Microsoft held its E3 2021 Xbox event today, showing new games coming to Game Pass, what Bethesda’s working on, and games to look forward to this holiday season. Here’s everything we saw in the press conference.
Starfield comes out November 2022
Bethesda showed off Starfield, the sci-fi RPG it first teased in 2018 (the trailer went live a little earlier than planned, courtesy of The Washington Post). It will be a single-player game that will feature space travel. It launches November 11, 2022 for Xbox and PC, coming to Game Pass day one.
Stalker 2 got a release date
We saw more Stalker 2, subtitled Heart of Chernobyl, which is looking very dark and Stalker-y. The gameplay featured some buddies goofing around, a sure sign they’ll come to a bad end. It comes out April 28, 2022.
Contraband is a new Avalanche game
We saw a short teaser for a new game, which describes itself as“a co-op smuggler’s paradise set in the fictional world of 1970s Bayan.”
Sea of Thieves is getting Captain Jack
In case life couldn’t get weirder, Pirates of the Caribbean’s Jack Sparrow is in online pirate game Sea of Thieves. It’s an “epic original story” coming June 22.
Yakuza Like A Dragon is on Game Pass today
Always a good time to get into Yakuza, I’m told.
Battlefield 2042 looks good
As promised, EA showed off gameplay from the upcoming Battlefield 2042, which is set in the future and can host up to 128 players on next-gen consoles. Unlike previous entries in the series, this one won’t feature a campaign, focusing instead on telling its story through live-service elements.
Twelve Minutes comes out August 19
The Anapurna game looks like a lot of fun.
Psychonauts 2 is out August 25
At last. We saw some gameplay, which reminds me I never finished the first Psychonauts. For shame.
Game Pass gets a bunch of new Bethesda games today
Game Pass has been surpassing Sony’s rival PS Now service from the off. Since Microsoft bought Bethesda parent company ZeniMax, it’s added numerous Bethesda games to its Game Pass service, and questions have swirled about which Bethesda games might be Xbox exclusives. Today, Microsoft revealed a slate of new games for the service. Doom Eternal is coming to Game Pass, along with some Fallouts, Wolfenstein 2, and more.
Fallout 76 is getting a new expansion
We knew we’d see more about Fallout 76 at today’s show, and so we did. The Steel Reign update, available July 7, wraps up the Brotherhood of Steel storyline. After a rough 2018 launch, the online multiplayer game got copious updates, with Bethesda tweaking and adjusting the MMO into something far more playable. It recently lost its unpopular battle royale mode, and hopefully these upcoming changes, which will also include a future update that lets you visit Fallout 3's The Pitt, will add more stuff players want.
Party Animals looks weird
We saw a trailer of rabbits, cats, and dogs battling each other in a sort of zoo-looking Fall Guys game. Fun!
Hades is coming to Xbox
Everybody’s favorite game comes to Xbox August 13.
Halo Infinite is chugging along
Halo Infinite was intended to be an Xbox Series X launch title before getting delayed through the year. We’ve seen bits and pieces of the latest game in the long-running series since, with the project losing its creative director Tim Longo and studio head Chris Lee along the way. It’s nice to see it on track, with its first multiplayer trailer showing how you’ll use the grappling hook. Multiplayer will be free at launch.
Plague Tale Requiem is a sequel to that squicky rat game
From the description, it follows “Follow Amicia and her brother Hugo on a perilous new quest,” which will certainly feature far too many kids in peril for me to handle. It comes out in 2022.
Slime Rancher is getting a sequel
Slime Rancher 2 is a sequel to the cute animal wrangling game, coming out in 2022.
Shredders is a neat-looking snowboarding game
The description says it’s inspired by snowboarding movies, which I love, so I think I’ll love this. It comes out in December 2021.
Diablo II: Resurrected comes out in September
You can play Diablo II: Resurrected on September 23. Alongside all the Xboxes, it’ll be on PS4, PS5, Switch, and PC.
Atomic Heart looks neat
Atomic Heart takes place in an alternate reality past Soviet Union that has the internet and other technologies.
Replaced is a new game coming in 2022
Can’t go wrong with pixel art. According to its description, you’ll discover dark secrets.
Grounded’s getting an update
Called Shroom and Doom, it adds achievements.
Among Us gets 15 player lobbies
More people to lie to you.
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes looks cool
It’s a new RPG “featuring a traditional 6-character battle system utilizing painstakingly created 2D sprites and gorgeous 3D backgrounds.”
The Ascent is day one on Game Pass
Game Pass remains a good deal.
Age of Empires IV comes out October 28
You can play it day one on Game Pass.
The Outer Worlds is getting a sequel
The excellent 2019 role-playing game that explored capitalism in space is getting a sequel. If you can’t wait that long, the original Outer Worlds has two very good expansions, Peril on Gorgon and Murder on Eridanos.
Flight Sim comes to next gen
You can check out the world July 27. There’s also going to be a Top Gun expansion.
Forza Horizon 5 comes out in November
There’s off-roading and some impressive vistas. It comes out November 9 for Xbox One, Xbox X and S, and PC. We saw a lot of gameplay for it, too, which looks very pretty and a lot of fun.
Arkane Austin’s next game is Redfall
In Redfall, you squad up and fight vampires in a cartoonish world. It’s a co-op shooter coming out Summer 2022 and will be exclusive to Xbox and PC, from the people who brought you the excellent Prey.
Update, 6/18/21, 3:18pm—I totally spaced on the moody trailer for Somerville, out 2022, which has some Inside vibes and also a dog.