Highlights
- Xbox confirms four exclusives heading to other platforms, with Grounded and Pentiment set to debut on the Switch.
- Phil Spencer has also hinted at more Xbox games going multiplatform, leaving the door open for flagship titles to make the leap, like Starfield and Halo.
- Console exclusivity remains uncertain as Xbox explores a wider reach for its games, with Nintendo hardware being a possible destination going forward.
2024 has proven to be a rather interesting and tumultuous year for Xbox thus far, with a flurry of controversial leaks and rumors calling for a public reexamining of the brand's publishing strategy. These leaks and rumors were recently supported by official news from Xbox's leadership, prompting many to wonder which games will be leaving Microsoft's ecosystem.
At least four Xbox exclusives will be arriving on other platforms, as confirmed by Phil Spencer, Matt Booty, and Sarah Bond on the Xbox Podcast, in an episode addressing the rampant rumors and speculation surrounding Xbox exclusivity. During the podcast, the Xbox representatives would not specify which four games were confirmed to come to other platforms, with Spencer simply stating that two are "service-based" games and the other two are smaller projects that could benefit from being launched on other hardware. Those four games have since been revealed, and there might be reason to believe that more are on the way.
Every Major Video Game Release Coming Soon For Xbox Series X|S And Xbox One
From survival horror to Microsoft exclusives, here are all the major upcoming Xbox Series X/S games that will debut in 2024 and beyond.
Xbox Exclusives Confirmed for Switch
Grounded - Switch Release: April 16
During Nintendo's most recent Partner Showcase, it was revealed that Grounded would be making its way to the Switch. This game was one of the Xbox titles rumored to become multi-platform, and is one of the "service-based" games Spencer was referring to in the Xbox Podcast. A statement on the Xbox website, posted shortly after the Partner Showcase, reveals that it will also be coming to Sony platforms. Xbox's decision to bring this game to other consoles was likely driven by the fact that it is a multiplayer, live-service title, which is a type of game that benefits from being widely available.
Pentiment - Switch Release: February 22
The historical drama Pentiment, an impressive and detailed narrative adventure, will become available on Switch just one day after the port's official announcement. The single-player, story-focused game may not benefit from a cross-platform release in the same way that Grounded likely will, but branching out from Xbox and PC could help its sales. The game is a great fit for fans of RPGs, well-crafted stories, and Obsidian's other releases like Fallout: New Vegas and The Outer Worlds.
Both Pentiment and Grounded , along with Sea of Thieves and Hi-Fi Rush , will be shipped to PlayStation consoles this year.
Xbox Exclusives Rumored to Get Nintendo Switch, PlayStation Ports
While Xbox has made it clear that gaming audiences shouldn't necessarily anticipate more exclusives being ported to non-Microsoft systems, the company's messaging on this point has been somewhat ambiguous overall. Phil Spencer has confirmed that games like Starfield won't be leaving Xbox anytime soon, but he also stated, both during the podcast and in interviews with third-party outlets, that the company isn't completely ruling out the possibility of porting other exclusive titles. These comments leave the door open for essentially any Xbox exclusive to become multiplatform, but the games that are most commonly rumored to be ported include:
- Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
- Starfield
- Gears of War
- Halo
While some of these rumors have come from relatively trusted sources, it should be noted that it's considerably less likely that major, flagship titles, especially those from legacy franchises like Halo or Gears of War, will ever arrive on a competing platform. However, the fact that the rumors about the aforementioned four games being ported turned out to be true, Phil Spencer's comments about console exclusivity as a whole, and Xbox's hesitation to outright confirm that certain games will always be Xbox-exclusive, mean that nothing has been ruled out. Depending on the console gaming climate over the next few years, it's conceivable that other Xbox games will arrive on Nintendo hardware.
Microsoft Xbox Series X
The Xbox Series X boasts the fastest CPU and GPU configuration currently available for a current-generation console while offering 1TB of fast SSD storage for users out of the box.
It comes with an Xbox Series S|X controller, a power cord, and documentation along with a trial for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate in the box.
- Brand
- Microsoft
- Battery
- 2 x AA (LR6) Batteries (Included)
- Dimensions
- 301 mm × 151 mm × 151 mm
- Weight
- 9.7 lbs