5 Things I’d like to see from Xbox Games Showcase 2025

I have no idea how it’s June already and can only assume that I overslept by two months at some point last week. But, assuming this all isn’t some elaborate prank that the world is pulling on me – that does means that the Xbox Games Showcase 2025 is nearly here. So with that excitement in mind, there are five main things I’m hoping to see.

1. More of the same

Ok, not the most demanding start I appreciate – but the best thing Xbox can do this year is … basically exactly what they did last year. After some decent but sometimes meandering shows and 2022’s unfulfilled promises about Silksong coming “the next 12 months”, last year’s showcase got pretty much everything right. It was justly hailed as one of the best events of its type which, in my view, boiled down to two major things.

Firstly, it had a great range of titles – covering a variety of genres, styles and budgets but also mixing in a good number of imminent releases with those longer-term teasers. In previous “showcase”-type shows, the temptation for the platform holders has been to focus on big budget announcements to wow the viewer but, by definition, tend to be for games that are some way off. But Xbox’s portfolio and its focus on Game Pass means that it can now announce things much closer to launch and truly share the spotlight to help highlight not just the volume but the variety now available on the platform. It didn’t hurt that PlayStation appeared to go awol last year, that Nintendo continue to do their own thing and that Microsoft now either owns or partners with some of the other companies that used to compete for our eyeballs at this time of year. Not necessarily good for competition but it made for a fantastic show.

Secondly, Xbox Games Showcase 24 was somehow packed to the gills yet brilliantly paced – cutting out any of the fluff that caused previous shows to drag and allowing each title to stand out by spacing out the big announcements as well as being able to switch gears up and down throughout. Opening with Call of Duty and closing with Gears of War: E-day is already a strong showing but when you also have Doom, Indy, Fable and Perfect Dark you know it’s going to be a good time. And crucially, nearly all of the show’s 75-or-so minutes was actual gameplay footage rather than CGI wishfulness. They also left most of the talking heads, deep dives and developer testimonies to the blog or other formats. I love those too by the way but there’s a time and a place right?

So yes, more of the same please Xbox. You’ve set the bar high but it’s now about maintaining that momentum.

2. Keep up the momentum

Speaking of momentum, the first half of 2025 has been insanely packed on Xbox so the next thing I’m looking for from the showcase is to really show us what comes next.

It’s not like the next six months are looking bare for Xbox and Game Pass customers with the remaster of Tony Hawk 3&4, Wuchang Fallen Feathers, Ninja Gaiden 4, the next Call of Duty (presumably!) and the Outer Worlds 2 all confirmed or guaranteed to drop in that window. But Xbox and Game Pass customers have now been trained to expect even more with Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, Avowed, Atomfall, South of Midnight, Blue Prince, Doom The Dark Ages, Clair Obscur and the Oblivion shadow drop having launched in the first half of the year, so there is room for more. And with Fable having been delayed into 2026, could we see one or two more big hitters added to the mix? We can but hope.

And aside from just personal greediness, there’s a good reason why I think this is important. In my view Game Pass has long been the best value in gaming and a complete no-brainer for someone already in the Xbox ecosystem and not somehow opposed to subscriptions on principle. But for people not on Xbox or not subscribing to Game Pass, they need to see a constant stream of quality and to know that it can be a permanent and worthwhile investment. In part thanks to Xbox’s multiplatform push, it feels like the message that Xbox does now have a quality and quantity of games is finally getting some traction outside of the Xbox bubble. Though it’s often still a bit unclear exactly why not just play them where you already are.

3. Clear messaging

Indeed, a more nebulous thing I’d like to see from Xbox Games Showcase on Sunday is just some bloomin’ clarity.

As the company has frequently pivoted between strategies (from direct competition, to Game Pass, to everything’s an Xbox, to multiplatform releases) it’s become pretty hard to convey exactly what the plan is. More worryingly as someone invested in the platform is that it’s hard to see exactly why someone would buy into it new – and fewer users means fewer releases and a seemingly-inevitable death-spiral. While I’m optimistic about the chances of the “next-box” if it is indeed something more PC-like, the obvious holding pattern until we get there is not helping matters.

In terms of new releases Xbox certainly needs a clear throughline. The company has already said that they won’t hide away from showing competitor logos on stage so expect announcements to feature these prominently alongside Xbox and Game Pass. As such, I circle back again to Xbox’s “first, better or best” line that they used a few years ago and my view that they should take a leaf out of the movie businesses book. I think this could be clear, consistent with their multiplatform push and offer a true reason to invest on Xbox and this is how it would work.

The idea is built around normalising the idea of two fairly close “release windows” for first-party titles, much like we used to have to with cinema and home releases of films. For single player titles it would mean launching first on Xbox, PC and the top tiers of Game Pass (Ultimate for now but I suspect some changes are coming). The second window which would typically be 4-6 months later would see games released on “rival” consoles and added to standard tiers of Game Pass. This way you introduce premium value to your own ecosystem while making everything available on other platforms or lower-priced subscriptions. The trade-off is clear and predictable and consumers can either choose that option with open eyes but are likely to get attracted to “upgrade”. For multiplayer-focused titles I can absolutely see the argument for everything being day one everywhere.

This is just my idea and I’m sure there are better, but it’s the sort of clear and simple messaging that still feels completely missing from Xbox in 2025. Oh yes, speaking of missing …

4. Final Fantasy (finally)

An easy ask here and one that seems quite likely to happen given Square Enix can’t stop talking about how they want to put their games on more devices – but can we finally get the modern Final Fantasy games on Xbox please?

Things have changed a lot over recent years – from “Xbox has no games” to “Xbox has no RPGs” to being spoiled for choice thanks to RGG, Atlus, Obsidian and Bethesda, as well as fantastic surprises like Clair Obscur. But we’re still missing “the big one”, even if the Final Fantasy series might have lost some of its lustre. Square has buried the hatchet with Xbox leadership and it’s time. Final Fantasy 16 and 7 Remake would look really good up on that stage on Sunday.

5. Oh yes, games please!

But whatever happens with Final Fantasy, I’m confident that we’ll not be short of games to talk about by the time the closing credits roll.

A show “like last year’s” would surely mean further footage from Fable and/or Perfect Dark? Perhaps we’ll get our first gameplay from Gears of War: E-day? We’ll certainly have an Outer Worlds 2 deep dive coming straight after the main show and that is quite the vote of confidence which bodes well for this promising sequel.

And there is plenty else we either know about or can reasonably extrapolate. We’re due major DLC for both Starfield and Indiana Jones. Games like Contraband, State of Decay 3 and Everwild are overdue a new look and release windows. Double Fine are surely working on something and if it’s anything as good as Psychonauts 2 then we’ll be in for a treat. A Clockwork Revolution update from inXile? Josh Sawyer’s next hit? Might we see Forza Horizon 6 and could that even be something that launches this year? Is it too soon to expect a tease from the newly-renamed Halo Studios perhaps? Or maybe we learn more about the Elder Scrolls 6?

Will any of this actually happen? Who knows – after all, these are just “wants” not predictions. But thankfully we don’t have to wait too long. E3 might be no more but this time of year is still so exciting. Happy “gamer Christmas” and enjoy the show!