When Nintendo launched Metroid Dread in 2021, there was no doubt in our minds that it would inspire more fast-paced, gritty Metroidvanias later down the road. MARS 2120 is one such title; a sci-fi romp that attempts to capture the same magic that made Dread so special, but ultimately falls at almost every hurdle.
It starts off strong, taking place on the surface of Mars where you’re fleeing from an avalanche of rocks and rubble. It’s exciting stuff, but even during this introductory sequence, something about the controls just felt off. You’re blessed with a double-jump ability right from the start, but executing it never feels quite natural enough considering how often you’ll need to use it throughout the game. It’s not bad, as such, but it feels a bit too floaty for our liking.
Xbox returns to gamescom with over 50 titles to check out.
The Xbox booth will also include a theater, photo ops, a Gear Store, and more.
For those who can’t attend, check out the Xbox @ gamescom: Live From the Showfloor Broadcast on August 21-23.
Following this year’s jam-packed Xbox Games Showcase, we’re excited to return to gamescom and connect with fans in Cologne, Germany from August 21-25 to show off even more of what Xbox players have in store.
The community is what makes gaming – and gamescom – so special and there will be something for everyone this year, whether you’re on the show floor in Cologne or watching at home via our livestreams. This year the Xbox booth will be overflowing with exciting upcoming titles, one-off experiences and fantastic photo opportunities for games coming to Xbox, PC, and Game Pass this Holiday and beyond. We’ll also deliver three days of broadcasts live from the show floor, join up with our amazing community for another FanFest, and plenty more. Keep reading for more details on everything we’re up to at gamescom 2024.
Xbox Booth
This year the Xbox booth will feature over 50 gaming titles from Xbox Game Studios, Blizzard, Bethesda, and our amazing third-party partners – spread across more than 240 gaming stations – alongside amazing photo ops and experiences, and specially constructed theaters for exclusive looks at upcoming titles.
Attendees will be able to go hands-on with upcoming Xbox releases, including:
Age of Mythology: Retold
Ara: History Untold
Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred
Fallout 76: Milepost Zero
The Elder Scrolls Online: Gold Road
Towerborne
We will also host exclusive theater presentations of Avowed, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle and Starfield: Shattered Space.
Joining the Xbox booth for the first time, Blizzard Entertainment will make their return to gamescom with multiple offerings for Diablo and World of Warcraft. Ahead of the launch of the Vessel of Hatred expansion in October, Diablo will bring an exclusive public hands-on gameplay demo of the Spiritborn class to the gamescom show floor, with a Diablo Immortal Helliquary boss tournament taking place as well. World of Warcraft celebrates the launch of The War Within on August 26 with the power of a special immersive experience, giving gamescom attendants the chance to feel the thrill of Skyriding in Azeroth.
The Xbox booth will also have playable titles from our third-party partners, including Ubisoft’s Star Wars Outlaws, Studio Wildcard’s ARK 2, Saber Interactive’s Space Marine 2, Rebellion’s Atomfall, and the return ofGSC Game World’s S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl with an all-new demo. And in our Indie Selects area – dedicated to diverse, exciting upcoming titles from independent developers – we’ll host games including Maximum Entertainment’s Squirrel with a Gun, Noodlecake’s Winter Burrow, 11 bit Studios’ Creatures of Ava, and more.
The above is just a small selection of the titles playable on the Xbox booth. For the full list of playable titles visit here. Whatever you’re into, we’ll have something for you.
You’ll be able to find us in Hall 7 of the Koelnmesse, North entrance. See below for the consumer show opening times:
Thursday, August 22 – 10am – 8pm CEST
Friday, August 23 – 10am – 8pm CEST
Saturday, August 24 – 9am – 8 pm CEST
Sunday, August 25 – 9am – 8pm CEST
Beyond the Xbox booth, Overwatch 2 will also have a joint stand with Porsche, highlighting their new collaboration by featuring a life-sized D.Va statue modeled after the new all-electric Macan, along with an invitation for fans to enter a real-life rendition of an iconic Overwatch 2 map.
Game Pass @ Gamescom
This year at gamescom, Game Pass is turning up the fun with an exciting setup reminding players that they can discover their next favorite game across devices. Guests will have an opportunity to explore different sections dedicated to PC, Console, and Cloud as they learn about all the different ways to play their favorite games. In addition to exclusive gamescom 2024 prizes available through claw and gacha machines, guests have the opportunity to play the Big Green Button for a shot at winning exciting prizes like:
Game Pass tokens (PC and/or Ultimate)
NVIDIA GeForce Now cards
WD_BLACK PC and Console Storage
Cloud Gaming devices (e.g., Amazon Fire TV Sticks, and Meta Quest headsets) that can directly stream Xbox games
OMEN monitors
HyperX headsets, microphones, mice and keyboards
Gaming for Everyone
Xbox remains committed to the belief that gaming should be safe, inclusive, and accessible for all. We are ensuring that all areas of the booth are wheelchair accessible, Xbox Adaptive Controllers will be available upon request, and there will be select demo stations with adjustable-height desks and monitors. We also have multiple American Sign Language (ASL) and German Sign Language (DGS) interpreters and Audio Description tours in English and German for guests who are blind or visually disabled.
Additionally, we’ll have sensory aids and a quiet room for everyone who needs them, as well as “Here to Help” staff to assist players of all abilities navigate our booth and game experiences. Please check out the Accessibility “Here to Help” desk at our booth for support.
Other Booth Elements
Gear Shop
Check out the official Gear Shop at the booth to get the latest with gear from Xbox Game Studios, Blizzard, Activision, and Bethesda!
Can´t make it? Don’t worry, find your new favorite gear online in the following stores:
This year the Xbox booth will also include the Community Hub! This more chilled out space within the Xbox Booth will be a perfect place for attendees to stop and hang out during the show, and will also feature special programming and activities from titles and teams across Xbox taking place throughout gamescom. Activities will include cosplay meetups, trivia games, meet-and-greets with game developers and voice actors, and more! Be sure to stop by and see what’s on!
Live from the Showfloor with our Broadcast Teams
If you can’t make the trip to Cologne this year, we’ll bring the show to you with a series of daily streams from the Xbox booth. Join Team Xbox and friends on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday for a deeper dive into some of the highly anticipated games at gamescom 2024, with first-look gameplay, developer chats, new trailers and more. The Bethesda team will also have daily content streaming live from the booth over on their Twitch channel: twitch.tv/bethesda_de.
Whether you join us for every stream, or just dip in for the latest on your most anticipated titles, we’re looking forward to connecting with fans across the globe and showing off some of the amazing games coming to Xbox.
Wednesday August 21
Xbox @ gamescom 2024
Start: 6am PDT / 9am EDT / 2pm BST / 3pm CEST
Featuring S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, Atomfall, Age of Mythology, plus others
Bethesda MainStream
Start: 5am PDT / 8am EST / 1pm BST / 2pm CEST
Thursday August 22
Xbox @ gamescom 2024
Start: 6am PDT / 9am EDT / 2pm BST / 3pm CEST
Featuring Star Wars Outlaws, World of Warcraft: The War Within,Towerborne plus others
Bethesda MainStream
Start: 5am PDT / 8am EST / 1pm BST / 2pm CEST
Friday August 23
Xbox @ gamescom 2024
Start: 6am PDT / 9am EDT / 2pm BST / 3pm CEST
Featuring Avowed, Ara: History Untold, plus others
Bethesda MainStream
Start: 5am PDT / 8am EST / 1pm BST / 2pm CEST
Keep an eye on Xbox Social channels for the full content schedule in the days leading up to gamescom.
The live English-language broadcast from Xbox’s gamescom booth will be available inGerman, Arabic, Traditional Chinese, Czech, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Brazilian Portuguese, Castilian Spanish, Mexican Spanish and Turkish, along with ASL and English Audio Descriptions. You can catch the Xbox @ gamescom Livestream on regional Xbox channels on YouTube, Twitch, Facebook, and elsewhere.
On Wednesday, August 21, Xbox FanFest is returning to host a special community event to kick off gamescom week! We’ll be bringing players together to connect around their shared love of gaming. If you’re planning to attend gamescom or will be in the Cologne area, you can enter for a chance to win tickets to attend.
Login at xbox.com/fanfest and use code FANFEST to unlock the sweepstakes. No Purchase Necessary. Open only to registered Xbox FanFest members. 18+. Ends 08:59 CEST on 5 August 2024. Click here for Official Rules.
Xbox Coverage
Our social media teams will be on the ground bringing you live coverage, updates, news, new videos, and lots of fun stuff too. And make sure to keep an eye on Xbox Wire for coverage of the Opening Night Live show, and articles about many of the games on show.
For all the latest updates on Xbox at gamescom this year, stay tuned to the Xbox channels on X, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube social channels, or the @XboxDACH X, Facebook, Instagram,TikTok, and YouTube social channels for German-language coverage. We’re using #Xboxgamescom as our event hashtag.
Microsoft has fully revealed its plans for gamescom 2024, and they include three days of live broadcasts.
In a post on Xbox Wire, Microsoft said it will host a series of daily streams from its Xbox booth at the show, running from Wednesday August 21 to Friday August 23. These will offer a deeper dive into various games Xbox is set to release over the coming months, with first-look gameplay, developer chats, and new trailers. Microsoft-owned Bethesda will also host daily content streams from the booth.
Games set to appear during these streams include Stalker 2, Atomfall, Age of Mythology, Star Wars Outlaws, World of Warcraft expansion The War Within, Towerborne, Avowed, and Ara: History Untold.
The Xbox gamescom 2024 live broadcast schedule in full:
Wednesday August 21
Xbox @ gamescom 2024
Start: 6am PDT / 9am EDT / 2pm BST / 3pm CEST
Featuring S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, Atomfall, Age of Mythology, plus others
Bethesda MainStream
Start: 5am PDT / 8am EST / 1pm BST / 2pm CEST
Thursday August 22
Xbox @ gamescom 2024
Start: 6am PDT / 9am EDT / 2pm BST / 3pm CEST
Featuring Star Wars Outlaws, World of Warcraft: The War Within,Towerborne plus others
Bethesda MainStream
Start: 5am PDT / 8am EST / 1pm BST / 2pm CEST
Friday August 23
Xbox @ gamescom 2024
Start: 6am PDT / 9am EDT / 2pm BST / 3pm CEST
Featuring Avowed, Ara: History Untold, plus others
Bethesda MainStream
Start: 5am PDT / 8am EST / 1pm BST / 2pm CEST
Microsoft is heavily rumored to be set to release an Xbox handheld, but it looks like gamescom 2024 won’t be the platform for an announcement. Instead, the focus here is on already announced games, such as Obsidian’s Avowed, Ubisoft’s Star Wars Outlaws, and GSC Game World’s Stalker 2.
Bethesda is of course running MMOs Fallout 76 and The Elder Scrolls Online, and is set to release Starfield expansion Shattered Space later this year. No games from Microsoft-owned Activision were mentioned in the Xbox post, but Blizzard is attending to show off World of Warcraft and Diablo 4 expansions.
Sony and Nintendo, meanwhile, have confirmed they are skipping gamescom 2024. Sony told Eurogamer it has no plans for the show, and Nintendo confirmed the same back in April.
While Sony’s decision was expected (it hasn’t attended gamescom in years), Nintendo’s decision came as something of a surprise given it has turned up at gamescom in recent years. But with the Nintendo Switch successor console not due out until 2025, a quieter 2024 makes sense.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
This year marks the sixth anniversary of The Elder Scrolls 6’s teaser trailer. And with Skyrim turning 13 years old this November, it’s safe to say that Elder Scrolls fans have endured – and will continue to endure – a long wait for Bethesda’s next fantasy RPG. But while the famed single-player studio has been focusing its efforts on nuclear wastelands and outer space, the beloved world of Tamriel hasn’t been neglected. The Elder Scrolls Online, once much-maligned and suffering sinking player counts, is now celebrating its tenth anniversary and the launch of its eighth major expansion. And while it may be an MMO by genre, by design it’s much closer to the classic Elder Scrolls RPG format than you might expect. If you’ve spent a decade desperately searching for more stories from Tamriel, then you need look no further than Elder Scrolls Online’s ongoing saga.
Rich Lambert, game director at ZeniMax Online Studios, explains that the Elder Scrolls Online team made a “big design call to move into a more Skyrim-adjacent lane” several years ago. When TESO first launched, it was derided by many for feeling like a traditional MMO (level grind and all) wearing Elder Scrolls pajamas. Nowadays, the developers don’t even consider the game to fit the ‘MMORPG’ label.
“We decided that this was going to be more of an Elder Scrolls game and focus on Elder Scrolls things first, and be multiplayer second,” Lambert says. “Once we did that it started informing lots of things.”
Unsurprisingly, Lambert sees the core appeal of The Elder Scrolls Online as being one and the same as Skyrim and Oblivion: “One of our core pillars is freedom of exploration and freedom to be and live in the world,” he says. “That traditional Elder Scrolls feeling where you see something in the distance, you can just run to it and explore it.”
The game as it stands now straddles the divide between single-player and online RPG design, offering all the elements you’d expect of a mainline Elder Scrolls game (including a world that permanently changes based on your story decisions, via some smart instancing), but it took a couple of years to get there.
We decided to focus on Elder Scrolls things first, and be multiplayer second. Once we did that it started informing lots of things.
Lambert notes that 2015’s Orsinium DLC saw the game’s storytelling “shift away from traditional MMO style to a more Elder Scrolls narrative style, focused more on the character, their beliefs and how they experience the world.” Later, in early 2016, some more traditional Elder Scrolls elements were introduced, such as Thieves Guild and Dark Brotherhood quest-lines, which encouraged stealing from or assassinating NPCs in the shared world. But it wasn’t until late 2016 that the game truly turned itself around.
The One Tamriel update was the turning point for TESO, removing traditional level-based progression in favor of scaling player’s stats to match whatever region you’re in. Outside of dungeon matchmaking being unlocked gradually as you level up to ensure total newbies don’t frustrate more experienced players, there’s nothing stopping a new player from immediately skipping out on the main story and running straight into an ‘endgame’ dungeon. With a decent party, you might even win. Finally, you could treat the game like Skyrim, albeit with a shared world and dungeons geared for co-op.
As such, the much memed wait for a new Elder Scrolls game needn’t be as long and torturous as the seemingly endless journey towards Todd Howard’s next project. The sixth Elder Scrolls is (sort of) already here. Many fans are turning to TESO over replaying Skyrim yet again, partly because of that re-tooled gameplay, but also because of how much of the world’s previously-underexplored lore is elaborated on here. Each major expansion and piece of DLC brings a set of new environments, and the game has been around long enough to fill in many of the blanks of The Elder Scrolls’ world map.
“We’ve taken places that are only vaguely touched on [in the mainline RPG series], like the Sister’s Isles, and turned them into our High Isle release from a couple years ago,” explains Bill Slavicsek, TESO’s narrative director. “All we knew about that was a couple dots on the map and a mention in a book, and we turned that into a whole chapter and DLC. Any place on the map you can think of, we wanna go there. And if it’s not on the map, we want to make it”.
It feels like The Elder Scrolls Online is well on track to fill out the complete world map. There’s more filled-in regions than empty space now, plus an assortment of interesting new extraplanar locations to dimension-hop around in. While the Morrowind expansion helped bring in nostalgic fans wanting to explore its strange volcanic environment and insect-and-fungus based ecosystem, the Elder Scrolls lore buffs were best served by the Elsweyr expansion, finally taking a deep dive into the much-mentioned but never-seen lands of the feline Khajiit.
Not only did Elsweyr give us our first real look at its lush savannas and a wider range of Khajiit body types (thanks to lunar magic, they can be born as anything from nearly human to literal talking housecats), but it was an opportunity for ZeniMax Online Studios to carve out its own corner of the lore. Despite the accepted text being that dragons had been unseen for millennia and only returned with the launch of Skyrim, TESO had them make an appearance during the Elsweyr chapter (set a thousand years before Skyrim). Such an event did, admittedly, require some narrative sleight-of-hand to explain why nobody cares to mention it all during later in-universe eras.
Any place on the map you can think of, we wanna go there. And if it’s not on the map, we want to make it.
“We take reference from a lot of different sources, internal and external,” explains TESO’s loremaster, Michael Zenke. “A lot of the stuff we do though isn’t in the lore bible because it’s new. Every release we’re adding to the canon. We’ve got a great tradition of unreliable narrators in the Elder Scrolls franchise, so unless you or your player character saw something in-game, ‘that’s just someone’s opinion, man’. So we have a lot of freedom to do interesting stuff.”
While armed with a reliable trick to handwave events that might throw later lore into chaos, ZeniMax’s writing team has grown ever bolder over time. It has been so many years since Skyrim (and likely several more until The Elder Scrolls 6 surfaces), effectively making TESO the one and only Elder Scrolls game of this generation. That, plus Todd Howard confirming that everything in TESO is canon, has allowed the team to expand into wholly new territories, like Fargrave, introduced in the Deadlands DLC. Fargrave is a ‘princeless’ plane of Oblivion, unaffiliated with any of the Daedric gods. A neutral border-world floating in the void, and a wholly new location that let the team cut loose in terms of both writing and environment design.
If this sounds like something a new player might want to jump straight into, then there’s nothing stopping you. Each of the major ‘Chapter’ expansions are designed to function as a self-contained adventure, letting players tackle story arcs as and when they see fit. The structure is yet another element of classic Elder Scrolls design that sets the game apart from its online peers. While the game has long-since dropped its mandatory subscription, the optional ‘ESO Plus’ subscription gives players access to all the minor DLC and most of the expansions to date, making it an especially easy game to pick up play.
Another aspect that has lowered the barrier to entry and further aligned TESO with its single-player siblings is the Companions system. Six customizable NPC partners (with another two due to be released soon) can be recruited to join you on your adventures, albeit one at a time. They were introduced to the game with the Blackwood expansion in 2021, but have become a ubiquitous sight, as they allow solo players to enjoy the game’s wider content more easily. Parties can also be a mixture of players and Companions, allowing tiny groups (just two, in many cases) to tackle some of the bigger, tougher dungeons and open-world challenge bosses with relative ease. Plus, the companions’ constant combat barks and interjections on what they see around them makes the world feel a little less lonely for those wanting to treat TESO as a single-player game. If you’ve fond memories of scaling mountains with Teldryn Sero or Aela the Huntress in Skyrim, Companions echoes that experience.
Obviously these systems have their limits, though. Player housing is instanced, set apart from the overworld, and there’s no chance of breaking the game over your knee with mods or console commands, but the core Elder Scrolls experience is replicated surprisingly well, right down to many quests having multiple possible endings. Your final decisions may not have world-shakingly obvious impact, but they often result in the death or a change of state for an NPC that will remain in their quest location, a reminder of your decisions for that character. Play long enough and complete enough quest arcs and the world will start to feel like you’ve made a real impact in it, so long as you go back to revisit some old haunts.
Now months into the game’s year-long anniversary celebrations, the future’s looking bright for The Elder Scrolls Online. The team seems confident that if TESO keeps it up for another decade, it might well encompass the entire Elder Scrolls world (and yet more locations beyond) by the time the 20th anniversary begins. In the meantime, Lambert mentions that there are plans to improve the experience for new or returning players. “As a new player, or someone coming back after a year, it can be overwhelming,” he admits. “So we’re working on some systems to make that kind of experience better. Not necessarily hand-holdy, but more informational”. Beyond that, some big changes (details of which he refuses to divulge) are coming to player housing, and further refinements to the game’s balance to keep the meta in check.
I once wrote off The Elder Scrolls Online as a half-hearted cash-in. Now, it’s a game I’ve been playing on and off for around five years now, dipping back into and thoroughly enjoying when that Elder Scrolls itch needs scratching. While the incredible community keeps Skyrim alive through mods, that’s a very different experience to exploring brand new, official stories and regions of Tamriel. TESO may not be The Elder Scrolls 6, but it’s a continuing Elder Scrolls game that’s successfully shifted and changed to reflect the wants of a fanbase that grew up on acclaimed single-player RPGs. And that’s a fine place to be for a ten-year-old online game.
The product of a wasted youth, wasted prime and getting into wasted middle age, Dominic Tarason is a freelance writer, occasional indie PR guy and professional techno-hermit seen in many strange corners of the internet and seldom in reality. If you’re looking for something new and potentially very weird to play, feel free to poke him on Twitter.
Lazlow Jones, the host of the Chatterbox FM radio station in 2001’s seminal Grand Theft Auto 3, has many stories to tell about his 19-year stretch at Rockstar. But this one is right up there with the very best.
Speaking to IGN as part of an interview discussing new development studio Absurd Ventures, which he co-founded with fellow Rockstar legend Dan Houser in 2020, Jones recalled the “weird moment” when one GTA fan took the blockbuster video game a little too seriously.
GTA fans will know the Epsilon Program well. It’s a religious cult whose followers are known as Epsilonists. In trademark Rockstar fashion, Houser and Jones designed the Epsilon Program to satirize the likes of Scientology, complete with a modern day messiah fronting a behind-the-scenes pyramid scheme.
Rockstar created a fake Epsilon Program website to market San Andreas back in 2004, and it was in that game that the virtual religion made its debut as a cult founded by a con-man called Cris Formage. Lazlow Jones even interviews him on his in-game radio show.
Rockstar went on to add more and more to the Epsilon Program over the years, fleshing it out with the release of each GTA game. The Epsilon Program always was an on the nose satire, and, for most people, a clear parody. But not for everyone.
We’re dying to know more.
During the development of GTA 5, Jones received a disturbing phone call from a ‘fan.’ They had left a message on his work phone. Taking the call, Jones heard a woman introduce herself as representing the followers of the Epsilon Program. These were GTA players who had gone through all the games in the series looking for morsels of new information on the religion, and had formed a real-life group.
“We’re dying to know more,” she said.
Was this person just an over-enthusiastic fan who wanted to know more about the Epsilon Program as part of a cool community Easter egg hunt? Apparently not.
“She was essentially saying that they were worshipers of this fake religion that we had come up with,” Lazlow Jones told IGN.
Jones headed straight into Dan Houser’s office in Rockstar’s New York headquarters to tell him about “this crazy voicemail I got.”
“My second thought was, we should actually just come up with a fake religion and get really, really rich on the backs of people searching for meaning in life!” he joked.
Jones and Houser weren’t put off by the mystery caller, though. They doubled down on the Epsilon Program for GTA 5, creating various missions and cutscenes that revolved around the fake religion. They even wrote a bible called the Epsilon Tract and split it up into pieces that were scattered across the game world for players to find.
It’s hard to believe that GTA’s Epsilon Program actually fooled someone in real-life into thinking it was a real religion. Perhaps Jones got the wrong end of the stick from the phone call? Not so, he insisted.
It excited me and scared me to death simultaneously.
“She genuinely sounded like she was a follower of the Epsilon Program,” he said. “It’s crazy when you make a satire of something… because we were very straightforward about it. We created a website for the Epsilon Program back in 2004, and all the copy on that, it’s in my mind very clear that it’s a money-grab, modern day fictional religion. But they sounded like proper followers of it. It excited me and scared me to death simultaneously.”
In disbelief at what Lazlow Jones had told me, I had a hunt around online to see if this was an isolated incident, or whether there was evidence that others believed GTA’s fake religion to be real. There are a few joke posts here and there from people pretending to be an Epsilonist, but there is little to suggest a widespread movement, at least in 2024.
Still, according to Lazlow Jones, real-life believers did once exist, and somehow managed to find his work phone number.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
In my brief time with massive Fallout 4 mod Fallout London, I’ve read a delightful terminal entry about a scientist who named his favourite radiated shrew “Big Dave,” thwacked several of said Radshrews with a walking stick, gulped down some expired pink wafers, and been informed of train delays due to “leaves on the track.”
“A British transport joke!” I said to myself, marinating in the sufficient amount of crown-mandated mild amusement. “Our organ-floggingly expensive yet vital public services are crap!” I was having a good time. Then the game public transported me straight to my desktop, and continued to do so at regular intervals over the next few hours, ranging from “just as this conversation was getting good” to “just as my save was about to load.” My upper lip almost quivered, I tell you.
We hope you’re ready for the business end of the year, because despite being more than seven years old at this point, the Nintendo Switch is still being treated to some absolute beauties.
We’ve been busy rounding up our usual selection of games headed to retail over the next few weeks, including some highlights picked by us as well as lots of other games and accessories that are launching soon. Have a browse through and see if anything takes your fancy:
Following an excellent summer showcase, Xbox has plenty more for fans to enjoy over these next few sunny months, especially when it comes to deals. At the moment, one of our favorite deals is on the 3 month Xbox Game Pass Ultimate membership, which is discounted at Amazon to $45. With a price hike now in the works for Game Pass users, there’s no better time to stack these codes so you can play all of their newly-announced games the day they’re available. It ultimately saves you $15 versus the new price for Game Pass Ultimate monthly, which is well worth taking advantage of.
That’s not all, as there are also offers on games, the Xbox Series X mini fridge, and even storage. Check out all of those excellent deals at the links below.
Preorder the Sky Cipher Special Edition Xbox Controller
If you’re interested in preordering the brand new transparent special edition Xbox controller, Sky Cipher, we’ve got you covered there as well. This incredibly cool controller is set to release on August 13 and will set you back $69.99. What better way to relive the original Xbox days?
Best Xbox Game Pass Deals
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate has been discounted at Amazon, providing another opportunity for users to stack their membership at a discounted rate. Amazon has three-month memberships discounted to $45, which is well worth taking advantage of.
Summertime is a great time to find games at a discount. At the moment, you can score some incredible deals on a wide variety of physical games, including 57% off Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, 50% off Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, and 40% off Dead Space. Check out even more excellent game deals at the links below.
More Xbox Video Game Deals:
What’s Coming Soon to Xbox Game Pass
Xbox’s summer showcase was a home run, with one of the best presentations of upcoming games on the Xbox ecosystem in quite some time. This included titles like Black Ops 6, Doom: The Dark Ages, Perfect Dark, Fable, Gears of War: E-Day, and plenty more that will be coming to Game Pass in the future. As for the start of August, here’s what’s coming soon to Game Pass:
There are quite a few discounts on Xbox controllers right now at Amazon. While not as low as they were during the two-day Prime Day sale event, they’re still worth picking up at these prices. The Robot White, Carbon Black, Shock Blue, and Velocity Green controllers have all dropped down to $44, but you can see even more controller deals below.
It looks like a fridge, and it kinda is a fridge (mini), and it’s also down to $39.94 at Walmart. Not only is it a fun addition to have in your home, but this is a discount you definitely don’t want to miss out on, either! What better time to pick it up?
Get 44% Off the HyperX CloudX Stinger Headset & More Deals
Does your family complain when you stay up playing loud shooters late into the night? They’ll stop complaining if you pick up anXbox headset that lets no one but you hear the delightful explosions you cause on the screen. Right now, you can get 15% off the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless Gaming Headset and 44% off the HyperX CloudX Stinger headset at Amazon. To see even more gaming headsets on sale, visit our roundup of the best gaming headset deals.
Best Xbox Expansion Card SSD Deals
The WD_Black 1TB C50 Storage Expansion Card is currently marked down to $141.42, 12% off its MSRP. The WD Black C50 is a 1TB NVMe SSD encased in a custom Xbox-compatible shell, making installation remarkably straightforward compared to the more intricate process for PS5 SSD upgrades. Simply insert the Seagate expansion card into the dedicated port on the back of your Xbox and you’re good to go.
What is Xbox’s Recent Controversy?
The recent discomfored surrounding Xbox can be isolated to a recent round of brutal layoffs. Microsoft is closing a number of Bethesda studios, including Redfall maker Arkane Austin, Hi-Fi Rush and The Evil Within developer Tango Gameworks, and more in devastating cuts at Bethesda. Alpha Dog Games, maker of mobile game Mighty Doom, will also close. Roundhouse Studios will be absorbed by The Elder Scrolls Online developer ZeniMax Online Studios. Microsoft, currently valued at over $3 trillion, did not say how many staff will lose their jobs, but significant layoffs are inevitable.
Is Call of Duty Black Ops 6 Coming to Xbox Game Pass?
Microsoft has confirmed the arrival of Call of Duty Black Ops 6 day-one on Xbox Game Pass. Microsoft made the announcement alongside the release of a live-action reveal trailer called ‘The Truth Lies’. In it we see world leaders including Bill Clinton, Margaret Thatcher, George H. W. Bush, Colin Powell, and Saddam Hussein, delivering cryptic speeches. Black Ops 6 will be set during the events of the Gulf War during the early ’90s.
Is Call of Duty Black Ops 6 300GB?
Activision has also clarified that Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 won’t actually require a 300 GB download despite previous messaging. Players began to panic about the size of this year’s Call of Duty after noticing its Xbox store page.
At the time, the page listed that the game would require a 309.85 GB download for those hoping to hop into the post-Cold War first-person shooter when it launches this fall. That’ll put a pretty big dent in the hard drive of most PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X | S consoles, so players were, understandably, very concerned.
When Should I Buy an Xbox?
In general, it is advisable to keep an eye out for sales and restocks throughout the year, as availability has improved since the initial launch of the console. Unlike the Nintendo Switch, there is no specific recommendation to wait for a sale regardless of the time of year. Instead, it’s a good idea to monitor various retailers and online platforms for restock announcements and promotional offers.
However, certain events like Black Friday or other holiday seasons may bring about unique bundles, discounts, or promotional deals specifically for the Xbox Series X. These bundles may include additional games, accessories, or exclusive limited editions. While quantities for such promotions might be limited, they can provide an opportunity to get more value for your purchase. See our guide to Xbox Series X prices for more info.
Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S?
Choosing between the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S ultimately depends on your gaming preferences, budget, and specific requirements. Let’s compare the two consoles to help you make an informed decision:
1. Performance: The Xbox Series X is the more powerful option, offering native 4K gaming, higher graphical fidelity, and faster loading times. It has more advanced hardware, including a larger storage capacity. On the other hand, the Xbox Series S targets a lower price point and offers a less powerful performance, targeting 1440p resolution gaming and upscaling to 4K.
2. Price: The Xbox Series S is more affordable compared to the Xbox Series X. If budget is a significant factor for you, the Xbox Series S provides a cost-effective option while still delivering a next-generation gaming experience. For example, the Series S can play Starfield at 1440p 30fps (vs 4K 30fps on Series X).
3. Storage: The Xbox Series X comes with a larger internal storage capacity, allowing you to store more games directly on the console. The Xbox Series S, however, has a smaller storage capacity, which means you may need to manage your game library more actively or rely on external storage solutions.
4. Disc Drive: The Xbox Series X includes a disc drive, enabling you to play physical game discs and enjoy a wider range of media options, including Blu-ray and DVD playback. The Xbox Series S, in contrast, is a digital-only console, meaning you can only play games downloaded from the digital store.
5. Graphics and Performance: While both consoles support ray tracing, the Xbox Series X provides a more immersive and visually impressive experience due to its superior hardware capabilities. If you prioritize cutting-edge graphics and want the best performance available, the Xbox Series X is the preferable choice.
Consider your gaming preferences, budget, and whether you prioritize top-of-the-line performance or cost-effectiveness. If you have a 4K TV, want the most powerful console, and are willing to invest more, the Xbox Series X is the recommended option. If you have a lower budget, a 1080p or 1440p TV, and don’t mind sacrificing some performance, the Xbox Series S offers excellent value for money.
With how expensive gaming is getting in 2024, we’re trying to save you as much money as possible on the games and other tech you actually want to buy. We’ve got great deal roundups available for all major platforms such as Switch and Xbox, and keep these updated daily with brand new offers. If you’re trying to keep costs down while maintaining your favorite hobby, stay tuned for more incredible discounts.
Robert Anderson is a deals expert and Commerce Editor for IGN. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard developer BioWare has confirmed plans to announce the game’s release date, unveil a new roadmap, as well as offer further looks at the single-player RPG this month (August).
In a blog post, the developer teased its plans as publisher EA narrowed Dragon Age: The Veilguard release window down to the third quarter of its 2025 financial year. That runs from October 1 to December 2024. BioWare had announced a fall 2024 release window for Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Now we know that the game will not be released in September.
Last month, BioWare said Dragon Age: The Veilguard is “Steam native,” which means the EA App is not required to play the game on Valve’s platform. Most EA-published video games do require the EA App, which replaced Origin in 2022, to play on Steam, much to the annoyance of many PC gamers. Dragon Age: The Veilguard is also verified on Steam Deck, BioWare added.
While we wait for the release date announcement, check out some of the Dragon Age: The Veilguard details we’ve learned so far about its difficulty options, combat, and character creator, as well as our first preview.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
Well, would you look at that! I just got done pining for the merest whiff of Dungeon Keeper when what should appear on Steam but a free prologue for delightful voxel-arty management sim Dungeon Tycoon. I’m using the word ‘appear’ because, following yet more industry layoffs yesterday, I’m choosing to adopt the brain of an idiot as to shield myself from the crushing reality of material conditions. So, anyway, the magical game goblins whacked the demo on Steam, and I’ve been having a lot of fun with it. Thanks, adequately compensated and unionised gobbos!
