Xbox has had a great year with a solid slate of first-party exclusives, an eventful E3 showcase full of game reveals, and the official acquisition of ZeniMax Media that they announced at the end of last year. On top of all that, 2021 marks the 20 year anniversary of the company, and to celebrate Xbox has announced their holiday 2021 lineup, full of new games from Xbox Game Studio and a new fan event.
Let’s start with the games. Back in August, Psychonauts 2 was released to great critical acclaim. We gave the game a 9 out of 10 stating that it was the best Xbox Game Studio release to date. As we approach the last few months of the year, Xbox has even more games on the calendar. Age of Empires 4 is the latest entry in the long-running RTS franchise and it will be released next week. Minecraft, in preparation for the Caves & Cliffs: Part II update, will be joining Xbox Game Pass on PC next month. Following that are the hard hitters in the Xbox lineage, Forza Horizon 5 and Halo: Infinite.
Here is the Xbox Game Studio’s holiday lineup, all of which will be coming to Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Game Pass for PC on release day:
- Age of Empires 4 | October 28
- Minecraft on Game Pass for PC | November 2
- Forza Horizon 5 | November 9
- Microsoft Flight Simulator: Game of the Year Edition | November 18
- Halo: Infinite | December 8
- Minecraft Dungeons: Seasonal Adventures | December
- Minecraft: Caves & Cliffs: Part II | Late 2021
Then there is the Xbox Anniversary Celebration that will take place on November 15 at 1PM EST across various Xbox social media pages. It is important to note that there will be no new game announcements at the event and will be more of a look back at 20 years of Xbox. There will be more details shared about the event at a later date.
Earlier today, the Xbox Series X mini-fridge has gone up for pre-order at multiple retailers. If you are reading this without having secured a mini-fridge for yourself, unfortunately, they sold out within minutes and are already selling online for ridiculous prices. Do not worry though, Aaron Greenberg on Twitter has claimed that more stock is expected to be coming next year in available markets.
