With the Xbox One nearly seven years old, Microsoft is finally moving forward with its next-generation video game console. The Xbox Series X is expected to launch this holiday season, ushering forth a new era of gaming with ultra-fast load times, a focus on game-streaming, and more.
Like all video game consoles, the Xbox Series X is expected to launch alongside a number of titles on day one. Some of these games will be multi-platform, whereas others will be Xbox Series X console exclusives. Others still will be cross-generational games also available on Xbox One. Needless to say, there's a lot of different directions that Microsoft could go when it comes to assembling the Xbox Series X launch lineup, but the company's past console launches can provide more insight.
Let's take a look at all of the Xbox launch titles in the past, and determine how they can let us predict the Xbox Series X launch lineup.
Original Xbox Launch Titles
4x4 EVO 2
Air Force Delta Storm
Arctic Thunder
Cel Damage
Dark Summit
Dead or Alive 3
Fuzion Frenzy
Halo: Combat Evolved
Mad Dash Racing
Madden NFL 2002
NASCAR Heat 2002
NASCAR Thunder 2002
NHL Hitz 20-02
Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee
Project Gotham Racing
Shrek
Test Drive Off-Road Wide Open
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2X
TransWorld Surf
The original Xbox launch lineup had some noteworthy exclusives, with the most significant easily being Halo: Combat Evolved. Halo is most certainly one of the strongest launch titles that has ever been released, serving as the original Xbox's flagship game and bringing forth a slew of major innovations for first-person shooters on consoles. Halo: Combat Evolved is what really made the original Xbox worthwhile at launch, and so it's no surprise that Microsoft is making sure Halo Infinite is a launch title for the upcoming Xbox Series X.
There are a couple of other first-party Xbox titles on the original Xbox launch titles list, but it's largely dominated by racing and sports games. This is a trend with most video game console launches, and perhaps shows us the most insight into what we can expect from the Xbox Series X launch games.
Xbox 360 Launch Titles
Amped 3
Bankshot Billiards 2
Bejeweled 2
Call of Duty 2
Condemned: Criminal Origins
FIFA 06: Road to FIFA World Cup
Gauntlet
Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved
GUN
Hardwood Backgammon
Hardwood Hearts
Hexic HD
Joust
Kameo: Elements of Power
Madden NFL 06
Mutant Storm Reloaded
NBA 2K6
NBA Live 06
Need for Speed: Most Wanted
NHL 2K6
Outpost Kaloki X
Perfect Dark Zero
Peter Jackson's King Kong
Project Gotham Racing 3
Quake 4
Ridge Racer 6
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2006
Tony Hawk's American Wasteland
Microsoft may have launched the Xbox 360 one year ahead of the PS3 and Wii, but the console wasn't hurting for games. Like the original Xbox, the Xbox 360 features a variety of sports and racing games to fill out its launch library, but it also has some exclusives. Both Kameo: Elements of Power and Perfect Dark Zero were Xbox 360 launch titles, and both were quite well-received at the time of release. Third-party games like Call of Duty 2 and Condemned: Criminal Origins really stole the show when it comes to Xbox 360 launch titles, though.
Xbox One Launch Titles
Angry Birds Star Wars
Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag
Battlefield 4
Call of Duty: Ghosts
Dead Rising 3
FIFA 14
Fighter Within
Forza Motorsport 5
Just Dance 2014
LEGO Marvel Super Heroes
Madden NFL 25
NBA 2K14
NBA Live 14
Need for Speed: Rivals
Ryse: Son of Rome
Skylanders Swap Force
Zoo Tycoon
Zumba Fitness World Party
When it comes to Xbox launch lineups, few would argue that the Xbox One had the best one. As before, the Xbox One launch titles mainly consist of sports and racing games, though it also has plenty of cross-generational ports, something that would become a major theme at the beginning of this generation. Battlefield 4, Call of Duty: Ghosts, LEGO Marvel Super Heroes, and more fit into this category of games that may be on Xbox One, but really fail to take much advantage of the beefier hardware.
The Xbox One exclusives that were available for the console at launch also failed to generate as much excitement as the exclusives that were available on Xbox and Xbox 360. Dead Rising 3 had a somewhat positive reception, but the game failed to live up to the expectations of its predecessors. Ryse: Son of Rome, meanwhile, served as a great showcase of the Xbox One's visuals, but it left a lot to be desired from a gameplay standpoint.
One could also argue that the Xbox One launch lineup was hurt by Kinect. As some may recall, Microsoft initially sold every Xbox One console with Kinect as a required peripheral. As a result, a number of the games on the Xbox One launch lineup list are Kinect exclusives. Some gamers legitimately enjoyed Kinect, but others definitely weren't too thrilled about being forced to get it when they purchased an Xbox One console.
Xbox Series X Launch Titles
Right now, there is only one game confirmed as an Xbox Series X launch title, and that is Halo Infinite (The Ascent may also end up being an Xbox Series X launch title, however). But the launch titles for the Xbox, Xbox 360, and Xbox Series X can tell us a lot about what to expect from Microsoft's next-generation console launch lineup.
For one, fans should be able to expect most of the annual sports games on Xbox Series X at launch. This would include games like Madden NFL 21, FIFA 21, etc. Most of these games will likely support the Xbox Smart Delivery program as well, so sports fans won't have to buy two copies of the same game like some no doubt did when the Xbox One originally launched seven years ago.
The Xbox Series X being backward compatible with Xbox One may keep some publishers from releasing cross-generational games, but there should still be quite a few available at launch. We already know that Assassin's Creed Valhalla will be cross-generational, as it's confirmed to support the Xbox Smart Delivery program, and it's likely that other big fall games will go a similar route.
As far as other exclusives go, it's possible that a new Forza Motorsport game will be on Xbox Series X at launch, as a new game in that franchise is released nearly every year. It's also quite likely that The Medium horror game will be an Xbox Series X launch title, as it's aiming for the same release window as the console itself, though that remains to be seen.
The wild card in all this is the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Head of Xbox Phil Spencer has acknowledged that the coronavirus may have an impact on game production, in turn causing some Xbox Series X launch titles to be delayed. Before fans get too worked up about that possibility, though, they should just wait for some more official information on what exactly the Xbox Series X launch will entail.
As it stands, there's still a lot we don't know about the Xbox Series X. Microsoft has kept tight-lipped about the Xbox Series X price, release date, and more, though thankfully concrete details should come within the next few months. It's even possible that this information, and the Xbox Series X launch lineup, will be confirmed at the Xbox Series X July event, though that remains to be seen.
Microsoft has already confirmed that it will be revealing new information about the Xbox Series X each month for the rest of the year as part of its Xbox 20/20 initiative, so these details could even come as early as June. Xbox fans will just have to stay tuned to find out more.
Xbox Series X launches this holiday season.