30 Exciting Xbox Series X|S Games to Anticipate in 2025

Dynasty Warriors: Origins (Xbox Series X|S)

Who doesn’t crave more Dynasty Warriors? Alright, we get it, perhaps a lot of people don’t. But, for the fans who adore Dynasty Warriors, they are nothing if not passionate about enjoying more of the same action repetitively. We’re joking, we’re actually huge fans ourselves.

Dynasty Warriors: Origins seems to promise more than just more of the same, as it explores deeper into the lore and narrative of the first part of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the Chinese novel that inspired the games. Instead of trying to cover everything at once, they are choosing to break it down, slow it down, and hopefully make it all a bit more relatable in the process.

More depth to the narrative certainly appears to be a positive development to us, even though we still want to mercilessly hack through a million henchmen, and as this is the first new entry in seven years, we might as well get excited, right?

• Release Date: 17th January 2025
• Xbox Game Pass? No

Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 (Xbox Series X|S)

Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 looks set to kick off 2025 with a starkly realistic entry in the RPG genre, as Henry of Skalitz returns for another slice of beautifully atmospheric 15th-century action.

Warhorse Studios captured the essence of 15th-century Bohemia in their first outing, although their initial creation took a while to patch up into good form, and this second release seems to come in a much more polished state. Let’s hope for fewer controversies and more player-friendly features this time around, as we genuinely believe this studio is capable of delivering an absolute blockbuster if they nail the gameplay. Henry’s first journey is a hidden treasure that’s still worth a playthrough, and this sequel could turn out to be one of 2025’s unexpected highlights.

• Release Date: 4th February 2025
• Xbox Game Pass? No

Assassin’s Creed Shadows (Xbox Series X|S)

Not certain if any of you have heard of this little Assassin’s Creed series that Ubisoft has had in development, but for those among you who have, well, here’s another installment.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows finally, FINALLY, transports the series to feudal Japan, a setting so intriguing that we can’t help but think it’s going to be a masterpiece, regardless of any issues or delays. Featuring two protagonists and newly refined parkour, stealth, and combat mechanics, we believe Shadows will be an excellent experience for quite some time when it releases in February.

• Release Date: 14th February 2025
• Xbox Game Pass? No

Avowed (Xbox Series X|S)

An upcoming Obsidian RPG is always something to get tremendously excited about, and so we’ve been eagerly awaiting Avowed for quite some time.

But! The moment is nearly upon us. With the release date for this classic-style fantasy story just around the corner (and definitely not being postponed again), anticipate a tidy RPG that thrives on choice-driven dialogue, plenty of excellent writing, a memorable cast of characters, and judging by the incredibly impressive gameplay trailer we just watched while enjoying leftover treats, some truly thrilling combat sequences. February 13th cannot arrive soon enough!

• Release Date: 18th February 2025
• Xbox Game Pass? Yes

Lost Records: Bloom & Rage (Xbox Series X|S)

The creators of the remarkable Life is Strange return in 2025 with this new fictional adventure. Featuring four old friends reuniting after years apart, expect their escapades to be infused with the kind of heartwarming emotion that Don’t Nod is known for.

Part one of this new endeavor launches in February, with the finale, part two, landing in March – we love serialized gaming – and we expect nothing less than to be emotionally moved and teary-eyed by the conclusion.

• Release Date: 18th February 2025
• Xbox Game Pass? No

Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii (Xbox Series X|S)

Listen. When the announcement trailer for Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii first premiered, this writer let out an audible squeal of excitement. Very thrilling, but also a moment of complete abandon, because this wonderfully absurd concept is precisely what we want to see from this wonderfully ridiculous – and yet somehow always heartfelt – series.

We aren’t worried about its quality; the last two LaD games have been among our favorites of this generation (Infinite Wealth was unfairly absent from our Top 10 for 2024, let’s be honest) and now we can only wait, and thankfully it won’t be for too long, for the exciting content to come our way. It may be a trimmed-down title, as a Majima-focused spin-off packed with action, but we’re still looking forward to a reasonably lengthy narrative full of the kind of madness only Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios knows how to deliver.

• Release Date: 21st February 2025
• Xbox Game Pass? No

Monster Hunter Wilds (Xbox Series X|S)

Monster Hunter Wilds feels like it’s arriving in what seems to be a golden era of popularity for a franchise that, not so long ago, appeared primarily tailored for hardcore enthusiasts.

We love it, make no mistake, it’s thrilling to see this franchise fulfill its vast potential, and Wilds seems set to welcome even more players into the fold. New mounts, referred to as Seikrets, now allow hunters to pick up scents from a distance – which is a game changer – as well as enabling players to wield an extra weapon. Altered weather conditions are another major shift, and judging by the trailers we’ve seen so far, it seems to showcase the best the franchise has to offer thus far. We can’t wait!

• Release Date: 28th February 2025
• Xbox Game Pass? No

Split Fiction (Xbox Series X|S)

It Takes Two was a remarkable game and a huge triumph for Hazelight Studios.