Recently, I had the opportunity to hear more about five upcoming Xbox games directly from the people making them, courtesy of an exclusive preview event hosted by ID@Xbox.
For the uninitiated, ID@Xbox is the publishing branch at Xbox dedicated to helping independent developers and smaller publishers bring their games into the Xbox ecosystem, including consoles and Windows PC.
Some of the absolute best and most creative Xbox games resulted from the efforts of the ID@Xbox team, so I'm always interested to see what games are coming out of that part of the Xbox family.
One of the five titles I saw certainly stood above the rest, with The Alters making another appearance ahead of its highly anticipated launch later this year, but all five games are likely to find plenty of fans on Xbox — especially since at least three are landing on Xbox Game Pass from day one.
Here are my quick thoughts on all five indie games, with some possibly becoming some of the best titles coming to Xbox Game Pass.
The Alters
One of the most anticipated upcoming Xbox games among the Windows Central team for quite a long while is The Alters, the latest project from 11 Bit Studios.
Our own Jez Corden raved about The Alters after his limited hands-on last year, but since then the game has been delayed into 2025 to give the team more time to polish everything up.
I'll never complain about developers taking all the time they need to fully realize their creative vision, and after seeing The Alters during this ID@Xbox event covering upcoming titles from the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) regions, it's on my most anticipated list, too.
In The Alters, you play as the lone survivor of a tragically fated expedition team to a far remote planet. Desperate to survive but unable to handle the harsh environments of your new home on your own, you turn to a mysterious technology that allows you to create alternate versions of yourself.
By "alternate," I mean versions of yourself that made different decisions throughout your life, resulting in dramatic departures in personality, skillset, and even appearance. It's the foundation upon which 11 Bit Studios builds its survival, base-building, strategy, and narrative-adventure gameplay.
The Alters looks amazing, and I can't wait to play it myself. It's also supposed to drop on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PlayStation 5 later this year, although we don't have an exact date right now. What I do know is that we'll be able to play this one via Xbox Game Pass on day one.
Winter Burrow
The next game is actually one I've seen before at previous events, and even went hands-on with (although I didn't write about that brief experience).
Winter Burrow is an intriguing survival game that sees you step into the shoes of a tiny rodent struggling to build a life for itself in a frozen forest.
It's adorable, with an art style and premise that reminds me of the Redwall series that helped define my love for books as a child. Winter Burrow isn't likely to make you drool with descriptions of imaginary food, but it may be one of the best casual survival games of 2025.
Personally, survival games don't tend to be my favorite genre to explore, but Winter Burrow's approachable gameplay and intriguing narrative may be enough to draw me in.
Developer Pine Creek Games has also been hard at work improving the hand-drawn art and animations since the last time Winter Burrow made a public appearance, and it's looking good.
Winter Burrow is slated to arrive on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and Windows PC sometime later this year, and is also a day one addition to Xbox Game Pass.
Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault
I'm not familiar with the original Moonlighter, but it seems the sequel is hotly anticipated by many players.
Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault is a roguelike, dungeon-crawling action-RPG that also blends in shopkeeping elements, which could be an incredibly addictive and rewarding gameplay loop if executed properly.
I can tell at a glance, though, that Digital Sun is looking to massively refine absolutely ever aspect over the original, starting with the art style.
The flat, nondescript pixel art of before has been replaced with gorgeous, vibrant isometric 3D environments, and it looks like a major evolution that should also affect the fluidity and tactility of combat.
It'll be easy for me to try Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault when it releases, too, because it's another 11 Bit Studios project landing day one on Xbox Game Pass alongside its Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PlayStation launch.
Outbound
A lot of people can't get enough of cozy exploration games, and Outbound looks to be an exciting (or relaxing, depending on your perspective) addition to the genre.
This co-op game supports up to four players, and involves exploring an idyllic, utopian world comprised seemingly entirely of picturesque landscapes.
To navigate this world, you'll need to take advantage of your electric camper, but this homely vehicle is also, well, your home.
Outbound is a cozy, open-world exploration game, but it also boasts basebuilding elements. You can transform your camper into the mobile home of your dreams, complete with advancing technology trees and a host of tools to get the exact look and feel you desire.
If Outbound makes exploring the world worthwhile and nails its cozy gameplay, it could be an incredible addition to the Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC catalog. This one won't be coming to Xbox Game Pass, but it's still worth keeping an eye on.
Hela
Our final game comes from the same minds that brought us Unravel, and it's another co-op platforming and exploration game — but that's where the similarities end.
Set in a magical world inspired by the Swedish and Scandinavian countrysides, you and up to three of your friends play as highly intelligent, capable mice on a quest to aid the ancient witch that watches over the local village.
Your mouse can chart its own course through the world, using a wide array of traversal abilities to scale, leap, swing, and run from goal to goal. The game is built around collaboration and exploration, with a non-linear story urging players on.
The success of Hela will hinge entirely on how fun it is to explore this world as a mouse and whether the platforming feels good and responsive, but Hela could be another fantastic game to play with friends. I'm glad co-op isn't dead.
Hela doesn't have a release window yet and it hasn't been confirmed for Game Pass, but we do know it's coming to Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC when it does drop.
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