Y’know what’s nice about gaming as a hobby? It’s consistent. Well, maybe not quality-wise, but timewise at least. Every year, you can make a checklist of games that are coming out for your favorite platform, and that ensures you’ve always got something to look forward to. If you’re primarily an Xbox player, then don’t worry, Microsoft ain’t leaving you hanging in 2022. Here are some of the upcoming Xbox exclusive titles to look out for in 2022.
The following games will all be released first and foremost for Xbox consoles, including the Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and in a few cases, the Xbox One. Also, many of these games will be released either simultaneously or in the not-too-distant future for PC. It is Microsoft, after all; being the creators of Windows makes licensing stuff for PC ports much easier than it is for their competitors, and the success of Game Pass has lit a fire under them to get more stuff on the PC platform. Now then, let’s get to the games.
Upcoming 2022 Xbox Exclusive Titles
- Shredders, February 2022
- S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2: Heart of Chernobyl, April 28, 2022
- Redfall, Summer 2022
- Starfield, November 11, 2022
- Slime Rancher 2, TBD 2022
- Avowed, TBD 2022
Shredders, February 2022
I’ve been snowboarding exactly once in my life, and let me tell you, it’s a lot harder than they made it look on Rocket Power. It requires balance, self-awareness, upper and lower body strength, and the ability to take a fall safely. Snow is not as soft as you might think. If you’d rather stay safe at home in the winter, you can still get your extreme winter sports fix with Shredders.
Shredders draws inspiration from some of the most popular snowboarding video games in history, such as SSX and Amped, to create a truly next-gen experience. You’ll storm down gorgeous mountainscapes covered in the freshest, powderiest snow. Hit ramps to get unreal air, and grind along rails to get the highest score on your way down. The mountains aren’t just tracks, but an open world populated almost entirely with real players, so you can make some friends as you hit the slopes.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl, April 28, 2022
I wonder sometimes what would happen to the world if a very particular part of it were struck by a bolt of observable weirdness. What if, for example, instead of being completely uninhabitable due to nuclear fallout, the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone was full to bursting with vicious mutants and inexplicable phenomena? Well, I guess you’d get the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series, the long awaited newest entry of which is right around the corner.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl returns players to the “Zone,” which has only gotten weirder since last time. New factions have sprung up, new mutants are on the prowl, and you’ll have to get even better at staying alive if you want to stake your claim on the mysterious artifacts within. The game has been built from the ground up with an incredibly ambitious system, featuring adaptable enemy behaviors, dynamic day-night cycles and weather, and a non-linear story with multiple endings, just to name a few perks. It’s never been a better time to survive in a blasted-out hellscape.
Redfall, Summer 2022
If you’ve ever seen 30 Days of Night (or read the comic on which it’s based), you’d have an idea of how intimidating a coordinated attack by an entire cabal of vampires would be. One vampire is a big enough problem by itself, but a horde of them in a situation where the sun can’t save you is unthinkable. To survive such a situation, you’re gonna have to get a bit more… creative.
Redfall is an open-world co-op FPS where a team of ragtag vampire hunters take on a vampire threat in an eclipsed city with every trick they have at their disposal, from psychic abilities to cryptid hunting tools to military robots. Play either alone or with up to three friends as you build up your hunter with unique abilities and loadouts. Think Borderlands, but with less loot and more vampires.
Starfield, November 11, 2022
A friend of mine is a major Elder Scrolls junkie, so when Starfield was first announced, she began monitoring the waves like a hawk for any sign of a release date. When she finally got that release date back in June, you better believe she began planning out her entire November 2022 in advance for its release, and frankly, I don’t blame her.
Details are still a bit scarce about Starfield, Bethesda’s next major open-world RPG project and the first new universe they’ve established in over two decades, but just going by screenshots and a few teaser tidbits, it’s already shaping up to be a gaming event of the generation. Starfield is slated to take the precepts of games like Skyrim and escalate them all the way up to the heavens with massive alien landscapes and space travel.
Slime Rancher 2, TBD 2022
Call it a hunch, but I doubt that whoever first cooked up the idea of ambulatory slime creatures in fantasy and sci-fi settings knew what a mainstay they’d become. Like, you see slimes more frequently in stories these days than you see elves. That’s saying something. Of course, if you think slimes are cute, then you’re probably the kind of person who’s more disposed toward raising them than fighting them.
Slime Rancher 2, the follow-up to 2016’s Slime Rancher, continues the adventures of explorer and rancher Beatrix LeBeau as she explores the mysterious Rainbow Island. This place is absolutely lousy with ancient tech, fascinating flora, and of course, an entire population of wiggly, jiggly slimes. Farm resources and raise slimes to build up your personal conservatory and uncover the island’s secrets.
Avowed, TBD 2022
Ever since Obsidian split off from Bethesda post Fallout New Vegas, they’ve been positioning themselves as the underdogs looking to take a slice of Bethesda’s pie. The Outer Worlds was their first swing at eating off of Fallout’s plate, and now they’re taking a swing at Elder Scrolls with the upcoming Avowed.
Not unlike Bethesda themselves, Obsidian’s been rather cagey with Avowed’s development. Ever since its first trailer dropped last year, they’ve maintained near constant radio silence on the matter. That first trailer can give us an idea, though, and it’s about what you’d expect: a large-scale first-person action RPG in a similar vein to Elder Scrolls, but with more of the user-friendly mechanical tweaks that helped New Vegas stand out from its contemporaries.
These are six upcoming Xbox exclusive titles to look out for in 2022. You can also check out some upcoming 2022 PlayStation exclusive titles.
