Best upcoming Xbox One games: a month-by-month video guide

23 Jun 2016

Seth Barton

Plan your year in gaming - all the biggest and best upcoming Xbox One games with videos

2016 looks to be a bumper year for gaming, with lots of great upcoming titles on both consoles. Here we’re going to list our top picks month-by-month, so you can plan out your gaming year. We’ll be listing upcoming releases at the top of the article, while games without fixed dates are lurking at the very bottom.

To be fair, the PlayStation 4 has taken a lead in sales in the current generation, but it’s been the Xbox One that’s stood out in terms of exclusive titles. With Sony’s internal teams misfiring or being delayed, Microsoft has built up a decent library of titles, although nothing quite console-selling (bar the excellent multiplayer in Halo 5), has yet come to its aid. Indeed, many of the titles below are multiplatform games you can play elsewhere, but there are still a few exclusive gems lurking in there such as ReCore and Gear of War 4. Here’s everything that’s coming up over the next six months:

August

(23rd) Deus Ex: Mankind Divided

The long-running Deus Ex series is back with this direct sequel to 2012’s Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Expect more of the same in terms of an awesome cyberpunk feel, fantastic upgrades for your agent and a complex plot of shadowy conspiracies in which you get to make big choices as to the outcome. This time around combat has been reworked heavily, to create gunfights that are as fun and tactical as the sneaky approach, plus there’s still lots of security systems to hack and turn to your will. When summer gets too much, pull on your virtual mirrorshades and head for the shadowy world of Deus Ex. read our full Deus Ex: Mankind Divided preview for more details.

September

(13th) ReCore

First announced at last year’s E3, ReCore has some serious talent behind it, including Keiji ‘Mega Man’ Inafune and the producers of Metroid Prime. With that kind of pedigree, it’s no surprise that ReCore is a kind of Megaman/Metroid hybrid, focusing on fast, third person gunplay and platform puzzles. You play as Joule, a lone human with a host of robotic buddies that can help her travel round the mysterious world of Far Eden. Joule’s grappling hook will get her to a fair amount of places, but she’ll also be accompanied by thte dog-like Mack, a gun-toting spider machine called Seth that can climb up walls, and the tank-like gorilla bot Duncan. To see what they’re like in action, watch the gameplay tralier below.

(30th) Final Fantasy XV

After ten years in development hell, Final Fantasy XVis finally on the horizon. With its huge, open world environments and towering beasts and monsters, FFXV is the biggest Final Fantasy game ever made, and we can’t wait to get our hands on it. Combat now takes place in real time, offering one of the most exciting and dynamic battle systems we’ve seen in quite some time, but there’s still the usual mix of magic and giant summon monsters to spice things up. To see exactly what you can expect come September time, you should definitely make a date with the free Platinum demo that’s available to download right now, but if all you want is a quick summary, head over to our Final Fantasy XV hub article.

October

(11th) Gears of War 4

Long-running cover shooter Gears Of War finally makes its first appearance on Xbox One later this year, not including the remastered version of the original game of course. The release date is now set and this looks to be Microsoft’s big hitter for the year. Both campaign and multiplayer modes make a return. The former centres around Marcus Fenix’s son, while the latter has a ton of modes, 60fps gameplay and dedicated servers. Rev up those chainsaws people, Gears is back! Read and see more in our Gears of War 4 article.

(21st) Battlefield 1

Yes, you read that correctly. Instead of calling it Battlefield 5, DICE has gone back to basics with the upcoming Battlefield 1, taking us back to the First World War for some classic, historical gunplay. We’ve already been hands on with the game and its 64-player multiplayer battles are really a sight to behold. Expect classic weaponry and even more iconic vehicles to get stuck in with come the end of October, as well as dynamic weather, massive, destructible environments and huge Zeppelin-style airships. For all the latest details, including our own hands-on review, see our Battlefield 1 article.

(28th) Titanfall 2

If you prefer your shooters to be a bit more futuristic, then Titanfall 2 could be right up your street. While the multiplayer aspect still forms a key part of the game, this time you’ll have a single player campaign to stomp through as well, which supposedly explores the bond between your pilot and his own, personalised mech robot. We’ve only been hands on with the multiplayer part of the game so far, but what we’ve seen so far definitely has plenty of promise. For more info, including our hands on impressions, read our Titanfall 2 article.

November

(11th) Dishonored 2

The first Dishonored was a bit of a sleeper hit back in 2012, so the fact we’re now getting a sequel is excellent news indeed. This time, though, it’s not just Corvo you’ll be playing as, as you’ll also get the chance to play as Empress Emily Kaldwin as well. Depending on who you like more, you’ll then be able to choose which character you’ll stick with for the rest of the game, which now takes place in the Middle Eastern-inspired city of Karnaca rather than the rat-infested waters of Dunwall. To see more about what’s coming up in this hotly anticipated sequel, see our Dishonored 2 hub article.

(15th) Watch Dogs 2

After months of rumour and speculation, Watch Dogs 2 is almost here. This time we’re leaving Aiden Pearce and Chicago behind for a new hero – Marcus Holloway – and a new city – San Francisco, but the rest of its GTA-like mechanics still have plenty in common with the first game. Hacking the systems and infrastructure of San Francisco still plays a key role in Watch Dogs 2, but this time the multiplayer components have been made a more integral part of the game, allowing for more co-operative styles of play should you wish to team up with a buddy. For all the latest news, see our Watch Dogs 2 article.

2017

February 21st – Halo Wars 2

Can’t wait until February next year to try Halo’s long-awaited RTS spinoff? Well, fear not, because you can play the beta version of the game right now if you’re an Xbox Live Gold member. We only got a very brief glimpse of what to expect at this year’s E3, but with British developers and RTS experts Creative Assembly on board, we have high hopes indeed for this explosive sequel to the excellent 2009 original. For more information, see our Halo Wars 2 hub.

No date confirmed

There’s a bunch more titles that are tentatively pencilled in for a 2016 launch date, but the developers and publishers haven’t yet announced a date more exact than a year. Expect most of these to almost certainly drift into 2017.