Revealed at the Xbox Games Showcase, There Are No Ghosts at the Grand is a surreal, first-person, narrative-driven mystery. It’s part-renovation game, part-ghost story, part-musical. See the trailer below, and read on for a full breakdown of our unique new game:

You play as a young American man, Chris David, who unexpectedly inherits The Grand, a dilapidated British seaside hotel along the English east coast.

Players will help Chris renovate and restore the old hotel using a set of talking power tools. But be warned… beneath the veneer of paper and paint you apply during the day, something horrible shivers and slithers in the night.

30 Days and 30 Nights to Complete the Renovations

To renovate the hotel, players will have access to exaggerated power tools such as the sand blaster, paint sprayer, furniture cannon, and the daisy chain gun, to blast the hotel back to its former glory. This isn’t a simulation though, players don’t have to be exact. Decorating and renovating is fast, fluid and fun. You don’t have to get every spot – just enough is close enough.

But with only 30 days and 30 nights to complete the job, choose each room carefully – because when the time runs out something will come for you.

Luckily, players are not alone. Meet your AI DIY assistant, Robert C MacBrushy. He’s a cross between Star Trek’s Scotty and Microsoft’s Clippy. He’s also an expert in all things DIY – and the supernatural, but we’ll come back to that.

With MacBrushy’s help, players will smash out old windows, blast broken furniture, splash paint and paper across walls, and shoot furniture cleaner across the room, like some crazy cross between Mary Poppins and Marcus Fenix. But sometimes, you’ll need to slow down and think, as you’ll also come across environmental puzzles that will need a little lateral thinking, and some hidden clues to solve.

Progress is made through the game by completing rooms and revealing their secrets, but you can only decorate by day. At night, you have other problems to deal with.

Decorator by Day, Ghost Hunter by Night

In There are No Ghosts at the Grand, the main character, Chris, has a secret. Although he inherited the hotel, he’s not just here to renovate… not really.

At night, once the decorating is done for the day, he searches for something. Clues hidden behind walls, old blueprints revealing hidden spaces, strange doors leading to strange places. Players will help him whilst also trying to figure out what’s really going on. There’s something unpleasant lurking in the hotel, something ancient that leaves multi-legged footprints across freshly painted walls. Scuttling can be heard in those walls, furniture moves by itself. At night, the hotel isn’t safe.

But don’t worry, Robert C. MacBrushy is here to help with this too. At night, when the world changes, so do your power tools, and they have hidden modes that have special effects on certain supernatural denizens. Unleash the vacuum on vengeful spirits. Expose invisible assailants with the paint sprayer. Take out an unpleasant spook with a well aimed bookcase to the face with the furniture cannon. If you learn how to use your tools, you can survive the night.

Quirky Characters and a Sarcastic, Australian Cat

At its heart, There Are No Ghosts at the Grand is a story about people and the baggage they leave behind. You’re never alone as you explore the hotel and the surrounding town, and you’ll meet each of our game’s quirky characters as you delve deeper into the hotel.

Each character is a custodian of a particular room that you can unlock: from Colin, the elderly caretaker in the lounge, to his daughter Lily in the garden. You’ll meet the town mayor, Maddie in the boathouse, and Adam the police officer in the cinema room, watching re-runs of old buddy cop films.

Presiding over them all is Mr Bones, the hotel’s cat, and perhaps its most mysterious resident. Like the hotel itself, he’s a creature of duality. By day, he’s an ordinary cat who follows you around and likes belly rubs. By night, he’s a sarcastic and mercurial character who waxes lyrical (in a deep Australian accent) about the hotel’s many secrets and hidden places. But is he a friend or foe?

Each character has their own story, questline, and agenda, which you can help or hinder as you play.  They also each have their own song because There Are No Ghosts at the Grand is also a musical.

A Musical Ghost Story

There Are No Ghosts at the Grand is a musical, but not in the traditional musical theatre sense. Think of it more like a cool, dusty album of British ska and punk songs from the 1980s that you might find in your dad’s record collection.

These are songs with attitude, bite, and hummable hooks. Each character will introduce themselves through song, the style of which is unique to them, from spooky ska to wartime jazz, and even skater punk.

You’ll be able to duet with them and make dialogue choices in verse to explore their story further. The songs are full gameplay sequences involving player action and choices, whilst the lyrics and furniture go flying.

Exploring Kingswood-on-Sea

Players won’t be spending all their time in the Grand Hotel. Right outside the door lies the village of Kingswood-on-Sea, a crumbling, spooky, seaside town, full of secrets and side activities.

This small open world lets players leave the hotel at any time, even at night, to explore its abandoned shops, winding streets and hidden mysteries. You can restore an abandoned minigolf course and play a round or two, comb the beach with a half-working metal detector, or find shops to renovate and restore, each with unique rewards.

The streets of Kingswood-on-Sea are full of strange little secrets, and they reward curiosity. Find a rusty old scooter that you can restore and ride through the village, discover an old fishing boat that players can fix up and take out into the shallow coastal waters, or explore the hidden coves and sunken bays. It even has a winch to dredge for lost treasures, if you can find the locations hinted at in clues found in the hotel.

Just… be back before nightfall. Under the inky blackness of the frozen North Sea, something stirs in the depth, and it slithers onto the land at night.

Summing It All Up

There Are No Ghosts at the Grand is a game about restoration and ruin. About strange townsfolk and suspicious upholstery. About music, memory, ghosts, and the awkward legacy of inherited property. It’s a spooky, funny, slightly tragic mystery, wrapped in ska riffs, talking tools, and night-time terrors.

You’ll renovate. You’ll investigate. You’ll duet. It’s a musical where you can skip the songs, a comedy with a dark secret, and a game that lies to you constantly, with a narrator you shouldn’t quite trust. If you’re very lucky, or very unlucky, you might just uncover the truth about the Grand Hotel. Assuming the Grand doesn’t uncover something about you first.

There Are No Ghosts at the Grand is a ghost story where the ghosts might be memories, or lies, or something crawling up the beach in the moonlight. The Grand Hotel is waiting, and is coming to Xbox Series X|S, Xbox PC, and Game Pass in 2026. Just… don’t trust the upholstery.

It’s been an exciting time for the whole Aniimo team as, during the Xbox Games Showcase, we were finally able to open the doors of Aniimo to players and welcome them to our passion project; an open world creature collecting action-RPG.  

This is truly the game of our dreams. We’ve been focused on crafting something new and unforgettable, laying the foundations for a magnificent open world with immense potential. All of us are excited to have players join us in discovering the world of Aniimo, and getting them involved in the next step of development by sharing valuable feedback with us during an upcoming closed beta test.  

If you’re keen to know more, let me break down our new game for you:

The Aniimo 

Thanks to Aniimo, we have discovered a fascinating bunch of creatures called, you’ve guessed it, Aniimo. These are magical beings who we are getting to know better every day.  The Aniimo have captured our curiosity, and we’re constantly learning more about them – their personalities, abilities, charm, our own emotional connections with them and how they adapt to Idyll, the world that they live in. One example is Budclaw, a shy crab-like Aniimo who is good at digging and navigating different terrains, but can’t see too well underground. That’s a good trick to know because if it hits a rock it will go dizzy and be easier to catch. Another is Nimbi, the cloud-shaped sheep who reacts to its environment, making it incredibly light and able to jump to huge heights – but who behaves very differently in thunderstorms.  

This world is so rich and detailed that we’re still seeking more Aniimo out, learning about them, capturing them, battling with them, developing and evolving them, and we’re excited to be able to now have players join us on this journey of discovery.  

The Gameplay 

When players join us in the world of Idyll they will gradually embark on their own unique journey of exploration. This is a multiplayer game in a fully open world. Players can choose the areas they want to explore, and the narrative will be shaped by their choices. Everyone’s adventure will be different.  

There are two battle modes in the game. By capturing an Aniimo you can engage in real-time battles with other Aniimo, and grow your own Aniimo’s strength and skills. But beyond having a creature with incredible abilities and powers, wouldn’t it be even better if you could experience those powers for yourself? By “twining” with the Aniimo, a spiritual connection takes place, essentially enabling us to become our chosen creature, and experience the game in a totally new way.  

We can move through the world as an Aniimo, battle as an Aniimo and explore the world of Idyll through the unique features of the Aniimo we have twined with. This feature also immerses us more fully in the Aniimo’s society – the everyday exchanges and habits that the Aniimo have developed amongst themselves. 

The Open World 

Idyll is a huge, living world, but there are bigger reasons for travelling around it than simply to see the sights. Each Aniimo reacts to the different environments and conditions and adapts their behavior accordingly. For example, an Aniimo may be able to leverage terrain to burrow and dodge attacks, or use special vision to spot danger, which takes the discovery of the world to a whole new level.   

Join the Closed Beta  

This is just the beginning! We can’t wait to welcome players to Idyll and introduce you to the Aniimo! Our closed beta test will open for PC players later this summer and more information on how to participate can be found here.

Aniimo

Kingsglory Games

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

Get it now

Aniimo is a next-gen open-world creature-catching ARPG set to launch in 2026.

Mudang: Two Hearts – coming to Xbox Series X|S and Xbox on PC as an Xbox Play Anywhere title in 2026 – is a narrative-driven, third-person action adventure game that blends cinematic storytelling with immersive stealth and dynamic combat set on a politically volatile Korean peninsula. Built on our state-of-the-art performance capture pipeline, it integrates fluid motion-matched animations, open-ended level design, dynamic spatial audio, and intelligent AI— woven seamlessly to deliver a harrowing journey through a fractured future Korea. This isn’t a story of triumph or glory — it’s a search for truth.

You will be challenged to uncover that truth for yourself as you confront engineered emotions, falsified information, and manipulated beliefs throughout the story. When even your rage and innermost beliefs may have been carefully shaped by unseen hands, truth becomes your only weapon.

Someone Is Using Your Rage

The world celebrated as the two Koreas signed a historic reunification treaty, promising to end decades of division and bring lasting peace to the peninsula. But beneath the surface, darker forces stirred.

On the day the pivotal bill was set to pass, a mysterious terrorist group attacked the South Korean National Assembly, drenching the symbol of peace in blood. Chaos erupted across the peninsula.

Ji Jeongtae is a North Korean special forces operative dispatched to the South under the terms of the new peace accord. Neither friend nor foe, Jeongtae quickly finds himself isolated within his new unit. As suspicion festers, he is tasked with putting an end to a string of bloody terrorist attacks that have been driving civilians into uncontrollable rage. As his pursuit of a terrorist group calling themselves Beolmuban hits a dead end, he manages to catch a glimpse of the faceless power lurking in the shadows.

Eight months have passed since the last attack, but the fear hasn’t gone away. The South Korean military declares martial law, restoring order at the cost of constant surveillance.

As the public adjusts to this uneasy calm, a K-pop group named ORDO announces the first state-sanctioned concert under martial law. Now part of the newly formed Martial Law Command, Jeongtae is assigned to security detail for the event.

When Beolmuban suddenly storms the stage, Jeongtae is thrown into familiar chaos — and uncovers a dangerous secret involving GAVI, ORDO’s brightest star.

Strategy Before Instinct

In Mudang you can choose between stealth, CQC (close-quarters combat), or all-out aggression at any moment. No matter the approach, the game offers a wealth of options: environmental takedowns, a wide range of CQC moves — both lethal and nonlethal — a robust toolkit of gadgets like goggles, EMPs, grenades, lures, and mines, and a deep arsenal of firearms to round it all out. But without the right strategy, you can quickly become overwhelmed by the enemy’s response.

Our enemy AI was built from the ground up with versatility in mind, dynamically adapting to your actions in real time. While you remain hidden, enemies form search parties, investigate suspicious signs — like fallen allies, disabled lights, or even nearby footsteps — and raise the alarm when something’s off. In combat, they coordinate to flank and outmaneuver you and use every gadget, CQC move, and weapon that you can use as well. To stay ahead, you’ll need to adapt and experiment.

Our open-ended level design supports that experimentation, offering multiple routes and vantage points: hide in the shadows, hang from pipes, slip through vents, climb buildings, or destroy parts of the environment to set up ambushes.

Put together, Mudang’s unique blend of stealth and action creates a steady ebb and flow in every battle, with close-quarters combat inspired by real Korean Special Forces tactics grounding each encounter in visceral, tactical realism.

Two Playable Characters, Two Perspectives

You’ll take on the roles of two protagonists from seemingly opposite walks of life. As the story progresses, you switch between them at key moments and experience the narrative from their distinct perspectives.

• Ji Jeongtae: An elite special forces operative who shines on the battlefield. He uses his military training and equipment to fight his way through enemy forces in pursuit of the truth.
• GAVI: A famous K-pop star who shines on stage. Living under constant surveillance, she longs to reclaim control over her life. Though she’s never handled a weapon, she plays a pivotal role in uncovering the truth.

The use of dual protagonists allowed us to build two contrasting gameplay experiences — and two distinct narrative threads that converge to reveal a single truth.

Reflecting Emotional Momentum In Gameplay

Missions in Mudang aren’t built on repeating gameplay loops. Instead, it evolves alongside the narrative, reflecting each character’s emotional stakes at every turn. From infiltration and reconnaissance to rescue and pursuit, every sequence is crafted to draw you into the moment, letting you feel as though you’re living the events as they unfold.

No Borders Between Cutscene and Gameplay

Mudang’s cutscenes are rendered in real time using in-game assets, allowing for seamless transitions between story and gameplay. Characters move naturally in and out of scripted moments without jarring cuts or loading screens, keeping you immersed in the moment and maintaining the emotional throughline without interruption.

Capturing Emotion

In a narrative-driven game like Mudang, our characters needed to feel real, not just in cutscenes, but in every moment of gameplay. With Korean film and TV actors lending their talents, we used cutting-edge volumetric and motion capture technologies to bring every subtle glance, delicate gesture, and nuanced expression to life within the game.

Mudang: Two Hearts is set to arrive in 2026 for Xbox Series X|S and Xbox PC as an Xbox Play Anywhere title. And while the wait may feel long, the world we’re building demands time, care, and precision. Every scene, every emotion, every choice is being crafted to deliver a story that lingers — one that stays with you long after the screen fades to black.

Follow the game’s YouTube channel and EVR Studio’s official website to learn more.

MUDANG: Two Hearts

EVR Studio

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

Get it now

In a unified Korea, masked terrorists strike at the heart of Seoul. Ji Jeongtae, a soldier sent in to stop the attacks, stumbles upon a K-Pop star named Gavi at the center of the unfolding crisis. As their stories intertwine, a chilling truth begins to take shape.

Hello! We’re Kati and Florent, Lead Narrative Designer and Creative Director, from the Aphelion team at Don’t Nod. Now that you’ve seen our game’s world premiere during Xbox Games Showcase, we wanted to talk more about it – including its conception, story, and what you can expect in terms of gameplay before it launches in 2026.

Aphelion is a linear action-adventure game set in space, blending exploration, traversal, stealth, and mystery. But more than anything, it’s a story-rich human journey with a grounded approach to sci-fi, and includes a dual-protagonist structure that shapes both the gameplay and the emotional core of the story.

Aphelion is set in the near-future – Earth is dying and humanity is desperately searching for another home in Persephone, the uncharted icy planet that Ariane and Thomas find themselves on. One of our early inspirations was the real-world hypothesis of Planet Nine – the theory that there’s a previously undetectable planet in the outer edges of our Solar System: what if it existed? What if we found it? In developing this vision, we’re proud to be collaborating with the European Space Agency (ESA) on Aphelion to ground our game’s science in reality.

You’ll play as both Ariane and Thomas, alternating between their perspectives as they try to find one another and reunite after a crash landing. Their separation is central – not just to the story, but to the game design too. Each character offers a different experience, and their unique situations reflect their personal journeys.

Ariane is physically capable and equipped for traversal. Through her, players will explore dangerous terrain by climbing, rappelling, navigating environmental hazards, and more. Thomas was injured in the crash, but can investigate and discover the mystery of the planet in different ways. This contrast creates a rhythm and duality that allows you to feel the weight of each character’s journey, separately and together.

Exploration is the heartbeat of Aphelion. What starts out as a mission compromised from the beginning becomes a deeper journey into the unknown. As you explore the environment and gather information, you’ll uncover clues as to the planet’s strange conditions, and what caused the crash of Ariane and Thomas’s ship, the Hope 01.

But at its core, this isn’t a game about a planet. It’s a tale about what we bring with us when everything else is lost. The game’s conception began with Ariane and Thomas, not the wider story around them. Their relationship, strained by duty and sacrifice, is the emotional heart of Aphelion. As they navigate this new world and the unknown, they are confronting something deeply personal: how we face the prospect of loss, and whether hope can survive in the aftermath.

It’s an emotional story about love, resilience, and hope, and we can’t wait to show you more. Aphelion will be released in 2026 for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, and Xbox Cloud. It will be an Xbox Play Anywhere title, and available day one with Game Pass. To stay up to date, follow Don’t Nod on X, Instagram, and TikTok.

Aphelion

DON’T NOD

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

Get it now

A SCI-FI ACTION-ADVENTURE ON THE EDGE OF OUR SOLAR SYSTEM

By 2060, Earth will be uninhabitable. The discovery of a 9th planet – Persephone – at the edge of the solar system, is humanity’s best hope. The European Space Agency is dispatching the Hope 01 scientific mission, consisting of 2 of their accomplished astronauts, Ariane and Thomas. Their mission: to survey the planet and determine whether humanity can prosper anew here.

Your adventure begins in chaos, as the crash landing of their ship scatters them across the planet, launching them on a desperate quest to find one another. 

Aphelion is a cinematic third-person action-adventure set on the planet Persephone, an uncharted, frozen world. Stranded and isolated, you must survive the truly unknown, find each other, and complete the mission. Traverse stunning alien landscapes, avoid lurking threats, and discover the haunting secrets buried beneath the ice.  

EXPLORE AN UNCHARTED PLANET

Explore the surreal beauty of Persephone, a vast frozen world shaped by deadly weather and ever-changing terrain.

Armed only with your explorational tools – pathfinder, oxygen tank, grappling hook, and more – you must face the unknown, traverse treacherous terrain, and gather clues about the strange, reality-bending phenomenon threatening your existence. 

FIND EACH OTHER

Helpless on the edge of the solar system, the Hope 01 crew faces a brutal new world and the echoes of a complicated past. Ariane Montclair and Thomas Cross share a deep connection, a relationship left unresolved by the demands of their careers and their mission. Facing overwhelming odds, their fractured bond becomes a lifeline as they grasp in the dark for one another.

HIDE TO SURVIVE

You’re not alone. Something lurks beneath the ice.

Key Features:

– A realistic depiction of space exploration
– An emotional drama on an alien world
– Cinematic action-adventure with gripping traversal gameplay
– Tools-based exploration and survival
– Tense and exciting stealth-based sequences

A game in collaboration with: European Space Agency (ESA)

For many of us, the original Gears of War in 2006 was a game changer. It pushed the limits of technology, visual fidelity, and ushered in the HD-era on the Xbox 360, led by amazing players all over the world. And we all remember how the beautifully crafted and iconic “Mad World” trailer hit us on an emotional level.  

As we look ahead to the 20^th anniversary of the Gears of War franchise next year, we wanted to celebrate this milestone with you by welcoming a new generation of players across devices to the Gears family — and what better way than to revisit the iconic original that started it all.  

Gears of War: Reloaded is a remaster of the blockbuster first Gears of War, now fully optimized for the latest generation of gaming platforms, arriving August 26, 2025 – and you can get your first chance to play it during the Multiplayer Beta.  

Join the Multiplayer Beta Starting June 13  

You can experience all the curb-stomping mayhem of the versus multiplayer via a two-weekend, cross-platform and cross-play Multiplayer Beta that runs June 13-15 and June 20-22.  

There are three ways to gain access:  

• Preorder Gears of War: Reloaded digitally for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox PC, Steam or PlayStation 5   

• Have an active Game Pass Ultimate or PC Game Pass membership  

• Own a digital copy of Gears of War: Ultimate Edition*   

Multiplayer Beta Weekend 1 runs June 13-15 and features a social multiplayer experience in the classic Team Deathmatch mode across three maps including the fan-favorite Gridlock, as well as Raven Down and Gold Rush.  

• Friday, June 13 from 7pm UTC (12pm PST) to Sunday, June 15 at 7pm UTC (12pm PST)  

Multiplayer Beta Weekend 2 runs June 20-22 and adds the competitive King of the Hill mode on the map Canals being added to the mix, along with the maps Courtyard and War Machine for use in Team Deathmatch.   

• Friday, June 20 from 7pm UTC (12pm PST) to Sunday, June 22 at 7pm UTC (12pm PST)  

Official Xbox Podcast: Learn More About Gears of War Reloaded  

As detailed on the Official Xbox Podcast, Studio Head Mike Crump and Studio Technical Director Kate Rayner let us know that Gears of War: Reloaded is the definitive release of the iconic original that started it all. Not only does this remaster include all post-launch content from the original and Ultimate Edition, it also delivers a litany of technical achievements that weren’t possible 20 or even 10 years ago.   

We’re talking 4K assets, remastered textures, HDR support, but also platform scaling capabilities that make it possible to play Gears of War Reloaded across a multitude of devices that you own, from the upcoming ROG Xbox Ally handhelds, to PC, to console, and more. Where the original Gears of War was a technical achievement for Xbox 360 — Gears of War Reloaded is shaping up to be a triumph across all devices. Check out the full episode above.  

Preorder and Game Pass Bonuses: Adam Fenix and Anya Stroud Character Skins  

Those that preorder Gears of War: Reloaded, digitally or physically, and Game Pass Ultimate or Game Pass PC members will receive two character skins for use in multiplayer, including:   

• Adam Fenix: Father of Marcus Fenix and legendary military scientist who invented the Hammer of Dawn. Now he’s geared up and ready to help defend humanity from the Locust Horde.  

• Anya Stroud: The guiding voice of Delta Squad, from the desk at COG CIC to the warzones of Ephyra, Anya is trained and ready to curb stomp some grubs.  

_{*Multiplayer Beta Access for Gears of War: Ultimate Edition Owners: Must have purchased Gears of War: Ultimate Edition (digital-only) prior to May 5, 2025 at 16:00 UTC.} 

Gears of War: Reloaded

Xbox Game Studios

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

Get it now

THE DEFINITIVE RELEASE

The Original, Remastered: Powered by Unreal Engine, Gears of War: Reloaded is a remaster of the blockbuster first Gears of War, now fully optimized for the latest generation of gaming platforms.

All Included: Gears of War: Reloaded delivers all post-launch content for the original title, including a bonus campaign act, multiplayer maps, plus characters and cosmetics, at no additional cost.

Refined Controls: Newcomers can choose a modern, streamlined control layout, while veterans can relive the classic feel they love.

BUILT FOR BROTHERHOOD

Campaign Co-Op: Crush the Locust threat together through campaign split-screen or online co-op. Fight on with your squad in Versus multiplayer running at up to 120fps with unmatched clarity and visual fidelity.*

Cross Play: Gears of War: Reloaded supports cross-play across all platforms, allowing you and your friends to squad-up, regardless of where you play.*

Cross Progression: Jump from one platform to another and your campaign saves as well as multiplayer progression will come with you. Signing in with your Microsoft Account required is for cross progression.*

OPTIMIZED FOR XBOX & PC:

Natively Optimized for Xbox Series X|S: The iconic original now looks and plays better than ever with lightning-fast load times, 4K assets plus remastered textures, lighting, shadows and reflections, HDR and Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, as well as up to 120 FPS in multiplayer.*

Optimized for PC & Handhelds: In addition to stunning remastered visuals, Gears of War: Reloaded also delivers PC-first features such as ultrawide support, a benchmark mode, variable refresh rate, mouse and keyboard support, FSR3.1 and DLSS3.5 Super Resolution support as well as controller remapping.