The 13 best Xbox Series launch titles

In this Xbox Series launch guide, you'll learn:

  • Which game highlights will be available with the release of the Xbox Series X/S
  • Which launch titles will work with Smart Delivery
  • Which next-gen features the game titles will bring with them

The long-awaited next-gen consoles from Microsoft - Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S - have been available since November 10, 2020. To help you play the best Xbox launch titles without a long search, we've taken a closer look at the game highlights for the new console's launch.

Assassins Creed Valhalla

  • Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Google Stadia, PC
  • Genre: Action-Adventure
  • Multiplayer: No, but with individual online components

Assassins Creed Valhalla () will be released with the release of the Xbox Series (). As usual from Ubisoft, this part has once again committed to a specific location of the action. You are in the ninth century in England and move the character Eivor through the open world. Numerous battles, alliances and decisions, which entail both advantages and disadvantages, provide for variety.

Thanks to Smart Delivery, it is possible to transfer Assassins Creed: Valhalla from the Xbox One to the next-gen console for free. Thus, you don't have to buy the game a second time. Thanks to improved graphics, faster loading times, and a display in 4k and 60fps on the Xbox Series X, we can look forward to countless quests and new buildings twice!

Borderlands 3

  • Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Google Stadia, PC
  • Genre: Shooter
  • Multiplayer: Yes

In the Borderlands 3 shooter, you'll choose between four Chamber Hunters to complete numerous main and side quests and take on the Celtic leaders. To keep your character as individual as possible, the loot shooter has received some new weapons and skins. In addition to the single player mode, an online mode with three other players is also available.

With the launch of the Xbox Series X/S, Borderlands 3 is also immediately playable. Old game saves will be transferred to the next-gen consoles.

All guides & articles on Borderlands 3:

Dirt 5

  • Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, Google Stadia
  • Genre: Racing game
  • Multiplayer: Yes

Things get really dirty with the racing game Dirt 5 (). In addition to muddy tracks, the developers have added other surfaces like snow, ice or gravel. Thanks to the well thought-out controls, drifting in corners is easy. Different landscapes, an online multiplayer mode and a local co-op mode with up to four players provide variety.

Over 70 tracks await you in places like New York, Norway, China or Rio. Besides Smart Delivery, you get some graphical improvements with the new console , even up to 120fps are possible on the Series X.

Gears Tactics

  • Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, PC
  • Genre: Strategy game
  • Multiplayer: No

Instead of third-person shooter, you'll find a turn-based strategy game in Gears Tactics. Put yourself in the character Gabe Diaz and recruit groups to defeat evil. Similar to XCOM 2, you'll give the order for each round and successfully get the groups through the missions.

The tactics game includes both main and side missions. At the same time, an interesting character-based story accompanies you. Again, features like Smart Delivery and 4K Ultra HD resolution provide even more gaming fun and flexibility on the Xbox Series X.

All guides & articles on Gears Tactics:

NBA 2K21

  • Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Google Stadia, PC
  • Genre: Basketball simulation
  • Multiplayer: Yes. A new multiplayer environment takes place with "The City"

With a new throwing system and a real-time aiming window, the new installment of the NBA series should cause a bit of an adjustment. The basketball players in NBA 2K21 () have once again been recreated realistically, so that the defense, tactics and game maneuvers resemble those in real life.

With the next-gen console, loading times in the game are significantly reduced, so that you are faster in the action. Movements are more fluid and graphic elements have been improved. With dynamic camera movement as well as more active audiences in the lower rows, you get an even more real gameplay feel. The audience is controlled by artificial intelligence and reacts individually to the game events.

All guides & articles about NBA 2K21:

Observer: System Redux

  • Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Google Stadia, PC
  • Genre: Horror
  • Multiplayer: No

As Detective Lazarski, you'll track down crime in the year 2084 by hacking into other people's minds. Feelings, thoughts and experiences are used to solve a murder and recreate the case through other people's memories. Why Lazarki's son is also involved only becomes clear as the story progresses.

Bloober Team, who are known for the game Blair Witch () among others, have significantly reworked the original. New story elements give Observer a great replay value. With the Xbox Series X/S, the graphics and gameplay have also been adapted.

Cuisine Royale

  • Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
  • Genre: Multiplayer shooter
  • Multiplayer: Yes

Shooter fans won't miss out on the launch of the new console either. With Cuisine Royale, the multiplayer shooter is available with countless weapons and well thought-out PvP battles. Machine guns, grenades, rockets and sniper rifles are just some of the weapons you can use to win. In addition, you can use parachutes or jetpacks, which make every surprise attack a success.

Apart from conventional shooter weapons, the developers Darkflow Software also rely on demonic rituals, with which you'll defeat your enemies and win the match. Whimsical costumes and outfits make the shooter hit a real eye-catcher.

Watch Dogs: Legion

  • Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Google Stadia, PC
  • Genre: open-world action-adventure
  • Multiplayer: to be released at a later date

Unlike Ubisoft's open-world predecessors, all NPCs can be controlled in Watch Dogs: Legion (). Each character has its own story and individual abilities. You'll find yourself in ultra-modern London, where hacking all sorts of devices has become a daily routine. Play either alone or in co-op mode with up to 4 people and complete over 60 missions.

Since your character isn't immortal and you'll have to switch characters after his death, avoid armed security guards and dangerous drones. To make sure you can swing the controller diligently with the launch of the new Xbox, Watch Dogs: Legion is available right at the release of the next-gen, including fancy ray tracing effects.

All guides & articles on Watch Dogs: Legion:

Dead by Daylight

  • Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Google Stadia, PC
  • Genre: Survival Horror
  • Multiplayer: Yes

Dead by Daylight is a hide-and-seek game where you control either the killer in first-person perspective or one of four players in third-person perspective. Although the horror game has been available for Xbox since 2017, it gets a new coat of paint with the next generation. Graphics and rendering have been overhauled and now offer gaming pleasure in 4Kand60fps. Thanks to the free upgrade, game saves can be transferred easily.

The developers promise an even more intense game, which is creepier and more realistic thanks to the new adjustments effects. Lighting as well as animations and textures benefit from the new possibilities of the Xbox Series X/S.

All guides & articles on Dead by Daylight:

Ori and the Will of the Wisps

  • Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PC
  • Genre: Adventure, Jump&Run
  • Multiplayer: No

Fans of Ori and the Blind Forest finally have a perfect sequel with Ori and the Will of the Wisps (). Fairytale worlds accompany a gripping story, which is complemented by puzzles and threats that appear again and again.

You can also look forward to minor innovations in this game. Ori will be playable in HDR as well as in 4K and will have revised sounds. With Smart Delivery, you can easily transfer the indie hit from the current to the next-gen console.

All guides & articles on Ori and the Will of the Wisps:

Yakuza: Like a Dragon

  • Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
  • Genre: Role-playing game
  • Multiplayer: No

While you played Kiryu in Yakuza 1 through Yakuza 6, the new spin-off Yakuza: Like a Dragon () changes the main character. A new battle system and a new environment provide variety. Instead of real-time, the developers now rely on turn-based battles, as is often found in classic role-playing games.

For example, you can take on the role of a Japanese idol or defeat your opponents with fast breakdance moves. As the first trailers already revealed, there are three different modes on the Xbox Series X. You have the choice between high resolution, high frame rate or the normal mode. Smart Delivery also makes it possible to upgrade the Xbox One variant to the new next-gen version for Yakuza afterwards.

Planet Coaster

  • Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
  • Genre: Construction game, Simulation
  • Multiplayer: No

Frontier Developments is now launching Planet Coaster as a console edition. Your task is to build an amusement park, keep an eye on the economy and provide enough entertainment for the visitors.

As the developer has already revealed, the construction simulation will be playable on the Xbox Series X in 4K. Thanks to Smart Delivery, a transfer to the new console is no problem. Progress and game saves will be transferred, so that the Xbox Series X/S can continue directly.

Tetris Effect: Connected

  • Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
  • Genre: Puzzle video game
  • Multiplayer: Yes

Thanks to developers Monstars and Resonair, the original Tetris gets a new twist. Special effects, new music and different backgrounds make Tetris Effect: Connected a fresh experience. With more than 30 levels, you can play alone, in online multiplayer mode, or in local co-op with your friends.

Besides cross-play, it is possible to play Tetris on the Xbox Series X in 4K or 60fps. The manufacturer states that the game can be transferred from the Xbox One to the new console for free.

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