Video: Watch Today's Xbox Gamescom 2021 Showcase Here

Updates on the biggest games coming soon to Xbox

by Fraser Gilbert Tue 24th Aug 2021

Update: The event is now over, but we've rounded up all the major reveals here at Pure Xbox!

Original story: Welcome! It's time for the Xbox Gamescom 2021 showcase, which will "share the latest updates and gameplay for some of the biggest games coming soon to Xbox." It's already been confirmed that there will be no new reveals or major surprises at the show, but we're still hoping to get a new look at the likes of Forza Horizon 5 and Halo Infinite.

"You’ll get in-depth updates from some of our previously announced Xbox Game Studios titles alongside some of our third-party partners, including some of the incredible titles coming to Xbox this holiday, upcoming releases to our monthly subscription service, Xbox Game Pass, and much more."

The event is set to begin at 10am PT / 1pm ET / 6pm BST / 7pm CET. Settle in for a 90-minute show!

Live Blog (Archive)
Chat

19:22

Thanks for tuning in as always, and we'll see you tomorrow for Gamescom Opening Night Live!

19:22

And that's a wrap! No Halo news sadly, but Forza looks great!

19:15

Untitled Live Blog Image

19:15

We're getting a look eight minutes of brand-new Forza Horizon 5 gameplay right now, and did you see the themed controller? Here's another look...

19:10

Just announced, The Gunk arrives on Xbox in December 2021

19:09

Now it's time to move over to Forza Horizon 5.

19:07

... No date yet though!

19:06

It's time for The Gunk!

18:57

Now we're moving over to Psychonauts 2 ahead of its launch on Xbox Game Pass in a few hours' time.

18:56

It'll also be included with Game Pass!

18:55

After it was rated for Xbox this week, we now have confirmation that Crusader Kings 3 is coming to consoles!

18:53

Stray Blade is an ironman melee combat game coming to Xbox in 2022!

18:47

State of Decay 2: Homecoming arrives as soon as September 1!

18:45

You've got a chance to get your hands on a Borderlands ship in Sea of Thieves as part of a time-limited event starting TODAY!

18:43

In case you missed it, Wasteland 3: Cult of the Holy Detonation arrives on October 5!

18:33

Xbox Cloud Gaming arrives on console this Holiday!

18:31

HUGE news! Xbox Cloud Gaming is coming to console!

18:28

This has been a strange little segment about Age of Empires...

18:21

Into The Pit is coming to Xbox Game Pass at launch on October 19 as well!

18:21

Now we're diving 'Into The Pit'.

18:20

Archvale
Next Space Rebels
Midnight Fight Express
Bushiden
Flynn Son of Crimson
Unpacking
Signalis
Unsighted
Chinatown Detective Agency

18:20

In case you missed that list, all of these games are coming to Xbox Game Pass at launch:

18:18

It's Game Pass time!

18:18

*Reno

18:17

Crazy news! Flight Sim is getting competitive multiplayer this Fall in the form of a Rend Air Racing mode.

18:13

Flight Simulator's sixth world update will be taking off (for free) on September 7.

18:10

Now for an update on the success of Microsoft Flight Sim!

18:03

We're kicking things off with a look at Dying Light 2.

18:00

It's time! Xbox's Gamescom 2021 Showcase begins now.

17:55

If you're on PC, say hello in the chat

17:55

T-minus 5 minutes to showtime!

17:50

10 minutes until Xbox's Gamescom Showcase!

17:33

The event will begin at 10am PT / 1pm ET / 6pm BST / 7pm CET and is expected to last for around 90 minutes, featuring "the latest updates and gameplay for some of the biggest games coming soon to Xbox."

17:33

Hello and welcome to today's Xbox Gamescom 2021 showcase!

you too, have a good one

@Grumblevolcano - true, just Infinite is the biggest hitter so bit weird without it

if FH5 has the E3 4k quality (which it should given the stream quality was great even at 1080p) it'll truly be one of the best looking games ever

Anyway, nice talking to you guys! Hope you'll have a lovely evening

yeah I am worried for it. On another note, the 4K extended stream from E3 just started playing for me, and made me notice the quality difference

Grumblevolcano said:

Xbox 1st party 2021 is: Flight Sim, Psychonauts 2, AoE4, FH5, Halo Infinite

Yeah it does not look good for Halo Infinite at all, if they couldn't even show anything for it today

oconnoclast said:

I'm convinced the single-player side of Halo is in trouble. MP will probably be fine, but there's just too many red flags for the campaign.

Grumblevolcano said:

That stream had all the Xbox 1st party 2021 games except Infinite

they keep giving slots to updates to existing games - which is good, but don't give them big slots you should be using for your big new upcoming games

@oconnoclast Exactly, there was little point in having this showcase. They could've just put together a Nintendo Direct-style showcase with all the trailers for 30 min

would've probably been more spectacular - this wasn't bad, just I'm staggered there's still no Infinite campaign details at all or release date, and there wasn't much of Xbox's own

oconnoclast said:

I kind of get why Sony doesn't show up now. Because like what's the point? (Especially as it looks like all their stuff is delayed.)

lol I'm kinda annoyed I didn't play Hitman 3 while watching, just got through the missions for 1 and 2 and about to hit Dubai

I'm so glad that I was playing Forza in the background as I was watching this

oconnoclast said:

And I'm glad I was up anyway because that would not have been worth waking up at 5am for.

but doesn't seem like it - at E3 I thought they might have finished, then like 10 to 20 seconds later showed Redfall

oconnoclast said:

Yeah, I'm more casual, so it's annoying to log on wanting to do something and "Oh, it's snowing now" or whatever.

yeah it wasn't the best - I'm still hanging on in case they drop something like they did at E3

Forza was def a crown jewel but that was a pretty bad showcase overall, disappointing

I enjoy the seasons, but it's annoying if you're trying to do something and it's snowing - this will be more varied during each season at least

Grumblevolcano said:

That's the end of the showcase

Well that was a truly awful showcase lol

I keep feeling like I need to pick my controller up as I'm going to crash

oconnoclast said:

I'm looking forward to getting back into FH as I didn't care for FH4 at all. The seasons ruined it for me. So definitely keen on FH5.

yep it's more of the same but prettier - and that's fine with me lol

LocalPenguin said:

Dunno about you lot but this looks pretty dam awesome if you ask me!!

yep although at least some of the mad bits have been like the Halo one, loved that. I can't say too much bad as I'm still going to sink 50 to 100 hours into FH5 I imagine lol

yeah it looks like it - as the driving cut away into a cinematic, which it does a bit during Showcases, but they're noticeable like that only really at the start

oconnoclast said:

Reminds me of the Fast and Furious transition, I guess. Like the first FH it was just a nice "Get to the festival and you can take part!" Now it's skydiving and sandstorms.

@oconnoclast - yeah I'm still fingers crossed for a surprise, even if it's just an Infinite peek or a peek at one of those

So they're spoiling the opening?

@Grumblevolcano yep, the usual big open I guess

and this guy is a bit too excited all-the-damn-time lol

I hope they still have the Horizon people from the previous games, and not just the new ones - I'm a big fan of the Pulse DJ

Grumblevolcano said:

This looks like the opening

oconnoclast said:

Yeah, like I know they said no new announcements, but Fable, Perfect Dark, Hellbalde, etc aren't new announcements. They've been announced!

the 2021 focus was fine with me, if it has some Infinite! Or a surprise drop like AoE4 on console this Christmas lol

This showcase has been an E for me thus far. But barely.

oconnoclast said:

I was kind of hoping that they'd show more that's coming down the pipe. Maybe I missed the memo about it being focused more on 2021. Wanted to see Hellblade, though.

but much longer looks into 3rd party games - which most of us aren't here for

it's odd that Xbox in these showcases (less so the trailer-heavy 3E main show) often have just 5 second clips of their own games, with some dev chat

fingers crossed...

Grumblevolcano said:

The AoE4 tease for Gamescom Opening Night Live pretty much confirms Infinite there. Both games are nominated for Gamescom awards

Exactly, Halo Infinite doesn't even have a release date, it won't be getting certain content and if it's not showing up today, then I'll honestly be kinda worried

I want all weird controllers, yet every one I own is the standard black...

whereas we're so close to Infinite I'd have at least expected a release date (or month even!) and even just a clip of the campaign

@LtSarge I kinda agree - I love FH, but I kinda know what to expect already and don't want too much spoiled anyway

@eduscxbox Cheers mate!

abe_hikura said:

additional: I hate that i want that controller

eduscxbox said:

https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2021/08/24/gamescom-2021-the-gunk-launching-this-december/?ocid=Event_soc_omc_xbo_tw_Video_lrn_8.24.

abe_hikura said:

I think its time to replace the number with location name on the horizion games

eduscxbox said:

The gunk is coming in December

Forza to save the show!!

@Widey85 I'm going to be honest, if they show more gameplay of Forza Horizon 5 but not Halo Infinite then this will have been a poor showcase

Really hoping for some Halo Infinite campaign gameplay - I can understand it might give away some spoilers but I just want to know it's actually working! But seems not

Is it even coming this year at this rate?

Are you kidding me?!

that was a very short look lol

Still no release date?

this looks cool - Psychonauts did too, definitely going to give it a go despite hating platformers (I have terrible timing)

yep - and I'd be shocked if CK3 could work on the One's CPU. And true it definitely seems that way, earlier than Sony which is nuts given "generations"

FINALLY

YES

Grumblevolcano said:

E3 2021 made it seem native 1st party XB1 games are ending after this year

Grumblevolcano said:

I think the key thing is about the ability for XB1 players to play Xbox games not coming to XB1.

@FraserG Maybe they'll use the cloud for One? Would explain why PS4 didn't have a rating, and given CK3 is very CPU heavy - probably too much for the Jag cores

@oconnoclast Nice, we use quite a few Azure servers now in my workplace, reliability is definitely better now than a few years ago when we started the transition so fingers crossed!

@Widey85 Will need to have a look into it, I'd be surprised if it isn't on Xbox One as well!

oconnoclast said:

I dunno, I guess it's just the whole cloud thing feels very nuclear sub v2 to me. Ho hum. Enough of that.

@FraserG maybe the One rating was for XOX, or a "just in case"? Just thought a rating would suggest it was pretty close...

oconnoclast said:

Plans are to open one, yes, but it could be a while off. I'm actually more interested in that for my software development and hosting, though.

Well at least we get to see more of lovely Tim

They're opening / just opened an Azure datacentre in NZ so hopefully Xbox cloud should follow soon...

@oconnoclast Ouch I'd have thought they'd have full support in NZ, particularly with Phil's buddy Gabe living there now!

Xbox is also advertising it for Xbox Series X|S and nothing else at the moment, haven't seen anything about an Xbox One version

@LtSarge agreed, guess it's like an advert for it now...

@FraserG thanks - that worries me given the game is already built apart from the controls, so you'd think they'd have an estimate at least...

oconnoclast said:

And New Zealand.

oconnoclast said:

It didn't leave a good impression, especially when the PS4 camera actually worked. There's a laundry list of things that Microsoft do that leave people out. Design Lab is another.

Is it really necessary to talk about Psychonauts 2 when it's coming out tomorrow?

@oconnoclast Ouch, where are you based?

No release date given sadly!

Did they give a release date for CK3? Was hoping they'd at least have given a year - or did I miss it?

oconnoclast said:

Yeah, it's just like... when Xbox One launched here, Kinect didn't work. At all. Ryse would tell you to yell at it and it didn't work. So you paid extra for a dud accessory.

abe_hikura said:

the problem with cloud gaming is there is so much that can screw it up and most of it isn't under their control.

If that Taiwan rating hadn't given it away, this would have probably been a reveal that would have had me grinning like an idiot

Hopefully as part of the plan for consoles they'll roll it out to more countries

oconnoclast said:

It's weird they make such a big deal out of cloud gaming when it's still not available in all territories. Just one of those things that ends up making people feel second class.

abe_hikura said:

I really want to like this but it's just not working for me

Yeah it would be cool to see some Gears spin-off stories

abe_hikura said:

or side stories like that

abe_hikura said:

I want more hive busters

yep

Hivebusters was so good

like Hivebusters for Gears 5 - was surprised that was free

but it seems many of them come on Game Pass anyway

Yeah I kinda thought they'd do all these DLCs to allow you to buy them for Game Pass games

Halucigens said:

Microsoft really lets their games grow. I have to respect that.

abe_hikura said:

think its an update for 2

state of decay 3?

think Christmas isn't the same when you're older and buy consoles for yourself lol - as a kid I'd always desperately hope that Santa had stretched to the new console

lol plus side for everyone else is they got expensive gifts as everything cheap had gone!

Sounds awful @Widey85. I'm glad to see that you're still with us after all that

So I was a true Grinch as I was trying to find whatever was left lol

During uni, my part time job would become full time at Christmas - 24th was my only day off most years and I'd heard every sodding Christmas song working in retail

Xmas for me starts on December 24th - miserable old git that’ I am!

Grumblevolcano said:

From what I understand it comes from that Christmas stuff starts happening November 1st

@grublevolcano I assumed so - cheers!

Grumblevolcano said:

Holiday is November - December

When you say this holiday do you mean winter I assume?

I feel like a lot of people forgot about Wasteland 3. I played it for a bit when it came out last year and it was so much fun

@Wilshiire - true, Xbox can fully push into the next gen likely from end of this year

So glad MS is so bullish on cloud gaming, works superbly!

Wilshiire said:

Great so start true next gen games now and xbox one gamers can play them via cloud

Yeah this answers the whole Xbox One support for Flight Sim etc.

@Halucigens - phew! Now can't decide if I want them to do knights stopping to fight infantry (like AoE2 and they've shown) or more smash through like Total War!

Now you'll be able to play The Medium on Xbox One

Halucigens said:

WOW

abe_hikura said:

I do like the idea of playing a streamed version whilst it downloads

Cloud Gaming is going to make Game Pass even more appealing

Halucigens said:

@Widey85. Oh I understand that. I know they showed a cinematic of the Joan of Ark storyline at the E3 in-depth conference.

Xbox has amazing marketing except for these horrible presentations. It's crazy that they can be so good most time and then fart out this crap every couple months.

true, it's a bit of an odd thing to show on this stream, when we're expecting gameplay - and I will enjoy it in the game but I'm just fingers crossed we still get cinematics

@Halucigens - I love history and will probably still watch every one, but I'm hoping they've not done away with the cinematics

@Widey85 I mean, I don't mind history in video games. But this is a game showcase, not a history lesson

@LtSarge lol does feel like that, it's a bit nuts as many people who love AoE already read the entries for the units - which covered most of that same history

Halucigens said:

I love that they have the history in the game.

Hope you guys are taking notes, this will be on the Pure Xbox test later!

The two Kings playing chess and it playing out in the cinematic

The start video for AoE2 gave me goosebumps the first time I played it, and even now I love seeing it

I love history, and don't mind those kind of videos being in the "wiki" part of the menus or something - but I'd have much rather had animated cinematic trailers before missions

Maybe I’m just being negative, but I don’t think this has a place here

Who thought this part was a good idea lol

Didn't know that we were going to watch a documentary

Yep would love AoE to be on console, even if just for keyboard + mouse

Grumblevolcano said:

Please announce for console

abe_hikura said:

That didn't seem like a trailer lol

Jackpaza0508 said:

How did a game this amazing come from the developers of Monopoly Plus on Xbox 360

MrConstantina said:

Need SX before buying DL2 😆

Grumblevolcano said:

Still excited for Flight Sim when I'm finally able to get a Series X

Hoping there's a Series X console bundle announced that I can pre-order. Not likely but trying to get one any other way has proven impossible so far.

Jackpaza0508 said:

God, I hope this game is good, considering the wait

Grumblevolcano said:

No Infinite it seems

MrConstantina said:

Hello

Bmartin001 said:

Sup everyone

Excessively loud YouTube countdown time...

I've said this so many times, I just want to see updates on The Gunk and Scorn lol

Definitely hoping for a good look at Forza Horizon 5!

chicken_chaser said:

Hope they show a full Halo Infinite Campaign gameplay.

Grumblevolcano said:

I hope the Forza Horizon 5 section has info on the soundtrack

Hello!

Grumblevolcano said:

Hi

Ahoy, looking forward to this!

Hello everyone!