Indiana Jones and the Great Circle gets a release date on Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC — and it's also coming to PlayStation 5

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Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is launching across Xbox Series X|S and PC on December 9, 2024, with a PlayStation 5 launch in 2025.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Indy professor
Everyone's favorite adventure archeologist arrives later this year. (Image credit: Bethesda Softworks)

What you need to know

  • Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is an upcoming first-person adventure game from MachineGames and Bethesda Softworks. 
  • First unveiled earlier in the year, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle now has a release date, and will be launching on Dec. 9, 2024. 
  • It's also coming to PlayStation 5 in Spring 2025.
  • Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is coming to Xbox Series X|S consoles and Windows PC, as well as being available day one in Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

We've got an exact date for when we can jump into the latest Indiana Jones adventure. 

During Opening Night Live at Gamescom 2024, publisher Bethesda Softworks and developer MachineGames revealed that Indiana Jones and the Great Circle now has an official release date, with the game slated to arrive on Dec. 9, 2024 for Xbox Series X|S consoles and Windows PC. Like all Xbox first-party games, it's also included day one in Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.

That's not all though, as this first-person globetrotting adventure will also be arriving on PlayStation 5 at a later date. PlayStation users can look forward to joining in on the fun at some point in Spring 2025.

Set after the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle takes players across the globe as they struggle against rival archeologist Emmerich Voss, who is working with the Nazis to uncover ancient relics with a deeper mystery. I had the chance to see more gameplay in a preview for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, where MachineGames showed off the environments, puzzles, and depth the game has to offer.

Why is Indiana Jones and the Great Circle coming to PlayStation 5?

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Indiana Jones' later launch on PlayStation 5 comes as Microsoft's gaming strategy continues to evolve. Earlier in the year, four previously Xbox console exclusive games came to PlayStation and Nintendo hardware, with Obsidian Entertainment's Grounded and Pentiment launching across PlayStation 5 and 4 as well as Nintendo Switch, while Rare's Sea of Thieves and former first-party Tango Gameworks' Hi-Fi Rush received PlayStation 5 versions. 

Microsoft Gaming CEO Matt Booty has spoken on the reception of these ports, saying the team has been "really pleased" with how Sea of Thieves performed. 

Another game from the ZeniMax Media and Bethesda Softworks wing of Xbox, id Software's DOOM: The Dark Ages, is arriving day one on PlayStation 5 alongside its Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and Xbox Game Pass launch. Meanwhile, multiple other first-party Xbox games such as Playground Games' Fable, The Initiative's Perfect Dark, and Compulsion's South of Midnight do not have PlayStation 5 versions announced.

Analysis: Fetch my whip

I'm excited to get my hands on Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. I've been in since the game was first announced, and everything shown has reinforced that the developers at MachineGames understand everything players could want from a whip-wielding adventure.

CATEGORIES
Samuel Tolbert
Samuel Tolbert
Freelance Writer

Samuel Tolbert is a freelance writer covering gaming news, previews, reviews, interviews and different aspects of the gaming industry, specifically focusing on Xbox and PC gaming on Windows Central. You can find him on Twitter @SamuelTolbert.

6 Comments Comment from the forums
  • fatpunkslim
    When Google releases a game on another platform, 5 exclusive games enter the Xbox ecosystem. And then don't forget that it's Disney behind Indiana Jones (which is what the article fails to mention), so it's not really Xbox that decides in this specific case.

    In any case, it's great that Xbox clearly announces in advance the few games that will be released on other platforms, it avoids rumors and unnecessary assumptions.

    And it's great for playstation players, even if Xbox players can still play it day one for "free" (gamepass) and 6 months before. For Xbox nd microsoft, it's also a big win, xbox players have still a great advantage and playstation players can help to finance gamepass and future xbox exclusives.
    Reply
  • GraniteStateColin
    fatpunkslim said:
    When Google releases a game on another platform, 5 exclusive games enter the Xbox ecosystem. And then don't forget that it's Disney behind Indiana Jones (which is what the article fails to mention), so it's not really Xbox that decides in this specific case.

    In any case, it's great that Xbox clearly announces in advance the few games that will be released on other platforms, it avoids rumors and unnecessary assumptions.

    And it's great for playstation players, even if Xbox players can still play it day one for "free" (gamepass) and 6 months before. For Xbox nd microsoft, it's also a big win, xbox players have still a great advantage and playstation players can help to finance gamepass and future xbox exclusives.

    I appreciate the optimistic view and defense of Microsoft's strategy. I too hope they find success in it, but the simple fact that so many Xbox players reaction is, "Why should I buy an Xbox if Sony has exclusives plus gets all the Xbox games too? So what if it's a few months behind?" puts MS behind on its back foot.

    The only time a significant number of people consider changing consoles is when they upgrade. They don't throw out the PS4 and buy an Xbox One, but they might hold onto the PS4 and buy an Xbox Series X instead of buying a PS5. Or, conversely, hold onto their Xbox One and buy a PS5.

    Releasing expected Xbox bragging-right exclusives on PlayStation alienates the loyal Xbox fans and users by causing them to second guess their purchase decision -- the worst thing you can do to a customer. It's one of the reasons there are so many ads on TV for products like cars that aren't purchased very often. They're not just to sell new products, but also to reassure existing customers that they made a good choice so they're likely to stick with that brand at their next purchase, even if it's years away.

    What MS is doing is likely to lead to customers choosing NOT to buy Xbox at the next generation and to instead buy the PS6. This is not based on my opinion but the reactions we're all hearing from so many of the previously Xbox faithful. Therefore, MS' strategy appears to be pushing customers to PS. Not now, but at their next generational upgrade when they have a choice to make.
    Reply
  • fatpunkslim
    GraniteStateColin said:
    I appreciate the optimistic view and defense of Microsoft's strategy. I too hope they find success in it, but the simple fact that so many Xbox players reaction is, "Why should I buy an Xbox if Sony has exclusives plus gets all the Xbox games too? So what if it's a few months behind?" puts MS behind on its back foot.

    The only time a significant number of people consider changing consoles is when they upgrade. They don't throw out the PS4 and buy an Xbox One, but they might hold onto the PS4 and buy an Xbox Series X instead of buying a PS5. Or, conversely, hold onto their Xbox One and buy a PS5.

    Releasing expected Xbox bragging-right exclusives on PlayStation alienates the loyal Xbox fans and users by causing them to second guess their purchase decision -- the worst thing you can do to a customer. It's one of the reasons there are so many ads on TV for products like cars that aren't purchased very often. They're not just to sell new products, but also to reassure existing customers that they made a good choice so they're likely to stick with that brand at their next purchase, even if it's years away.

    What MS is doing is likely to lead to customers choosing NOT to buy Xbox at the next generation and to instead buy the PS6. This is not based on my opinion but the reactions we're all hearing from so many of the previously Xbox faithful. Therefore, MS' strategy appears to be pushing customers to PS. Not now, but at their next generational upgrade when they have a choice to make.
    You are confusing the reactions of xbox players with the reactions of anti-xbox trolls, who, for some, pose as xbox players.

    And then, don't forget that the people who follow video game news closely are very few compared to the mass of players. It's not these few reactions on the web that influence the majority of players.

    True Xbox fans know very well the games that are released on Xbox and on gamepass, and they can only enjoy it. They know very well the line-up planned for 2024-2025, and they know very well the poverty of the PlayStation line up. They know very well that the best choice for the next generation is the Xbox ecosystem with all the games to come. Xbox already has more exclusive games than PlayStation, it's just facts!
    Reply
  • GraniteStateColin
    fatpunkslim said:
    You are confusing the reactions of xbox players with the reactions of anti-xbox trolls, who, for some, pose as xbox players.

    And then, don't forget that the people who follow video game news closely are very few compared to the mass of players. It's not these few reactions on the web that influence the majority of players.

    True Xbox fans know very well the games that are released on Xbox and on gamepass, and they can only enjoy it. They know very well the line-up planned for 2024-2025, and they know very well the poverty of the PlayStation line up. They know very well that the best choice for the next generation is the Xbox ecosystem with all the games to come. Xbox already has more exclusive games than PlayStation, it's just facts!

    I don't know who you're referencing, but the market data don't support that view of customer behavior, at least not en masse. I don't think it matters who "true Xbox fans" are or what their preferences are, beyond their role as fans to positively influence and promote the brand to others. I have written about the importance to supporting loyal customers because it's more cost effective for a company to take care of its fans and leverage their loyalty to promote the brand, but beyond that, their being "true fans" serves no business purpose to the company.

    There clearly are benefits to MS in terms of individual game by also making games available on PS. That's why they're doing it. They will clearly sell more copies of Indiana Jones by also making it available on PS. However, there are also negatives. The fact that MS is getting beaten up by its fans in the media is not a trivial negative. That hurts their business.

    Now, what is hard to know ahead of time is: do the positive sales to PS players outweigh the impact of the negative market reaction to dropping exclusivity on their first-party games. I suspect the answer is yes in the short term (they'll see some short-term wins in terms of software sales) and no in the long-run (as they lose market share to Sony in the next generation of consoles, where the exclusivity could have made a huge difference in their favor).
    Reply
  • fatpunkslim
    GraniteStateColin said:
    I don't know who you're referencing, but the market data don't support that view of customer behavior, at least not en masse. I don't think it matters who "true Xbox fans" are or what their preferences are, beyond their role as fans to positively influence and promote the brand to others. I have written about the importance to supporting loyal customers, because it's more cost effective for a company to take care of its fans and leverage their loyalty to promote the brand, but beyond that, their being "true fans" serves no business purpose to the company.

    There clearly are benefits to MS in terms of individual game by also making games available on PS. That's why they're doing it. They will clearly sell more copies of Indiana Jones by also making it available on PS. However, there are also negatives. The fact that MS is getting beaten up by its fans in the media is not a trivial negative. That hurts their business.

    Now, what is hard to know ahead of time is: do the positive sales to PS players outweigh the impact of the negative market reaction to dropping exclusivity on their first-party games. I suspect the answer is yes in the short term (they'll see some short-term wins in terms of software sales) and no in the long-run (as they lose market share to Sony in the next generation of consoles, where the exclusivity could have made a huge difference in their favor).
    "The fact that MS is getting beaten up by its fans in the media is not a trivial negative" you see, you continue to confuse. the problem is the naivety of certain media or simply the shortcuts and instrumentalization of information. You underestimate the PlayStation fanboys who are ready to make you believe anything.
    Have you counted the number of multi-platform first party games (on other consoes) VS Xbox exclusive games (xbox and pc)? Do you see a generalization of first party games towards other consoles? The reality is that there are only 4 first party games on other consoles (2 small games an 2 very old games), Indiana Jones being a Disney license, and I am of course excluding historically multiplatform games. The reality is that there are much more console exclusive games than cross-platform games. Just facts !

    The line up of exclusive Xbox games is much richer than the PlayStation line up. Even if Xbox sends some multi-platform games, Xbox has many more studios and licenses than PlayStation, it's a reality, they can afford this luxury. Playstation can't, for the simple reason that they don't have enough first party games.

    You should research objective facts, research data, I know it's longer and more complicated than being content with what the other media say .

    Ask yourself why Xbox signs exclusive games with third-party publishers, in addition to first-party exclusives? The answer is simple: exclusives matter! Spencer can't say it so explicitly for a lot of reasons, but it's a factual reality.

    The business world, unlike the media world, is not binary, it is not all or nothing, Xbox simply has a hybrid strategy, a balance strategy. In the same way that they have a diverse strategy focused on Xbox consoles, PC, cloud, mobile, and also in small doses towards other consoles, it's not complicated. Unfortunately, this vision does not fit into the closed and binary framework of the media world which wants to put everything in boxes.

    Of course, if we listen to certain influencers or certain sites, we have the impression that Xbox is going to become a "third-party publisher" as they say, but that is in total contradiction with the facts.

    "third-party publisher", Here is a practical box to place xbox. We already said that to the previous generation. But that's not how it works in reality. Most media are outside of reality, they are only in a fantasized vision of reality, a reality that sells, a reality that clicks.

    The other factual reason is that the console market is saturated, everyone knows it, even Sony knows it, only the cloud, PC and mobile markets are expanding, that's the direction Xbox is going, they are the real growth levers, not in other consoles for which very few games are planned anyway.

    I completely agree with you on the short, medium and long term consequences of sending or not the games to other consoles. But you are misleading about the analysis of the current situation and about Xbox's future strategy.

    The Xbox ecosystem is at the center of their strategy, the hardware and exclusives are part of this ecosystem.

    This is in complete contradiction to what Spencer said "don't see these 4 games on other consoles as a sign that everything is going to happen, it's not the case"! It’s clear, isn’t it? Even Satya Nadella, his words have been distorted, he doesn't like exclusive games but it's in an ideal world, he said that in today's world of video games, exclusive games are part of the norm, and therefore as a good business man he adapts to this world.

    Recently, Phil Spencer said he regretted not having made Destiny or Guitar Hero exclusive, it's because exclusive games matter.

    I'm not throwing stones at you, you're not the only one to be formatted, but I think you should get away from the "what they say" and look at the information in a cold manner, with more objectivity and neutrality based on factual data.

    Rumors and speculation are not more important than facts.

    But today, the doom and gloom caused by rumors and false assumptions are often more talked about than the facts.
    Reply
  • GraniteStateColin
    fatpunkslim said:
    "The fact that MS is getting beaten up by its fans in the media is not a trivial negative" you see, you continue to confuse. the problem is the naivety of certain media or simply the shortcuts and instrumentalization of information. You underestimate the PlayStation fanboys who are ready to make you believe anything.
    Have you counted the number of multi-platform first party games (on other consoes) VS Xbox exclusive games (xbox and pc)? Do you see a generalization of first party games towards other consoles? The reality is that there are only 4 first party games on other consoles (2 small games an 2 very old games), Indiana Jones being a Disney license, and I am of course excluding historically multiplatform games. The reality is that there are much more console exclusive games than cross-platform games. Just facts !

    The line up of exclusive Xbox games is much richer than the PlayStation line up. Even if Xbox sends some multi-platform games, Xbox has many more studios and licenses than PlayStation, it's a reality, they can afford this luxury. Playstation can't, for the simple reason that they don't have enough first party games.

    You should research objective facts, research data, I know it's longer and more complicated than being content with what the other media say .

    Ask yourself why Xbox signs exclusive games with third-party publishers, in addition to first-party exclusives? The answer is simple: exclusives matter! Spencer can't say it so explicitly for a lot of reasons, but it's a factual reality.

    The business world, unlike the media world, is not binary, it is not all or nothing, Xbox simply has a hybrid strategy, a balance strategy. In the same way that they have a diverse strategy focused on Xbox consoles, PC, cloud, mobile, and also in small doses towards other consoles, it's not complicated. Unfortunately, this vision does not fit into the closed and binary framework of the media world which wants to put everything in boxes.

    Of course, if we listen to certain influencers or certain sites, we have the impression that Xbox is going to become a "third-party publisher" as they say, but that is in total contradiction with the facts.

    "third-party publisher", Here is a practical box to place xbox. We already said that to the previous generation. But that's not how it works in reality. Most media are outside of reality, they are only in a fantasized vision of reality, a reality that sells, a reality that clicks.

    The other factual reason is that the console market is saturated, everyone knows it, even Sony knows it, only the cloud, PC and mobile markets are expanding, that's the direction Xbox is going, they are the real growth levers, not in other consoles for which very few games are planned anyway.

    I completely agree with you on the short, medium and long term consequences of sending or not the games to other consoles. But you are misleading about the analysis of the current situation and about Xbox's future strategy.

    The Xbox ecosystem is at the center of their strategy, the hardware and exclusives are part of this ecosystem.

    This is in complete contradiction to what Spencer said "don't see these 4 games on other consoles as a sign that everything is going to happen, it's not the case"! It’s clear, isn’t it? Even Satya Nadella, his words have been distorted, he doesn't like exclusive games but it's in an ideal world, he said that in today's world of video games, exclusive games are part of the norm, and therefore as a good business man he adapts to this world.

    Recently, Phil Spencer said he regretted not having made Destiny or Guitar Hero exclusive, it's because exclusive games matter.

    I'm not throwing stones at you, you're not the only one to be formatted, but I think you should get away from the "what they say" and look at the information in a cold manner, with more objectivity and neutrality based on factual data.

    Rumors and speculation are not more important than facts.

    But today, the doom and gloom caused by rumors and false assumptions are often more talked about than the facts.

    I'm not sure I follow all of that. Maybe it wasn't directed at me? I think you might be arguing with me for things other people have said rather than things I said. My posts are purely based on data and my own analysis, except where I have referenced comments made by others, in which case, I hope I gave them credit, whether I agreed or disagreed.

    My posts on this topic are coming from my role as a marketing strategist who spent several years in the video game industry. I am no longer in that space much (minor contact with some mobile games), except as a player, where, full disclosure, I play on Xbox, Android, and Windows and still have an old PS3 hooked up to a TV. I acknowledge I'm not a comms expert, so I can't speak to the wisdom in how MS handles its media relations. My relevant expertise is limited to product development, the sociological and psychological facets to branding (not the aesthetic, I'm no artist), and pricing.

    To simplify it down to fewer words: fan loyalty is not a throwaway thing as many suggest (not sure if you are or not), it's a core strength every brand needs to manage properly. Microsoft routinely seems to ignore or undervalue the importance of this asset (good will and brand loyalty are balance sheet assets) and makes strategic decisions with misweighted metrics as a result.
    Reply