Xbox has had an interesting up-and-down year in 2024. It started the year with a Developer Direct where MachineGames unveiled Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, which was supposed to be a console exclusive but is now heading to PlayStation. In February, Final Fantasy XIV announced it was finally heading to Xbox consoles after all these years. Then, things got a bit strange as rumors spread that certain Xbox console-exclusive games were heading to other platforms. Those games would be Hi-Fi Rush, Sea of Thieves, Grounded, and Pentiment.
The first Blizzard Activision title to join Game Pass was Diablo IV in March, which was followed by news in April that BlizzCon wouldn’t happen this year. Things really took a turn when Xbox announced in May that four studios would be shut down: Arkane Austin, Alpha Dog Studios, Tango Gameworks, and Roundhouse Studios. It wasn’t until the Xbox Games Showcase in June that the brand began generating positive buzz. Xbox had a great showcase, but the question remained, what games would it have to offer this year?
According to Metacritic’s Best Games This Year list, the top three brand-new titles (excluding DLCs like Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree) are not available on the Xbox platform. PlayStation’s Astro Bot tops the list with a 94 Metascore, while Final Fantasy VII Rebirth follows with a 92. Indie darling Animal Well rounds out the top three with a 91 Metascore. It isn’t until you reach World of Warcraft: The War Within (85 Metascore) before you get a game from an Xbox-owned developer.
It’s not just top-rated titles though, there are other popular games constantly being talked about on social media and the like, including Black Myth: Wukong, Helldivers 2, and Stellar Blade. There’s a real possibility that some outlets will have a complete list of Game of the Year nominees without any titles playable on Xbox.
Of course the year is far from over, and there’s still hope that one of the upcoming Xbox first-party titles will make a memorable splash. But then again, that’s what last year’s Starfield was supposed to be. The conversation isn’t even about Xbox exclusives being well received, it’s the fact that this year’s best games aren’t even playable on Xbox. It will be interesting to see Microsoft’s hardware plans moving forward, as the brand faces an increasingly uphill battle.
Despite all this, I did pick up an Xbox Series X this year because I still think Game Pass is one of gaming’s best deals, even with the recent price hike. It gives me an opportunity to play games that I’m on the fence about, and month after month, the service keeps adding some fantastic games to play. If you’re gaming on a budget, I still think the Xbox Series S with Game Pass is the best way to go, even if you’re missing out on what many consider are the best games of the year.
