The Xbox Series X and the Xbox Series S is so close to launch. If you’re one of the lucky ones who managed to snag a preorder, you probably know the lineup by heart. But while the games that launch alongside a console are key, if you’re weighing whether or when to buy a console, titles in the pipeline are often more important.
So, other than Microsoft’s excellent Game Pass service, what reasons do you have to buy either an Xbox Series S or X? Here are five.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
Ubisoft
With Halo Infinite being delayed until 2021, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is now the Xbox Series X’s biggest launch title. True, you’ll be able to play it on Xbox One, PS4 and PS5, but that won’t stop it from being a big hit among new Series X owners. Valhalla takes Assassin’s Creed into England, but the English aren’t the stars of the game: the Vikings are.
Valhalla is all about the Norse invasion into England in the ninth century. So, yeah, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is likely to be pretty gnarly.
Tetris Effect: Connected
Buying a new console for a puzzle game sounds strange (unless your memories of PSP launch game Lumines are as fond as mine), but Tetris Effect was far more exciting than your typical puzzler. It was named Game of the Year by several publications, an usual feat for a game in its category. Tetris Effect: Connected adds online co-op and competitive multiplayer, and launches alongside the Xbox Series S/X on Nov. 10.
Halo Infinite
Microsoft
Halo Infinite was meant to be the killer app of not just the Xbox Series X but also Game Pass. Master Chief’s next adventure was to release on Microsoft’s Netflix-esque service on Nov. 10, Series X launch day, but in August it was delayed until 2021. So that’s the bad news. The good news is the delay will ultimately mean a more polished, spectacular Halo Infinite. It’ll be available, via Game Pass, on Xbox Series X, PC and Xbox One.
Fable
One for the distant future, the storied Fable franchise is getting an Xbox Series X reboot. The game was announced back in July, but we didn’t see any gameplay in its debut trailer. That means, despite reports that development began in 2018, the next Fable will hit the platform in late-2021 or 2022. But, considering the popularity of the first three Fable games, it’s looking to be a big hit when it does drop.
Forza Motorsport
Microsoft
The PlayStation 5 has Gran Turismo, and the Xbox Series X will have Forza Motorsport. It was announced at the same event as Fable and, like Fable, we don’t know when it’s going to launch. But we do know, based on almost every other Forza game, that it’ll probably be excellent. Plus, a Forza game came out every year between 2012 and 2018, but we’ve not gotten one since 2018’s Horizon 4. That means we’re due for one soon.