Xbox May Have Lost the Console War, But It’s Just Getting Started In 2025

It’s been a tough few years for the Xbox brand. The early going of its console lacked the big haymaker titles to make its platform shine as bright as its competitors. Despite being an excellent, and cheap, entry point for the current generation, the , Ragnarok, and Astro Bot. Insomniac’s Wolverine has a solid chance of releasing later this year. But beyond that, most of its big swings, like Naughty Dog’s Intergalactic: The Heritc Prophet, aren’t due for another year.

There is a multiplatform elephant in the room. There’s a strong chance that every game shown this week will come to PlayStation 5 and Switch 2 eventually (Expedition 33 and Doom: The Dark Ages are already set to launch on PS5). But when the barrier to entry is a $20 subscription that you can cancel at any time, subverting the fear of missing out just might be worthwhile the cheaper price of admission if it means playing the year’s most novel releases at launch on whatever non-Sony or Nintendo device you choose.

The most intriguing part of Xbox’s stellar showing is that it only represents some of what’s in store for the year. Obsidian’s Xbox and PC RPG Avowed is less than a month away. The rumored Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion remake has a solid chance of hitting store shelves this year. The prequel Gears: E-Day appeals to lapsed Xbox owners. Fable, Perfect Dark, and State Of Decay 3 could also hit Game Pass this year as well.

While it’s easy to understand why most players decided that a Switch or a PlayStation 5 is the wiser purchase, Xbox is finally hitting its stride at the back half of the generation. It would have been nicer if the company had spread its lineup a little more evenly over the last few years (there are probably solid reasons for that behind the scenes). But there’s no denying that the months and years ahead are filled with games people will want to play whether they own an Xbox or not.

Who knows how much success Microsoft will find in its unorthodox shift toward becoming a multiplatform publisher. But from a player standpoint, they’ve made a solid case for buying in by creating one of the most intriguing video game lineups for the year ahead.