Xbox Is Putting A Lot Of Confidence In The Outer Worlds 2 This Summer

Big shoes to fill

by Fraser Gilbert Wed 9th Apr 2025

Xbox Is Putting A Lot Of Confidence In The Outer Worlds 2 This Summer

OK! We now finally have a date for the Xbox Games Showcase 2025, along with the confirmation that it'll be followed by a special Direct on The Outer Worlds 2 - marking the third time Xbox has provided a "double-feature" in June.

No pressure Obsidian, but you've got some big shoes to fill! The first double-feature was based around the upcoming launch of Starfield in 2023, while Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 got the treatment last year - two absolutely mammoth games that went on to sell boatloads of copies.

The Outer Worlds 2 perhaps won't be as popular as those two were, but it's still a very highly-anticipated game - and by giving it its own Direct, Xbox is clearly placing a lot of confidence in this sequel. It's also an indication that it's getting close to release, which suggests it's going to be the big fall 2025 launch for Xbox Game Studios.

Remember, it wasn't that long ago that we were thinking Fable would get all the attention from Xbox this fall, but that ultimately ended up getting delayed. Gears of War: E-Day has been rumoured for this year on-and-off as well, but the latest rumours suggest it's now 2026. As a result, The Outer Worlds might have late 2025 all to itself.

That's only when it comes to first-party releases though, and perhaps The Outer Worlds 2 is going to have to contend with the toughest competitor of all - GTA 6. We'll have to wait and see how the release dates play out for each of them.

Anyway, we're sure The Outer Worlds 2 will get a great showing at the Xbox Games Showcase this summer, and if it's anything like the original (or Avowed, for that matter), we're very excited for what Obsidian has in store!

When Do You Think The Outer Worlds 2 Will Release? (161 votes)

Shadow drop in June!14%
July-September 202530%
October-December 202550%
Early-mid 20264%
Mid-late 20262%
2027 onwards 0%

When do you think The Outer Worlds 2 will release? Tell us in the poll and the comments below!

Fraser is the News Editor at Pure Xbox, where he spends his time reporting on the biggest stories in the world of Xbox and beyond.

1
RBRTMNZ
Wed 9th Apr 2025

I enjoyed the first game a lot but was not too hyped for the sequel initially. However, after playing Avowed my excitement is now out of this worlds.

2
themightyant
Wed 9th Apr 2025

Whenever GTA VI isn't. I'd expect that in Sept / Oct, so either before, or after. I enjoyed the last game, but it was also quite forgettable. I was watching a recap and realised that other than a few aspects, and Parvati, I remembered very little.

3
Grumblevolcano
Wed 9th Apr 2025

I think it releases in August/September to avoid GTA6.

4
TheGameThrifter
Wed 9th Apr 2025

Don't they usually have a big Xbox exclusive in this spot after their showcase?

5
Kaloudz
Wed 9th Apr 2025

Obsidian are one of Xbox's strongest studios imo. Their output is just super impressive.

6
Prestige-worldwide
Wed 9th Apr 2025

@TheGameThrifter they’ve only done that for starfield, last year it was black ops 6 which is multi platform

7
Nightcrawler71
Wed 9th Apr 2025

I never played the first game, but having now played and loved Avowed, I need to play it before the sequel comes out!

8
BAMozzy
Wed 9th Apr 2025

Maybe because this, like Doom and Call of Duty, is a multi-platform release and coming to Playstation too. The first was of course multi-platform and the first Obsidian game released under Microsoft - although with legacy deals in place.

As its coming to every platform, it perhaps makes sense to give it a deep dive to hype it up and get as much interest as possible. Playstation gamers may not watch an Xbox showcase but may watch a deep dive on a game they can play too - especially if they played and enjoyed the first!

9
Millionski
Wed 9th Apr 2025

@BAMozzy I wish that would be the case, but Indiana Jones and Hi-fi rush are new titles that also went to PS. Hellblade 1 was on PS but 2nd is still xbox exclusive. There is no logic.
What is clear though, more and more games will be day 1 across all platforms. I bet all new games will be day 1 across all platforms next gen.

10
BAMozzy
Wed 9th Apr 2025

@Millionski I was talking about why this game is getting it's own deep dive. Every post you seem to say the same thing but it doesn't make sense for MS to release EVERYTHING Day 1 on Playstation, unless they pull out of the Console Market and 'Game Pass' model which sells 'consoles' too and has a 'high' percentage of Subscribers on 'their' Hardware.

It makes sense for certain Titles - Doom has released on EVERYTHING and their history is and always has been available on Playstation. Call of Duty and Minecraft too. However games like Fable, South of Midnight, Forza Motorsport (too similar to GT to 'sell' enough to port), Avowed, Perfect Dark etc will all be 'exclusive' - even if for just at least a quarter of a year - as they will still sell their 'next-gen' console Hardware and sell/keep their Game Pass Console gamers Subscribing!