Xbox Games Showcase 2025: Everything announced and then some

Microsoft just wrapped up their biggest gaming showcase of the year, and honestly? They came loaded for bear. From brand new handhelds to surprise Final Fantasy drops, this wasn't your typical "here's what's coming eventually" presentation. The

Xbox Games Showcase 2025

delivered actual release dates, playable demos, and enough surprises to keep Twitter buzzing for weeks.The show's theme was clear:

Xbox

wants to be everywhere you are, whether that's your couch, your desk, or apparently now in your backpack. With every announced game supporting Xbox Play Anywhere and a shiny new handheld to show off, Microsoft is doubling down on their "play anywhere" philosophy in a big way.Let's break down everything that happened during this gaming extravaganza.

Asus' ROG Ally is now an Xbox

The biggest hardware surprise came courtesy of Microsoft's partnership with Asus. The ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X aren't just another Steam Deck competitor, they’re Microsoft's direct answer to handheld PC gaming. Both the Ally(s) run full Windows, meaning you can access Xbox Game Pass, Steam, Battle.net, and pretty much any PC storefront you can think of.

The regular Ally packs an AMD Ryzen Z2A processor with 16GB of RAM and 512GB storage, while the Ally X steps things up with a Ryzen Z2 Extreme, 24GB of RAM, and a full terabyte of storage. Both launch this holiday season, and Microsoft made sure to mention that every game shown in the showcase will run on these handhelds. That's a bold claim, but if it holds true, these could be game-changers for portable gaming.

The Outer Worlds 2 finally gets a real release date

After years of waiting, Obsidian's space RPG sequel has locked in October 29, 2025 as its launch date. The new trailer showed off the colony of Arcadia, which looks like it's having a significantly worse time than the locations in the first game. Rifts are tearing through space-time, factions are at each other's throats, and somehow capitalism is still the real villain.The sequel promises bigger RPG systems, more reactive storytelling, and full character customisation. Plus, there's an expanded Direct happening right after the showcase, so Obsidian clearly has a lot more to show. If you enjoyed the original's blend of dark humour and corporate satire, this looks like more of exactly what you want.

Ninja Gaiden 4 brings PlatinumGames flair to Team Ninja violence

October 21, 2025 marks the return of one of gaming's most brutally difficult action series. Ninja Gaiden 4 is a collaboration between Team Ninja and PlatinumGames, which sounds like a recipe for some absolutely bonkers combat sequences. The trailer showcased new protagonist Yakumo pulling off impossible combos against hordes of enemies, with the signature weapon-switching and aerial juggling the series is known for.The game is set in near-future Tokyo, features connections to series legend Ryu Hayabusa, and promises to deliver that "git gud or go home" difficulty the franchise built its reputation on. If you've been missing proper character action games, this one's shaping up to be essential.

Super Meat Boy gets an extra dimension

Sometimes the most unexpected announcements hit the hardest, and

Super Meat Boy 3D

definitely qualifies. Sluggerfly and Headup Games are taking Team Meat's masochistic masterpiece and literally adding another dimension to the suffering. The early 2026 release promises all the wall-jumping, buzzsaw-dodging, death-filled gameplay that made the original a cult classic, except now you can fail spectacularly in three dimensions instead of two. The trailer showcased the same tight platforming mechanics that turned controllers into projectiles worldwide, complete with Meat Boy's quest to rescue his bandage-wrapped girlfriend from that eternally creepy fetus in a jar. It's the kind of game that makes you question your life choices while simultaneously hitting "retry" for the 500th time – and honestly, we wouldn't have it any other way.

Clockwork Revolution shows off its steampunk time-travel madness

InXile's ambitious RPG got an extended look, and it's looking appropriately ambitious. Set in the steampunk city of Avalon, players discover that history itself has been manipulated by the city's ruler. Your solution? A time travel device that lets you hop into the past and change things, with consequences rippling forward into the present.The new trailer focused on the grittier side of Avalon, showing the downtrodden areas where gangs prey on the weak. It's a far cry from the polished upper city areas we've seen before, suggesting the game will have some real social commentary alongside its time-bending mechanics. No release date yet, but this is definitely one to watch.

Call of Duty Black Ops 7 goes full sci-fi

The final reveal of the show was perhaps the biggest surprise, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, set in 2035. This isn't your typical modern warfare setup; the trailer suggested heavy sci-fi elements, psychological warfare, and the return of David Mason from Black Ops 2. The year 2035 apparently isn't going great for humanity, with the world "on the brink of chaos" following the events of previous Black Ops games.Treyarch and Raven Software are promising co-op campaign support, near-future weaponry, and the next chapter of Round-Based Zombies. The official reveal is coming this summer, but this teaser suggests the series is taking some big swings with its setting and tone.

Gears of War Reloaded gets a multiplayer beta next week

Sometimes the best announcements are the ones you can play immediately. Gears of War: Reloaded launches August 26, but Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members can jump into a multiplayer beta starting June 13. This definitive edition of the original Gears features 4K textures, 60 FPS campaign, 120 FPS multiplayer, and full cross-play support.The remaster is coming to more platforms than any Gears game before it, including PlayStation 5. It's a smart move from Microsoft, using one of their biggest exclusives to showcase their multi-platform strategy while giving longtime fans the definitive way to experience the game that started it all.

Grounded 2 trades the backyard for suburban wilderness

Obsidian's surprise sequel announcement came with an immediate Early Access date, July 29, 2025. Grounded 2 moves the action from a single backyard to the larger Brookhollow Park, featuring new biomes, new bugs, and one of the community's most requested features: rideable vehicles called Buggies.The game promises major quality-of-life improvements over the original, including an all-in-one Omni-Tool that should streamline the building and crafting systems. With over 25 million players shaping the first game's development, this sequel feels like a direct response to community feedback.

Final Fantasy makes Xbox its new home

In the showcase's biggest surprise drop,

Final Fantasy XVI

is available on Xbox platforms right now. Not tomorrow, not next week, today. The game that many considered a permanent PlayStation exclusive just became part of Xbox's catalog, complete with Xbox Play Anywhere support and cross-save functionality.

Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade is following this winter, meaning Xbox players will soon have access to some of the most acclaimed JRPGs of recent years. Microsoft made sure to point out that every mainline single-player Final Fantasy is now playable on Xbox platforms, which is a pretty impressive collection to have.

A handful of new RPGs are coming out

Three RPGs caught attention for their unique approaches to familiar genres. Aniimo is an open-world creature collecting game that lets players actually transform into the creatures they capture through something called the Twining system. It's hitting 2026 with a closed beta coming later this year.

Aphelion from Don't Nod (Life is Strange, Jusant) is a sci-fi adventure about an astronaut stranded on a frozen planet. What makes it special is its partnership with the European Space Agency, promising gameplay grounded in real science. Beast of Reincarnation from Game Freak takes players to post-apocalyptic Japan with a cursed protagonist and her loyal dog companion fighting massive creatures.All three games are coming in 2026.

Fighting games and indie darlings round out the roster

Quarter Up announced

Invincible VS

, a 3v3 tag fighter based on the hit comic and animated series. The trailer showed appropriately brutal superhero combat with characters like Mark, Thula, and Atom Eve beating the absolute stuffing out of each other. It's coming in 2026 and looks like it could scratch that Marvel vs. Capcom itch.

Mudang: Two Hearts is a tactical action game set in a reunified Korea, following a North Korean operative and a K-pop idol whose paths cross during terrorist attacks. The cinematic presentation and Unreal Engine 5 visuals make it one to watch for 2026.

Persona 4 Revival got the briefest of teases, literally about seven seconds of footage, but it's enough to confirm that Atlus is giving the beloved JRPG a full remake treatment. No release date yet, but seeing those updated visuals of Inaba was enough to get fans excited.

DLC updates keep existing games fresh

Three major Xbox exclusives are getting substantial content drops. The Elder Scrolls Online is continuing its Worm Cult storyline with new content arriving June 18. Fallout 76 added fishing with the Gone Fission update, because apparently even post-apocalyptic wasteland dwellers need to relax sometimes.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is getting The Order of Giants DLC on September 4, taking Indy beneath the streets of Rome for a new adventure.

Hollow Knight: Silksong finally shows signs of life

The most anticipated indie game of the decade got its briefest of mentions, but sometimes that's all you need to send a fanbase into overdrive. Hollow Knight: Silksong appeared during the ROG Xbox Ally segment with a simple promise: it'll be available "at launch and in Game Pass" when the handheld arrives later this year. No new footage, no release date, just the confirmation that Team Cherry's long-awaited sequel is still breathing.The game's developer quickly clarified that Silksong isn't tied to the console's release and will arrive "before Holiday," which has fans cautiously optimistic that Christmas 2025 might finally deliver the Metroidvania sequel they've been waiting years for. After countless delays and radio silence, even this tiny update feels like a victory for the Silksong faithful who've been subsisting on hope and memes for far too long.

Next year brings Xbox's 25th anniversary celebration

Phil Spencer closed the show by looking ahead to 2026 and Xbox's 25th anniversary. The confirmed lineup includes a new Fable, the next Forza game, Gears of War: E-Day, and what Spencer called "the return of a classic that's been with us since the beginning." Most fans are interpreting that last tease as Halo-related, possibly a Combat Evolved remake or remaster.It's a strong lineup for Xbox's quarter-century celebration, mixing beloved franchises with what sounds like a major nostalgic announcement. Whether it's Halo or something else entirely, Spencer clearly saved the biggest tease for last.