Xbox Partner Preview showcase March 2026 – here’s everything announced

What better way to celebrate a Thursday than another Xbox Partner Preview showcase? Yes, it’s that time again when Microsoft turns to its chums and offers them the spotlight; a chance to show the world what they’ve been working on. As usual, that means a mix of bigger third-party games and some smaller, but no less enticing indie treats – and an eclectic bunch it was too! We got an announcement for a juicy Stalker 2 expansion, a brand-new Serious Sam game, tantalising new Stranger Than Heaven details, a new one from Atomfall developer Rebellion, an Xbox release window for Hades 2 and Dispatch, and even some Bluey! There’s plenty more besides, though, and you’ll find everything announced below….

Hunter: The Reckoning – Deathwish unveiled

First up, a brand-new game in the Hunter: The Reckoning series is on the way. It’s been over two decades since the tabletop RPG got a video game adaptation, but here we are with Hunter: The Reckoning – Deathwish, an “action-RPG about contemporary monster hunters”. Notably, it’s the work of RoboCop: Rogue City studio Teyon (Nacon is publishing), and it’s heading to Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC in summer 2027.

Wuthering Waves is coming to Xbox

Need more wuthering in your life? Well your luck’s in, because Kuro Games’ free-to-play, open-world action-RPG Wuthering Waves is finally making its way to Xbox following its earlier PlayStation 5 and PC release. If you’re in the mood for a bit of gacha, keep your eyes trained on Xbox Series X/S this July, which is when the double-doubleyoo is scheduled to arrive.

The Expanse: Osiris Reborn gets a release window and beta

Perhaps you’ve already have heard of developer Owlcat’s promising The Expanse: Osiris Reborn, a Mass Effect-style take on the popular sci-fi TV show and novel series. Well, if your interest is piqued, we now know it’s launching in spring 2027, and impatient sorts can get involved even earlier, in a closed beta demo releasing next month – but you’ll need to have pre-purchased one of the more expensive editions to play it. Bit of a rollercoaster announcement, then, but at least you can look at the new trailer for free.

Cosy farming sims go serial killer in Grave Seasons

What do you get if you upend the usual cosy farming sim rhythms by shoving a supernatural serial killer into the mix? Well, that’ll be Grave Seasons. It promises your usual farm and relationship building, but with – due to the murdering and all – some investigating thrown in. If you think you’ve got what it takes to make it in the eerie town of Ashenridge, Grave Seasons – the work of developer Perfect Garbage and publisher Blumhouse Games – comes to Xbox Series X/S on 14th August this year.

Serious Sam is back in the Shatterverse!

It’s been four years since developer Croteam’s ludicrous action hero Serious Sam last graced our screens in Serious Sam 4‘s standalone expansion Siberian Mayhem. But he’s finally back for more frenzied shooting action in Serious Sam: Shatterverse. Officially a “co-op roguelite FPS”, it blasts one to five players through shifting universes, where they’ll juggle boons and modifiers as they hunt Mental’s deadliest forces. It’s coming to Xbox Series X/S later this year.

Stranger Than Heaven is coming to Xbox Series X/S

Like a Dragon developer Ryu Ga Gotoku’s Stranger Than Heaven has looked marvellous ever since its initial reveal back in 2024, when it was being referred to as Project Century. When it finally got a proper unveiling (and a proper name) last June, we had a bit of a time jump from 1915 in its early teaser to 1943. And now we know why: as its codename suggested, Stranger Than Heaven tells its story across a significant stretch of time, promising an “epic saga of men battling through five eras and five cities”. Beyond that, it looks to share at least a few similarities with earlier Like a Dragon entries, with its open-world locations and real-time combat. But we might have to wait a while before we learn more – there’s still no release date, although Ryu Ga Gotoku has at least now confirmed it’s coming to Xbox Series X/S.

Super Meat Boy 3D gets a release date

16 years after Super Meat Boy first made his entrance, turning everyone slightly insensible with his punishingly difficult debut game, the platform series is venturing into 3D. That much we already knew, but developer Team Meat has now slapped its latest wetly meaty adventure with a release date. It’s coming to PC, PlayStation 5, Switch 2, and, of course, Xbox Series X/S, on 31st March this year – so, incredibly soon!

Annapurna unveils road trip adventure Forever Ago

Annapurna Interactive – the publisher behind the critically acclaimed likes of Stray, Outer Wilds, and Sayonara Wild Hearts – has unveiled its “heartfelt” road trip adventure Forever Ago, the debut title from narrative-focused German indie studio Third Shift. It charts the journey of its elderly protagonist Alfred as he travels north following a personal tragedy, where he’ll use his instant camera to “help him understand his surroundings and the people who came before.” It’s got a soundtrack by Slay the Spire 2 composer Clark Aboud, and is launching this autumn on Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, Switch 2, and PC.

Hack-and-slash roguelike Ascend to Zero arrives in July

“Have you ever wondered what it feels like to stop time?”, asks Ascend to Zero’s promotional material, to which I reply, “Dunno.” The whole gimmick of Flyway Games’ “time-bending” hack-and-slash action-roguelike, you see, is that you’re able to freeze time’s ordinarily insistent march as you battle across its neon-streaked sci-fi world. “Starting with just 30 seconds,” the studio explains, “use your time-bending ability to steal time from your enemies, wield powerful weapons and items, and experience breakneck progression as your build evolves”. And if that appeals, Ascend to Zero comes to Xbox Series X/S, Game Pass, and PC on 13th July.

Superhero workplace comedy Dispatch heading to Xbox

Dispatch is great. So much so that we ranked developer AdHoc’s superhero workplace comedy fifth in our top games of 2025. And Xbox players will finally have the chance to see what all the fuss is about relatively soon. Dispatch is coming to Xbox Series X/S this “summer”.

Atomfall developer Rebellion unveils Alien Deathstorm

What’s worse than a deathstorm? An alien deathstorm, of course! So spare a thought for the inhabitants of the devastated off-world colony at the heart of Atomfall developer Rebellion’s newly announced sci-fi action horror FPS. In Alien Deathstorm, not only is a cataclysmic mega-storm raging, the colony has been overrun by bloodthirsty extraterrestrials. Yikes! Still, you’ll be able to pitch in and help out when Alien Deathstorm comes to Series X/S and PC next year.

Frog Sqwad slips Xbox players the tongue this June

We first got a peek at Frog Sqwad – Panic Stations’ “slapstick, physics-based multiplayer game” that I’m destined to spell wrong forevermore – late last year, but it’s back with news of a release window. Frog Sqwad promises chaotic action for up to eight froggy pals as they storm the sewers in the name of the Swamp King, using their tongues to swing from pipes, solve physics puzzles, and more – all to complete “unpredictable” missions in an ever-changing underground world. Intrigued? It hops onto Xbox Series X/S and Game Pass this June.

Bluey gets snap-happy on Xbox this autumn

Acclaimed animated series Bluey’s ongoing mission to bring just a little more joy to the world continues later this year with another crack at a console video game outing, this one titled Bluey’s Happy Snaps. Described as a new “photo-powered adventure”, it whisks players across some familiar locations, where they can play with toys and use Bluey’s camera to capture their favorite moments. It’s coming to Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC this autumn, meaning Bluey’s Quest for The Gold Pen will be first out the door this May.

Stalker 2 is getting an expansion this summer

Developer GSC Game World’s well-received post-apocalyptic shooter sequel Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl is preparing to return to the Zone in a new expansion titled Cost of Hope. It supposedly offers “dozens of hours of gameplay” as players traverse two new regions and previously uncharted locales, including the Chornobyl nuclear power plant. There’s also talk of new weapons and gear, new hub areas, new quests, and more, which you can expect when it comes to Xbox Series X/S and PC this “summer”.

Moosa: Dirty Fate brings 17th century action adventure

It’s sword-swinging action-adventure time in Moosa: Dirty Fate, which promises brutal combat and terrifying monsters in a “world where myth and history collide”. Moosa – which apparently means ‘martial artist’ according to the official blurb – is the work of South Korean developer Iggymob, and centres its story of “revenge, responsibility, and ambition” on 17th century Korea. There’s a curse and your people must be saved – an undertaking you’ll be able to start in earnest when Moosa: Dirty Fate comes to Xbox Series X/S, Game Pass, and PC next year.

The gorgeous Eternal Life of Goldman gets an Xbox demo

The Eternal Life of Goldman continues to look spectacular, with its sumptuous hand-drawn visuals. We’ve had our eye on Weappy Studio’s striking platform adventure – in which an old man and his walking stick boing off for adventure – for a while, and its 2026 release is creeping closer. However, curious Xbox sorts can put Goldman through his paces (pounces?) right now courtesy of a newly released Xbox Series X/S demo. And if that’s not enough news to tide you over, publisher THQ Nordic has also announced Goldman is coming to Game Pass.

Do crimes across the cosmos in tactical RPG Vaunted

What happens when you combine real-time third-person shooting with turn-based combat then sprinkle on a bit of sci-fi and bring it all to extremely vibrant life? You get Vaunted, a new tactical RPG from Lost Lake Games – a studio which counts StarCraft and Guild Wars veterans among its number. Vaunted promises a “story of bullets, bravado, and brazen lies” as its three cut-throat criminal protagonists form an uneasy alliance and chart a galaxy of treasure hunters and crime syndicates. It’s coming to PC later this year and it’ll also be available via PC Game Pass.

Hades 2 finally hits Xbox in April

You don’t need me to tell you the sequel to Eurogamer’s 2020 game of the year Hades is very good. Or perhaps you do, because it’s not on Xbox and PlayStation yet, so you haven’t had a chance to find out. Well good news, then: developer Supergiant Games has revealed Hades 2 – which this time stars Zagreus’ sister Melinoë in the leading role – is coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Game Pass on 14th April. And if you want to familiarise yourself before then, why not go see why we gave it five big gold stars in our review?

Head to a sumptuous “decopunk” dystopia in Artificial Detective

And finally, it’s the rather striking Artificial Detective; a “decopunk” action-adventure that marks the debut title from developer Vivix. The studio is said to be comprised of film and game veterans whose previous work includes Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Control, Dead Space, and Netflix’s Love, Death & Robots – the latter of which might go some way to explaining its sumptuous visuals. Artificial Detective really is a looker as it tells the story of a robot detective in a city dominated by rogue machines. It’s got a bit of survival, a bit of combat, a companion called Mowgli (one of the last humans), and a cute robot dog. “Explore the multilayered districts of Conglomerate North, search for clues, weaponise the environment, and survive sandbox encounters your own way,” teases the blurb. “Fight, hack, and outsmart deadly machines to uncover why humans are gone.” This one’s coming to PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC next year.