The next Xbox first-party launch arrives this Tuesday in the form of Minecraft Dungeons 2, and therefore the first reviews have been hitting the web ahead of release over the past few days.

All the way back in 2020 when Minecraft Dungeons 1 was released, the game ended up getting a Metacritic average of 70 for PC and 74 for Xbox One, so we've been eager to see whether the sequel would be able to surpass it.

Here's what some of the initial reviews are saying about Minecraft Dungeons 2:

Destructoid (9/10)

"A hallmark of excellence. There may be flaws, but they are negligible and won't cause massive damage. Expanding and improving on the original game in most conceivable ways, Minecraft Dungeons 2 is an excellent advancement in this ARPG spin-off for one of gaming's most beloved and iconic franchises."

Day One (8.5/10)

"Despite a lacklustre endgame and a handful of minor issues, it’s not hard to see Minecraft Dungeons II as the game the original was meant to be. The combat is flashier, tougher and more engaging. The world is bigger and more cohesive. The character builds are more varied. Most importantly, it all just feels confident. This isn’t merely Diablo with a Minecraft skin, but a fantastic dungeon crawler with a hopefully bright future ahead."

CGM (8.5/10)

"Minecraft Dungeons II is a great example of how to take ideas from the first game that didn’t work and retool them into something meaningful and enjoyable. With a fleshed-out story, better loot mechanics and an interconnected world, it feels like Dungeons has finally found its groove."

TheSixthAxis (8.5/10)

"Minecraft Dungeons II is a perfectly tuned sequel, taking everything that the first game got right, and expanding, revising and improving on it."

GamesRadar (3.5/5)

"Minecraft Dungeons 2 scores zero points for originality and feels very much like its predecessor, but when you're trying to perfect a formula, it's not the time to add wild new ingredients. The result is a polished and enjoyable dungeon crawler that children and adults alike can enjoy whether solo, online, or next to each other on the couch."

GameSpot (7/10)

"Where Minecraft Dungeons was a charming introduction to the dungeon-crawler genre, Dungeons 2 builds a deeper action-RPG within the same familiar, blocky framework. While it doesn’t completely escape the limitations of its predecessor, Minecraft Dungeons 2 is a more ambitious sequel that finally gives its loot, builds, and world the depth that was missing, even if a few rough edges remain."

IGN (6/10)

"Minecraft Dungeons 2 is a shallow ARPG that provides a few evenings of mindless dungeon delving fun, but not a lot beyond that. Aside from the new Sift realm, which has a some cool new ideas and creatures to admire as you and your friends carve your way through it, there’s just not much to make this sequel stand out."

So, are these enough to surpass the original? The answer is "yes" at the time of writing - Minecraft Dungeons 2 has a Metacritic rating of 76 for Xbox Series X and 74 for PC right now, which is a pretty great score all things considered.

As mentioned, Minecraft Dungeons officially launches this Tuesday at a price of just £24.99 / $29.99, and you can also play it as part of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass at no extra charge.

Will you be diving into this sequel? Were you a fan of the original? Tell us in the comments down below.