Microsoft has revealed the Xbox Series X/S software launch line-up

Microsoft has revealed the Xbox Series X/S launch line-up.

On Thursday the platform holder published a list of 30 games which it says have been optimised for Xbox Series X/S at launch. It includes 20 titles that support Smart Delivery, which lets players buy a game once and play it across Xbox One and Xbox Series X.

“The Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S will launch with 30 new games playable day one, 20 of them with Smart Delivery that are upgraded automatically and thousands of backward compatible titles across four generations,” Microsoft said.

Xbox Series X/S launch games

• Assassin’s Creed Valhalla (Smart Delivery)
• Borderlands 3 (Smart Delivery)
• Bright Memory 1.0
• Cuisine Royale (Smart Delivery)
• Dead by Daylight (Xbox Game Pass + Smart Delivery)
• Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition
• Dirt 5 (Smart Delivery)
• Enlisted
• Evergate
• The Falconeer (Smart Delivery)
• Fortnite
• Forza Horizon 4 (Xbox Game Pass + Smart Delivery)
• Gears 5 (Xbox Game Pass + Smart Delivery)
• Gears Tactics (Xbox Game Pass + Smart Delivery)
• Grounded (Xbox Game Pass + Smart Delivery)
• King Oddball (Smart Delivery)
• Maneater (Smart Delivery)
• Manifold Garden (Smart Delivery)
• NBA 2K21
• Observer: System Redux
• Ori and the Will of the Wisps (Xbox Game Pass + Smart Delivery)
• Planet Coaster (Smart Delivery)
• Sea of Thieves (Xbox Game Pass + Smart Delivery)
• Tetris Effect: Connected (Xbox Game Pass + Smart Delivery)
• The Touryst (Xbox Game Pass + Smart Delivery)
• War Thunder (Smart Delivery)
• Warhammer: Chaosbane Slayer Edition
• Watch Dogs: Legion (Smart Delivery)
• WRC 9 FIA World Rally Championship (Smart Delivery)
• Yakuza: Like a Dragon (Smart Delivery)
• Yes, Your Grace (Smart Delivery)

It continued: “Looking forward to this holiday, there will be more incredible games coming to Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S before the end of the year including Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War launching November 13, Destiny 2: Beyond Light launching November 10 and optimized for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S on December 8, and Xbox console launch exclusive The Medium on December 10.

“When Cyberpunk 2077 launches on November 19 it will look and play best on our next gen consoles and take advantage of Smart Delivery technology giving fans the best version for whatever Xbox console you own.”

Xbox Series X ($499/€499/£449) and Xbox Series S ($300/$300/£249) will launch on November 10. They will be backward compatible with existing Xbox One games and accessories, including backward compatible Xbox 360 and original Xbox titles, which will “look and play better than ever before”, according to Microsoft.

Once it completes its $7.5 billion acquisition of ZeniMax Media and its game publisher Bethesda Softworks, Xbox Game Studios will grow from 15 to 23 development teams. Despite its wealth of development talent, the Xbox Series X/S launch line-up is missing a new flagship first-party game. That position was meant to be occupied by Halo Infinite but in August the game was delayed to 2021.

In contrast, Sony has confirmed that Insomniac’s Spider-Man Miles Morales will be a PlayStation 5 launch title on November 12.

Further reading

Xbox Series X is ‘the most compatible console ever’ and supports ‘1000s of games’

Microsoft discusses backwards compatibility