The collaboration is a natural extension of Gears’ musical identity. Guitar-driven scores have helped define the franchise for nearly two decades, and Gears of War: E-Day composer Adam Lastiwka used Gibson guitars in the recording of the game’s soundtrack.

Inspired by the enduring brotherhood at the heart of Gears, the collection features two custom Gibson guitars based on the iconic Les Paul and SG designs. Created exclusively for Gears of War: E-Day, the guitars honor franchise heroes Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago through striking original artwork from acclaimed artist and illustrator Luke Preece.

“These guitars feel like the culmination of a years-long creative collaboration with Luke, who has been part of Gears of War: E-Day from the very beginning,” says Studio Brand Director Nicole Fawcette. “He loves Gears of War as much as we do, and he has a gift for translating the spirit of the franchise into striking art that makes you feel something.”

For artist Luke Preece, the project was a natural fit. “It brought together everything I love – music, metal, guitars, video games, art, and Gears of War,” he says. “All of those influences found their way into the guitars, so the collaboration felt completely natural.”

That sense of shared creative direction shaped the collaboration from the start. “Nicole and I had already established the visual language for E-Day, and we had a clear plan,” Preece adds. “We work well together and are usually on the same page, which gave us the freedom to focus on making the designs as strong as possible.”

Crafted for Brotherhood

Each guitar began as a hand-drawn concept before being digitally mapped, carefully stenciled, and meticulously hand-painted by Preece. Every detail was designed to capture the spirit of Gears through the lens of two of its most beloved characters.

The collection draws inspiration from two of the games “Emotional Core” pillars,  Brutality and Pathos, ideas that reflect both the grit and sacrifice woven throughout the story of Gears of War: E-Day.

“What I love most about Luke’s work is his ability to communicate big, loud, bold ideas,” Fawcette says. “Rather than simply illustrating Marcus and Dom, we had the opportunity to distill their themes and energy into something iconic.”

Marcus Fenix | Brutality

Represented on Gibson’s legendary Les Paul, Marcus’ guitar embodies the grit, determination, and relentless spirit that have defined the character for nearly two decades.

At the center sits a weathered skull against a COG Tag backdrop, framed by the unmistakable blades of a chainsaw. Splashes of Locust blood and fractured textures evoke the chaos of Emergence Day and the world-shattering events that changed Sera forever. The result is a bold, aggressive design that celebrates one of gaming’s most iconic heroes while paying tribute to the franchise’s signature imagery.

“Marcus’ Les Paul was the hardest to solve. The hardware interrupted some of the original ideas, so we leaned into the circular saw-blade motif. It gave the piece the aggressive, brutal energy we wanted, and the shape fit the body of the guitar perfectly,” says Preece.

Dominic Santiago |  Pathos

Dominic Santiago’s design finds its home on the equally iconic Gibson SG, delivering a more somber and reflective counterpart.

A tearful, battle-worn skull stands against a COG Tag surrounded by barbed wire and vibrant crimson poppies, a powerful symbol of remembrance woven throughout Gears lore. The artwork reflects Dom’s unwavering loyalty, personal sacrifice, and the emotional weight carried by one of the franchise’s most beloved characters.

“Dom’s design came together more naturally through its symbolism,” says Preece. “The wings flowed beautifully with the shape of the SG and connected with the pathos of his story, including the angelic imagery associated with Maria.”

Together, the guitars tell a story of brotherhood, resilience, loss, and fate, themes that remain central to the world of Gears of War.

“Early on, we considered physically distressing the guitars to make them feel battle-worn,” says Fawcette. “In the end, I’m glad we preserved the beauty of the instruments and allowed the artwork itself to carry the weight and intensity.”

See the Guitars at Gamescom

“We can’t wait for fans to see these in-person,” says Fawcette. “Each guitar is already a beautiful object, and Luke’s hand-painted Gears artwork transforms it into something visually stunning – a genuine work of art that feels cool, heavy, and unmistakably Gears.”

Fans attending Gamescom 2026 in Cologne, Germany will be among the first to see the collection in person when they make their public debut at the XBOX booth.

Says Preece, “Only four guitars were made. Each is numbered and signed, and because they were painted by hand, even the repeated designs are not exact copies. Every instrument is a unique, one-of-one piece.”

Win a Piece of the Brotherhood

Starting today, fans can enter for a chance to win three custom guitars in total: two Marcus Fenix-inspired Les Pauls and one Dominic Santiago-inspired SG.

Fans in official XBOX supported regions (https://www.xbox.com/regions) can enter the giveaway starting today by liking and commenting on the announce post hosted on the @gibsonguitar and @gearsofwar Instagram accounts, for a chance to win one of the three guitars. The winners will be selected at random and announced on October 16 2026. Check out the full rules, terms and conditions here (www.promoterms.com/GearsofWarGibson).

Whether you’re a lifelong Gears fan, a collector of iconic instruments, or appreciate exceptional craftsmanship, the collaboration between Gibson and Gears of War: E-Day offers a rare opportunity to own a piece of Gears of War history as we prepare for Emergence Day.

Gears of War: E-Day launches October 6, 2026, on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox PC, Steam, and is available day one with Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.

The post Gears of War: E-Day and Gibson Unite for a Custom Guitar Collection appeared first on XBOX Wire.

More Ways to Enjoy Home

We’ve heard from players who want more control over what shows up in the Recent Games and Apps list at the top of Home. You can now remove any item in that list using the Menu button, including the Play History tile, making it easier to keep Home focused on what matters most to you.

XBOX Insiders can also try a new immersive background mode that lets your dynamic or custom background take center stage. Simply press the right thumbstick button on your controller from anywhere on Home to fade away the UI and enjoy your background without distractions. Press any button to return to Home and pick up where you left off.

More Control Over Local Game Save Storage

Your game saves on XBOX are automatically backed up to the XBOX network, but local storage can occasionally fill up, which may prevent new game progress from being saved. Until now, it hasn’t always been easy to see which local saves were using that space or how to free it up.

Starting today, you can view, sort, and delete local game saves that aren’t currently in use, helping you make space for the games you’re currently playing. Whether you want to delete a single large save file or clear all unused local saves at once, you now have more visibility and control over your console’s storage. 

To get started, go to Settings > System > Storage > Manage local game saves or access the feature directly if you receive a notification that there’s not enough space to create a new game save.

As always, your latest saves remain safely backed up to the XBOX network and will automatically sync the next time you launch a game.

Dive Into Your Profile Badges

Profile badges help tell the story of your XBOX journey. As more badges have been added over the years, it hasn’t always been easy to know what each one represents.

Now you can view detailed information for every badge displayed on a profile, including high-resolution artwork and details about when and how it was unlocked. Whether you’re revisiting your own collection or exploring another player’s profile, it’s easier than ever to discover the story behind each badge and celebrate the achievements, milestones, and experiences they represent. 

From longtime XBOX accomplishments to special community events, badges now include the context you need to help bring those moments to life and appreciate the players who earned them.

Where Were You On Day One?

To help celebrate 25 years of XBOX, we’re recognizing another milestone in XBOX history. On November 22, 2013, the XBOX One was released, ushering in a new generation of entertainment. Many of you earned the elusive Day One achievement on that day, and we’ve loved seeing the creative ways you’ve continued to keep it pinned to your profiles over the years.

Starting today, players who unlocked the Day One achievement will receive a new commemorative Day One profile badge, recognizing that they were there when it all began.

More Wishlist Improvements

Keeping your wishlist organized just got easier. Starting today, purchased games will automatically be removed from your wishlist, helping you spend less time managing your library and more time playing.

How to Get XBOX Insider Support and Share Your Feedback

Thanks to XBOX Insiders for all of the feedback. You can also visit aka.ms/XBOXplayervoice to share what you think.

If you’re an XBOX Insider looking for support, please join our community on the XBOX Insider subreddit. Official XBOX staff, moderators, and fellow XBOX Insiders are there to help. We recommend adding to threads with the same topic before posting a brand new one. This helps us support you the best we can!

If you aren’t part of the XBOX Insider Program yet and want to help create the future of XBOX and get early access to new features, join the Program today by downloading the XBOX Insider Hub for XBOX Series X|S & XBOX One or Windows PC. For more information on the XBOX Insider Program, follow us on Twitter at @XBOXInsider and keep an eye on this blog for all the latest news.

Other resources:

• Get the XBOX Insider Hub app
• XBOX Insider FAQ
• How to provide feedback as an XBOX Insider

For more information: follow us on X/Twitter at @XboxInsider and this blog for announcements and more. And feel free to interact with the community on the XBOX Insider SubReddit.

The post Available for XBOX Insiders: Home Improvements, Local Save Game Management, and Profile Badges appeared first on XBOX Wire.

Gain an edge with up to 9 days of Early Access starting August 26. Pre-purchase NBA 2K27 Deluxe Edition or Ultra Edition to start your season early and set the tone on the court.

NBA 2K27

2K

☆☆☆☆☆ 309

★★★★★

$69.99

Pre-order

NBA 2K27 Deluxe Edition

2K

☆☆☆☆☆ 309

★★★★★

$99.99

Pre-order

NBA 2K27 Ultra Edition

2K

☆☆☆☆☆ 310

★★★★★

$149.99

Pre-order

The post NBA 2K27 Preseason Breakdown Game Reveal appeared first on XBOX Wire.

Summary

• The Sinking City 2 is available now on XBOX Series X|S.
• Sequel to 2019’s The Sinking City developed by Frogwares, it is a Lovecraftian survival horror game set in an otherworldly 1920s Arkham.
• Read how the developers expanded the open-world investigative foundation of the first game to encompass more exploration, combat and horror.

Arkham is flooded, and the things that survived the flood are still using the bodies of the people who didn’t.

The Sinking City 2 is a Lovecraftian survival horror game set in an otherworldly version of the 1920s United States. The first game was an open world detective adventure with horror around the edges. The sequel puts exploration, pacing and combat at the center to make sure it plays, looks and feels better than before.

Here are five things we did differently, and why.

Focused Survival Horror

The Sinking City 2 offers a hallmark survival horror experience: a door that won’t open, a hallway you’ve walked twice that connects to a room you’ve never seen, or a box with a new weapon upgrade you can’t unlock just yet.

The game takes place across several carefully built locations – the streets of Arkham, Akeley Memorial Hospital, the Fish Market and more – each designed as a layered mystery to untangle.

Leaving the open world behind meant we could focus on putting something in every room worth finding: a story, a secret, or a monster.

Investigation That Rewards Exploring

Take Redemption Church. You came to open the sluice blocking your boat. But there’s a trail of clues, and following it will introduce you to an otherworldly anomaly that would very much like to get inside your head, both figuratively and literally.

That’s the shift. In the first game, investigation was the road – miss a clue and the story simply stopped. In the sequel it runs alongside exploration, instead of gating it. Arkham is full of mysteries you’re never required to solve, and solving them is how you come out the other side better armed: an extra inventory slot, a new talent, a new barrel for your trusty handgun you’d otherwise never have found.

Horrors Take the Spotlight

We want combat to be up to survival horror standards, so enemies have been designed to match our vision. You’ll face numerous types of monsters, each with its own design and behavior. To name just a few:

Slither Worms and Abominations are colonies of deep-sea parasites piloting the remains of Arkham citizens who died during the flood. Imagine dislocated shoulders, tangled legs, limbs snapping out at wrong angles.

The Stygian Harvester is small, fragile, and built entirely around ambush. It dodges, breaks off, and flees the moment it takes pressure, so chasing one is usually how you walk into the other three.

Then there’s the mini-boss-tier Acheronian Juggernaut – several bodies fused into one mass, with six arms, six legs, and a maw running from head to torso that can swallow a person whole and hold them there. We kept the silhouette from the first game and rebuilt its behavior and attack set from the ground up. It’s slow, but it turns any enclosed space into a problem you solve with positioning rather than damage.

The list goes on: Lethian Revenants, Deep Ones, the Shadow and more. But we’d rather you discover them on your own and come up with your own tactics to defeat them.

Tools, Talents and Resources

Speaking of tactics – Calvin can dodge, punch and stomp, which is especially useful if you’d rather the Slither worms didn’t repossess another corpse while you look away. There are also multiple weapon upgrades and talents that often synergize with each other – stacking damage against the Slither’s weak points, for example, and turning the fight into a literal bloodbath.

Mastering Calvin’s toolset is essential if you want to kill monsters in a smarter, faster and flashier way. Ammo is scarce and monsters are tough, so explore your options and find what works best.

A Story of Love and Sacrifice

The Sinking City 2 is about two people and what they’re willing to do to each other, and for each other. Calvin and Faye’s story deals in devotion, self-sacrifice, loneliness and the suspicion that none of it will matter. It puts you in situations where the decent thing and the survivable thing are not the same, and leaves the choice with you.

It’s also an entirely new story. Charles Reed’s ended with the first game, and deliberately so – there’s no canonical ending, because that game was always about your moral choices. You don’t need to have played it to follow Calvin and Faye.

Welcome to Arkham

We’re thrilled to say that The Sinking City 2 is out now on XBOX Series X|S! Getting here has been quite a journey. Making a game is hard enough under normal circumstances – doing it with a team in Ukraine while a war continues around us brought challenges we could never have planned for. There were struggles along the way, but seeing the game finally in players’ hands makes us immensely proud of what we’ve built.

Thank you so much for reading, and we hope to see you in the flood!

The Sinking City 2 – Premium Edition Pre-Order

Frogwares

☆☆☆☆☆ 46

★★★★★

Get it now

Pre-order The Sinking City 2 – Premium Edition now to get the base game, 24-hour early unlock, the Chthonic Arsenal, the Arkham Field Kit, and The Holloway Manor: a haunted mansion story mission with an optional ritual investigation. Finish it to bring the “Bucking Bronco” revolver into your main game. Face Arkham in style. Wield the Chthonic Arsenal: the “Shale Mary” handgun, the “Breakwater” shotgun, and the “Tektite Tommy” SMG, each with its own look and features. On the cliffs outside the city of Arkham, The Holloway Manor keeps its lights low. The house belongs to an old family whose history curdled into occult practice—the kind that Lovecraft would trace through buried lineages and rites that never quite ended. Rooms interlock like a puzzle box, dusty heirlooms open doors, and the house rewards your curiosity with paths you were not meant to find. See the job through, and the “Bucking Bronco” revolver you claim stays with you in the main game. Premium Edition includes: – The Sinking City 2 base game – 24-hour early unlock – Arkham Field Kit: – “The Anatomist” outfit – “The Witness” outfit – “Heretic Heraldry” outfit – 3 Dream Essence – Resource Pack – The Holloway Manor side mission: – Optional investigation – “Bucking Bronco” revolver – “Kane’s Hefty Barrel” attachment – “Kane’s Wrapped Grip” attachment – Revolver ammo recipe A survival horror in Lovecraft’s world The Sinking City 2 is a third-person survival horror set in 1920s Arkham. Deliberate, tense, and resource-lean: pressure builds as you push deeper, relief comes in brief refuge, and fear is something you manage. Mind your inventory, take on unnerving puzzles, and double back via unlocked shortcuts for supplies and upgrades. Arkham, New England A Roaring ‘20s port city buckling under a supernatural flood. Tide-stained avenues and battered Art Deco. Speakeasies gone dark. Districts feel lived-in and water-worn, with routes by foot and skiff, shortcuts behind collapsed seawalls, and secrets tucked in boarded parlors. You’ll navigate a hospital where science hides its face, a fish market where the merchandise bites back, and descend deep below the city to where eldritch horrors stir. A rescue with impossible stakes A ritual gone wrong trapped her soul in the Dreamlands, and now malevolent forces have stolen her body. To rescue the woman you love, you must walk a dangerous path through catastrophe to the source of the flood, her presence always felt but rarely seen. Fearsome foes The Slither animate the dead. Deep Ones surge from dark water. Shadows bend space and test nerves. Some fights must be met head-on; others may require a retreat, rearm, and retune of your build in a place of refuge. Or maybe you take on an optional investigation, and return with an upgraded gun. Investigate at will Exploration is the key to survival. Read ritual residues, sift through grisly clues, decode journals that shouldn’t exist, and pry at masks that won’t come off. Optional cases never gate progress, but they unlock safer routes, valuable supplies, and upgrades that increase your odds of surviving the next encounter. Built with uncommon devotion The Sinking City 2 draws on Frogwares’ detective roots to deliver survival horror that runs deep and hits hard. Shaped by studio obsession and community feedback, it’s a faithful Lovecraft experience: myths made manifest, and the inconceivable fear that results.

The Sinking City 2 – Deluxe Edition Pre-Order

Frogwares

☆☆☆☆☆ 24

★★★★★

Get it now

Pre-order The Sinking City 2 – Deluxe Edition now to get the Chthonic Arsenal: the “Shale Mary” handgun, the “Breakwater” shotgun, and the “Tektite Tommy” SMG, each with its own look and features. The Deluxe Edition includes the base game and the Arkham Field Kit: three outfits for the main character – “The Anatomist,” “The Witness,” and “Heretic Heraldry” – three Dream Essence to learn your first Talent early, and a Resource Pack with a helpful mix of ammo, healing, and crafting items. A survival horror in Lovecraft’s world The Sinking City 2 is a third-person survival horror set in 1920s Arkham. Deliberate, tense, and resource-lean: pressure builds as you push deeper, relief comes in brief refuge, and fear is something you manage. Mind your inventory, take on unnerving puzzles, and double back via unlocked shortcuts for supplies and upgrades. Arkham, New England A Roaring ’20s port city buckling under a supernatural flood. Tide-stained avenues and battered Art Deco. Speakeasies gone dark. Districts feel lived-in and water-worn, with routes by foot and skiff, shortcuts behind collapsed seawalls, and secrets tucked in boarded parlors. You’ll navigate a hospital where science hides its face, a fish market where the merchandise bites back, and descend deep below the city to where eldritch horrors stir. A rescue with impossible stakes A ritual gone wrong trapped her soul in the Dreamlands, and now malevolent forces have stolen her body. To rescue the woman you love, you must walk a dangerous path through catastrophe to the source of the flood, her presence always felt but rarely seen. Fearsome foes The Slither animate the dead. Deep Ones surge from dark water. Shadows bend space and test nerves. Some fights must be met head-on; others may require a retreat, rearm, and retune of your build in a place of refuge. Or maybe you take on an optional investigation, and return with an upgraded gun. Investigate at will Exploration is the key to survival. Read ritual residues, sift through grisly clues, decode journals that shouldn’t exist, and pry at masks that won’t come off. Optional cases never gate progress, but they unlock safer routes, valuable supplies, and upgrades that increase your odds of surviving the next encounter. Built with uncommon devotion The Sinking City 2 draws on Frogwares’ detective roots to deliver survival horror that runs deep and hits hard. Shaped by studio obsession and community feedback, it’s a faithful Lovecraft experience: myths made manifest, and the inconceivable fear that results.

The Sinking City 2 – Pre-Order

Frogwares

☆☆☆☆☆ 24

★★★★★

Get it now

Face Arkham in style. Wield the Chthonic Arsenal: the “Shale Mary” handgun, the “Breakwater” shotgun, and the “Tektite Tommy” SMG, each with its own look and features. A survival horror in Lovecraft’s world The Sinking City 2 is a third-person survival horror set in 1920s Arkham. Deliberate, tense, and resource-lean: pressure builds as you push deeper, relief comes in brief refuge, and fear is something you manage. Mind your inventory, take on unnerving puzzles, and double back via unlocked shortcuts for supplies and upgrades. Arkham, New England A Roaring ‘20s port city buckling under a supernatural flood. Tide-stained avenues and battered Art Deco. Speakeasies gone dark. Districts feel lived-in and water-worn, with routes by foot and skiff, shortcuts behind collapsed seawalls, and secrets tucked in boarded parlors. You’ll navigate a hospital where science hides its face, a fish market where the merchandise bites back, and descend deep below the city to where eldritch horrors stir. A rescue with impossible stakes A ritual gone wrong trapped her soul in the Dreamlands, and now malevolent forces have stolen her body. To rescue the woman you love, you must walk a dangerous path through catastrophe to the source of the flood, her presence always felt but rarely seen. Fearsome foes The Slither animate the dead. Deep Ones surge from dark water. Shadows bend space and test nerves. Some fights must be met head-on; others may require a retreat, rearm, and retune of your build in a place of refuge. Or maybe you take on an optional investigation, and return with an upgraded gun. Investigate at will Exploration is the key to survival. Read ritual residues, sift through grisly clues, decode journals that shouldn’t exist, and pry at masks that won’t come off. Optional cases never gate progress, but they unlock safer routes, valuable supplies, and upgrades that increase your odds of surviving the next encounter. Built with uncommon devotion The Sinking City 2 draws on Frogwares’ detective roots to deliver survival horror that runs deep and hits hard. Shaped by studio obsession and community feedback, it’s a faithful Lovecraft experience: myths made manifest, and the inconceivable fear that results.

The post How The Sinking City 2 Shifts to Survival Horror While Keeping Its Investigation Roots appeared first on XBOX Wire.

Available Today

Egging On (Cloud, XBOX Series X|S, Handheld, and PC) – August 18
Now with Game Pass Premium; joining Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass

This game is hard-boiled. Face the challenge of being a real, fragile egg. Escape the henhouse and jump, roll and climb your way through a farm shop, factory, and other perilous environments. With some determination, you might just reach your freedom.

Coming Soon

Vapor World: Over the Mind (Game Preview) (Cloud, Console, and PC) – August 19
Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass

Available on day one with XBOX Game Pass! Lost in darkness, a boy drawn into a twisted dream, no way out. Vapor World: Over The Mind is a narrative-driven souls-like platformer focused on deflection combat. Descend into a shattered mind seeking lost memories. Face the dark, beautiful world born of sorrow and regret.

BlazBlue Entropy Effect X (Cloud, XBOX Series X|S, and PC) – August 19
Now with Game Pass Premium; joining Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass

Experience a roguelite action game set in the BlazBlue universe, featuring striking 2D visuals, stylish combat, and precise, responsive controls. Platinum joins the battle in a free major content update for BlazBlue Entropy Effect X, available now on XBOX Series X|S.

Relooted (Cloud, XBOX Series X|S, and PC) – August 19
Now with Game Pass Premium; joining Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass

Reclaim real African artifacts from western museums in this Africanfuturist heist game. Recruit crew members, plan escape routes, acquire the precious cargo, and bounce out of the joint as fast as you can.

Starsand Island (Cloud, XBOX Series X|S, and PC) – August 20
Now with Game Pass Premium; joining Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass

Return to the tranquil embrace of Starsand Island. Here, immerse yourself in a serene pastoral lifestyle: slow-paced days spent bonding with adorable capybaras, cats, and dogs, savoring the thrill of bountiful fishing, exploring the mystical Moonlit Forest, or simply soaking in the island’s untouched beauty.

Aerial_Knight’s DropShot (Cloud, XBOX Series X|S, Handheld, and PC) – August 25
Now with Game Pass Premium; joining Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass

Aerial_Knight’s DropShot is a high-speed, stylized FPS racer where you play as Smoke Wallace. As a kid, he was bitten by a radioactive dragon, turning his skin purple and giving him the power to fire bullets from his fingertips. Race rivals, fight dragons, shoot smart, and look cool when you land.

Blood Dungeon (Cloud, XBOX Series X|S, and PC) – August 25
Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass

Available on day one with XBOX Game Pass! From the creators of Nidhogg comes a game about 2D platforming survival. You’ll have to parkour your way around treacherous dungeons to kite monsters while gathering blood and powerups. Survive a run, take the bones you’ve earned to the Bone Shop, and get stronger. Complete quests to unlock upgrades, arenas, skins, and more.

Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy (Cloud, XBOX Series X|S, Handheld, and PC) – August 27
Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass

Available on day one with XBOX Game Pass! Follow Sophia’s journey to the Minotaur’s Island, where she faces deadly trials, navigates treacherous trails, solves puzzles, all while fighting and staying one step ahead of the army chasing her. But the true challenge awaits, as the terrifying creature hidden behind the myth will soon resonate with her.

Young Suns (Cloud, Console, and PC) – August 31
Now with Game Pass Premium; joining Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass

Launching in 1.0 full game release, Young Suns is a narrative life sim set after a successful revolution on Jupiter. Explore fantastical planetoids, derelict ruins, and converted stations with a crew of up to three friends or on your own. Help the friendly citizens of Jupiter rebuild!

Shelldiver (Cloud, Console, and PC) – September 1
Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass

All aboard the submarine! Shelldiver is an incremental game about a turtle fishing jellyfish and selling them at their little shop. Help our senior protagonist upgrade their equipment, explore various biomes and oceanic depths, and help their local turtle population – maybe right after a well-deserved nap!

In Case You Missed It

Wolfenstein 3D (Cloud, Console, and PC) – August 12
Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass

Now available on XBOX Series X|S and Cloud Gaming! World War II rages. The Nazis are planning to build an unstoppable, mutant army. You are William “B.J.” Blazkowicz, the Allies’ most trusted agent. On a mission to steal the secret plans, you were captured and imprisoned. Now, a lucky break gives you the chance to escape, but a maze of passages and trigger-happy Nazis stand in your way.

In-Game Benefits

Once Human (Cloud, XBOX Series X|S, and PC) – August 25
Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, Game Pass Essential, PC Game Pass

Once Human is the multiplayer strange worlds survival game. Unlock your console-exclusive avatar and a monthly Meta Pass. Enjoy daily treasure chests, multiple cosmetic trials, discount coupons, and Battle Pass XP Boosts in Once Human!

World of Tanks Modern Armor– XP Stock Bundle (Cloud, Console, and PC) – September 1
Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, Game Pass Essential, and PC Game Pass

Stay ahead of the competition with this exclusive bundle, specially crafted for Game Pass Subscribers. It’s packed with powerful rewards that will help you dominate even the toughest challenges!

Here’s what you’ll find in this bundle:

• Björn Larsen 3D Commander
• x4 Commander XP Boosters (10)

Leaving August 31

The following games are leaving the Game Pass library soon. Don’t want the fun to end? Save on these games now before they leave Game Pass!

• Another Crab’s Treasure (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• I Am Your Beast (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Neon Abyss (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• One Lonely Outpost (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt- Remastered Edition (Cloud and Console)

Leaving September 6

• NBA 2K26 (Cloud, Console, and PC)

As always, we’ll be here to share what games you can expect to play next. Keep an eye on social for when those “coming soon” announcements turn into “play today”!

_{Note: Games with a ‘Handheld’ designation represent those that are optimized for handheld play.}

The post Coming to XBOX Game Pass: Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy, Vapor World: Over the Mind, Blood Dungeon, and More appeared first on XBOX Wire.

Summary

• TCG Card Shop Simulator hits 1.0 on September 15, 2026, adding the long-requested, playable in-game TCG: Tetramon Duel Masters.
• Start your path to becoming a Duel Master now with this starting guide to how the card game works.
• TCG Card Shop Simulator is available now in Game Preview on XBOX Series X|S and XBOX on PC through XBOX Game Pass.

TCG Card Shop Simulator puts you behind the counter of your own trading card store. From ordering booster packs, stocking shelves, and cracking open packs of Tetramon cards to sell for profit or keep for your own collection, what started as a solo Game Preview project from OPNeon Games has grown into one of XBOX Game Pass’ indie hits.

We’re grateful to have over 3.5 million players across XBOX Series X|S, XBOX Game Preview, and PC since launch. While stocking shelves and cracking packs has always been the heart of the experience, there’s one thing all of you have been asking from the beginning: the chance to actually play a trading card game with its Tetramon.

Soon you can play Tetramon Duel Master, the TCG that’s been sitting on your shelves this whole time, going from collectible to fully playable. Here’s everything you need to know.

Shuffle Up

Every duel starts with a 50-card deck, capped at 4 copies of any single named card.

Shuffle up, draw an opening hand of 5, and if it’s a dud, you get one mulligan: slide your hand to the bottom of the deck, draw a fresh 5, and reshuffle before the duel begins.

The top 4 cards of your deck are set face-down into your Guardian Area, untouched until your Tamer Points start taking real damage. On that related note: duelists at the table start with 500 Tamer Points. You win if you drain your opponent to zero first.

Set the Table

Every table breaks down into a handful of key zones. Front and centre are your four Elemental Areas — Fire, Earth, Water, and Wind — the slots where your Tetramon actually go to battle. Off to the side, your Deck holds what’s left to draw, your Discard Pile catches anything that falls out of play, and your Guardian Area holds those four face-down cards until you need them most.

Fight and Evolve and Fight Again

Your turn opens with a card draw, and from there, the Main Phase is where deck-building pays off. Play a Tetramon into any Elemental Area and its Play Effect triggers immediately — take Burpig, a Rare Fire-type that evolves from Pigni: play it, and its Play Effect boosts its own Elemental Power by 15 for the turn, stacking on top of its printed Fire, Earth, Water, and Wind stats.

Evolution is where duels really escalate. Evolution Cards can only be played by stacking them directly on top of the Tetramon they evolve from, and while a freshly played Basic Tetramon needs a turn to settle in before it’s ready to evolve, there’s no limit on how many times you can evolve after that — chain evolutions all in the same turn if your hand allows it. Just note that each Elemental Area only accepts one new Basic Tetramon per turn, and playing one clears out whatever was already sitting there.

Placement is Power

Once you’re done playing cards, you can move into the Attack Phase — except on the very first turn of the duel, which skips it entirely (going first already has its perks). From there, the math is straightforward: a Tetramon’s Attack Power comes from combining its own Elemental Power with the power of the Elemental Area it’s standing in, so where you place a card matters just as much as which card you play.

Zero to Hero

Every hit chips away at those starting 500 Tamer Points, and crossing the 400, 300, 200, or 100 mark triggers a built-in comeback mechanic: that player immediately pulls the top card of their Guardian Area into their hand. Keep the pressure on, and the first Tamer to drain their opponent’s points to zero wins the duel outright.

Tetramon Duel Master arrives as part of TCG Card Shop Simulator‘s 1.0 update, alongside a fresh wave of new Tetramon cards to pull, collect, and finally put to use across the table. It’s one of the most requested features since the game entered Early Access, and it’s landing on the same platforms that made TCG Card Shop Simulator an XBOX Game Pass favorite.

TCG Card Shop Simulator is available now on XBOX Series X|S, XBOX Game Pass, XBOX Game Preview, and PC, with Tetramon Duel Master targeting a 1.0 release on September 15, 2026. You can wishlist it right now.

TCG Card Shop Simulator (Game Preview)

OPNeon Games Sdn Bhd

☆☆☆☆☆ 1246

★★★★★

$19.99 $15.99

Get it now

PC Game Pass

Xbox Game Pass

Free Trial

This game is a work in progress. It may or may not change over time or release as a final product. Purchase only if you are comfortable with the current state of the unfinished game. TCG Card Shop Simulator is a trading card shop simulation where you sell card booster packs to earn money and build your card shop business. Manage Your Shop: Design your own TCG shop. Organize shelves and card packs to make customer shopping experience smooth and easy. Card Collection: Open the booster packs yourself and collect the cards. Find rare cards and sell them to make a fortune, or keep them to complete your card collection. Host Game: Set your card game format and fee, invite players to play card games in your shop. Be sure to keep your store clean and hygienic for the players or they might leave! Order Products: Stock up on different booster card packs and card game products. Keep track of popular trends and adjust your inventory to cater to the ever-changing demands of your customers. Expand Your Business: Earn profits to reinvest in your shop. Expand your space, unlock new card sets, and upgrade your facilities to attract even more customers and increase revenue. Full details on the latest status of the game, how you can give feedback and report issues can be found at https://discord.gg/2YaaUZzrRY

The post TCG Card Shop Simulator’s Biggest 1.0 Feature: How to Dominate Tetramon Duel Master appeared first on XBOX Wire.

Summary

• Pixel-art cozy organizing game launching August 27.
• Pre-order today to secure a 20% discount.
• A preview of my creative process and some of what fans can experience at launch.

Hello, XBOX community!

I am Zhicheng, Producer at GD Studio. I work with a small, tight-knit indie team of fewer than ten people who pour our hearts into making warm, meaningful games. Today, I am incredibly excited to announce that my pixel-art cozy game, Whisper of the House, is officially available for preorder on XBOX Series X|S and Windows PC!

Whisper of the House is a pixel-art cozy mystery simulation where you become the go-to housekeeper for a quirky town full of hidden magic. Your heartwarming commissions range from unpacking for new arrivals and prepping storefronts, to organizing a loved one’s belongings or even finding a missing cat. While earning money to design your own dream home, you will soon realize this isn’t just about chores. By putting your neighbors’ lives in order, you might accidentally alter their destinies—and uncover the town’s extraordinary secrets.

Narrative Woven into the Environment

When designing Whisper of the House, my vision was to tell stories without relying on heavy dialogue. I wanted you to discover the residents’ true feelings simply by interacting with their private spaces. As you tidy up, you will stumble upon strange secrets blooming in a quiet garden, uncover faded photographs hidden in a hospital room, or dust off equipment in a long-abandoned alchemy lab. By collecting these environmental clues, you are essentially piecing together a deeply emotional, puzzle-like narrative of their unspoken regrets and wishes.

A World That Reacts to Your Touch

I always wanted this town to feel tactile, playful, and alive. It is not just about placing objects; it is about playing with them! I highly encourage you to get distracted while you work. Go ahead and press the button on that vintage gramophone, squeeze the rubber duck resting by the bathtub, or see what happens when you pull a tissue from the box. You will notice drawers practically begging to be opened, and flicking light switches will completely shift the mood of a room. These tiny, satisfying interactions are my way of making the town whisper its secrets directly to you.

Total Freedom to Build Your Dream Space

All your hard work should pay off, and I wanted to make sure you have a space that feels entirely your own. Whether you prefer a soft, modern cream aesthetic or the elegance of traditional styles, I packed the game with over 1,800 interactive items and more than 10 unique floor plans for you to experiment with. You can build a cozy study lined entirely with bookshelves, curate a vibrant indoor greenhouse, or even construct a fully stocked doomsday bunker! From the exact placement of your sofa to the style of your bathtub, the choice is entirely yours.

This Town is Your Second Home

Bringing this game to XBOX has been a huge milestone, and because I want this town to feel like a true second home for you, Whisper of the House fully supports XBOX Play Anywhere. You can relax on your couch and uncover secrets on your XBOX Series X|S and then pick up right where you left off on your Windows PC to perfectly micro-manage your decorations.

Whisper of the House is available for preorder today on XBOX Series X|S and Windows PC for $14.99 USD. Preorder now on the Microsoft Store before our official launch on August 27 to take advantage of a special 20% preorder discount ($11.99 USD). Thank you for taking on this housekeeping job and opening the doors to our town.

See you in the neighborhood!

Whisper Of The House

E-Home Entertainment Development Company Ltd

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

$14.99 $11.99

Pre-order

ABOUT WHISPER TOWN Welcome to Whisper Town—a cozy and heartwarming game about decorating, organizing, and uncovering little stories. You’ll step into the role of the town’s all-around housekeeper, taking on charming, quirky tasks: moving into new homes, tidying cluttered rooms, preparing new shops, sorting through treasured keepsakes… even tracking down cats! Complete each task to earn rewards, collect furniture, and freely design a space that’s entirely your own. As you help others put their lives in order, you may unknowingly change the course of their stories, and slowly discover the unusual secrets hidden in this charming little town… MOVING AND HOUSEKEEPING JOBS For lovers of tidy spaces! Turn cluttered rooms into warm, organized havens in a soothing, detail-rich gameplay experience. The teacup by the bed, the plant by the window, the letters covered in dust—each one will find its perfect “home” in your hands. Sweep through forgotten corners, sort every keepsake, and uncover the quiet stories and traces of life hidden behind every item you place. HEY, THAT'S NOT YOURS TO PLAY WITH! Ahem… but some furniture is just begging to be messed with! You might find yourself pressing the button on that vintage gramophone, giving the rubber duck by the tub a playful squeeze, or sneakily pulling a tissue from the box. It’s as if this little town is whispering to you through these tiny, mischievous gestures. In Whisper Town, every resident has untold troubles or hidden wishes—secrets buried in a garden, a faded photo left in a hospital room, an alchemy workshop long abandoned. Piece together the smallest clues to uncover their unspoken memories, weaving a story where mystery and love intertwine. DECORATE YOUR OWN HOME FREELY Your style, your rules. With over 1,800 pieces of furniture and more than 10 unique home layouts, every space is yours to design. Line a study wall from floor to ceiling with bookshelves, fill a sunlit mini-greenhouse with blooms, or stock a doomsday shelter to the brim with supplies—create the home you’ve always dreamed of. However you imagine it, every detail is yours to choose. Wallpapers, flooring, and select pieces of furniture can be recolored or retextured to perfectly match your mood and style. Dozens of items also feature custom sound effects—tap the drums, snap a photo, run the tap. In this home, you don’t just see it—you hear it. THE STRANGE, CUTE LITTLE TOWN As you spend time with the townsfolk, you grow closer to them, and slowly form bonds with them. But beneath these warm, everyday moments, the town hides something. A number—42—flickers above the museum. A sudden rainbow across the sky. A “heart-stealing ghost” haunts the well. Tentacles creep from the cracks. What lies behind these mysteries? Perhaps the one destined to uncover the truth… is you.

The post Whisper of the House Unpacks Cozy Xbox Preorders Today appeared first on XBOX Wire.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Cost of Hope

GSC Game World

☆☆☆☆☆ 26

★★★★★

Get it now

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Cost of Hope (DLC) – August 20

Head out on a new expedition into the Zone in this massive, non-linear expansion. Dozens of gameplay hours are packed with unforgettable stories and twisted characters – all wrapped in the signature atmosphere of decay with a flicker of hope. The fragile peace between bitter rivals is shattered. Pick a side in a tangled web of intrigue and half-truths, where no choice is clean or truly right.

The Sinking City 2 – Pre-Order

Frogwares

☆☆☆☆☆ 24

★★★★★

Get it now

The Sinking City 2 – August 18
Optimized for XBOX Series X|S

The Sinking City 2 is a third-person survival horror set in 1920s Arkham. Deliberate, tense, and resource-lean: pressure builds as you push deeper, relief comes in brief refuge, and fear is something you manage. Mind your inventory, take on unnerving puzzles, and double back via unlocked shortcuts for supplies and upgrades.

Mortal Shell II Pre-order

Playstack

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

$49.99

Pre-order

Mortal Shell II – August 20
Optimized for XBOX Series X|S

Mortal Shell II is a standalone sequel to Mortal Shell that significantly expands on the original with faster and unforgiving combat, deeper weapon design with extensive upgrade options, and an emphasis on free exploration within a compact open world. The corpses of exceptional warriors are scattered throughout Mortal Shell II’s destroyed world. Once discovered, each warrior can be possessed, awakening their innate strengths and mastered abilities.

Get up to 72 hours Advanced Access (August 17) with the Devout Edition.

Black Flower

Triomatica Games

☆☆☆☆☆ 1

★★★★★

$9.99

Get it now

Black Flower – August 17

Black Flower is a strategic roguelike about survival and growth in a fragile garden. Guide your garden through a magical calendar, making daily choices between unpredictable weather conditions. Each day brings new risks and opportunities, forcing you to manage resources, protect your flowers, and adapt to an ever-changing world.

Archerio

Webnetic s. r. o.

☆☆☆☆☆ 1

★★★★★

$8.49

Get it now

Archerio – August 18
Optimized for XBOX Series X|S / Smart Delivery / XBOX Play Anywhere

Archerio is a fast-paced action roguelite where precision, reflexes, and smart upgrades decide your fate. Fight through handcrafted arenas filled with relentless enemies, deadly traps, and escalating challenges. Each run pushes your skills further, rewarding sharp aim and quick movement with powerful upgrades that transform your playstyle.

Driving is Hard

Elegant Horse Studios

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

$9.99

Pre-order

Driving is Hard – August 18
Optimized for XBOX Series X|S / Smart Delivery

Challenge yourself in Driving Is Hard! Drive a bathtub on wheels through steep, unforgiving terrain where every mistake costs you progress. Master tough physics-based gameplay, sharpen your patience, and uncover Jeff’s journey of self-doubt, family struggles, and emotional growth as he finds strength, self-acceptance, and hope for a brighter future.

Arcade Archives 2 CYBER CYCLES

HAMSTER Corporation

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

Get it now

Arcade Archives 2 CYBER CYCLES – August 19
Optimized for XBOX Series X|S

CYBER CYCLES is a racing game released by NAMCO LIMITED (current Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc.) in 1995. This game featured a large bike-style cabinet design that stood out at arcades at the time. Set against the backdrop of near-future motorcycle racing, choose from a lineup of unique machines with different performance features, and cross the finish line ahead of all your rivals!

Cloudy Day

RainForest Game Studio

☆☆☆☆☆ 1

★★★★★

$4.49 $3.59

Get it now

Cloudy Day – August 19
Optimized for XBOX Series X|S

Cloudy Day is a hand-drawn 2D casual platformer game. Take on the role of a lonely cloud embarking on a journey to learn how to fly and keep up with the other clouds!

Dark Reflection

Stamina Zero LLC

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

$4.99

Pre-order

Dark Reflection – August 19
Optimized for XBOX Series X|S / Smart Delivery / XBOX Play Anywhere

When your best friend vanishes, you must enter the Dark Reflection: a hostile, warped copy of your own reality. Here, familiar places are dangerous, and friendly faces cannot be trusted. Dark Reflection is a classic side-scrolling pixel-art adventure packed with action, puzzles, and heavy metal energy.

Dungeon Antiqua 2

AMATA K.K.

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

Get it now

Dungeon Antiqua 2 – August 19
Optimized for XBOX Series X|S / XBOX Play Anywhere

Dungeon Antiqua 2 is a 2D dungeon hack-and-slash RPG featuring SNES-style pixel art and sound. A retro-flavored adventure awaits you, blending strategic exploration with a highly flexible character-building system.

Grim Trials

Soft Source Pte Ltd.

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

$19.99

Pre-order

Grim Trials – August 19
Optimized for XBOX Series X|S / XBOX Play Anywhere

Grim Trials is a heavy metal action roguelite where you craft and customize your own weapons and equipment to embrace Death your own way. Play as Avelin, a young woman who has met an untimely end, and found herself recruited as one of Death’s many Reapers. Tasked to hunt down impure souls, face her demons, and fight her way through an underworld of her own making, Avelin must endure these trials to become a full-fledged Reaper and see her still-living love once again.

Hidden Cats in Barcelona

Silesia Games Sp. z o.o.

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

Get it now

Hidden Cats in Barcelona – August 19
XBOX Play Anywhere

It’s time to have a snack at a local Churreria and take a long stroll through Park Güell, because the Hidden Cats have arrived in ever beautiful and sunny Cat-alonia! The nooks and crannies of Barcelona hide many adorable furballs… Can you spot them all?

WonderCat Adventures

Obscure Cloud

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

$3.99

Get it now

WonderCat Adventures – August 19
Optimized for XBOX Series X|S / Smart Delivery / XBOX Play Anywhere

The Wonder Cat needs your help to find his cat buddy and escape the strange mines where they crash-landed! No trace of your UFO spaceship. You only have the robot pod that traveled with you to help. Beware the dangerous and unexplored path ahead. You’ll need all your stamina and quick reflexes to ride through those 55 levels. Where is your cat buddy? Where does the cave go? Let’s find out and go back home. The adventure starts now!

Berry Bury Berry

Black Lantern Collective

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

Get it now

Berry Bury Berry – August 20
Optimized for XBOX Series X|S

Berry Bury Berry is a surreal first-person incremental game about growing berries and putting them in a hole. Lots and lots of berries. Use all that sweet, sweet money earned to unlock upgrades and tools to help increase profits and explore more of the accursed garden!

Educational Family Games

Crazysoft Limited

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

Get it now

Educational Family Games – August 20
Optimized for XBOX Series X|S / Smart Delivery / XBOX Play Anywhere

It is family game night. Your kids want to play your games, but most games are not made for them. You may have tried educational games before, only for the adults to become bored within minutes. Before long, everyone is looking at their phones again. Educational Family Games brings everyone together with a local 1–4 player experience where children learn, adults compete, and the whole family plays in the same room.

Emoji Killer – Casino Massacre

EpiXR Games

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

$4.99

Pre-order

Emoji Killer – Casino Massacre – August 20
Optimized for XBOX Series X|S

You awake in a mysterious casino where evil poker emojis have awakened — and they’re not happy to see you. This rogue-like first-person shooter throws you into a wild casino environments, fast-paced combat against gambling addicted emojis wearing funny hats and wielding powers. Before each run, customize your experience with crazy modifiers: make enemies bounce, wear funny hats, or unleash maximum casino power for maximum challenge.

Find The Cats 2

Ember Box Studio

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

Get it now

Find the Cats 2 – August 20
Optimized for XBOX Series X|S

Discover even more adorable cats hidden across charming, handcrafted scenes in Find The Cats 2! Explore brand-new colorful environments, sharpen your attention, and find every sneaky little kitty before moving to the next level. Perfect for casual and cozy game fans, Find The Cats 2 brings even more relaxing hidden object fun with new levels, cute visuals, satisfying discoveries, and plenty of fluffy cats waiting to be found. Can you find them all?

Gallipoli

BlackMill Games

☆☆☆☆☆ 5

★★★★★

Get it now

Gallipoli – August 20
Optimized for XBOX Series X|S / XBOX Play Anywhere

Take part in the historic beach landings at Gallipoli and fight for survival on unforgiving shores and sun-scorched deserts! After the muddy trenches of Verdun, the snowy plains of Tannenberg, and the imposing Alps of Isonzo, Gallipoli brings you the deepest dive into the Ottoman Fronts of World War 1 through grounded, yet accessible battles. This is a hardcore, one-shot-one-kill PVP environment that demands teamwork in intense objective-based battles.

Ground Zero Hero

Acclaim, Inc.

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

Get it now

Ground Zero Hero – August 20
Optimized for XBOX Series X|S / Smart Delivery / XBOX Play Anywhere

Forget surviving the apocalypse. You’re here to dominate it. Ground Zero Hero drops you into a radioactive wasteland overrun with mutated creatures. Every enemy you destroy becomes fuel for your evolution. Absorb their remains, stack mutations, and build increasingly powerful and unpredictable combinations until you become an unstoppable force.

Wings of Beyond (XBOX Series)

Little Giant, Bad Minion

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

Get it now

Wings of Beyond – August 20
Optimized for XBOX Series X|S

The galaxy’s skies are at war. Are you ready to fight your way through thousands of enemies? Wings of Beyond is an intense shoot ’em up that throws you into thrilling space battles filled with challenges and powerful upgrades. Take on 30 increasingly difficult stages, where quick reflexes and smart strategy are essential to survive relentless waves of enemies. Travel across three unique galactic systems, each featuring distinct environments, exclusive enemies, powerful bosses, and new challenges that demand different tactics.

Yet Another Zombie Survivors (Game Preview)

Awesome Games Studio

☆☆☆☆☆ 330

★★★★★

$14.99

Get it now

Free Trial

Yet Another Zombie Survivors (Game Preview) – August 20
Optimized for XBOX Series X|S / Smart Delivery

The Horde is coming but you’re ready to fight it! Assemble your team and decide upon their enhancements to find the most efficient synergies against thousands of the undead. Survive. Then evolve. Then break all the limits in this deceivingly simple but addictive reverse bullet hell.

Creepy Shift: Uncle Joe’s Motel

Red Limb Studio

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

Get it now

Creepy Shift: Uncle Joe’s Motel – August 21
Optimized for XBOX Series X|S / XBOX Play Anywhere

An unfulfilled actress takes a job at Uncle’s Motel to make ends meet. She’s running from trouble, but peace is the last thing she’ll find here. Enter a world where cozy simulation tasks mix with the horror of a decaying building, and the narrative brims with the complexities of the human psyche. This is a sim-horror with a strong focus on narrative, which becomes increasingly dramatic and dark with every step. Uncle Joe’s Motel is the third game in the “Creepy Shift” series – games based on original creepypastas, where the main mechanic is following mysterious rules.

Dark Dungeon Head Haze (Xbox Series)

Sweet Bread Games

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

Get it now

Dark Dungeon Head Haze – August 21
Optimized for XBOX Series X|S

As if called by a siren, the deceptive Thief is pulled into the Dark Dungeon after its riches. As he takes a single step, darkness swallows his surroundings! Will it be this thug’s final big heist? Dark Dungeon Head Haze breaks conventions in puzzle games by… turning off the lights!? In this 3D low poly isometric puzzler, your intuition and memory will be put to the test. Grasp the layout of the level at the start, because as soon as you make your first move, almost the whole path ahead will turn pitch black!

KEYQUACK QUEST

YUME GAME STUDIO

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

Get it now

KeyQuack Quest – August 21

KeyQuack Quest is a pixel art platformer where you control a clever mallard on a mission to collect keys, avoid deadly traps, and reach the exit door. With progressively challenging levels, precise mechanics, and a charming retro aesthetic, the game blends action and strategy across carefully designed stages.

Mega City Force

Ravenage Games

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

Get it now

Mega City Force – August 21
Optimized for XBOX Series X|S / Smart Delivery

Hello, Agent. Mega City needs your services. Are you ready to uphold the law? The crime is out of control, the streets are not clean. There are criminals and psychopaths everywhere, ready to cut anyone’s throat. A corrupt megacorporation squeezes the life out of the citizens, seeking to establish control all over the city. Only the incorruptible agents of Mega City Task Force stand fast before the crime wave that consumed the city and threatens to overwhelm society. Choose your agent and dive into a deadly battle against the criminals and brutal bosses to unleash the beast of justice in the darkest corners of the city.

No More Slimes!!

Minimum Studio

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

Get it now

No More Slimes!! – August 21
XBOX Play Anywhere

Slime Rebellion! Small and adorable slimes have started a bouncing rebellion, filling up the entire screen. Dive right into this unstoppable commotion! Build diverse skill trees using the loot you earn from battles. Add special abilities like striking lightning with cards and relics or summoning a bouncing boomerang that deals damage off walls, and grow in your own unique way!

Pay To Path (Xbox Series)

Afil Games

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

Get it now

Pay to Path – August 21
Optimized for XBOX Series X|S

Get ready for a challenge where strategy, logic, and smart spending go hand in hand in Pay To Path. Help adorable piggy banks find their way to their bank vaults by rearranging roads, removing obstacles, and carefully planning every move. Here, every decision has a price, and using your money wisely makes all the difference.

Psalm 5:9-13

Axyos Games

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

Get it now

Psalm 5:9-13 – August 21
Optimized for XBOX Series X|S

Step into Psalm 5:9-13, a first-person psychological horror game with a VHS effect and a tense, oppressive atmosphere. At first glance the place seems ordinary, but the further you go, the more it reveals its true nature. Explore the location, search for anomalies, and keep moving as frightening things wait along the way. Built as a short walking simulator experience, Psalm 5:9-13 focuses on tension, unsettling details, realistic visuals, high-quality sound, and a compact horror journey that can be completed in about 30 minutes.

With Eyes of Ice

Ratalaika Games S.L.

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

Get it now

With Eyes of Ice – August 21
Optimized for XBOX Series X|S / Smart Delivery

Dying of frostbite, Gréta Egilsdóttir is left to wonder how she found herself in such a dire situation. Perhaps it began with Steina’s baby, or with Kai agreeing to stay the night, or with that kiss she almost shared with Nataníel. Perhaps it began when she journeyed from her home to work as a housemaid in the distant fishing village… Or perhaps it began three years ago, when her grandmother was still alive. For Gréta, meeting Nataníel Jóhannsson was love at first sight… But there are some loves which cannot — or perhaps should not — be.

The post Next Week on XBOX: New Games for August 17 to 21 appeared first on XBOX Wire.

Summary

• Built in collaboration with pro skater Sterre Meijer.
• The fresh perspective of Goon Squad‘s retro arcade skating experience.
• How Sterre’s experience and passion helped shape gameplay and authenticity.

I’m Dieter from Headup, and together with Goon Squad we created Skatesterre, an arcade skateboarding game that takes you back to the golden era of the genre. Today, I will tell you about how the game came to be, why we chose to work with Sterre Meijer on this project, and where the journey from the initial idea to the now finished game took us.

Skateboarding games have evolved enormously since the early days, but much more in the direction of actual sports simulation than the original arcade skateboarding feel.  So when we started the development, bringing back the exact flow and feel of the original genre flagship titles like Skate or Die, Dave Mirra, Grind Session and of course the early THPS games was our ultimate goal. These are the games we know best and feel extremely at home with. They offer less frustration than more realistic simulation titles and have a “pick up and play” nature about them, that makes them much more accessible.

Players should quickly feel like a real skate pro, ripping the best tricks easily through the highly intuitive control scheme while also just feeling the joy of riding their boards. Getting all these parts in line was an enormous challenge, especially considering that this was a true indie project.

Our goal was to capture that core feeling while adding modern quality-of-life improvements, leveraging Unreal Engine’s latest features, and introducing character customization through Sterre’s unique sense of style.

Before our lead developer joined the studio, he was already a passionate skateboarder, even building his own miniramp in his garden, and had been working on skateboarding game prototypes in his free time. He and I shared a vision of creating a great game driven by that personal passion. From my perspective as the producer, and having followed Sterre’s social media presence, I felt that she represented many of the positive developments happening in skateboarding today. It seemed like a great match: we could support the growing presence and empowerment of women in skateboarding while creating the kind of arcade sports game we had always envisioned.

I have been personally following many skaters on the social channels and was very impressed by Sterre and her journey in Skateboarding. So, I reached out to her, and we met in the Netherlands. She has been super supportive from the start, and working with her and her brother was a real joy.

Sterre has this infectious energy and authenticity that immediately felt right for a skateboarding game. She has her own style, does things her own way, and genuinely loves skating. That spirit of freedom and self-expression is exactly what I feel Skatesterre should be about.

The main focus with Sterre was getting her looks and style right, so that she felt authentically represented. At one point, we even scrapped much of the model’s work to a certain point and had the whole model redone. I hope you’ll feel the love and time invested especially in making this feel authentic to her.

Sterre has always followed her own path rather than trying to fit a particular image of what a skateboarder should be. We wanted the game to reflect that attitude: it’s playful, colorful, and a little unconventional, and it encourages players to experiment, find their own lines, and develop their own style.

When you start seeing a level differently- not as a collection of ramps and rails, but as one continuous line – and suddenly pull off a huge combo, Skatesterre really clicks.

Capturing that feeling from the classic arcade skate games I grew up with, while giving it our own personality, is something we’re very proud of. If you remember just one thing about Skatesterre after booting it up for the very first time today, I would want it to be that it makes you want to play one more run. We want Skatesterre to capture that simple joy of skating: experimenting, getting better, finding your own style, and having a great time doing it.

Skatesterre is available on Xbox Series X|S now.

Skatesterre

Headup

☆☆☆☆☆ 5

★★★★★

$14.99

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Skatesterre is a fast-paced arcade skateboarding game inspired by the golden era of classic skate titles. Link together huge combos, land stylish tricks, and shred through levels designed for speed, flow, and creativity. Ride as Sterre Meijer a.k.a. Surfsterre, Dutch skateboarder and rising figure in the global skate scene, and carve your way through streets, parks, and urban playgrounds packed with rails, ramps, and hidden lines. Complete missions, chase high scores, and unlock new fashion pieces as you progress – building your own unique skate style along the way. Classic Arcade Skateboarding Easy to learn. Hard to master: Experience gameplay inspired by the legendary skateboarding games of the early 2000s. Tight controls, fluid movement, and a deep combo system make every run fast, satisfying, and rewarding. Skate Your Own Style: Kickflips, grabs, manuals, grinds, and more – Skatesterre features tons of sick tricks you can combine into massive score multipliers. Discover creative lines and push your runs further every time. All killers, no fillers: Skate to a killer soundtrack packed with underground skate punk and skate rock tracks that channel the energy of the golden era of skateboarding games. Unlock Fashion & Style: Completing mission objectives unlocks a wide variety of fashion items for Sterre. Build your own skate look with different outfits and gear as you progress through the game. Diverse Levels: Explore a variety of levels filled with rails, ramps, gaps, and hidden routes. Each environment encourages experimentation and rewards players who master the flow of the map. Chase the Perfect Run: Link tricks together and chase the ultimate high score. Every trick matters when you're building the perfect combo. Features: • Fast-paced arcade skateboarding gameplay • Tons of sick tricks to master and combine • Shred to a high-energy soundtrack packed with underground skate punk • Mission-based objectives across multiple levels • Unlockable fashion items and outfits • Large environments full of rails, ramps, and secrets • Play as Dutch skateboarder Sterre Meijer a.k.a. Surfsterre • Inspired by the golden era of skateboarding games

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