TOP 6 Best Upcoming Xbox Series X & S Exclusives of 2022

by Mike Alexander / Articles, Lists / 28 Jan 2022

When Microsoft launched their new Xbox consoles in November of 2020, the world was already a very different place than what it had been a year prior. People were spending more time at home and using more of their income on entertainment, especially video games.

Despite the increased demand & cost, supply chain issues, and limited availability, the Xbox Series X and S have been very successful, having shipped and sold through an estimated 12 million consoles. Part of that success is due to Xbox’s Game Pass subscription, which has been called the “Netflix of games” for allowing subscribers to download and play from a vast selection of Xbox games new and old. Part of this initiative has Xbox exclusive first-party titles launching straight to the service for no additional fee, meaning blockbusters like Halo: Infinite and Forza Horizon 5 were available on day 1. This perk holds great promise for the future, especially with the upcoming games on this list. Here are the Top 6 Best Upcoming Xbox Series X & S Exclusives.

Fable 4

First on this list is the return of a classic Xbox series: Fable 4. This new entry in the Fable universe was announced shortly before the Xbox Series consoles were released, specifically at the July Xbox Games Showcase in 2020. It was announced with a short CG trailer that featured some familiar narration and humor, but no actual gameplay or even a release date. What we do know, is that it is being developed by the team at Playground Games, who have been making waves on Xbox consoles for years with their Forza games. That leaves Fable 4 in good hands as Playground Games is based out of England, meaning Fable’s iconic British humor and voice acting should remain intact for this reboot of sorts. That announcement was a while ago, and we still don’t have a release window, so it could be a long way off unless we hear something about the game fairly soon.

State of Decay 3

Get ready to fight off the zombie horde and build up a community of survivors once more with State of Decay 3, being developed by Undead Labs, the studio behind the other State of Decay games and their expansions. This title was also announced at the July 2020 Xbox Games Showcase with a short CG trailer, but what that trailer showed could possibly give us hints as to what is in store for fans. First, the trailer takes place in a snowy landscape. Hopefully, this implies either some sort of weather system or different environments, as the previous games have been… just kind of brown and plain. Secondly, the stinger for the trailer was a zombie deer, which could imply a new zombie faction of sorts for your survivors to deal with, since zombie animals have not been present in previous games. Again, no release date for this one, so it could be pretty far off as well, but the contents of the trailer are very exciting!

Scorn

Next on this list is the H.R. Geiger-inspired Scorn, being developed by Ebb Software. Scorn is presented as a first-person survival horror game with a strong setting and art direction. You play as some kind of blank humanoid as they explore a massive, fleshy, bio-mechanical vessel that features so much skin, bone, and metal that you can’t immediately tell if this place was built or grown. Your exploration takes place in a non-linear fashion, with you being able to go in any direction you want from a hub area. As you explore, you will come across formless, nightmarish creatures that you will have to fight using an array of bio-mechanical weaponry that appears to have similar features to the vessel you’re exploring. The story of Scorn is reportedly delivered completely in-game, with no cut scenes to be had. This step towards immersion has worked in other games, such as the Half-Life series. I can’t wait to begin this adventure of tissue and terror, and barring any further delay, Scorn should be available in October 2022.

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2

The sequel to Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice is coming exclusively to Xbox consoles. Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 is being developed by the fantastic team at Ninja Theory, whose narrative action games always tend to be top tier (Heavenly Sword, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West). In similar fashion to other Xbox exclusives on this list, we don’t have a release date at the moment, but what we do have is quite a bit of in-game footage, which all looks spectacular. This sequel is leaps and bounds over the original game in terms of visual quality, and that’s saying something because, in its time, Senua’s Sacrifice was the benchmark for graphics in games. But the quantum leap that is afforded by not only the power of Xbox Series X, but also the power provided by Unreal Engine 5’s development tools is undeniable. We will hopefully get more information about this release at the next Xbox event, because this will definitely be a must-play for Xbox owners.

Redfall

Arkane Studios, the developers who brought us Dishonored, Prey (2017), and most recently the well-received time shenanigans FPS Deathloop, are working on a project exclusively for Xbox. Their new project is Redfall, and it is a 4 player co-op, open world, survival shooter that shares the same DNA as the Left 4 Dead series. However, instead of a horde of zombies closing in on your team, In Redfall, you will be dealing with vampires. These vampires are the result of a science experiment gone wrong, and because of that, they will constantly evolve throughout the game into different enemy types and grow in strength. As they overrun the fictional town of Redfall, Massachusetts, you will pick a character from a roster of heroes with different abilities, customize them to your liking, and head out into the open world with hopes of stemming these fanged beasts. Redfall will begin its vampire-slaying in September 2022.

Starfield

Finally, the most hyped (and probably the most controversial) upcoming Xbox exclusive is Bethesda Games Studio’s Starfield. This title is Bethesda’s first original story in 25 years and has been in active development for roughly 6 years. If you’ll recall, upon its original announcement it was slated to be released on both the PS5 and the Series X, but the massive $7.5 billion dollar acquisition of Bethesda by Microsoft brought Starfield under the Xbox umbrella, and as of right now it is scheduled to only be released on Xbox hardware, though there’s no telling if Microsoft will publish it elsewhere in the future. Either way, this sci-fi, space exploration epic is sure to impress when it is released on November 11th, 2022.

*Fun fact: Starfield’s release date is also the 11th anniversary of the original release of Skyrim!

Mike Alexander

Mike has been playing video games since he was able to hold a controller, having been fascinated by Sonic 2 on his mom’s Sega Genesis. That fascination and passion for the art form has grown exponentially nearly 30 years later, and he doesn’t see that fading away anytime soon.
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