Ghost Trick : Phantom Detective (Xbox Series X|S)

Capcom is set to treat us all to a remaster of 2011's sublime paranormal puzzle adventure, Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective, this June and we cannot wait to jump back into Sissel's stylish shoes once more.

It's all about manipulating your environments by possessing all manner of inanimate objects to influence the outcome of the story here ,and some incredibly clever puzzles and witty dialogue combine to make for an adventure that's hard to put down once you get started. There's a fantastically colourful art style to this one, which should be looking better than ever thanks to upgraded visuals, and the narrative is as excellent and engaging as you'd expect from Shu Takumi, the designer of the magnificent Ace Attorney games. It may be an oldie, but Ghost Trick is something of an all-timer in our books.

  • Release Date? 30th June 2023
  • Xbox Game Pass? No

Layers of Fear (Xbox Series X|S)

Bloober Team returns to the Layers of Fear franchise for a second bite at the blood-soaked cherry, and honestly, we can't wait to see how this reboot of the "psychedelic horror" ends up. The Gamescom trailer certainly looks the business, with plenty of trippy tight corridors full of nasty surprises to shuffle your way down. Furthermore, the official game description says we should prepare to "face spine-chilling madness that extends over generations", which makes it sound like a game about going home to visit your family for Xmas to be honest, so sign up.

  • Release Date: June 2023
  • Xbox Game Pass? No

Exoprimal (Xbox Series X|S)

Capcom's Exoprimal looks set to be a wonderfully trashy slice of sci-fi action that sees teams of players hook up online to jump into cutting edge exosuits and fight hordes - and we do mean hordes - of dinosaurs. If you've seen the trailers, you'll no doubt be just as impressed as we are at the sheer volume of dinos that are spawning out of great big hellholes and portals all over futuristic cities, leaving it up to teams composed of various attacking, defensive and support characters to fight back and save mankind. The action is intense, the story looks cheesy as all hell, and those exosuits...well...let's just say we're looking forward to punching a T-Rex square in the face with one very, very soon.

  • Release Date: 14th July 2023
  • Xbox Game Pass? Yes

Atlas Fallen (Xbox Series X|S)

It's been pushed back a little, but Deck 13's upcoming action adventure will still be with us this year. Yes, Atlas Fallen was meant to drop in May but has been delayed to August for some final touches, which is no bad thing devs, take your time.

This one looks pretty flashy from what we've seen so far, with a great big desert-style open world in which players glide the sands of a timeless land, filled with ancient dangers, mysteries and fragments of the past. Gameplay here involves hunting legendary monsters, using powerful, shape-shifting weapons and devastating sand-powered abilities in combat. With a fully cooperative or solo story campaign, and a general vibe that's got us thinking about the PS-exclusive Horizon series, Atlas Fallen is one to keep an eye on a little later in the year, especially given Deck 13's superb recent work on the excellent The Surge series.

  • Release Date? 10th August 2023
  • Xbox Game Pass? No

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (Xbox Series X|S)

None of us really saw this one coming, but The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is heading to Xbox Game Pass at launch in 2023! Footage of the game has been fairly limited so far, but we do know that it's a new asymmetrical horror game from the team behind Friday the 13th (so expect a similar kind of experience), and it's based around the 1974 film of the same name. We don't really get many games like this on Xbox Game Pass at launch, so we've got high hopes that this'll be a lot of fun when it arrives in 2023.

  • Release Date: 18th August 2023
  • Xbox Game Pass? Yes

Sea of Stars (Xbox Series X|S)

A prequel to 2018's excellent action platformer, The Messenger, Sabotage Studio's next effort, Sea of Stars, looks like it could be another winner.

This time taking the form of an RPG, the game sees players jump into the story of Valere and Zale who between them use the power of both the moon and sun to fight against an enemy known as The Alchemist. There are a total of six characters to control, with plenty of puzzle-solving and turn-based combat to indulge in and, with influences such as Chrono Trigger and Illusion of Gaia being name-checked by the devs, this one's pushing all of our retro RPG buttons so far.

  • Release Date? 29th August 2023
  • Xbox Game Pass? No

Lies of P (Xbox Series X|S)

Lies of P drummed up a lot of attention when it was announced for Xbox Game Pass in 2022, and although it doesn't have a confirmed release date just yet, it seems likely we'll see it land in August 2023. It's a highly anticipated action souls-like game starring none other than Pinocchio, with the classic fairytale being reimagined in a "dark Belle Époque world". If that sounds like a cool concept to you, we're in the same boat, so we're keeping all our fingers crossed that Lies of P will arrive on Xbox Game Pass in just a few months' time.

  • Release Date: August 2023
  • Xbox Game Pass? Yes

Starfield (Xbox Series X|S)

Bethesda's first original RPG in 25 years? Skyrim in space? Sign us up! Yes, Starfield was delayed from its expected 2022 release date, but we reckon this one is gonna be worth all the waiting as it's sure to be one of the very biggest releases of 2023 - and it's coming day one to Xbox Game Pass. Woot! We cannot wait to see what the veteran developer has in store for us as we join the Constellation and go in search of the answers to humanity's greatest mystery, and we're fully expecting this to be a game that eats into hundreds of hours of our playtime when it finally arrives. Make sure to check out the official gameplay trailer if you're needing to top up those hype levels.

  • Release Date? 6th September 2023
  • Xbox Game Pass? Yes

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Starfield Digital Premium Edition [UK/EU Download Code]
Starfield Digital Premium Edition [UK/EU Download Code]
Starfield Standard Edition [UK/EU Download Code]
Starfield Standard Edition [UK/EU Download Code]

Robocop: Rogue City (Xbox Series X|S)

No, listen right. No, shut up. We love Robocop, we grew up with Robocop, anything that gets announced with Robocop in it and we're gonna get psyched about it, so sit down and eat your mince pies. Robocop: Rogue City sees Peter Weller reprise his role as everyone's favourite part man, part machine, all cop hero, and to be honest we should just stop writing now, that should be enough to justify its place on this list. Peter Weller is back, baby, and it's a huge feather in the cap of this single-player shooter. All Nacon needs to do now is nail the action, the trailer certainly looks like they mean business, and this one could be a real treat for fans of the franchise when it lands in September.

  • Release Date: September 2023
  • Xbox Game Pass? No
RoboCop: Rogue City (Xbox Series X)
RoboCop: Rogue City (Xbox Series X)

AEW: Fight Forever (Xbox Series X|S)

We've been starved for a variety of wrestling games on Xbox over the years, with the genre dominated by WWE 2K's efforts for obvious reasons, but now a new contender is finally ready to enter the squared circle! AEW Fight Forever looks very similar to the classic WWF No Mercy on Nintendo 64 based on the early footage, and if it can come anywhere close to emulating that beloved '90s title, we should have a fantastic new game on our hands here.

  • Release Date: 2023
  • Xbox Game Pass? No
AEW: Fight Forever
AEW: Fight Forever