A packed Next Week on Xbox week for players
Xbox is kicking off the second half of January with a stacked slate of new releases spanning fighters, RPGs, horror, sims, and indies for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC, and Game Pass. From Riot’s stylish tag-team brawler 2XKO to the long-awaited Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade and the surreal Pathologic 3, there is something here for just about every type of player next week on Xbox.
Headliners of the week
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2XKO – January 20 (Free-to-play fighter)
2XKO is a free-to-play tag-team fighting game from Riot Games, featuring iconic League of Legends champions reimagined with fresh movesets for a dedicated 2D fighter. Battles play out on detailed Runeterra stages with crisp 2D visuals and original music, and you can either control both fighters yourself or team up locally or online to run duo setups. -
FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE INTERGRADE – January 21
FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE INTERGRADE Digital Deluxe Edition – January 21
Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade delivers a full reimagining of the Midgar arc with modern visuals, a hybrid real-time/command combat system, and expanded story beats. This release also includes FF7R Episode Intermission, starring Yuffie Kisaragi in a side story that runs parallel to Cloud’s journey and gives a different angle on the events in Midgar. -
Pathologic 3 – January 23
Pathologic 3 follows Bachelor Daniil Dankovsky, a young doctor chasing the secret of immortality in a remote town that will be wiped out by a plague in just 12 days. You will pick apart the town’s past, present, and possible futures while trying to halt the epidemic, although the narrative deliberately plays with what this story is “really” about. -
Mio: Memories in Orbit – January 20 (Game Pass)
Mio: Memories in Orbit is a metroidvania set aboard the Vessel, a gigantic technological ark choked with vegetation and malfunctioning machines. As Mio, a nimble robot with powerful abilities, you explore interconnected zones, restore the ark’s failing AI caretakers, and uncover both its lost memories and your own true origin.
Notable indies and genre favorites
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Primal Dungeon Adventure – January 20
Primal Dungeon Adventure offers 10 challenging platforming stages where you dodge traps, discover secrets, and hunt for legendary wolf stones. As you progress you unlock new attacks like Rock Attack, Fire Rock Attack, and a Wolf Special, making later stages more about mastering mobility and timing than raw stats. -
Hextreme Void – January 21
Hextreme Void twists the classic brick-breaker formula by removing lives and game overs, instead pushing you to clear levels within time limits across five distinct “Voids.” Each Void contains 50 hexagon-based stages, and your ball travels automatically while you focus on when and how to deploy powerups to optimize your runs. -
Prison Escape Simulator – January 21
Prison Escape Simulator takes a darkly comic approach to prison life, having you dig tunnels with teaspoons, hustle junk to guards, and trade toilet paper with inmates to upgrade your escape toolkit. Expanding your tunnel network, managing glow sticks and dynamite, and carefully avoiding guards all feed into the ultimate goal of a clean getaway. -
Desvelado – January 22
Desvelado brands itself as the first “Bed-Time-Vania,” following a vampire named Vampy who needs to turn off every light in a castle before finally getting to sleep. The premise leans into cozy, low-stakes exploration while still tapping some of the structure and backtracking that metroidvania fans expect. -
Dustland Delivery – January 22
Dustland Delivery blends survival, sim, and strategy as you run a trading outfit in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. With over 40 hours of content, you roam the wastes for profit, recruit a band of misfits, and grow a scrappy settlement into the capital of the Dustlands, always balancing risk against bigger rewards.
Horror vibes and spooky renovations
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Horror Tale 1: 4K Remaster – January 22
Horror Tale 1: 4K Remaster drops you into Lakewitch, a town where children have been vanishing, and tasks you with solving the mystery before the kidnapper claims more victims. You will explore, solve puzzles, and uncover the truth behind the disappearances, all while trying not to panic as tension ramps up. -
The Last Train: Baquedano – January 22
The Last Train: Baquedano is a first-person psychological horror where a routine subway ride turns nightmarish after you wake up at an abandoned end-of-the-line station. Something unseen stalks you through the darkness, forcing you to navigate the station while under constant threat and observation. -
Haunted House Renovator – January 23
Haunted House Renovator mashes up paranormal investigation with renovation sim gameplay as you take contracts to restore haunted properties. Wallpaper and paint are not enough here: you also have to identify and handle whatever supernatural entities are present using the tools you prepare before each job. -
Ebola Village – January 23
Ebola Village is a 90s-inspired survival horror where Maria travels to a remote village after a news report about a biological threat interrupts her TV show. What begins as a family visit quickly devolves into a series of disturbing events that must be navigated carefully to survive.
Cozier, quirky, and retro picks
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Look Mum No Computer – January 22
Look Mum No Computer sends you to the pixel-art world of Soldersworth alongside Sam and his sentient synthesizer, Kosmo, in a twin-stick shooter action-RPG. You dive inside malfunctioning household items to blast enemies to an electronic beat, mixing arcade action with a tongue-in-cheek tone. -
Mavrix (Game Preview) – January 22
Mavrix is a rider-designed multiplayer open world focused on biking, boarding, and big tricks across mountains and trails. You can chase personal records or global rankings, and by nailing challenges you secure sponsorships from real-world brands to build a career. -
Outpath – January 22
Outpath draws inspiration from Satisfactory, Forager, and clicker/idle games, but presents it all in a 3D first-person format. You gather resources, craft, build, and automate your base at your own pace, with no timers or pressure—ideal for players who like chill progression loops. -
GrassGames Hearts – January 23
GrassGames Hearts adapts the classic Hearts card game with strong AI, local multiplayer, and online play. Whether you want casual sessions or serious leaderboard climbing, the ruleset stays familiar while offering replayability through varied opponents and match setups. -
Guts ’n Grunts Jr. – January 23
Guts ’n Grunts Jr. is set in 2045, where a technocratic regime and its Slaughterhouse AI robots hunt for “processable flesh,” forcing pigs into hiding. You play Gunnar Harsvin, a blaster-wielding boar in a 16-bit-inspired action game that riffs on classic platform shooters with an over-the-top premise. -
Ho Ho & Move – January 23
Ho Ho & Move is a compact, festive logic puzzler in which you pre-plan Santa’s route with directional tiles so he can automatically collect and deliver gifts. With only 40 levels and limited tiles, it hits that sweet spot between cozy brainteaser and quick-hit puzzle sessions. -
I’m in Love With Your Dead Grandmother – January 23
I’m in Love With Your Dead Grandmother is a bizarre narrative-driven experience following Noah, a lonely 28-year-old navigating his first date with Michelle while harboring a preference for partners over 70. The game leans into dark humor and uncomfortable choices as you play life coach through his awkward situations. -
The Monty Mole Collection – January 23
The Monty Mole Collection bundles six classic Monty Mole adventures charting a British mole turned international criminal after stealing coal to survive a brutal winter. These vintage platformers, originally inspired by the 1984 UK mining strikes, offer a nostalgia hit for microcomputer-era fans. -
Tropicalia – January 23
Tropicalia is an action-RPG where you play Kaique, a Guarani warrior trying to rescue his kidnapped girlfriend Kerana from the evil god Tau. Instead of traditional fantasy races, it draws on South American folklore, pitting you against creatures like Curupiras and Boitatas as you hunt, fish, and explore the jungle.
To wrap up this week’s lineup, Xbox players are getting a genuinely varied mix of big-budget releases, inventive indies, and experimental narrative experiences, all landing within just a few days. From headline arrivals like 2XKO and Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade to offbeat curiosities such as I’m in Love With Your Dead Grandmother and renovation‑meets‑ghost‑hunting in Haunted House Renovator, there is plenty to explore whether you prefer competitive fighters, deep RPG storytelling, horror thrills, or laid‑back sims.
Don’t forget to check out EA Play Sports Takeover happening this weekend for Free Play Days. It is one of those weeks where browsing the store (and Game Pass) is almost guaranteed to surface something new that fits your mood or helps you discover a genre you did not know you’d enjoy.
