XBOX Games Showcase 2026 thoughts?

[weirdfeline]

Starting in less than an hour! The big rumor is that Persona 6 is here complete with a green color scheme. I would like to see the Toys for Bob game and I hope for that to be Spyro 4 or hell even Banjo-Threeie would be more interesting than Crash 5.

[weirdfeline]

Gears of War: E-Day looks amazing. I would've liked to play it on PS5.

Fable still coming to PS5 despite launching after Gears and having that big moment for it being console exclusive is pretty funny.

Halo too, so silly. State of Decay 3 too?? Was that even previously announced for PS5?? Looks like they want the scorned Days Gone fans.

Interesting to learn that Sea of Thieves is still supported on Xbox One.

The first world premiere (game reveal) of the show and it's a little cartoon bird game is quite the placement choice.

I thought Join Us was a Fallout 76 update, it looked just as ugly as that game.

A third Hellblade game?? The second one came and went almost immediately, weird choice but it did look like it was an expansion at first but getting a new game out three years later is somewhat impressive these days.

Wild that two major games are going with the generic Revelation/Revelations subtitle.

CRAZY TAXI!!!! THE OFFSPRING!!!! Just need the KFC and Pizza Hut reveal! Any product placement would be welcomed.

AWESOME GREEN SERIES X AND COMMERCIAL!!!

PS4 logo at an XBOX show in 2026.

Vivarium stands out with the 80/90s anime style.

Persona 6 revealed I guess?

SPYRO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Take flight on a brand-new adventure through a strange and wondrous realm!

When Spyro finds himself stranded, his journey to discover a way home is interrupted by the arrival of a vicious invading force known as the Scavs. Spyro must make new allies and rise to protect this realm before it’s changed forever. Feel the freedom of flight as you soar above vibrant landscapes, weave between treetops, dive off massive landmarks and wing your way through this new realm in Spyro’s boldest evolution yet. Carve your path through the skies and chain together dives, climbs and tight turns as you navigate the world your way. Crafted by Toys For Bob, this is a new evolution of Spyro, built to send the purple dragon soaring higher than ever before."

It seems like it won't be the traditional hub world and level format of the early games based on this? Maybe I'm wrong though but it's kinda giving A Hero's Tail vibes.

[kamikazekeeg]

Didn't watch it live, so just gonna point out stuff I liked for this...

Gears of War: E-Day - Looked solid, I've never been the biggest Gears fan, I was always more of a Halo fan, though I've played most of them...Other than 5, looked back and don't think I played it as far as I can tell.  It's about what I'd expect for a Gears game, no surprises, but they definitely pumped up like the cover and mobility abit more.  May or may not check it out.

Halo: Combat Evolved Remake - I thought it looked overall fine and getting a new prequel story with Johnson and Chief is fun.  I'm curious if they are adding extra stuff to the campaign that came after Halo 1, because they showed off like Brutes and Brute weaponry in that prequel campaign, so I could see them doing it there too, but we'll see.  I might be open to this for nostalgia sake, maybe I'll make it weird and get it on PS5 or something lol

State of Decay 3 - I hope this is the game to nail it, I've played the previous two and while they had good ideas, I never felt like they nailed the combat or the community building aspect as they should, but I think I heard they were really working to improve all that stuff.

Metro 2039 - This is one of the big games I'm excited for and it looks really good.  Was hoping it was this year, but February isn't too far off.

Crazy Taxi: World Tour - I was never someone that played this in particular, so I have no nostalgia, but it looks silly and fun.

God, I'm the exact target audience for that clear green Xbox Series X lol I'm not gonna buy it, but I want it.  I also forgot how ugly the Series X is, they need to come get better console designs.

Castlevania: Belmont's Curse - This looks like fun, I haven't really played many newer Castlevania games, I've only played the old ones back in the day or the collection releases, but I don't think I've played them past like...GBA era maybe? Might get this one.

Vivarium - Fantastic art with this, absolutely nails the very old 80's and earlier anime aesthetic, I'm very interested in this.

Spyro: A Realm Reyond - Cool that Spyro gets its opportunity for a new game like Crash did.  I was never a big Spyro fan, so this doesn't do a lot for me, but nice to see. Mostly just reminds me that I need to go play the remaster collection.

CoD:MW4 DMZ - Gonna be honest, I was kinda interested in what this was starting out to be and then I realized it's Call of Duty and boy that made things real unsatisfying lol I liked that they tried to pretend it was some serious tactical experience, but it's CoD...the gameplay doesn't allow for that.  That being said, the game has looked better than it has for awhile, there's a weight to it, and they aren't trying to emphasize their movement stuff as much (I believe they cut down on the omni-movement crap they added in, at least somewhat from what I read).  I also like Korean setting, it's a very different vibe from what CoD has been for awhile. Maybe this game will be tolerable and they said they aren't doing the crazy skins, but we'll see I guess.

Overall the show wasn't bad, a couple fun games shown off, though in the same way as the State of Play, not much that sells "Xbox" to me, especially as someone who hasn't owned an Xbox since the 360 days.  Honestly, the only game I even want if I owned an Xbox is Rare Replay for the Banjo-Kazooie games, and that released back in the Xbox One days lol Still hoping I can just get like a Series S or something cheap someday for that reason.

[2ko]

I'd say I was slightly more impressed with Xbox's showcase. So I'd give it like a 7/10. Maybe an 8, because unlike the Sony presentation which featured a lot of multiplatform games outside of Wolverine and Phantom Blade 0, Xbox seemed to have more exclusive games to show off. But it was lacking in new games I am really looking forward to honestly, with all of the games I am actually really interested in playing soon being games we already knew about. Mainly Fable, Halo and Gears. I mean I am interested in Spyro, Clockwork Revolution, State of Decay 3, Castlevania and Metro 2039, but far from "excited". Like I said though the fact that 2 of those games are seemingly only coming to Xbox makes me more interested in finally picking up the console.

[weirdfeline]

Matt Booty, head of XBOX Game Studios quote today on exclusivity:

“Our big multiplayer games, our big live service games are going to continue to be multiplatform. If we’ve promised something to players already, we’re going to honour that promise, right? And then we’re going to make the right decision, not necessarily a fast decision going forward. When we announce a date, we want to announce the platforms. So it’s going to be case-by-case.”

XBOX Game Studios flagship exclusive release this fall:

Multiplayer, Evolved
While campaign lays the setting and tone for E-Day, Gears has always been a multiplayer franchise, too — and The Coalition is not leaving that behind.

The biggest multiplayer addition is Horde Siege: a new 12-player PvE mode where three squads defend Kalona across larger city maps, reimagining the Horde formula first introduced in Gears of War 2 for a bigger, more connected scale at a moment when PvE is experiencing a resurgence in popularity.

In addition to Horde Siege, Versus returns—bringing classic, sweaty 4v4 Gears PvP to all-new maps set in locations in and around the war-torn city of Kalona. Versus combines classic Gears symmetrical PvP map design with new traversal opportunities. Players will put their skills to the test alongside a seasonal road map of killer content, almost all of which you can just earn by playing the game and completing in game challenges, events and achievements.

More details on multiplayer are coming soon. In the meantime, players will be able to get their hands on multiplayer before the game’s release during the Open Beta weekends starting August 6, with early access to the first weekend offered exclusivity as a benefit for pre-ordering any version of the game or if you are a Game Pass Ultimate or PC Game Pass subscriber.

[ssj4yamgeta]

The only things that interested me were Persona 4 Revival (been looking forward to it, I loved Golden), and Maybe Persona 6, but I'm still not sure if I need another 100+ hour JRPG about Japanese teenagers doing Japanese teenager things. I have 3 of them already. Plus it might be 3 to 8 years before we actually get Persona 6. Wo Long 2 looks good as well, and I like what I've played of the first one, but I have so many soulsborne games at this point (15 of them once I get Nioh 3, Mortal Shell 2, and Lords of the Fallen 2) that I'm really not sure if I need any more unless it's something major like another Elden Ring.

Overall, these 3 events have solidified my decision to stop buying new games after 2027. Out of all the games shown, the only ones that I cared about were Resident Evil Veronica, Persona 4 Revival, Persona 6, Wo Long 2, Lords of the Fallen 2, Mortal Shell 2, and Stellar Blade: Blood Rain. Of those, the big two I'm excited about are remakes of games I already own, 3 are AA sequels in the soulsborne genre (one of which I might pass on), one is a maybe because we might not see it for more than 3 years and it will be a very long game, and one is a maybe because I think the devs might have lost their nerve after what happened with the last game. All of the games I'm definitely getting will be out by the end of 2027. What's there to look forward to beyond that? Almost nothing. I've lost all interest in the Elder Scrolls VI and Fallout 5 because they're taking so long to make that I just stopped caring. I'm probably done with Resident Evil after Veronica because I haven't cared for any of the post-Revelations games, and all of the ones that needed remakes have been remade (0,1, and 5 don't need remakes). Final Fantasy is dead to me after a string of failures and a radical change in direction. Kingdom Hearts ended with the Xehanort Saga as far as I'm concerned, I haven't seen a single thing about KH4 that I like. The Witcher 4 stars the most boring protagonist they could have possibly picked, I'm out.

There is a very short list of possible future games that I'd still buy beyond 2027: DOA7 (assuming it's not out by the end of 2027), SoulCalibur VII (or a remake of SoulCalibur III), Elden Ring 2 (or a similar Fromsoft soulsborne game), a Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse remake (another remake, but the original is stuck on the 3DS), and Monster Hunter Stories 4. But other than those, I'm out. Gaming today feels like digging through a mountain of crap to find a few gold flakes, and I'm tired of digging through crap. I'd rather just enjoy what I already have.

[wartoy]

The games I'm most excited for are gears, halo and metro can't wait!!!

[burningdoom]

I'm having a hard time being excited for Halo. This will be the 4th time buying the same game. 1. Original Xbox, 2. Halo Anniversary Xbox 360 3. Halo Master Chief Collection XBox One... How much can they squeeze from one game?!

[weirdfeline]

I'm having a hard time being excited for Halo. This will be the 4th time buying the same game. 1. Original Xbox, 2. Halo Anniversary Xbox 360 3. Halo Master Chief Collection XBox One... How much can they squeeze from one game?!

2001 original
10 years later
2011 remaster
2014 port of remaster
15 years since remaster
2026 full remake

Really nothing crazy about this.

[kamikazekeeg]

I actually haven't played the original game at all for quite a long time.  I played on Xbox, I played it on PC, loved that old pc version, and then I haven't played it on anything else.  I think I thought about doing the collection from awhile back, but never got around to it, so the remake seems like a perfect time to jump back in.

[marvelvscapcom2]

Mid.  Possibly liquid ass depending how its bottled but man I expected more. It had some shining moments but its so Xbox. So safe. So typical. The same 3 games they think sell their consoles. When it's boiled down to bare bones this is the nursing home of games. A bunch of over the hill game franchises that are either on dwindling critical acclaim or desolate genres on life support.  And to be frank. I'm at this point done with Xbox beating us over the head with the same 3 games and calling it innovation. Halo, Gears, Forza. Halo, Gears, Forza. All the time.  Halo Combat Evolved is a game that has released on every console of theirs for like 2.5 decades now.  What can even be added to it?  It runs fine on the HD collection they made.   At least Sony gave a spin off of God of war and a completely new hero instead of Spiderman.   I appreciate that newness.



HALO - If this was 2004 id be stoked.  The first doesnt even have half the amount of complexities and overall scope of the 2nd entry so why remake this first is beyond me. Why roll it out as some console selling state of play unveil when really it's like a diluded down Rare Replay with a 10th the content.   I'm over it. It could just be my preference as I age but I'm not buying a game I own 3 copies of because they pour some shoe shine on it and call it a new game. It's played out.  I'm done with the HEY HERES OLD ASS GAME. PAY NOW. Especially at the prices they are doing this shit at. It's sick.  You got PC modders doing similar texture upgrades for free for the love of the hobby and Nintendo wants 70 bucks to port over a 7 year old game.  Thats without upgrades. Frame improvements at max.  I draw the line when convenience clashes with fiscal irresponsibility.  If its free I might mess with it.   This is the weakest of the lineup imo. Not excited about it at all.  Instead of a new halo reach (something inventive) we get this. 


GEARS - Never enjoyed Gears of war. To me its derivative and never reinvents itself but I also acknowledge it is great for people who do love that franchise.  Neutral on this one.  Maybe itll be rad. 




Spyro - Niiiice.  This one is happy for me.   Not. Rehash again. Not some PS2 Spyro.  Fresh stuff.  Keep it fresh. Gaming needs life. I am excited for this.  Spyro looks older but not like Don Vito enter the dragonfly level older.  I think the new look is sick.  Seems like there might be some QTE to the flight mechanics? I hope it has cool boss battles.



COD DMV EDITOON MW:734 2 Day one edition Vanguard collection 2026Tbh it being called "Fable" and "COD MW3" is just intentionally someone sitting at a board meeting with a clip on tie and deciding to be lazy and make everyone else's lives harder.  Yeah to hell with the game store workers having to have two games on the same system, having to correct customers, the curators, shelf organizers, marketers.  Just name it the same name as another product that already exists so now anytime someone wants COD MW3 they gotta say "no not that one sir.  The one that released when I was in middle school when COD was still relevant. Not the new one of the same exact name that ironically is also the same game pretty much.  MW2 as in not the OG MW2 or the remastered MW2 but MW2 for PS5"   Can Call of Duty die already? Please? Can these common sense oversights just die? I hate that.  Like to sit here and just laze out and call it GOD OF WAR.  Is truthfully cringe. It just is. But COD goes further. Micro trans, same game for 2 decades, copy and pasting pay to play GARBAGE.  Literally got two franchises within a franchise that go by the same name.   Thats just tacky.  That trend in gaming of reusing the name because for some reason we're allergic to numbers is so old.  Its ball busting for the sake of it.  No other reason comes to mind.  The level of audacity to ruin continuity of your own fans. Like stop.



But Lauffey and Wolverine alone make a complete Joke out of this.  Bar none.   And reviews and sales will reflect that as always.  This showcase is just another example of why Xbox is dying.   Powerful promising hardware with nothing to play on it.  I'm done advocating for them with nonsense like this.   


Fable - Im most excited for Fable FOUR!!!!!! out of their lineup but since its coming to PS5. I can wait. This is an epic moment.  Spyro is fun.   And crazy taxi might be a blast on modern hardware. Long overdue.  These are glowing pros. 

[dhaabi]

I knew before watching that I'd only be interested in whatever third-party announcements were present.

Crazy Taxi: World Tour
This definitely looks promising. I still need to play the original games, though.

Persona 6
Was the P6 logo designed minutes before the trailer aired? Surely it's a placeholder.

Spyro: A Realm Beyond
I'm surprised so little was revealed despite a targeted spring 2027 release date. Something about what was shown makes me wonder how stages will be designed: level-based with a hub world, or some level of open world? If done right, I could enjoy the latter, but I think I'd prefer the former.

Vivarium
This easily caught my interest the most. I love games where the player-character is tiny in an otherwise regular-sized world. The story's tone is noteworthy, but obviously the game's visuals are top-notch too.

Xbox Series X25
I have no interest in what's being advertised, but this was a cool trailer, nonetheless. I like how Xbox is leaning heavily into their green branding roots.

The only things that interested me were Persona 4 Revival (been looking forward to it, I loved Golden), and Maybe Persona 6, but I'm still not sure if I need another 100+ hour JRPG about Japanese teenagers doing Japanese teenager things. I have 3 of them already. Plus it might be 3 to 8 years before we actually get Persona 6.

From the trailer, Persona 6 seems to be moving in a darker direction, similar to Persona 3. I think a lot of people would enjoy that because, like you said, fans have already spent plenty of time with Japanese teenagers living a Japanese teenager's life. I doubt Persona 6 will release upwards of eight years from now, but it wouldn't surprise me if whatever the complete edition with added content is releases then.