-and-spoke layout, with various lands connected to a central vocal point: Sleeping Beauty’s Castle. As mentioned in this Game Developers Conference (GDC) talk from 2022 – which covers the same ground as Carson’s article – Uncle Walt famously referred to the castle and other tall structures scattered throughout the park as “weenies,” because they lured guests from one area to another in the same way that he himself used hot dog wieners to lure his poodle around the house.

If you’re familiar with Mark Brown’s popular YouTube channel Game Maker’s Toolkit, you may know that weenies have worked their way into the language of video game design as well. They’re especially common in the open-world genre, where they help players orient themselves and guide them towards worthwhile content scattered throughout the sprawling sandbox environment. In this sense, structures like the Erdtree and Minor Erdtrees in Elden Ring function as the digital equivalent of Mount Kilimanjaro in Animal Kingdom or Spaceship Earth in EPCOT. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are filled with various types of weenies, from shrines and Sheikah Towers to the Divine Beasts and – of course – Hyrule Castle itself. One game that particularly resembles Disneyland in outline is 2018’s God of War, where Midgard’s centrally located Lake of Nine (complete with a Jörmungandr-weenie) opens up into several branching paths, some leading to other realms.

Walt Disney envisioned a hub-and-spoke layout, with various lands connected to a central vocal point.

These similarities do not imply that developing a game is functionally identical to designing a ride or an entire theme park. On the contrary, each industry works under unique constraints and pressures. Ideas for new attractions have to consider things like safety and carrying capacity. Short ride times, large vehicles, and efficient loading areas keep wait times low and guest experience positive. Another important distinction concerns user experience. While games can be enjoyed in isolation, theme park rides are made for large groups. Unlike with games, where no two play-throughs are exactly alike, most attractions offer a near-identical experience to every rider, every time they ride. Customization and personalization, standard features in games, are largely unattainable in attractions.

Still, while some of the details are different, the big picture is anything but. Whether you work at Universal Studios or Sony Santa Monica, your day-to-day job will see you navigating the same challenge: meeting economic and logistical demands without compromising the immersive quality of the final product.

Rarely does this balancing act succeed without something breaking. When Disneyland opened, it quickly became clear that the quaint, narrow streets of its opening area – a traditional American town loosely based on Walt Disney’s birthplace of Marceline, Missouri – had to be widened in order to accommodate the large summertime crowds: an imperative that completely went against Disney’s original vision.

Likewise, Carson – who after his Imagineering days ended up going into game development himself – recalls a time when he’d sunk weeks into programming realistic-looking flames for an Indiana Jones-style game, only for his colleagues to ramp up their flickering animations to unrealistic speeds. “When I complained,” he writes, “the programmer proudly argued (…) that ‘gamers’ should appreciate the visual effect of a high frame rate over the realism of my environments.”

If the video game industry’s indebtedness to Disneyland’s theme park design was already evident during the arcade era, this relationship has only deepened over time. Already in the late ‘90s, Carson observed that “we can visit and explore worlds on our computer screens that are increasingly dramatic and realistic” – so dramatic and realistic that he had on more than one occasion “been blown to bits because I dared hesitate to admire a beautiful piece of virtual architecture.” Just as Disneyland made it all but necessary for theme parks to conceal the machinery of their own attractions behind mock-up space stations and plywood mountains, so too did the gaming industry arrive at a point where we expect developers to cover up the artificiality of their games by means of organic level design, invisible walls, and hidden loading screens.

Games also bear a closer resemblance to theme park rides in that playing them has become an increasingly social experience. That moment Carson dreamt about, when you could meet friends and explore digital worlds as you would the real one, didn’t take long to arrive. Within just a few years, online play – from browser games like Habbo Hotel to multi-player shooters like Call of Duty and Battlefield – had become the backbone of the industry, paving the way for our current live service era. At present, even purely single-player experiences are plugged into globe-spanning networks thanks to vibrant fan communities on Reddit, YouTube, TikTok, and other platforms.

Now, after decades of theme parks influencing games, the relationship appears to be reversing. While the gaming industry continues to boom, the world of themed entertainment is currently struggling due to mounting costs and decreased attendance. To stay with the times, ride designers are increasingly working with and learning from game developers. From Los Angeles and Florida to Paris and Tokyo, more and more theme parks are adding digital, interactive, AI-assisted elements to their attractions, blending the distinction between rides and games. Smuggler’s Run, the Millenium Falcon simulator at Disney’s Galaxy’s Edge park, is built in Unreal Engine and its next iteration will feature branching pathways to allow player choice. Then there’s the various Mario Kart attractions at Super Nintendo World, where riders wear augmented reality headgear that project virtual elements onto the physical ride itself, or Web Slingers: A Spider-Man Adventure at Disney California Adventure, which uses motion tracking technology to allow riders to shoot their own webs. Before long, we might just see Fortnite show up inside Disneyland, rather than the other way around.

Tim Brinkhof is a freelance writer specializing in art and history. After studying journalism at NYU, he has gone on to write for Vox, Vulture, Slate, Polygon, GQ, Esquire and more.

Guide: 40 Switch 1 & 2 Games You Should Check Out In The ‘Cyber Deals’ eShop Sale (North America)

Every game we scored 9/10 or higher, plus a personal pick.

Hot on the heels of the European Black Friday eShop discounts, Nintendo has brought some of the sweet, sweet savings over to North America in the ‘Cyber Deals‘ sale.

This one is now underway on the North American eShop and will be sticking around until 3rd December, so you only have a couple of weeks to make the most of all the seasonal savings on offer.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Next Week on Xbox: New Games for November 24 to 28

Next Week on Xbox: New Games for November 24 to 28

Terminator 2D: No Fate

Welcome to Next Week on Xbox! In this weekly feature we cover all the games coming soon to Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Xbox on PC, and Game Pass! Get more details on these upcoming games below and click their profiles for further info (release dates subject to change). Let’s jump in!


Terminator 2D: NO FATE

Reef Entertainment Ltd

Terminator 2D: No Fate – November 26
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

Experience the events of ‘Terminator 2: Judgment Day’ brought to life through glorious pixel artwork and action-packed arcade gameplay! Play as Sarah Connor and the T-800 through a variety of thrilling missions as they take on the T-1000 and try to put a stop to Skynet’s plans before the human race is annihilated. Lead the Resistance as John Connor in the future, fighting on the front lines as mankind’s only hope in the War Against the Machines. In this unique story blending iconic scenes from ‘Terminator 2: Judgment Day’ with original scenarios and multiple endings, humanity’s fate is yours to decide.


I’m on Observation Duty 8

Dreamloop Games

I’m on Observation Duty 8 – November 28
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S

Observe. Report. Survive the night. Monitor the surveillance system for anomalies and report them to survive the night. Use your sharp eyes and keen attention to detail to detect supernatural anomalies ranging from subtle environmental changes to eerie and unsettling otherworldly intruders. Can you survive the night shift, or will you succumb to paranoia…? I’m on Observation Duty 8 is the most ambitious title yet in the original viral franchise that ignited a trend in spot-the-difference horror games that have been loved by players and streamed for millions by legendary content creators.


Primal Fray

Indie Games Starter

Primal Fray – November 24
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S

Primal Fray is a turn-based strategy roguelite. Combat takes place on a procedurally generated hex based flying islands. You will use your units to outmaneuver and kill enemy troops. Choose between multiple heroes. Use their unique talents to conquer the Rift and learn more about their stories entangled with dark and ominous Ironclad Corp.


A.I.L.A

Fireshine Games

A.I.L.A – November 25
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S

A.I.L.A is a first-person horror game set in a near-future filled with immersive technology. Play as the sole game tester for a revolutionary new fictional AI. Survive intense horror experiences that prey on your deepest fears as the lines between virtual and reality begin to blur…


Compadrone: Land Wars

Seam Entertainment Limited

Compadrone: Land Wars – November 25

Year 2352, humanity is exploring the exoplanets for the expansion of its stellar empire. It comes as no surprise that we encounter alien adversaries – some easy to conquer, others far more advanced and harder to subjugate. To assist in the conquest, a dedicated fleet of fighter drones called Compadrones – or ‘compadre’ drones were created to serve as the ultimate vanguard of our attack forces. Compadrone: Land Wars is a family-friendly top-down roguelite arena shooter with elements of tower defense gameplay in which you play as a drone sent to fight off aliens on an exoplanet.


Delivery of Us (Xbox Series)

Afil Games

Delivery of Us – November 25
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S

In Delivery of Us, you guide a clever carrier pigeon on a mission to deliver every letter across the city’s rooftops. Plan each route carefully, because every move counts. Once the counter hits zero, the delivery fails. This relaxing logic and movement-based puzzle game combines smooth mechanics, strategic planning, and calm visuals. Each level challenges you to find the most efficient path to every mailbox while avoiding walls, hazards, and obstacles along the way.


Xbox Play Anywhere

KILL IT WITH FIRE! 2

tinyBuild

Kill it with Fire! – November 25
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Xbox Play Anywhere

You are the Exterminator on a crusade against the spider horde taking over the multiverse. Blast through the story campaign solo or with friends via online co-op for up to 4 players or jump into a frenetic Humans vs Spiders PvP mode for some laughs and screams.


Mudness Offroad & Buried Alive

Midnight Works


20


$18.99

$15.19

Mudness Offroad & Buried Alive – November 25
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S

Mudness Offroad & Buried Alive Bundle delivers a gripping mix of harsh survival and demanding terrain navigation. One tests your endurance in nature’s toughest environments, the other your will to escape the unthinkable. This bundle is made for those who never back down — whether battling nature or facing their deepest fears.


Project Motor Racing

GIANTS Software

$69.99

Project Motor Racing – November 25

Project Motor Racing ignites all the passion, beauty, and intensity of professional motorsport. Race across eras in 70 meticulously recreated cars across 13 iconic classes and 28 global layouts.


Xbox Play Anywhere

Brotherhood

Valkyrie Initiative LLP

Brotherhood – November 26
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Xbox Play Anywhere / Smart Delivery

They are billions. You are alone. An ominous brotherhood of religious fanatics perform experiments on humans in their top-secret scientific complex. An ancient prison hidden deep in the Swiss mountains houses hundreds of test subjects whose bodies are mutilated in an effort to produce a new biological species of superhuman. You are one of them, but unlike other test subjects, your body is immune to mutagens. For you, it’s not poison anymore, rather a source of power that makes your body nearly indestructible. Steal the weapon and obliterate them.


Dude, Where Is My Beer?

Arik Games

$14.99

Dude, Where Is My Beer? – November 26
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S

Can you find a normal beer in a world of conspicuously flavoured craft beer, and solve the mystery of the elusive, missing pilsner, using nostalgic interface from the golden age of adventure games? Talk to West Coast IPA and American Black Ale drinking hipsters and solve beer related puzzles at different stages of drunkenness; explore locations like a sports bar, a microbrewery, a dive bar and a rock bar in the city of Oslo, in your quest of finding a pilsner.


King’s Justice

Old School Vibes

King’s Justice – November 26
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S

Embark on a thrilling platforming quest across 10 handcrafted levels filled with deadly traps, diverse enemies, and escalating challenges. With an estimated playtime of 30–60 minutes, casual players will enjoy fast-paced action and precision gameplay.


Knight’s Quest

Old School Vibes

Knight’s Quest – November 26
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S

Embark on a heroic journey in Knight’s Quest, a 2D platformer set in a world consumed by darkness. Play as a valiant knight determined to reclaim ancient ruins and defeat monstrous foes. Can you restore light to a shattered realm?


Poko’s Arctic Quest (Xbox One)

Little Giant Game Studio

Poko’s Arctic Quest – November 26

Join Poko on a frosty and challenging adventure! Winter is coming, and the little penguin Poko needs to gather enough fish to survive the cold! Use your logic and planning to push blocks, open paths, and collect all the fish across 30 carefully designed levels inspired by classic puzzle games.


Xbox Play Anywhere

Schildmaid MX

Eastasiasoft Limited

Schildmaid MX – November 26
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Xbox Play Anywhere / Smart Delivery

Schildmaid MX is a fresh and frenetic side-scrolling 2D shoot ’em up in which you pick 1 of 3 ferocious fighter spacecraft to wreak havoc on the invasion fleet that threatens your planet. Embark on multiple attack runs and strike fear into the hearts of your enemy. The best pilots are immortalized on the online leaderboards!


Space Frontier

Head Bear Games

Space Frontier – November 26
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S

A classic space shooter reborn! Pilot your ship on an epic journey through the cosmos, facing hordes of space pirates across 13 intense levels. Defeat enemies to collect upgrade orbs and spend them in the shop to evolve your ship with more damage, extra life, and insane speed. Face colossal bosses in battles that demand strategy and razor-sharp reflexes. Every victory brings you closer to interstellar glory!


Torii

Silesia Games Sp. z o.o.

Torii – November 26

Traverse through the surreal world suspended somewhere between dream and emotion on a touching journey through grief, guilt, and healing, as you search for your lost sister, Lulu. Solve puzzles, recover lost memories, face your deepest fears and regrets… And don’t be afraid to take the leap forward.


Delivery Driver Massacre

Everynot Games Studio

Delivery Driver Massacre – November 27
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

Step into a first-person horror experience inspired by classic 80s slashers. A routine job becomes a night of terror as you explore an eerie suburban home hiding sinister secrets. Solve puzzles, find tools to escape, and outsmart a ruthless killer who’s always one step behind you. Grimy VHS visuals, haunting ambience, and shocking moments bring old-school horror to life in a new way.


Garten of Banban 8: Anti Devil

Feardemic

Garten of Banban 8: Anti Devil – November 27
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

You were tricked by your friends. After the latest events, you’ll need to delve deeper into the mysterious establishment of Banban’s Kindergarten. Now, you’re completely on your own – your friends are either dead or against you… From now on, you’ll only meet new enemies, who will make sure you never feel alone. Be careful – in Banban’s Kindergarten, they are lurking in every corner, waiting for you.


Quick Whiskers (Xbox Series)

Afil Games

Quick Whiskers – November 27
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S

Get ready to jump, dash, and glide with Quick Whiskers, a pixel-art platformer where every move counts! Take control of a nimble cat and venture through 30 challenging levels across two unique biomes: the peaceful park and the bustling city. Your mission is simple but full of action: collect food cans and reach a cozy bed to rest.


Xbox Play Anywhere

Snake.io

Kooapps Inc

Snake.io – November 27
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Xbox Play Anywhere / Smart Delivery

Develop your skills, try to survive as much as you can and become the biggest snake. You start as a small snake, get bigger by eating other snakes who try to do the same. You have to attack wisely but defend skillfully. How long can you survive?


Star Ores Inc.

Three River Games (3RG)

Star Ores Inc. – November 27
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S

Star Ores Inc. is an intergalactic mining adventure that catapults you onto an abandoned space station in the middle of space. As a freshly minted entrepreneur, you begin your career in a world full of ores, machines, and galactic possibilities. Dig through massive asteroids and extract rare minerals, which you refine into valuable high-tech products. With the help of specialized robots, conveyor systems, and automated machinery, you build an efficient production chain — from raw material extraction to sales.


Xbox Play Anywhere

Street Racer Collection (QUByte Classics)

QUByte Interactive & bleem.net

Street Racer Collection (QUByte Classics) – November 27
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Xbox Play Anywhere / Smart Delivery

Combining the speed of an arcade racer with the brawling of a fighting game, this cult classic made its mark with its originality and its own dose of chaos and personality. Race on tracks filled with obstacles and crazy settings (from Mount Rushmore to Transylvania), use special moves to knock out your rivals, and explore modes that go far beyond traditional racing.


Aero Cosmos

Gametry LLC

Aero Cosmos – November 28

Take control of your spacecraft and dive into a cosmic odyssey where speed, precision, and exploration collide. Navigate surreal, gravity-defying landscapes filled with twisting asteroid rings and radiant celestial structures. With every level, push your reflexes to the limit as you dodge obstacles, collect vital energy cores, and uncover hidden mysteries of deep space. Only the sharpest pilots will survive the challenge — are you ready to conquer the cosmos?


Bee Simulator: The Hive

Untold Tales

Bee Simulator: The Hive – November 28
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S

See the world through the eyes of a bee! Explore a world inspired by Central Park as you gather pollen, evade threats, and build your own thriving beehive. This edition combines the original Bee Simulator with The Hive expansion, introducing new mechanics, game modes, and fresh as a spring pollen content—all in one buzzing adventure, perfect for players of all ages.


Xbox Play Anywhere

BucketCrusher

QubicGames S.A.

BucketCrusher – November 28
Xbox Play Anywhere

Will you manage to completely destroy the wall until not a single brick is left standing? Immerse yourself in the most satisfying casual game where you tear down walls brick by brick using a circular saw! Push the bricks into your BucketCrusher to convert them into cash, but watch out because you can run out of fuel!


El Coco

Recotechnology SL

El Coco – November 28
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S

El Coco is a 3D action roguelike that plunges you into a world of dreams, broken memories, and living nightmares. Descend into The Uncertain, a place as strange as it is dangerous, and fight to recover what you’ve lost—if you can trust your guide.


Emoji Battlefield – Origins

EpiXR Games

$9.99

Emoji Battlefield – Origins – November 28
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S

Emoji Battlefield – Origins throws you into a chaotic, rogue-like first-person shooter where emojis aren’t just harmless faces — they’re deadly enemies. Start each run by customizing your experience with unique modifiers: crank up the difficulty, make every emoji wear a ridiculous hat, or turn on bouncing mode for hilarious chaos. Then pick your unlocked arena — from The Bouncy Castle to Candy World or even outer space — each with its own hazards and interactive traps.


Habitat Shapes (Xbox Series)

Afil Games

Habitat Shapes – November 28
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S

Enjoy the relaxing puzzle of Habitat Shapes by organizing spaces for three animal families – mammals, birds, and reptiles – using Fence/Wall pieces to keep them separated. Watch out: different families cannot touch, and any attempt triggers a funny “fight cloud,” sending the last piece back to the conveyor.


Keypybara

Renan Games

Keybybara – November 28

In Keypybara, prepare for a classic 2D platforming experience with precise and responsive controls. You must navigate carefully handcrafted levels (each one a single, challenging “room”) filled with deadly traps. Your mission is clear: collect the key to unlock the exit. To do this, you will need to push boxes and dodge spikes. With instant respawn and 30 unique stages that progressively increase the challenge, the game offers an addictive, smooth, and rewarding gameplay loop with every obstacle overcome.


Red Pippy

Ratalaika Games S.L.

Red Pippy – November 28
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

Red Pippy is a charming 2D pixel art platformer that follows the journey of a little red bird in pursuit of its biggest dream: learning to fly! With each level, Pippy learns new skills as he navigates vibrant and perilous environments, jumping across platforms and overcoming obstacles that bring him closer to his ultimate goal. Will he prove that he’s ready to conquer the skies?


Xbox Play Anywhere

Wild West: Hidden Objects

Crisp App Studio


$11.99

$9.59

Wild West: Hidden Objects – November 28
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Xbox Play Anywhere / Smart Delivery

Step into the Cyber Wild West! Take on the role of a sharp-eyed detective in a world where the Wild West collides with high-tech cyberpunk. Welcome to Red Hook, a mysterious frontier town ruled by circuits and secrets. But trouble is brewing… The town treasury has been stolen. The sheriff? Kidnapped. Now it’s up to you to crack the case.


The post Next Week on Xbox: New Games for November 24 to 28 appeared first on Xbox Wire.