Category: Xbox
Here Comes Capcom’s Newest Challenger! Street Fighter 6 Now Available for Xbox Series X|S
Next Week on Xbox: New Games for June 5 to 9
Welcome to Next Week on Xbox! In this weekly feature we cover all the games coming soon to Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows, 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!
Amnesia: The Bunker – June 6
Xbox Game Pass
Available on day one with Game Pass: Amnesia: The Bunker is a first-person horror game set in a desolate WW1 Bunker. Face the oppressing terrors stalking the dark corridors. Search for and use the tools and weapons at your disposal, while keeping the lights on at all costs. Overcome fear, persevere, and make your way out alive. Playable on Clo
Diablo® IV – Standard Edition
Blizzard Entertainment
$69.99
Diablo IV (Standard Edition) – June 6
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery
Diablo IV is the next-gen action RPG experience with endless evil to slaughter, countless abilities to master, nightmarish dungeons, and legendary loot. Embark on the campaign solo or with friends, meeting memorable characters through beautifully dark settings and a gripping story, or go rogue through an expansive End Game and shared world where players will meet in towns to trade, team up to battle World Bosses, or descend into PVP zones to test their skills against other players – no lobbies necessary – with cross-play and cross-progression on all available platforms.
Terminal Velocity™: Boosted Edition
Ziggurat Interactive, Inc.
$11.99
Terminal Velocity: Boosted Edition – June 6
Climb back into the cockpit of Terminal Velocity: Boosted Edition, a 360-degree combat flight simulator featuring a variety of different planets to battle across and a high-powered weapon arsenal to aid you. In the far future, armadas from surrounding systems have suddenly waged war on Earth. You are a pilot from the Ares Squadron, flying the fastest, most dangerous aircraft ever made. You’re outgunned, outmanned, and strapped inside a flying coffin. Are you ready?
Garden City
8floor ltd
Are your new flowers wilting? Is your fountain not ready for the public? Is another heir threatening to take the fruits of your labor? Worry not. Careful resource management and clever approaches will help you solve any problem in the casual strategy game, Garden City.
Listeria Wars
Rubel Games
Listeria Wars – June 7
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery
Listeria Wars is a real-time tactical game where you defend against pathogenic microbes attacking an infected organism. A key feature of the game is the parallel viewing experience where you can view the life of the human whose body has become the pathogenic battlefield – your goal is to protect and defend the infected body from deadly pathogens.
MotoGP™23 – Pre-order
Milestone S.r.l.
$49.99
MotoGP 23 – June 7
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery
Open the throttle, pass your opponents, and cross the finish line. Live the dream of being the next champion with the new MotoGP23 — now more amazing and challenging than ever! Compete in the three official championship categories MotoGP, Moto2, and Moto3, step into the shoes of your favorite rider and head to the track to experience the adrenaline of the 2023 season.
Nocturnal
Dear Villagers
Nocturnal – June 7
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S
Carve your way with fire and steel to find out what happened to your people in this action-platformer game. You are the only one who can discover the secrets that lie beyond the Mist.
SENSEs: Midnight
Eastasiasoft Limited
Senses Midnight – June 7
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery
When returning to Japan for a family visit, friends dare Kaho to investigate an infamous urban legend, The Midnight Door of Ikebukuro Walking Park. Kaho jumps at the opportunity to prove the legend true and capture positive proof of the paranormal but entering the long-abandoned park may be the worst mistake she will ever make in this 3D survival horror game inspired by genre classics.
Toodee And Topdee
Top Hat Studios, Inc.
Toodee and Topdee – June 7 – Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery / Xbox Play Anywhere
A cosmic turbulence caused the 2D Platformer and the Top-Down Puzzler dimensions to merge! Switch between Toodee and Topdee and their unique perspectives to overcome hard-as-nails challenges, solve mind-melting puzzles, and defeat huge bosses.
Aery – The Lost Hero
EpiXR Games
$9.99
Xbox One X Enhanced
Aery – The Lost Hero – June 8 – Xbox One X Enhanced
Play as a little bird and search for a hero that can save your village. Discover unknown, giant and beautiful environments and experience the feeling of flying while exploring a whole world filled with beauty and little secrets.
Cat Souls
Ratalaika Games S.L.
Cat Souls – June 9 – Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery
Play as Ruby, an energetic cat with a strange ability. Like all cats, Ruby has more than one life, but not all of them can use their past souls as a platform. Ruby and her friend went on an adventure and successfully found the mythical Hourglass of time! Jump, avoid obstacles, use levers, and collect keys to reach the end of each level in time.
Dead Ground
Desert Water Games LLC
Dead Ground – June 9 – Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery
A procedurally generated tower defense game with rogue-like elements. Each playthrough will offer randomly generated guns, skills, and augments. You will have to travel, collect scrap, water, manage your inventory and upgrade your base to survive.
Greyhill Incident – Abducted Edition
Perpetual-Europe
Greyhill Incident – June 9 – Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery
Greyhill Incident is a story-driven survival horror game that takes place during the early ‘90s. As Ryan Baker, equipped with a baseball bat and a few bullets in his trusty revolver, the story takes you across the atmospheric neighborhood of Greyhill, which is invaded by UFOs & Grey Aliens.
Kingdom of Aurelia: Mystery of the Poisoned Dagger
Joindots GmbH
Step inside the magical world of Aurelia, solve head-scratching puzzles, and meet many mysterious people on your astonishing journey. Explore a fascinating steampunk world brought to life with beautiful music and hand-drawn graphics and unravel the web of secrets surrounding the royal family.
A Painter’s Tale: Curon, 1950
Fantastico Studio
A Painter’s Tale: Curon, 1950 – June 8 – Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery
A story about love and resistance; an adventure game about historical memory. The main character of the game is a painter visiting the village of Curon Venosta as it looks today, built after a flooding in 1950. Soon the painter is dragged into the lake by a mysterious woman and wakes up in the past, in the old village of Curon as it was before the floods in this tale where history and fiction overlap.
Related:
Coming Soon to Xbox Game Pass: Amnesia: The Bunker, Car Mechanic Simulator 2021, Dordogne, and More
Next Week on Xbox: New Games for May 29 to June 2
Next Week on Xbox: New Games for May 22 to 26
Front Mission 1st: Remake premieres on June 30th on Xbox
Summary
- Legendary tactical RPG Front Mission comes back as a remake.
- Modern mode with improved controls and a fully reorchestrated soundtrack.
- The game will premiere on Xbox One and Xbox Series S|X on June 30th
Wanzers are Making a Comeback, More Refined Than Ever!
On June 30th, Front Mission 1st: Remake will make its highly anticipated debut on Xbox One and Xbox Series S|X. Deploy on a mission and play through the intricately woven narrative of this iconic tactical RPG series.
Huffman Island is the only place where the Oceania Cooperative Union (O.C.U.) and the Unified Continental States (U.C.S.) share a land border, making this place the epicenter of the Second Huffman Conflict in the year 2090.
Leading a reconnaissance platoon, O.C.U. Captain Royd Clive is tasked with investigating a U.C.S. munitions plant. However, their mission takes an unexpected turn when they find themselves ambushed by U.C.S. wanzers – triggering a chain of events that thrusts the entire island into a full-fledged war. Amidst the chaos, Royd’s fiancée, Lieutenant Karen Meure, goes missing in action.
Discharged from military service, Royd embarks on a pursuit to uncover the truth. As his investigation progresses, he gradually unearths a conspiracy and the powers that orchestrated it.
Assemble your Team and Plunge into the Heart of the Action.
Front Mission 1st: Remake is an immersive tactical turn-based RPG that puts you in the role of a valiant pilot navigating war machines called wanzers through hazardous battlefields. Experience the realities of war through strategic maneuvers, while enjoying upgraded graphics and a fully reorchestrated soundtrack that elevate the classic Front Mission gameplay to modern-day standards.
About the Front Mission Series
Front Mission stands tall as a legendary franchise that has enthralled fans worldwide for decades. With its diverse range of media adaptations, including manga, novels, radio dramas, and collectible toys, it has secured a special place in the hearts of enthusiasts.
Beyond its captivating narrative, Front Mission shines with its awe-inspiring utilization of colossal war machines known as wanzers. These giants, derived from the German term “Wanderpanzer,” meaning walking tanks, play a pivotal role in the game’s intense battles.
Wishlist Front Mission 1st: Remake now! – link to the store
You can read more about the game and its history at https://frontmissionremake.com/ and on our social media channels: Twitter, Facebook, YouTube.
FRONT MISSION 1st: Remake
Forever Entertainment S.A.
In the year 2090, the world’s conflicts are fought using giant war machines called Wanzers. Huffman Island, the only place where the Oceania Cooperative Union (O.C.U.) and the Unified Continental States (U.C.S.) share a land border is a hotbed of conflict.
An O.C.U. reconnaissance platoon led by Captain Royd Clive is assigned to investigate a U.C.S. munitions plant. They are ambushed by U.C.S. Wanzers, triggering a series of events that plunges the whole island into war. Royd’s fiancée, Lieutenant Karen Meure, goes missing in action.
Discharged from the military, Royd sets out to investigate what happened to Karen. His quest leads him closer and closer to the conspiracy behind the incident and the powers that orchestrated it.
With dozens of characters to meet, its mature story, and non-Manichean protagonists, Front Mission is the classic of a tactical Japanese RPG genre, finally available worldwide.
Related:
Award Winning Undead Horde 2: Necropolis Arising on Xbox
Evil Wizard is Now Available on Xbox Series X|S: The Making of True Evil
Press Play: Cassette Beasts is Out Now on Xbox and Available with Xbox Game Pass
Free Play Days – Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege, Farming Simulator 22: Platinum Edition, and Ghostrunner
Choose from dozens of highly trained operators in a tactical team-based shooter, create a lush vineyard or an olive orchard in the Mediterranean, or become the most advanced blade fighter ever this weekend with Free Play Days! Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege, Farming Simulator 22: Platinum Edition, and Ghostrunner are available this weekend for Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate member to play from Thursday, June 1 at 12:01 a.m. PDT until Sunday, June 4 at 11:59 p.m. PDT.
How to Start Playing
Find and install the games on each of the individual game details page on Xbox.com. Clicking through will send you to the Microsoft Store, where you must be signed in to see the option to install with your Xbox Live Gold or Xbox Game Pass Ultimate membership. To download on console, click on the Subscriptions tab in the Xbox Store and enter the Gold member area to locate the Free Play Days collection on your Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.
Keep the Fun Going
Purchase the game and other editions at a limited time discount and continue playing while keeping your Gamerscore and earned achievements during the event! Please note that discounts and percentages may vary by title and region.
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six® Siege Operator Edition
UBISOFT
$79.99
$35.99
The Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six® Siege Operator Edition contains:
– The full game (all maps and modes).
– All 46 operators from Years 1–7.
– The full game (all maps and modes).
– All 46 operators from Years 1–7.
“One of the best first-person shooters ever made.” 1010 —GameSpot
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege is an elite, realistic, tactical, team-based shooter where superior planning and execution triumphs. Featuring 5v5 attack vs. defense gameplay and intense close-quarters combat in destructible environments.
Choose from over 60 operators, each with unique gadgets and customizable weapon loadouts. Outthink your opponents by breaching walls, floors, and windows, or lie in wait with deadly traps.
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege is constantly expanding: each season brings new content, in-game events, and more.
This game leverages Smart Delivery allowing access to both the Xbox One title and the Xbox Series X|S title.
Farming Simulator 22 – Platinum Edition
GIANTS Software
$59.99
$47.99
The most extensive farming sim to date!
With the Platinum Edition of Farming Simulator 22, you start your farming venture in one of four distinctive European and American environments to take on agriculture, forestry and animal husbandry. At your disposal: More than 500 authentic machines and tools by over 100 renowned agricultural manufacturers from all over the world.
With Farming Simulator 22, various new gameplay mechanics are introduced: Seasonal cycles challenge you to plan ahead and adapt to changing weather conditions. New crops like grapes and olives require you to carefully work in narrow spaces with specialized machines, and various production chains allow you to build an agricultural empire.
Platinum Expansion included – get even more content!
Included in the Platinum Edition, apart from the already massive base game, is the brand-new Platinum Expansion: Adding Silverrun Forest, a new map, inspired by the Pacific Northwest with its woody landscapes and new possibilities. Grab your tree markers to take on new forestry missions and even build a boat at the shipyard – as Silverrun Forest is rife with points of interest and production chains that develop based on your delivery of logs.
Enjoy a large selection of new machines by the renowned Swedish manufacturer Volvo that celebrates its debut to the Farming Simulator series and extend your fleet by even more from John Deere, Komatsu, Pfanzelt, Koller, Schwarzmüller, IMPEX and many other brands. Over 40 authentic vehicles and tools are included in the expansion to enrich and grow your farming and forestry experience – whether you rise to the challenge of virtual farming alone or with friends in multiplayer.
Over 100 real brands – new: Volvo and others!
Over 500 authentic vehicles and tools
Includes base game and Platinum Expansion
4 distinctive European and American environments
Large variety of crops, animals and trees
Seasonal challenges, production chains, tree marking & more!
Crossplay-Multiplayer allows for cooperative farming
ModHub offers free community-created content.
Ghostrunner
505 Games & All in! Games
$29.99
$11.99
Ghostrunner is a hardcore FPP slasher packed with lightning-fast action, set in a grim, cyberpunk setting of a futuristic megastructure. Climb Dharma Tower, humanity s last shelter after a world-ending cataclysm. Make your way up from the very bottom to the top, confront the tyrannical Keymaster, and take your revenge.
The streets of the tower city are full of violence. Mara the Keymaster rules with an iron fist and little regard for human life.
As resources grow thin, the strong prey on the weak and chaos threatens to consume what little order remains. The decisive last stand is coming. The final attempt to set things right before mankind goes over the edge of extinction.
As the most advanced blade fighter ever created, you re always outnumbered but never outclassed. Slice your enemies
with a monomolecular katana, dodge bullets thanks to superhuman reflexes and employ a variety of specialized techniques to
prevail.
One hit one kill mechanics make the combat fast and intense use your superior mobility (and frequent checkpoints!) to
fearlessly engage in a never-ending dance with death.
Ghostrunner offers a unique single-player experience of fast-paced, violent combat, and an original setting that blends science fiction with post-apocalyptic themes. It tells a story of a world that has already ended and its inhabitants who fight to survive.
Don’t miss out on this exciting Free Play Days for Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate member! Learn more about Free Play Days here and stay tuned to Xbox Wire to find out about future Free Play Days and all the latest Xbox gaming news.
Related:
Free Play Days – XCOM 2, Tom Clancy’s The Division 2, Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor – Martyr Ultimate Edition, and Warhammer: Chaosbane Slayer Edition Xbox Series X|S
Free Play Days – Just Die Already, Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2, Hunting Simulator 2, and Overcooked! All You Can Eat
Free Play Days – Golf With Your Friends, Turbo Golf Racing, Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker, and For the King
How The Expanse: A Telltale Series Aims to Tell Their Small Story in a Large Universe
Summary
- We chatted with Deck Nine Games Director Stephan Frost about the upcoming The Expanse: A Telltale Series.
- The upcoming adventure game will take players back to the world of “The Expanse” television series.
- The Expanse: A Telltale Series launches July 27, 2023, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S and is available for pre-order today on the Xbox Store.
I first heard about the “The Expanse” novels when the series was described to me as “Game of Thrones in space.” That seemed appropriate as the co-writing collaborators – known singly as James S.A. Corey – were an understudy of George R.R. Martin some years ago, so broad epics spanning numerous novels seemed like an apt description.
Now with nine full-length novels and multiple short stories – many I’ve enjoyed quite thoroughly — and an incredibly entertaining television show that just wrapped up a year ago, it feels time for the world of The Expanse to… well… expand into next-gen gaming with The Expanse: A Telltale Series. The team at Deck Nine Games seem to be the perfectly suited to deliver on that experience.
The writers [Ty and Daniel] encouraged us to explore creating new characters and adding to the lore.
“The Expanse has a massive universe with wildly varied settings, characters, and stories,” explains Deck Nine Games Director Stephan Frost. “The writers [Ty and Daniel] encouraged us to explore creating new characters and adding to the lore. There’s a section in the game where we explore what life was like for first-generation belters that we’re very excited for players to see, and that was a lot of fun to explore and create. We have characters fans will recognize and we have some new ones that players are going to love meeting when they play the game.”
When Deck Nine initially pitched the game, Ty and Daniel liked the idea and added a few suggestions for these characters and plot points. As development continued, they would receive notes from the authors and the show’s production company, Alcon, regarding world building to make sure it all felt and looked like “The Expanse” as seen in the television series. Looking at some of the existing footage it’s clear Deck Nine Games is on the right path and have captured the hit sci-fi show — having access to its “art bible” helped.
“We are huge nerds for The Expanse, so really this was a passion project for a group of talented game developers to play in a universe we love,” Frost says. “Our cinematics team really studied the cinematography of the show, and the goal was to make it feel like a playable episode [of the show]. We can’t wait for Expanse fans to see what we’ve cooked up.”
The adventure game formula that Telltale Games has established over the years has gone through many iterations, but the core of delivering an interactive adventure game has been at the heart of every release. Part of that formula has been player choice and Frost wasn’t shy in sharing that we’ll have some tough choices in store — the selections we make will affect the last episode of the game — who lives, who dies, and various crew actions will be affected by the decisions made from all the previous episodes. Helping to land that emotional connection to those repercussions will be some very expressive and well animated characters to help reinforce that feeling of playing in world of The Expanse.
We are huge nerds for The Expanse, so really this was a passion project for a group of talented game developers to play in a universe we love.
“We are using motion capture technology that allows for some extremely nuanced performances thanks to our actors and animators, and these performances really help tell a story with heart and emotion,” explains Frost. “We’ve also added a zero-G exploration mechanic, with a much larger space to explore derelict ships while talking to members of our crew abord the Artemis. As an interactive storytelling device, it’s fun to float upside down and attach to hull walls with our magboots and get perspectives from the crew on what we’re seeing.”
Development on The Expanse: A Telltale Series started a little less than two years ago and Frost mentions that once the game was greenlit, the team wanted to really lean into what was exciting about the universe. Coming out of that planning session, everyone seemed to land on the character of Camina Drummer as one of the team’s favorites. Relative to the other main characters of the show, her backstory wasn’t nearly as fleshed out like that of the crew of the Rocinante as seen in “The Expanse.”
“We loved the idea of exploring her past to find out why she became so awesome in the show,” says Frost. “The Belt and zero gravity were more awesome parts [of the show], so we knew we had to have gameplay that felt like it was leaning into that part of the universe. When we put all that together, we needed to get approval from the book’s authors, so we pitched them the idea and they were very supportive with the direction we were heading.”
Obviously if you were going to center a game around Drummer, you would want to bring on the talented Cara Gee to reprise her role from the show — ot only because her character is amazing, but doing so would bring a tremendous level of authenticity to the game’s immersion factor. As it turns out, Gee was more than willing to return to her belter roots and made herself available as often as possible during the game’s development.
“Cara was awesome to work with, 10/10 would do again,” says Frost. “When we met her, we needed to do an ADR (Automated Dialogue Replacement) recording while she was filming for a TV show in Canada. We contacted a remote studio to have her come in and do some voice over work, which was in a small studio in someone’s backyard. She was extremely friendly, funny, and patient and hearing her sweet everyday voice drop into the basement for Drummer’s iconic sound was awesome to see and hear. When we were recording on set, we maintained a relaxed and positive atmosphere and she was a big part of that. No ego, worked hard, and brought great insight from her time on the show. We wouldn’t have done it without her… and couldn’t have even if we wanted to.”
We can’t wait to become part of Drummer’s story in The Expanse: A Telltale Series when it launches July 27, 2023, for Xbox Series X|S. You can pre-order the game today on the Xbox Store here.
The Expanse: A Telltale Series
Telltale
Experience the exciting universe of The Expanse like never before in Telltale’s latest adventure, The Expanse: A Telltale Series. Follow Cara Gee, who reprises her role as Camina Drummer, and explore the dangerous and uncharted edges of the Belt aboard the the Artemis. From scavenging wrecked ships in a zero-g environment, to surviving a mutiny, to combating fearsome pirates, you make the difficult choices and reveal Camina Drummer’s resolve in this latest Telltale adventure.
A TELLTALE STORY LIKE NO OTHER
Immerse yourself in the role of Camina Drummer, the Executive Officer aboard the Artemis, a scavenging ship hunting for a big score in the outer regions of the Belt. You must corral a crew rife with tense relationships and powerful personalities, and make tough decisions that will decide everyone’s fate.
EXPLORE THE BELT IN ZERO-G
Scour shipwrecks, use mag boots to walk on walls and ceilings, and utilize Zero-G thrusters to float through the void. As you fly through sections of ships and the open expanse of space, interact with objects in the world and converse with members of the crew in the largest and most immersive exploration of any Telltale game to date.
DIFFICULT CHOICES, GRAVE CONSEQUENCES
Contend with the unforgiving brutality of space, the politics of a corrupt solar system, the animosities of your crew, and Drummer’s own conflicting responsibilities to the people she cares about and The Belt she has sworn to protect. There is no right or wrong path – only your choices and the consequences they unleash.
Related:
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Award Winning Undead Horde 2: Necropolis Arising on Xbox
Greetings fellow necromancers and necromancer candidates! I’m Sampo Töyssy from 10tons, and I’m thrilled to announce that Undead Horde 2 launches today on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One! We’re excited to bring our necromantic RPG-hack’n’slash-RTS hybrid to Xbox.
In Undead Horde2: Necropolis you become a powerful necromancer with the ability to raise the dead and command them in battle. With each victory, your army will grow stronger, and your city will become more powerful. In essence Undead Horde 2 is an action game with elements from RPG, strategy and hack’n’slash.
The creation of Undead Horde 2 was an interesting journey for us: It’s a sequel but on the other hand we were able to improve and even change many things. The player feedback so far has been very positive, and most players think the sequel is better than the first game in many ways which has been very nice to hear. We’ve tried staying true to the spirit of the original game, while simultaneously expanding its universe and refining the elements that made the first game so captivating.
The biggest change is in the core player interaction: Instead of your horde mirroring the enemies exactly, you can choose which kind of undead you raise. So, the players have more control over their undead minions in a more strategic and immersive manner. Our aim has been to not just create a sequel, but to evolve the franchise into a more engaging, dynamic, and compelling experience. We hope we’ve succeeded in our goal.
We also have an additional announcement: Undead Horde 2 was named the Big Screen Game of the Year at the Finnish Game Awards! The award was a nice surprise for us, since we didn’t think our sequel would stand a chance. We hope you enjoy commanding your undead armies on Xbox as much as we’ve enjoyed creating this experience for you. Glory to the king and glory to the undead!
Undead Horde 2: Necropolis
10tons Ltd.
$16.99
The living have razed your home: The Necropolis. Become a necromancer king and raise undead warriors from the remains of your enemies. With each victory, your army will grow stronger and your city will become more powerful, allowing you to take on even tougher challenges. Take back your land, free the undead souls and secure a future for the undead. Undead Horde 2 is a necromantic action game with elements from RPG, strategy and hack’n’slash.
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May Updates for the Xbox App on PC
Earlier this month, we shared that PC Game Pass is now available in 40 new countries, the ability to take the expansive Game Pass library everywhere you go with the Asus ROG Ally, and the new PC Game Pass Friend Referral program where you can invite your friends and play together. You can find Friend Referral invitations on the Game Pass Home screen in the Xbox App on PC, just click the “Give PC Game Pass” button to share with up to 5 friends.
Now, we’re excited to share the latest Xbox app update to improve your PC gaming experience. Let’s explore the new features and improvements.
Improved Discovery with Updated Game Card, Filtering, and New Collections
We’ve updated game cards throughout the app to give you more information and convenience. Now, you can see the game’s title along with contextual metadata like publisher, pricing, HowLongToBeat time, coming to Game Pass date, leaving Game Pass date for those games leaving soon, and more! You will see all this information as you browse through games in the app. We have also made it easier for you to filter and sort game collections and your library with new filter options, including accessibility features and game ratings, as well as introducing HowLongToBeat as a new sorting option. This way, you can easily find the games you love and discover new ones that match your preferences.
Speaking of discovering new games to play, we have new collections to help you find that next game. Want to play what’s currently popular in your region? Check out the Trending collection. We’re also bringing you new collections powered by HowLongToBeat. You will soon see collections such as “Take a game break”, which highlights games that take less than 5 hours to complete, or “Clear your schedule”, which introduces a collection of games which will require more time to complete.
New Accessibility Options & Menu
Another important update focuses on unifying your accessibility settings, ultimately elevating your PC gaming experience. The new centralized location allows you to customize your accessibility settings, such as enabling or disabling animations and background images, or customizing the ability to browse for games by accessibility features. We have made it easier for you to manage all these settings, as well as PC gaming-related settings in one place. To learn more, check out this short video.
At-a-Glance Social
Now, you can keep your friends list, chat, and party windows up even while you’re in game! If you have two desktops, simply drag these windows onto the desktop that’s not in a full-screen game and continue to stay updated with your friends, all at-a-glance.
Instead of a dedicated tab, enjoy seeing all your online friends at-a-glance in a streamlined friends list at any time and even pop it out on your desktop to always be ready for multiplayer gaming with your favorite people. Simply click on an active friend to open a chat window and begin chatting with them, all while browsing for your next favorite game.
We’ve made it easier than ever to discover and add new friends directly from the friends list. See everyone you’ve recently played with on one click or link your Steam account to bring your friends into the Xbox ecosystem to play together.
Thank you for continuing to provide us your feedback. We are listening to improve your gaming experience with the Xbox App on PC. Keep dropping your comments in the Feedback Hub, to us on Twitter @XboxGamePassPC or the Xbox Insiders Reddit.
Related:
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Xbox Insider Release Notes – Xbox App for Windows [2305.1001.5.0]
Xbox Insider Release Notes – Xbox App for Windows [2305.1001.1.0]
The Sims 4 Addresses Xbox Fan Feedback
After collecting feedback from The Sims 4 players, we have made some big changes to the Xbox version of the game.
By popular demand, we’ve reversed some previous changes to Build Mode and made other improvements. Most of these improvements are related to controller buttons – to create a more seamless play experience, we’ve tried to make the functions of buttons more consistent across different game modes. Here’s what’s new:
Bumper Button Functionality
It used to be that the bumper buttons would have different functions depending on what mode you were in. In CAS (Create a Sim), the buttons switched between Sims, while in Live Mode, they would adjust how quickly time passed.
Now, the bumper buttons will switch between Sims in both CAS and Live Mode. Game speed in Live mode can be adjusted with the triggers.
Build Catalog Changes
The Build Catalog will now minimize when you select an object to place. This will let you see more of your current build while you decide where to place the new object.
When you return to the Build Catalog you will now automatically return to the objects you were looking at most recently. This will make it easier to jump back into what you were doing, creating a faster building and decorating process.
Build Mode Object Rotations
Windows, doors, and tiles used to rotate differently than other objects in Build Mode. They used Y instead of the right and left bumper buttons. We’ve changed this to bring them more in line with the way other objects are handled. Now you’ll be able to rotate these using the right and left bumper buttons, the same way you’d rotate anything else.
Instead of rotating your doors and windows, the Y button will now allow you to place multiple. With tiles, the Y button will be used to toggle between placing a single tile or tiling the floor of an entire room.
Switching Cursor Modes
You can now change cursor modes using the View button.
New Shortcuts
We’ve added a lot of new shortcuts. For example in CAS you can press up on the d-pad to jump to the identity panel and down on the d-pad to add or remove Sims from your household.
Gallery Connection
The Gallery is currently down for some planned improvements. When it comes back, Simmers playing on Xbox will need to link their accounts to their EA accounts to access it. You can do this easily by going to Options > Game Options > Other and selecting Link EA Account.
While you’re getting used to these changes, it’s a good idea to go to the Other section under Game Options and enable Show Controls Legend. If you don’t like on-screen prompts, you can also bring up the Controller Overlay by pressing L3. We’ve cleaned up the Controller overlay so that it will no longer display excess or inaccurate button callouts.
Besides these improvements, we’ve also fixed a lot of bugs in this update that were affecting Xbox players. For example, we’ve made it possible to resize objects in Build Mode again. Press and hold LT+RT while holding the object, then press right or left on the d-pad to adjust the object’s size. We’ve also fixed a bug that was causing the cursor to vanish after using the Relationships panel, one preventing lots from being rotated if you’ve used Move Lot, another that was locking controls when viewing venue information for a lot placed from My Library or the Gallery, and a whole lot more.
Overall, we are confident these changes will make gameplay a lot more intuitive for our Xbox Simmers. We are grateful to our community members for their feedback. Read the full patch notes here.
The Sims™ 4
Electronic Arts
Xbox One X Enhanced
Unleash your imagination and create a unique world of Sims that’s an expression of you! Download for free and customize every detail from Sims to homes, and much more. Choose how Sims look, act, and dress, then decide how they’ll live out each day. Design and build incredible homes for every family, then decorate with your favorite furnishings and décor. Travel to different neighborhoods where you can meet other Sims and learn about their lives. Discover beautiful locations with distinctive environments and go on spontaneous adventures. Manage the ups and downs of Sims’ everyday lives and see what happens when you play out scenarios from your own real life! Tell your stories your way while developing relationships, pursuing careers and life aspirations, and immersing yourself in this extraordinary game, where the possibilities are endless. Play with life!
Download for Free – The base game of The Sims™ 4 is free to download. Get a plethora of options for building homes, styling Sims, and customizing their personalities. Craft their life stories while exploring vibrant worlds and discovering more ways of being you all at no cost.
Create Unique Sims – A variety of Sims are yours to personalize, each with distinct appearances, dynamic personalities, and inspiring aspirations. Use powerful customization features to bring your imagination to life. Create yourself, your favorite celebrities, your fantasy, or your friends! Change your Sims’ clothing to reflect your mood, develop stories that deepen your world, and give their lives purpose with traits and aspirations.
Build the Perfect Home – Effortlessly build and design homes for your Sims in Build Mode. Construct the home of your – and their – dreams by planning its layout, choosing furnishings, and altering the landscape and terrain. You can even add a pool, basement, and garden, or rebuild with new ideas and designs!
Play with Life – Control every moment of your Sims’ lives from their relationships to their careers. Your choices shape every aspect of their lives from birth into adulthood. Along the way, develop your Sims’ skills, pursue original hobbies, take them on adventures, start new families, and much more.
Add New Experiences – Use the Gallery to find inspiration from a community of players just like you. Download and comment on your favorite Sims, homes, and designed rooms.
Get More with EA Play – EA Play* members can expand their career possibilities with The Sims™ 4 Get to Work Expansion Pack
*Conditions, limitations and exclusions apply. See tos.ea.com/legalapp/eaplay/US/en/PC/ for details. Conditions & restrictions apply. See ea.com/legal for details.
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New Games with Gold for June 2023
Explore the worlds of two unique, narrative-driven games this June with Games with Gold! On Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S, sticking to one critical moral decision is harder than you think in the poignant Adios, and then starting on June 16 listen closely as you try the outside-of-the box audio driven adventure The Vale: Shadow of the Crown.
Xbox Live Gold members will have exclusive access to these games for a limited time as part of Games with Gold. So will Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members, who receive all the fantastic benefits of Gold plus access to hundreds of high-quality games with Xbox Game Pass.
- Adios ($17.99 ERP): Available June 1 to 30
- The Vale: Shadow of the Crown ($19.99 ERP): Available June 16 to July 15
Adios
One choice can change everything. You are a pig farmer in Kansas who has finally had enough of your role helping the mob dispose of bodies on your farm. Your hitman friend tries to convince you to change your mind as the two of you go about the errands of the day. He knows what saying no means. This is a meditative thoughtful game that reflects on morality and spirituality with compelling writing and phenomenal voice acting. Will this be goodbye?
The Vale: Shadow of the Crown
You can close your eyes and listen. This is one of the most unique adventures you’ll experience that leverages sound and haptic controller feedback in an audio-based adventure. Break down the barriers between you as the player and your character as you feel your enemy’s breath, listen to the crunching of footsteps or the clang of weapons. Combat is intense and very different than other combat and fantasy games.
Read more about our Games with Gold program here and stay tuned to Xbox Wire for all the latest news on Xbox. Like we said before, if you are an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate member, you get all the benefits of Xbox Live Gold, hundreds of high-quality games you can play on console, PC, and across devices from the cloud, and access to EA Play at no extra cost. New games are added all the time, so you’re never without something new to try when you’re looking to find your next favorite game. If you’re new, or if you’re an existing Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass for Console member, join or upgrade today.
Adios
Mischief
$17.99
Xbox One X Enhanced
Adios is a cinematic first-person game about sticking to a complicated decision.
You’re a pig farmer in Kansas. It’s October. Cold, crisp mornings are the norm, and you have decided that you’re no longer okay with letting the mob use your pigs to dispose of bodies. When your old friend – a hitman – arrives with his assistant to deliver another body, you finally screw up the courage to tell them that you’re done.
Your friend doesn’t want you to stop. He knows that there’s no such thing as quitting, so he’ll try to convince you that you’re making a mistake. You spend the day together, doing chores and exploring the nooks and crannies of an authentic environment in the American Midwest alongside the man who will be forced to kill you, if he can’t convince you to stay.
How you respond will determine the rest of your life.
Adios means goodbye.
The Vale: Shadow of the Crown
Falling Squirrel Inc.
$19.99
The Vale: Shadow of the Crown is a story driven, action-adventure that utilizes the full potential of 3D audio and haptic controller feedback to deliver visceral gameplay that shatters the barrier between player and character. As an audio based game, The Vale sets out to breathe new life into medieval combat and provide a truly novel experience for visually impaired and sighted gamers alike.
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