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Tag: SILENT HILL f

  • The Game Awards 2025 – Play Every Xbox Nominated Game Today – Xbox Wire

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    Summary

    • We’re excited to share that a half-dozen Xbox first-party titles (plus one movie) have been nominated for awards across multiple categories – voting is now open on The Game Awards official site.
    • You can play many of the nominees announced today with Xbox Game Pass, including top nominee Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, DOOM: The Dark Ages, South of Midnight, and Hollow Knight: Silksong.
    • Tune into The Game Awards on December 11 to see if your favorite games from 2025 take home an award.

    The Game Awards has officially revealed the full list of nominees for the year, and we’re thrilled to see such a wide range of unique titles being recognized for their contributions to gaming. Even better, many of these nominees can be played today across Xbox consoles, Xbox on PC, ROG Xbox Ally handhelds, Cloud, and with Xbox Game Pass!

    This year our first-party studios received nominations for Avowed, DOOM: The Dark Ages, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Ninja Gaiden 4, South of Midnight, and The Outer Worlds 2. Troy Baker’s pitch-perfect performance as Indiana Jones was recognized with a Best Performance nomination, and ‘A Minecraft Movie’, one of the biggest hits at the box office in 2025, was nominated for Best Adaptation.

    We’re also equally excited to see that many of our third-party partners have been nominated across a wide range of categories – many of which can be played with Game Pass. Ball x Pit, Blue Prince, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Hollow Knight: Silksong, and Rematch are all up for awards this year, and playable across devices as Xbox Play Anywhere titles. Additionally, Game Pass subscribers receive incredible benefits for nominees League of Legends, Valorant, and – starting tomorrowFortnite.

    Congratulations to all this year’s amazing nominees – and don’t forget, these nominations join titles on Xbox nominated across the Golden Joysticks, and even the Grammys!

    Remember, you can vote for your favorites right now over at TheGameAwards.com. See below for the full list of nominees that you can play today.

    First-Party Nominees


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    Mike Nelson, Xbox Wire Editor

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  • Konami Believes in ‘Silent Hill f’ So Much, It’s Becoming a Novel

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    It’s only been a few days since Silent Hill f came out, and in a month, fans will be able to read it.

    Konami announced a novel adaptation of the survival horror game releasing October 30. Written by author Kuroshiro, who adapted Midnight Wanderers and NG for the page, this Silent Hill f adaptation will cover the game’s core story and provide new material not featured. As a fan of Kuroshiro’s work, Silent Hill producer Motoi Okamoto recalled feeling “overjoyed when Kadokawa suggested him as the novelization author.”

    This is the one of the few novels for the Silent Hill franchise without illustrations. Save for books based on the 2006 and and 2012 films, the series’ literature has been light novels based on specific games and films, art and guidebooks, or manga telling an original story. Okamoto hopes this new novel appeals to game fans or horror book lovers “who [don’t] play games but enjoys reading books.”

    Developed by NeoBards Entertainment, Silent Hill f centers on 1960s high school Hinako Shimizu as she navigates the fictional, fog-covered town of Ebisugaoka. The game’s received a warm reception so far and is part of Konami’s larger push to revive Silent Hill, which has included a remake of Silent Hill 2 (and its 2026 film adaptation Return to Silent Hill), a remake of the first game, and the brand new Silent Hill: Townfall.

    Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

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    Justin Carter

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  • Silent Hill f: A Stunningly Immersive Horror Experience

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    Immersing yourself in Silent Hill f is like drinking a powerfully fragrant tea steeped in bloody metaphor and symbolism. The first new, full Silent Hill game in 13 years, f wields a powerful, standalone narrative about the expectations of gender-based roles, the challenge of maintaining relationships in the presence of such roles, and the foggy nature of transitioning from teenage life into adulthood.

    The game satisfyingly eschews surface-level storytelling through its various twists and turns. As if retreating into its own mysterious fog, f isn’t easy to fully understand at first. Various plot threads and themes intersect and overlap in a dreamlike fashion. By the game’s ending (of which there are multiple), I had so many questions that weren’t answered–in a good way. I walked away unsure of what I had experienced, where the metaphors began and ended, and just what exactly happened in this sleepy mountainside village. Silent Hill f is a gorgeous and exquisite work of psychological horror that had me desperate to relive its narrative again after the credits rolled. And I don’t think I’ll stop until I squeeze every drop out of this game.

    In its moment-to-moment gameplay, Silent Hill f challenges you to fight or evade various horrifying monsters, solve cryptic puzzles, and attempt to piece together a complicated, bi-directional narrative of resistance and submission, both against supernatural horrors and the pressures society places on people, particularly women. Silent Hill f takes a few big risks in its relocation of the series to a new setting and in its slightly more action-focused combat, but these elements all pay off and earn their stay. Its story, though ripe for pitfalls in how it depicts violence and subjugation of women, manages to deliver a shellshock of a horror experience with a rich atmosphere and unsettling tale that entertains on its own terms, and terrifies with depictions of violence and repression that are all too resonant with our experiences of the real world.

    Developed by a studio new to the series and following the successful remake of Silent Hill 2, f sees Silent Hill pack its bags and take us on a trip to a fictional rural mountainside village in Japan called Ebisugaoka. Set in the 1960s, the game’s narrative centers the experience of living as a woman in a society that values us only for our potential to be married.

    Silent Hill f casts you in the role of teenager Hinako Shimizu as she navigates an unfolding and perplexing set of ghastly horrors. Somewhat of a tomboy, Hinako is at odds with what the rigid expectations her society, and family, place on her as someone assigned female at birth. Early on, we learn that Hinako’s sister has left home after being married off, and that her alcoholic, abusive, and financially reckless father has similar wishes for her.

    © Screenshot: NeoBards Entertainment / Claire Jackson / Kotaku

    After a bitter argument with her parents, she leaves home to find her village slowly being overtaken by a thick fog; strange floral and fleshy overgrowths; contorted, animated mannequins wielding massive kitchen knives; and all sorts of other unspeakable horrors.

    Hinako quickly realizes that the only solution is to escape the town she once called home, now transformed into a hellscape. Puzzles and hostile creatures stand in her way as she travels through foggy streets and alleyways, abandoned buildings, and a nightmare-esque realm known as the Dark Shrine.

    The monsters stalking the oppressive alleyways of Ebisugaoka and the mire of the Dark Shrine aren’t the only things keeping Hinako company. She’s joined by three friends: two other teenage girls named Sakuko and Rinko, and a boy named Shu. Together, the four of them must survive an indescribable nightmare as they search for a way out of the altered town. Hinako also comes to meet another individual who promises to help her, a mysterious and charming gentleman referred to in writing as simply Fox Mask.

    f’s narrative ups and downs can inspire a bloodlust in you that makes Hinako’s  maneuverability and lethality–which far exceed those of her generally clunky predecessor protagonists–all the more rewarding. A sometimes-frustrating weapon degradation system keeps the survival part of the horror grounded, but in moments when the story filled me with an emotional urgency, I was excited to be a more nimble and deadly fighter.

    A steel pipe and the audacity to persist

    In combat, Hinako is on her own when it comes to dealing with the menacing creatures of the fog. Far more mobile than protagonists in survival horror games usually are, I worried that Hinako’s dexterity might dilute the shambling dread often associated with the genre, but f earns its right to a more action-focused combat system.

    Hinako walks up a flight of stairs in a foggy environment while carrying a steel pipe.
    © © Screenshot: NeoBards Entertainment / Claire Jackson / Kotaku

    It’s not that Hinako feels like an elite soldier or something; the camera controls, quick dodge move, and stamina meter make her feel locked in to her survival, but the combat retains a sense of vulnerability essential for communicating terror and dread. f’s combat can be rather fluid and snappy when it wants to be. As in modern soulslikes, you can target a single enemy at a time which keeps the combat focused and intense. Hinako’s generous and speedy dodge costs her stamina, as do her light and heavy attacks.

    Still, weapon scarcity and degradation make any scuffle with the game’s various monsters risky. Not every fight with a random wandering monster is worth having, but during scripted battles or when it makes sense to dispose of a creature, you’ll have to do so while managing your stamina meter as you sprint, dodge, and attack. Dodge at the right time when an enemy strikes and you’ll refill your stamina to resume your assault or expedite your retreat.

    Hinako also has a meter for her “Sanity,” which allows her to use special “Focus” moves such as a counterattack and a charged-up version of her light melee strike. As you progress, you’ll be able to increase your health, stamina, and sanity meters by offering various objects at shrines which double as save points. You can also augment Hinako’s abilities with omamori found in the environment or drawn from a shrine; these benefits include boons like increased max health, recovering health when defeating an enemy, a quicker charge of Hinako’s attacks, and more. These gentle augmentations of Hinako’s abilities offer a welcome micro level of adjustment over the difficulty that I’m sure I’ll lean into more in my Hard mode run.

    You can consume various items to replenish your meters, though while it worked fine when playing with mouse and keyboard, I found that even after 20 hours, item management while using a controller felt cumbersome.

    Aside from some creatures that waited around corners to jump me, I would typically hear monsters before I saw them, their presence usually revealed by the sounds of painful moans, clanking footsteps, or the gentle and satisfying static that plays when you’re in the proximity of an enemy. The audio cues reminded me to check my health level and weapon condition, all while observing a few exit strategies if I suddenly found myself in over my head. In each scuffle, aside from the scripted scenarios that have you fighting bosses or enemies you have to defeat before you can proceed, combat remained as intense and methodical as I like it in a survival horror game.

    Hinako stares at something beyond the camera.

    • Back-of-the-box quote:

      “The f is for fun! Freaky! and Fuuuu….”

    • Developer:

      Neobards Entertainment

    • Type of game:

      Third-person action horror.

    • Liked:

      Powerful story, dark and evocative visuals, satisfying combat.

    • Disliked:

      Weapon degradation is a bit too fast, item menu can be confusing.

    • Platforms:

      PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Windows PC (Played)

    • Release date:

      Standard edition: September 25, 2025 / Deluxe edition: September 23, 2025

    • Played:

      22 hours covering the main story once through and about a third of the way through New Game Plus.

    There’s a touch of build crafting in f, but it doesn’t dominate the game the way you’d find in Dark Souls or other similar games. Aside from your three meters, you won’t need to worry about Hinako’s stats or fuss too much over which weapons you’re carrying. And unlike more action-focused games, your central task isn’t to defeat enemies, it’s to survive them. That sometimes means killing them, but it’s not wise to spend all your time and resources on every monster in your path. In fact, you’ll quickly find yourself screwed if you take that approach.

    Dealing with enemies is still a challenge despite how quick Hinako can be, and weapon degradation was an early sore spot for me. Fragile weapons combine well with the sense of dread the game’s aesthetic conjures and nicely limits your capabilities within the otherwise rather smooth combat system. This grounds the game, though some later sections let you cut loose on monsters in a satisfying, vengeful way. The game offers two kinds of difficulty at first, “Story” and “Hard,” and you can set the combat difficulty and puzzle difficulty independent of each other. On my first run, I played “Story” for combat and “Hard” for puzzles.

    A monster grabs Hinako and licks her face.
    © Screenshot: NeoBards Entertainment / Claire Jackson / Kotaku

    This choice let me be pretty sloppy in combat and still only die a handful of times. My second run, on Hard mode, has proven a tougher challenge, though it rarely feels unfair (my Hard mode run is a little bit easier given that I’m taking advantage of the stat carryover from New Game Plus). That said, I can already anticipate some late-game segments might border on frustration. We’ll see how that goes for me.

    At first, I found the unexpectedly speedy combat to be a little discordant with the premise of being a teenage girl taking on vicious, otherworldly monsters, often with little more than a steel pipe. The beautifully dark and lush atmosphere of the game filled me with the dread I desire from this genre, but once combat started, I found myself feeling almost a bit too superhuman in how deftly I could dodge out of the way of a bloody knife.

    As Hinako’s story and struggle progressed, however, I found f’s combat system to mesh well with her emotional state. Hinako makes it clear early on that she won’t go down without a fight, and a childhood spent mostly playing rough with boys along with her experience in track and field show she’s not afraid of a scuffle or two. The combat also, at times, gave me a sense of power over some monsters in a way that satisfyingly intersects with the game’s themes. I was skeptical of its approach to combat in those early skirmishes, but f earns its speedier battles with satisfying emotional arcs.

    Fighting off bloody bastards isn’t the only challenge ahead of you in Ebisugaoka either. True to its form as a Silent Hill game, f features an assortment of puzzles you’ll have to solve, each one a treat containing some wonderful 3D models and mental challenges that aren’t easy to brute force your way through. You’ll collect clues in your journal which aren’t always the most obvious, and many of these puzzles stumped me at first. In two cases, I was forced to get help from people to figure them out, but this was mostly out of a need to finish the game in a timely fashion.

    While I often love survival horror games for the unique intersection of terror and challenge they provide, I typically find the struggle of survival only as interesting as the environment they’re set in and the story they weave. And in this regard, Silent Hill f does not disappoint.

    A dark narrative to commit yourself to

    Hinako holds her head in her hand as she lays on the ground surrounded by red plants.
    © Screenshot: NeoBards Entertainment / Claire Jackson / Kotaku

    To be honest, the less I say about the particulars of Silent Hill f’s narrative, the better. You can only experience this game the first time through once, and as soon as you do, everything you just experienced gets reframed, and not in a concrete, easily digestible way. f resisted my attempts to understand it, left me with horrific depictions of violence strung up on narrative threads that involve real-world, relatable struggles of being a woman in society, what the value that society ascribes to her even means, the impact of cultural traditions, and a fear of the unknown. Throughout the game, mythology creeps into reality to make you doubt your own reasoning mind. This is all set to a captivatingly dark yet beautiful soundtrack from series composer Akira Yamaoka.

    And while the game features difficult and lasting depictions of violence and suffering, Silent Hill f never feels like torture porn. Its gore never feels frivolous. That it manages to pull this off in a game focused on the violence imposed on women in a conservative society is a testament to the quality of writing on display here. Silent Hill f delivers gut-wrenching metaphors and symbols of resistance and submission that terrify and excite all at once.

    I felt this acutely during the game’s Dark Shrine segments. The realm’s imposing and ominous fox statues and masks inspire an alluring sense of empowerment and protection, but they also felt like a clear warning that I was seconds away from being snatched up in their jaws. The same is true of Fox Mask, who appears early on as a heroic figure, but soon seems to have an agenda of his own that may not have Hinako’s best interests in mind. His piercing, glowing eyes and soft-spoken voice had me hypnotized as much as they did Hinako. As she followed him into the depths of the unknown, so too did I.

    Two lines of people wearing fox masks show everyone looking toward the camera.
    © Screenshot: NeoBards Entertainment / Claire Jackson / Kotaku

    f’s narrative remains satisfyingly hard to predict throughout the whole ride. As soon as I thought I had a sense of what was going on, the story would resist falling into the predictable plot patterns I’d begun to anticipate. Even the premise of rebelling against the gendered expectations of womanhood is handled in a far more complex way than you might expect. It’s not just a story of Hinako giving the proverbial middle finger to what society asks of her. Though she is rebelling and is conscious of how her gender renders her a second-class citizen, themes of commitment, of holding onto who you are as you form bonds with other people, and just what it means to sustain any kind of relationship in the face of struggle swirl around in the fog in ways that I often found deeply relatable.

    One scene in particular involving a bloody reconfiguration of a character’s body parts struck me so squarely in its depiction of commitment and physical trauma that it’s become a new metaphor for how I view a particular chapter of my own life. Though it depicts people of a different culture and time, there’s a universally human story at the core of f.

    Even when f hits its narrative climax, when I thought I understood as much as I possibly could from a single playthrough, the ending that I ended up triggering based on what seemed a normal, non-consequential decision early on revealed one of the most unexpected twists I’ve encountered in recent memory. And still, true to the lush depths of obfuscating fog Silent Hill is known for, I barely understand what happened. But I couldn’t look at the story the same way twice after experiencing it. My own innocence was robbed.

    A bloody monster stands in a balletic pose.
    © Screenshot: NeoBards Entertainment / Claire Jackson / Kotaku

    In addition to what’s revealed through your interactions and encounters with other characters and your journey through Ebisugaoka, a considerable amount of worldbuilding is also found in collectible notes scattered throughout the game’s world and in other bits of environmental storytelling. No meaningful playthrough of Silent Hill f will be complete without collecting and reading as many of them as possible–and New Game Plus will offer you new surprises here, too. These notes are all concise, written well enough, and don’t feel overbearing. They’re well worth pausing the action for.

    These documents include women’s etiquette magazines, beer ads that promise a certain status of masculinity to those who consume it, and meditations on kitsune no yomeiri and other elements of Japanese culture and folklore, as well as fictional accounts of the history of the game’s setting. It all strings together a dark, kaleidoscopic narrative web that stirs intrigue and sparks the imagination. That it’s set in the 1960s also positions the characters and the town itself  between a rural, agrarian environment with conservative cultural values and affectations, and an encroaching layer of modernization through expanding industrial development and scientific medicine. Silent Hill f is never about any one of these things individually, but its various narrative layers let you drift among them as you would a sequence of thematically similar dreams.

    Silent Hill f is ambitious in its desires. It asks for permission to deviate from the series’ traditional setting while offering up quicker, more action-focused combat. It leaves behind its titular setting in favor of a new horizon. It succeeds on all these fronts as a spin-off that explores Silent Hill’s classic gloom and internal psychological struggle, toying with themes of friendship, gendered expectations, commitment, and individual worth like a cat, or a fox, playing with its prey. It is a horrorscape I was terrified of and yet unable to look away from, one that’s resonated with me long after the credits rolled, and that quickly pulled me back in for another trip down the miserable foggy alleyways of this strange mountainside village.

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    Claire Jackson

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  • Next Week on Xbox: New Games for September 22 to 26 – Xbox Wire

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    Welcome to Next Week on Xbox! In this weekly feature we cover all the games coming soon to Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Xbox on PC, and Game Pass! Get more details on these upcoming games below and click their profiles for further info (release dates subject to change). Let’s jump in!


    EA SPORTS FC™ 26 Ultimate Edition Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S

    Electronic Arts



    210




    $99.99

    $89.99

    EA SPORTS FC™ 26 Standard Edition Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S

    Electronic Arts



    210




    $69.99

    $62.99

    EA Sports FC 26 – September 26
    Smart Delivery

    The Club is Yours in EA Sports FC 26. Play your way with an overhauled gameplay experience powered by community feedback. The new Authentic Gameplay option delivers the most true-to-football experience ever in Career, while the Competitive Gameplay option—driven by refined fundamentals, added consistency, and enhanced responsiveness—is tailor-made for play in Football Ultimate Team and Clubs.


    Xbox Play Anywhere

    SILENT HILL f – Deluxe Edition

    KONAMI




    $79.99

    Xbox Play Anywhere

    SILENT HILL f

    KONAMI




    $69.99

    Silent Hill f – September 25
    Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Xbox Play Anywhere

    In 1960s Japan, Shimizu Hinako’s secluded town of Ebisugaoka is consumed by a sudden fog, transforming her home into a haunting nightmare. As the town falls silent and the fog thickens, Hinako must navigate the twisted paths of Ebisugaoka, solving complex puzzles and confronting grotesque monsters to survive. Discover a new chapter in the Silent Hill series, blending psychological horror with a haunting Japanese setting.


    Xbox Play Anywhere

    HOTEL BARCELONA

    CULT Games



    Hotel Barcelona – September 26
    Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Xbox Play Anywhere

    Justine, a rookie U.S. Marshal, thought this was just another routine case. But when her car crashes in a freak accident at the edge of nowhere, she finds herself trapped in a twisted new world: Hotel Barcelona. In this blood-soaked 2.5D sidescroller straight from your nightmares, you’ll battle through insane horror-themed floors, face killers inspired by the nastiest corners of your local video store, and every time you die, your past-self fights beside you – like a ghost with a grudge!


    Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds Digital Deluxe Edition

    SEGA



    5



    $89.99

    Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds

    SEGA



    5



    $69.99

    Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds – September 25

    Speed to victory solo or as a team in a variety of offline and online modes and compete against players from around the world. Build the ultimate vehicle to match your racing style, unlock gadgets to gain the upper hand, and unleash power-up items to bring home the win!


    ENDLESS™ Legend 2 (Game Preview)

    Hooded Horse



    Endless Legend 2 (Game Preview) (Xbox on PC) – September 22
    Game Pass

    A fantasy strategy game where you lead wildly varied factions as they build grand empires and wage planet-spanning wars on an ever-evolving ocean world at the brink of extinction. Cataclysmic events have wrought havoc on natural order, and the very world will change as time goes on revealing new opportunities for exploration and conquest to the bold and daring.


    Xbox Play Anywhere

    Slime Rancher 2

    Monomi Park



    445



    $29.99

    Slime Rancher 2 (1.0) – September 23
    Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Xbox Play Anywhere

    A sequel to the award-winning, smash-hit original that has been enjoyed by over 10 million fans worldwide. Continue the adventures of Beatrix LeBeau as she journeys to Rainbow Island, a mysterious land brimming with ancient technology, unknown natural resources, and an avalanche of wiggling, jiggling, new slimes to discover.


    Xbox Play Anywhere

    SWORN

    Team17



    1




    $29.99

    $23.99

    Sworn – September 25
    Game Pass / Optimized for Xbox Series X|S

    A 1-4 player co-op action rogue-like. Explore and reclaim a fallen Camelot from the reign of a corrupted Arthur and his Knights of the round table. Play solo or unite with friends to stand off against the Knights of the Round Table. Combine the strengths of your characters in surprising ways and master abilities to become knights worthy of standing off against Arthur himself.


    Xbox Play Anywhere

    NBA BOUNCE

    Outright Games Ltd.




    $49.99

    NBA Bounce – September 26
    Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery / Xbox Play Anywhere

    Ready to step onto the court with your favorite team? Choose from 30 NBA teams like the Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, Denver Nuggets, and more as you dribble, and dunk to victory. Play on team-themed courts with energetic mascots and crowds. Can you beat the buzzer?


    PAC-MAN WORLD 2 Re-PAC Deluxe Edition Pre-order

    Bandai Namco Entertainment America Inc.




    $39.99

    PAC-MAN WORLD 2 Re-PAC Pre-order

    Bandai Namco Entertainment America Inc.




    $29.99

    Pac-Man World 2 Re-Pac – September 26
    Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

    Pac-Man World 2 has been modernized, enhanced, and upgraded! The Ghosts snuck into PAC-Village and stole the Golden Fruit, unwittingly freeing the all-powerful ghost king, Spooky! PAC-MAN must venture across PAC-LAND to reclaim the Golden Fruit and put a stop to the dastardly Spooky!


    Baseless

    First Break Labs



    Baseless – September 22
    Optimized for Xbox Series X|S

    Baseless is a challenging planet-jumping shooter. Blast from planet to planet with 360° gravity, creatively demolishing every enemy in your path. Fire powerful weapons, rescue cute friends, and discover a galaxy worth fighting for!


    Xbox Play Anywhere

    Brews & Bastards

    Mune Studio Limited



    Brews & Bastards – September 22
    Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Xbox Play Anywhere

    Brews & Bastards is an intoxicating dungeon crawler, overflowing with action-packed combat, potent brews and outlandish bosses. Select from a group of inebriated heroes and blast your way through hordes of drunken demons in search of the stolen Brew Stone.


    Xbox Play Anywhere

    SpotCat vs The Cheddar Mafia In Asia

    Lucky Raccoon Games




    $4.49

    SpotCat vs The Cheddar Mafia In Asia – September 22
    Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

    A thrilling “Find-the-Difference” game with a hidden object twist. The notorious Cheddar Mafia is spreading chaos across Asia, and only SpotCat can stop them. Explore vibrant, hand-drawn scenes from different countries, spot the subtle differences, and stay sharp—mafia rats can appear when you least expect it.


    Hyper Team Recon

    Top Hat Studios, Inc.



    Hyper Team Recon – September 23
    Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

    Hyper Team Recon is an adorable 3D platformer about three aliens and their adventure across Earth! Three energetic alien slimes, Ember, Penny and Lite, are tasked to travel to Earth to learn more about the lifeforms inhabiting the planet, using their species’ unique morphing abilities to disguise themselves as girls to keep a low profile!


    Forgive Me Father 2

    Fulqrum Publishing



    Forgive Me Father 2 – September 23
    Optimized for Xbox Series X|S

    Journey once again into a malevolent world inspired by H.P Lovecraft’s myths where madness awaits on every corner. Embark on a path to salvation as you continue the story of the Priest character from the first installment. How long can you balance on the edge of sanity? Will your sins be forgiven, or your soul consumed by madness?


    Kingdom Shell – White Temple Edition

    Top Hat Studios, Inc.



    Kingdom Shell – White Temple Edition – September 23
    Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

    The magical Shell that has protected the Kingdom for centuries has been shattered. Hordes of nightmarish creatures now overrun the Kingdom, terrorizing its inhabitants. The White Temple, which has stood guard over the Kingdom for centuries, cannot face this threat alone. Explore the lands of the Kingdom, fight hordes of nightmarish creatures and powerful bosses, find secrets, help inhabitants in distress and stop the impending catastrophe.


    Radiant: Guardians Of Light

    CHORRUS GAMES S.L.




    $19.99

    Radiant: Guardians of Light – September 23
    Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

    Radiant: Guardians of Light is a fast-paced co-op action adventure where magic, teamwork, and powerful gear come together to decide the fate of a kingdom. The kingdom of Helia is under threat, and only the Guardians can push back the darkness. Explore stunning hand-crafted worlds, face massive bosses, and master elemental powers as you fight to rescue those you love.


    Edgar Poe: Hidden Objects Game

    Crisp App Studio





    $11.99

    $9.59

    Edgar Poe: Hidden Objects Game – September 24
    Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

    Do you know who pioneered the world of detective fiction and whose legacy still leaves us guessing? Discover the eerie genius of Edgar Allan Poe in The Fall of the House of Usher, reimagined as a thrilling hidden object adventure – now fully optimized for Xbox!


    Xbox Play Anywhere

    INK ENIGMA: Hidden Object Challenges

    Avgam




    $5.99

    Ink Enigma: Hidden Object Challenges – September 24
    Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery / Xbox Play Anywhere

    Ink Enigma: Hidden Object Challenges turns every hand-drawn puzzle page into your personal sketchbook. Scan the scene, circle each secret, and watch the artwork come alive with your own signature ink.


    Xbox Play Anywhere

    Full Throttle Parking

    Lucky Raccoon Games



    Full Throttle Parking – September 24
    Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery / Xbox Play Anywhere

    Full Throttle Parking is a 100% physics-based arcade racing game. Your mission is clear: speed through tricky obstacle courses, collect every checkpoint, and park your car precisely in the marked spot — all in the fastest time possible.


    Emerald Huntress

    Old School Vibes



    Emerald Huntress – September 24
    Optimized for Xbox Series X|S

    Precision. Speed. Survival. Dive into a deadly forest in this fast-paced action platformer. Battle fierce enemies, dodge traps, and uncover hidden emeralds across 10 challenging stages. Master melee, ranged, and aerial attacks to survive escalating threats and unlock powerful upgrades. Only the sharpest reflexes will reveal every secret.


    Bunny Pit Stop (Xbox Series)

    Afil Games



    Bunny Pit Stop – September 24
    Optimized for Xbox Series X|S

    Get ready to hop into action in Bunny Pit Stop, a puzzle game where a clever rabbit mechanic takes center stage. Inspired by the classic push-and-place style, your mission is simple but tricky: push cars into their maintenance bays and keep the garage running smoothly.


    Electronics Puzzle Lab 2

    Eastasiasoft Limited



    Electronics Puzzle Lab 2 – September 24
    Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

    Learn circuitry and electronics engineering in a fun way with concepts simple enough for beginners but engaging for enthusiasts! Awaken your inner engineer once again with the brainteasing circuitry of Electronics Puzzle Lab 2! In this fun and educational 3D puzzle game, your task is to inspect circuit boards and adjust power LED lights. Take a seat at your workbench, cut wires, flip switches and more as you trace the path of the current. Start with basic puzzles and progress to advanced challenges that will test your limits in logic and electronic knowledge.


    Xbox Play Anywhere

    Meow Moments: Celebrating Beats & Books

    Mens Sana Interactive



    Meow Moments: Celebrating Beats & Books – September 24
    Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery / Xbox Play Anywhere

    Join the Celebration! In this cozy hidden-object adventure, cats and friends gather to explore creativity, connection, and self-expression across two lively scenes. Every detail invites you to imagine stories unfolding in a world where music and learning bring everyone together.


    Endoparasitic

    Pineapple Works



    Endoparasitic – September 25
    Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

    A tactical survival horror game where you must manually do every action from reloading to moving. Juggle movement and firing and plan entrances to avoid getting swarmed. Drag yourself through the corridors of a secret research lab on a remote asteroid, fight off horribly mutated monsters, inject countless syringes of vaccines, and survive at all costs.


    Frozen Rune

    Fa Games



    Frozen Rune – September 25

    Frozen Rune is a challenging 2D platformer with 30 levels full of traps and obstacles designed to test your precision and skill. The goal is simple, but far from easy: collect the powerful Ice Rune to open the magic door and advance to the next level. Each stage introduces new progressive challenges, where a single mistake is costly — if you take damage, you must restart the level. This mechanic increases the intensity of the experience, turning every achievement into true overcoming.


    Super Long Cat

    © 17Studio LLC.





    $14.99

    $11.99

    Super Long Cat – September 25
    Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

    Meet the cat who loves milk… and with every sip he gets longer and longer! Mommy Cat asks you to return the lost kittens home, which means you must use your unusual talent to get through tricky puzzles, jump over traps and reach the most unexpected corners of the levels. Collect milk, become longer and help Daddy Cat reunite the whole furry family. Meow!


    Agatha Christie – Death on the Nile

    Microids




    $39.99

    Agatha Christie – Death on the Nile – September 25
    Optimized for Xbox Series X|S

    In Death on the Nile, a peaceful cruise on the Nile is disrupted by a terrible crime. Thankfully, famous detective Hercule Poirot is onboard. Meanwhile, a private detective is tracking a murderer, leading her from London to Majorca, New York, and finally to Egypt. The two investigations collide at Abu Simbel. The dynamic duo will solve a complex case full of twists and turns. But the story doesn’t end with the book, and it still holds many mysteries and twists, even for Agatha Christie fans.


    Extremely Powerful Capybaras

    PM-Studios, Inc.



    Extremely Powerful Cabybaras – September 25
    Optimized for Xbox Series X|S

    Extremely Powerful Capybaras features multiple exciting stages, hilarious (and deadly) foes, and the action will keep you busy for a long time with epic difficulty challenges and modifiers to make each run a thrill! Brave the chaos solo or with up to 4 friends in local and online multiplayer, forge your path through hordes of enemies, gather capy-powering weapons & skills and embrace your inner capybara in this action-packed bullet heaven frenzy!


    Mamorukun ReCurse!

    Clear River Games



    Mamorukuen ReCurse! – September 25

    Wipe out smaller enemies and clear projectiles from the screen, or power up larger enemies, making them harder to defeat… The greater the risk the higher you’ll score, and you can even curse yourself to increase your damage to overcome more challenging enemies.


    Pilot Sports (Xbox Series)

    Z-Software GmbH



    Pilot Sports – September 25
    Optimized for Xbox Series X|S

    Brilliant gaming fun for the whole family! Split screen mode for up to 4 players, over 50 different courses, the widest variety of aircraft and thrilling challenges provide for all sorts of gaming enjoyment!


    Republic of Pirates

    PQube



    Republic of Pirates – September 25
    Optimized for Xbox Series X|S

    In the heart of the Caribbean during the Golden Age of Piracy lies the Republic of Pirates, a powerful alliance of crews united by their shared ideology and collective ambitions. But while the early days of the confederacy were prosperous, greed and jealousy soon spread, leading to a vicious mutiny and a final bloody breakup.


    Xbox Play Anywhere

    Napoleon Maiden Episode.1 A maiden without the word impossible

    moesoft




    $21.99

    Napoleon Maiden Episode.1 A maiden without the word impossible – September 26
    Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery / Xbox Play Anywhere

    Shoichi Sakikawa was a normal, second-year high school student. Or, he was, until he woke up from a car accident only to find himself trapped in mid-revolution 19th century France. What saved him from an onslaught of bullets was a girl armed with a sword. “I am Napoleon Bonaparte. And one day I shall be ruler of all France.” Having been saved by this “Napoleon” in the form of a girl, Shoichi ends up accompanying her on her quest. But in this world, not only is the past distorted, but the gods grant chosen girls the gift of greatness, who in turn fight one another using superhuman abilities known as “Apocalypse.”


    Crystal Veins

    PedroFStudio



    Crystal Veins – September 26

    Crystal Veins is a charming 2D platformer adventure that blends lighthearted cartoon visuals with intense subterranean challenge. Players take control of Toby, a rookie miner who wakes up trapped deep underground after a mysterious cave-in. With only his pickaxe, helmet, and a flickering lantern, he must dig, dodge, and dash his way through a forgotten mine full of secrets and dangers.


    Xbox Play Anywhere

    Hanoi Puzzles: Flip Match

    Hanoi Studios



    Hanoi Puzzles: Flip Match – September 26
    Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery / Xbox Play Anywhere

    Assemble towers by flipping pieces to get the right color on top, stack pieces of the same color to assemble a tower in a mysterious futuristic atmosphere. Use the rules of the famous Tower of Hanoi puzzle, where a larger piece cannot be on top of a smaller one.


    Grief like a stray dog

    Sometimes You





    $9.99

    $7.99

    Grief like a stray dog – September 26

    A short interactive play about a young postwoman in a tight-knit rural community. In the outside world, WW2 rages at its apex. Nadia is thirteen. She delivers papers, letters. And death notifications to families of those killed in action.


    Liquid Cat

    Phoenix Reborn Games



    Liquid Cat – September 26

    Embrace two forms in this unique puzzle-platformer! As a solid cat, leap and run through treacherous platforming challenges. Then, dive into a pipe and transform into a liquid cat! Rotate the pipes to solve intricate puzzles and create a safe path to the exit. With 40 progressively difficult levels, Liquid Cat offers a refreshing blend of fast-paced action and brain-bending logic.


    Airborne Justice

    Ratalaika Games S.L.



    Airborne Justice – September 26
    Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

    Join pilot protagonists Rock and Stan for an arcade sky battle experience built for one or two players. Control a military helicopter capable of rapid fire and maneuver through the clouds while harnessing incredible firepower. Obtain devastating weapons and bombs, shoot down imposing bosses, and unlock 3 additional modes of play. Become an ace fighter pilot and take down five intense levels of enemy air force!


    Xbox Play Anywhere

    Giant Rush

    QubicGames S.A.



    Giant Rush – September 26
    Xbox Play Anywhere

    Run and collect stickmen of your color to grow bigger and more powerful! Outsmart traps, avoid danger, and smash everything in your path. The bigger you grow, the more unstoppable you become!


    Xbox Play Anywhere

    My Horse Stories

    QubicGames S.A.



    My Horse Stories – September 26
    Xbox Play Anywhere

    Put on those cowgirl boots, style your new horse, and start racing like a champ! You were looking forward to chilling this summer in NYC, but your plans have changed. You’re sent to middle-of-nowhere Kentucky to spend the summer with your grandma on a star-stable horse farm. Soon, you realize that this summer adventure holds untold potential! The horse farm becomes your heaven, and with each passing day, you grow closer to your loyal companion – a graceful horse with whom you’ll weave your own unique horse-riding tale!


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    Mike Nelson, Xbox Wire Editor

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