Yesterday, Xbox held a twenty-five minute long Xbox Partner Preview showcase featuring fifteen games. The presentation featured both games we’ve been waiting on and some brand new announcements. Since it is the middle of October, they kicked off the event with a few spooky games — and some others peppered throughout the presentation.

Since I don’t own a current gen Xbox console and my PC is very old, I’m always hoping to see some of these games make their way to the PlayStation or Switch later on. In recent years, I have seen many of my most anticipated Xbox releases make their way to one of my consoles down the road. Let’s hope that Xbox continues to share.

For now, let’s get into my personal TOP FIVE game announcements from yesterday’s presentation.

1 | MOUSE: P.I. for Hire

MOUSE: P.I. for Hire is a gritty, noir-fueled first person shooter inspired by the classic cartoons of the 1930s. The game sports a grainy black-and-white of the cartoons of that time. Watching this trailer made me want to go back and play Cuphead — a totally different type of game with a similar art style. The hand-drawn art really pops against the 3D elements in the world.

The Noir-style detective drama is a great backdrop for this game and I can’t wait to meet the silly cast of characters. MOUSE: P.I. for Hire is coming to Xbox and PC in 2025.

2 | Subnautica 2

A few years ago, I tried the original Subnautica and I really liked the idea of exploring the ocean, I just didn’t get very far. What makes Subnautica 2 more appealing is the all-new planet full of mysterious underwater creatures.

There’s something neat about exploring the deep unknown waters and discovering new species, even dangerous ones along the way. Subnautica 2 is set to release in early access on Xbox and PC in 2025.

3 | Wheel World

Sometimes, a game’s art style is enough to fully grab my attention. Racing through a beautifully hand-drawn city on a fully-customizable bike with your flaming ghost head companion sounds like a great time. I’m also drawn to the simple style of Wheel World, which reminds me of the look of Olli Olli World.

Wheel World will release on Xbox and PC in early 2025.

4 | The Legend of Baboo

Online, people are always asking, “Can you pet the dog?” in games. The Legend of Baboo goes even further by letting you ride the dog — a big, cute, fluffy dog named Baboo. You play as a child, Sepehr, who can fight, climb, and ride his noble doggo around while saving his family.

The Legend of Baboo looks like a great epic adventure and is coming to Xbox and PC in 2025.

5 | FBC: Firebreak

I’m not really looking for another online multiplayer FPS game at the moment, but I’m looking forward to learning more about FBC: Firebreak for two reasons. First, it’s Remedy’s (creators of Alan Wake and Control) first foray into the online multiplayer scene. Second, the game is set in the world of Control.

There are plenty of odd occurrences throughout the trailer. We got a glimpse at a rubber ducky, lawn gnome, and a whole lotta goop. FBC: Firebreak is set to release in 2025 on Xbox and PC.

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Those were my top five announcements, however there were plenty of others, including Animal Well shadow dropping on Xbox. It’s currently been sitting on my PlayStation 5 homescreen waiting for me to get to it with at least ten other titles. 

I didn’t include any of the spooky Halloween titles in my TOP FIVE, because I never make it very far into those games. I am currently working on Alan Wake Remastered (yes, the first game), and I have been working on it for a few years — I did restart it. After that I plan to finish Control and finally get into some Alan Wake II.

Xbox is stepping it up with their own Samurai game, Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, after PlayStation has been on a Japanese samurai binge ever since Ghost of Tsushima. Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii may be the silliest game in the lineup — still, I am intrigued as I have always been curious about this franchise.

Overall this was a good, quick showcase with a good mix of games for everyone. There were enough games to get gamers excited about something, but not too many that you end up forgetting half of them.

The entire presentation can be seen right here:

Tell us what you’re most excited about in the comments section below…