RELATED: 5 Best Things About The Xbox Series X (& 5 That Aren’t Great)
The launch for the Xbox Series X was a little anemic and highly anticipated titles like the next Halo have been delayed into 2021. Microsoft’s Xbox Series X has a lot of huge titles on the way that look like they will define the console, but there are also a lot of surprises ahead for the system in 2021.
10 Didn’t Know Was Coming: Control: Ultimate Edition
Remedy Entertainment’s Control is one of the most exciting action-adventure titles to come out in a while and it gives the player such a sense of power thanks to the intense supernatural abilities that they have at their disposal.
Control: Ultimate Edition includes the title’s two expansions as well as other next-gen upgrades. Even though it was announced for a release at the end of 2020, the game has recently been delayed to early 2021 to make sure that it’s as good as possible. Hopefully, audiences won’t have to wait that long into the new year.
9 Rumored: Psychonauts 2
Tim Schafer and Double Fine have crafted some of the most creative adventure narratives of the past decades. Psychonauts is a beloved, yet niche, title for the original Xbox, and it’s satisfying to finally see a true sequel come to life.
The game is a quirky platformer where the hero, Raz, is now in control of powerful psychic abilities and more intense mind invasion skills. Psychonauts 2 has been in development for several years now and Double Fine believes that 2021 will mark its release, but the studio has not given any specific release window.
8 Didn’t Know Was Coming: Little Nightmares II
Little Nightmares is one of the last generation’s most purely enjoyable titles. It’s a creative blend of puzzles, platforming, with a horror aesthetic to it all. It feels like the kind of video game Roald Dahl or Tim Burton would make.
RELATED: 10 Hidden Details You Never Noticed About The Xbox Series X
Little Nightmares II continues the uniquely eccentric story, but puts players in control of a new character and turns the first game’s protagonist into a possible villain now that they’ve inherited such incredible power. Little Nightmares II’s development has flown under the radar, but it will be out for the Xbox Series X during February of 2021.
7 Rumored: Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II
There are wonderful next-gen games that are multiplatform releases, but the Hellblade titles are one property that PlayStation owners don’t get to experience. Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, the sequel to Senua’s Sacrifice, was announced as a flagship title for the Xbox Series X.
The brutal hack and slash style game from Ninja Theory continues Senua’s barbaric quest through a harsh Norse world and is very much Xbox’s answer to God of War. It’s unfortunate that Hellblade II couldn’t come out as a launch title but it’s been teased for a 2021 release, which hopefully is still planned to happen.
6 Didn’t Know Was Coming: Hogwarts Legacy
There are many established properties that have become natural fits for video games, but Harry Potter titles have struggled to innovate the medium even though they’ve been around for years. Hogwarts Legacy looks like it will break this trend and promises a gigantic open-world action RPG game set at Hogwarts back in the 1800s.
There’s even a morality meter that keeps check of what side of wizarding the player leans towards. Hogwarts Legacy looks like it approaches Harry Potter with a level of maturity that audiences can appreciate and could start an exciting trend once it hits in 2021.
5 Rumored: Shredders
A strong library of multiplayer titles has become increasingly important for consoles. While many of the traditional sports and racing games continue to get released, Shredders is actually an attempt to jump back into a genre of game that’s been neglected for some time and easy to underestimate.
RELATED: 10 Awesome Things The Xbox Series X Can Do (That The Xbox One X Simply Can’t)
Shredders is a multiplayer snowboarding title that looks amazing on an aesthetic level. It looks like Shredders could turn out to be the surprise hit of 2021 if it’s able to stay on schedule. Perhaps it could even become a new franchise for the Xbox Series X.
4 Didn’t Know Was Coming: Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis
Sega’s Phantasy Star Online series has struggled to take off outside of Japan, but there’s a dedicated fan base for the expansive MMORPG titles. The Phantasy Star Online universe is such a unique mix of sensibilities that feels simultaneously futuristic and indebted to science fiction while also paying tribute to the fantasy genre.
Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis is a huge update to the standard version of the game, but it will also function as a separate entity and an expansion of the universe. It looks to be one of the most satisfying RPG experiences for the Xbox crowd.
3 Rumored: Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes
Video games continue to get bigger, both for better and for worse, but the JRPG genre has always featured games where it’s easy to put in hundreds of hours. Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes has been teased as a spiritual successor to Suikoden, an acclaimed JRPG series.
Hundred Heroes looks to promise the same level of freedom with a huge roster of characters and a deeply interconnected story. Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes actually has a projected release date of 2022, but it’s still possible that it could make it out in time for 2021’s holiday season.
2 Didn’t Know Was Coming: Destiny 2: The Witch Queen
Destiny 2 is one of the most popular multiplayer shooters of the past generation and it looks like the franchise isn’t going anywhere as gaming moves forward. Bungie has decided to not release a conventional Destiny 3 and instead wants to expand the universe through a series of expansions.
Destiny 2: Beyond Light has already hit, but fans will be able to dig even deeper once The Witch Queen follows sometime in 2021. That’s not even set to be the last Destiny 2 addition, so players should be busy for a while with the FPS title.
1 Rumored: Fable
Fable is a property that helped define the original Xbox. It’s been a long time since there’s been new Fable content, but it feels very fitting for Microsoft’s new console to return to one of their most important properties.
Fable is another game that would have made for a great launch title. While details on its release have been slim, people still seem optimistic that it will make it out sometime in 2021. The new take on the immersive fantasy series has teased new additions like fairies and more.
NEXT: 10 PS5 & Xbox Series X Games You Didn’t Realize Had A Next-Gen Patch
