Xbox Games Showcase 2022 will certainly be one of the biggest gaming events of the year so here are some predictions and rumours on which games could appear at the show.
E3 2022 may be dead but you can bet Xbox and Bethesda won't miss a chance to showcase their best upcoming games this summer, similar to how they brought the heat last year with the reveals of Forza Horizon 5, Starfield and more.
Some Xbox exclusives are a lock for this event but as always with major reveals, there will be plenty of rumours floating around so we're going to list some of the most obvious candidates from Xbox and Bethesda's joint portfolio of upcoming titles, then some possible reveals and our dream announcements.
Xbox Showcase 2022 safe bets
Officially announced back in 2020 and rumoured to be launching in early 2023, Obisidan's Avowed is one of the prime candidates for another reveal at Xbox Games Showcase 2022.
We expect to finally see the first gameplay footage of this epic fantasy first-person RPG as well as an official release date.
Avowed is confirmed to be coming to Xbox Series X|S and PC.
Xbox
Turn 10 Studios revealed earlier that we will be seeing a lot more of Forza Motorsport this year and if the rumoured 2022 release date is indeed true, then we will almost certainly get an update on the game at Xbox Games Showcase next month.
We haven't got much since the announcement in 2020 but a lengthy gameplay demo, as well as a release date confirmation, should be a safe bet.
Forza Motorsport was announced as a next-gen only title for Xbox Series X|S and PC.
Xbox
Bethesda confirmed that a gameplay deep dive for Arkane Studios' vampire-themed co-op shooter Redfall is coming soon. The Xbox and Bethesda Showcase is the place where we expect to see this one, despite the most recent news about the delay to 2023.
Redfall is another exclusive for Xbox Series X|S and PC.
Bethesda
Another big Bethesda title that was recently pushed to 2023 is the sci-fi RPG Starfield. Bethesda initially planned to showcase Starfield this summer and then release it in November but now that the latter won't be happening, we're looking forward to finally seeing some proper deep dive into the gameplay for this highly anticipated title.
We would love to get a first look at the diverse planets and biomes, new gameplay systems, and enhanced Creation engine visuals in this demo.
Starfield is confirmed for PC and Xbox Series X|S release.
Bethesda
We got to see a teaser trailer of Avalanche's "co-op smuggler's paradise" Contraband at last year's showcase so it's safe to expect gameplay reveal this summer given that Contraband is rumoured for an early-mid 2023 release.
According to rumours, Contraband was scheduled to launch in late 2022 but as with many titles this and past year, it got internally delayed into 2023.
Contraband is published by Xbox Game Studios Publishing, meaning it's exclusive to the Xbox ecosystem.
Xbox
Other Xbox games that have a high chance of appearing at the show:
- Pentiment
A CRPG from Obsidian's Josh Sawyer. Rumoured to be launching this year. Yet to be officially announced.
EBB Software's survival horror that is coming exclusively to Xbox Series X|S and PC in 2023. A new gameplay trailer may be revealed at the show.
- The Coalition's Unreal Engine 5 game
Gears developer The Coalition are working on a brand new IP which is reportedly a smaller UE 5 title. The rumoured release date is 2023, which is why we could see it this year.
- Project Belfry
Banner Saga devs are working on a side-scrolling brawl combat title codenamed Project Belfry which is reportedly an exclusive to Xbox, coming in late 2022 / early 2023.
- As Dusk Falls
Interactive drama from INTERIOR/NIGHT, which was revealed in 2020 and still does not have a release date. Perhaps, this is the year we finally see it again and get a release date?
Xbox Showcase 2022 hopeful reveals
While these titles above are almost certain to appear at the Xbox Games Showcase 2022, there are plenty of games that may be a bit further away but still have a small chance of getting to the big list for the 2022 event.
Developed by Crystal Dynamics and The Initiative, Perfect Dark was announced in 2020 with a CGI trailer, without a release date. There's a small chance we see an in-engine trailer this year but don't get your hopes up just yet since the rumoured release date for this one is late 2023/2024.
The Initiative
Another Xbox exclusive that was revealed with a CGI trailer a couple of years ago. Fable reboot is developed by Forza team Playground Games and will be an open-world action RPG built using the Forza Tech engine.
Since Fable is still far away we doubt Xbox will be adding the game to the event list but an in-engine trailer could be an exciting update before we see gameplay next year.
Xbox
InXile's Unreal Engine 5 RPG
One of the most exciting unannounced Xbox exclusives comes from The Wasteland creators InXile, who are currently working on a project codenamed Cobalt, which is rumoured to be a steampunk-themed and teased as a first-person shooter RPG.
Project Cobalt won't be coming anytime soon but it could be announced this year with a CGI teaser trailer, in the same fashion as Perfect Dark and Fable in 2020.
Aleksandar Danilovac
It's been a while since we've heard any official info regarding Everwild, Rare's next big title, which reportedly has some development troubles.
Two CGI trailers are all we have at the moment and judging by how quiet Rare have been since those reveals, we doubt Everwild will be at the Xbox showcase this year but hope is the last to die.
Rare
Kojima partnership announcement
Hideo Kojima and Xbox are apparently teaming up to work on a brand new cloud-based game, which would be exclusive to the Xbox ecosystem. The report comes from reliable Jeff Grubb but there is no official announcement just yet which makes us excited for the 2022 showcase. No better place to drop such a big announcement than your biggest event of the year?
AltChar
Other games that we would love to see at Xbox Games Showcase:
- Compulsion Games' third-person action-adventure
We Happy Few creators have a brand new game in development which is still years away but just like InXile's title, we may get to see a short teaser trailer.
- Project Mara
Project Mara is a small horror game from Hellblade creators Ninja Theory. We've seen a small teaser in 2020 so it's probably time we learned more about this one?
- The Outer Worlds 2
Another Obisidian game on the list. The Outer Worlds 2 was revealed with a CGI trailer last year so perhaps, we get to see some in-engine stuff this time around?
Xbox Showcase 2022 dream reveals
The stuff of dreams list. Some of these probably won't be happening anytime soon, some never, but who cares, It's the list where we can list those unrealistic announcements and hope we get to see them someday.
Banjo Kazooie reboot
Does it feel like we've been here before? Xbox fans keep rumbling about the Banjo Kazooie franchise every year, hoping that we may get some surprise announcement but nothing ever happens. Xbox seem hesitant to revive this series but that won't stop us from asking for a new game and putting Banjo and his buddy Kazooie on our wishlists every year.
Xbox
Shadowrun immersive sim by Arkane
I've seen people talking about this and I have to admit that it really sounds way too cool. Shadowrun's world is a perfect fit for Arkane's immersive-sim signature gameplay and now that Dishnorored creators are officially under the Xbox umbrella, there should be no obstacles for such a game. Make it happen, guys.
shadowruntabletop
Microsoft wave goodbye to Live Gold
Xbox fans have been pretty vocal about this one and we would not be surprised if Microsoft are actually thinking about potential changes to Live Gold. Though, we doubt that will happen before Game Pass reaches a certain (very big) number of subscribers.
Microsoft
Since we have very little info about the actual lineup of games at the Xbox Games Showcase, it's worth noting that these lists are mostly educated guessing and speculation at this point.
Also, keep in mind that Xbox will be revealing plenty of new content and potential DLC for their already released titles such as Forza Horizon 5, Halo Infinite and Sea of Thieves.
The Xbox Games Showcase is going live on Sunday, June 12 at 10:00 AM PT / 07:00 PM CET.
