After The Xbox Showcase, Game Pass Is Looking Stacked In 2023

Now that the dust has truly settled on Xbox's 2022 summer showcase, we've had the chance to sit back, take stock, and look ahead. While it's true that the rest of this year is looking pretty barren from Xbox Game Studios, the showcase did leave us with one remaining thought: 2023 is absolutely stacked on Xbox Game Pass.

First up, let's look at the beginning of next year. Xbox's showcase focused on "the next 12 months", and a lot of that seems to fall into early 2023. We've got the pair of recent Bethesda delays — Redfall and Starfield — arriving in the first half of next year, along with Forza Motorsport, which is slated for "Spring 2023".

Just these three alone would probably qualify as a solid year for Xbox first party. Starfield is Bethesda Game Studios' first new IP in forever, while Redfall is an interesting-looking co-op shooter from the creators of the Dishonored series. Oh, and the latter will work well for solo players too, as confirmed by Arkane's Harvey Smith.

Redfall Xbox
Image: Redfall, Arkane Austin

Then, there's Forza Motorsport, which is probably the most 'next-gen' game we've seen from Xbox since the launch of Series X|S (along with Microsoft Flight Simulator, of course). Turn 10's upcoming racer looks absolutely gorgeous, and we're still thinking about that 'Maple Valley' glow-up three days later. Forza typically arrives in the fall — as have most major Xbox exclusives in the past — and the fact that this one is coming in Spring is getting us all giddy.

Beyond what's confirmed for early next year, we have a bunch of big Game Pass releases hitting throughout 2023. Stalker 2 showed up again during Xbox's Extended Showcase with a new 2023 window (along with a hauntingly beautiful trailer), and that one remains one of our most anticipated games of next year. It's still releasing on Xbox Game Pass too, as a console launch exclusive.

Stalker2header
Image: Stalker 2, GSC Game World

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and Valheim also got added to the Game Pass slate at this week's extended showcase; another couple of games hitting consoles in 2023. The first proper look of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre has our interest piqued, and it appears to follow the film's template pretty closely (albeit in a multiplayer form). Oh, and did we mention a new Minecraft game hits Game Pass next year?

We've not even touched on what's coming for the rest of 2022 either, so let's just reel a few of those off. Atomic Heart, Slime Rancher 2, As Dusk Falls, A Plague Tale: Requiem, Warhammer 40k: Darktide, Two Point Campus, Pentiment, and many, many more are coming before 2023 even gets here. Xbox might need to slow down a bit, we're going to have the age old problem of too many games and too little time!

Here's a brief selection of Xbox Game Pass games to look forward to in 2023:

Are you looking forward to 2023 on Xbox Game Pass? Let us know what your most anticipated addition is.


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