This Week on Xbox

This Week on Xbox: December 13, 2019

We know you’re busy and might miss out on all the exciting things we’re talking about on Xbox Wire every week. If you’ve got a few minutes, we can help remedy that. We’ve pared down the past week’s news into one easy-to-digest article for all things Xbox! Or, if you’d rather watch than read, you can feast your eyes on our weekly video show above. Be sure to come back every Friday to find out what’s happening This Week on Xbox!

Xbox Series X Hero image

Power Your Dreams with Xbox Series X, Available Holiday 2020
For eighteen years and three console generations, the Xbox community has shown us the power both games and fun can have on all of us. As we enter a new generation of gaming, we see a future where you’re instantly absorbed in your games…

Yo Ho Ho Ho! The Festival of Giving Begins Today in Sea of Thieves
It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and there’s no better place to spend it than on the Sea of Thieves. Put out the decorations, hang up your stocking and enjoy our latest monthly content update, Festival of Giving. This update is available for free to all Sea of Thieves players who have bought the game on Xbox One or on Windows 10 PC, or those who have access to it with Xbox Game Pass. Simply download and install the latest Sea of Thieves update to join in with the Festival of Giving!

Red Dead Online

Read Dead Online: Moonshiners Now Available on Xbox One
Peddle white lightning as a black-market bootlegger in Moonshiners, the latest Frontier Pursuit available now in Red Dead Online. Team up with an infamous distiller to start your own Moonshining business and run it out of the new Shack property. Moonshining takes your Trader skills to the next level and gives you your first business established outside of camp. Not only will you need to source ingredients and produce the goods, savvy Moonshiners will learn the demands of the market and 

Warframe Brings Rising Tides to Xbox One Today
Every December is an incredibly busy time for Digital Extremes and Warframe players. This year is no exception. At The Game Awards last night, Digital Extremes announced Rising Tides, a content update that lays the blueprint to create the powerful Railjack battleship, is live now on Xbox One…

GTA Online

The Diamond Casino Heist is Now Available in GTA Online on Xbox One
Pull off the most sophisticated and daring robbery the city of Los Santos has ever seen in The Diamond Casino Heist – now available in GTA Online. The Diamond Casino & Resort might be under the questionable management of the Duggans, the ruthless Texan petrochemical magnates who stole control from Tao Cheng and the Triads, but business is still booming.

Avicii Invector – Working with a Legend
On December 10 we will be sharing our piece of the Avicii legacy with all of you, as we release Avicii Invector out into the wilderness. Avicii Invector thrusts you into a musical journey across six different worlds lit up with fantastical colors, wondrous sights, and 25 of Avicii’s greatest tracks. You’ll glide, float, and race through each musical track, tasked with hitting the beat, swiping each fade whilst wrapping yourself up in each world and track – the goal: keep the beat and rock hard for that high score.

Subnautica

Play Subnautica Today with Xbox Game Pass
Hello, Subnauts! My name is Mario and I’m a developer at Unknown Worlds, creators of Subnautica. Since I joined the team in 2016, I’ve primarily worked on the console side of the game. From early access through launch in December, 2018 it has been an amazing experience to participate in the development and release of such a well-received game.

Heimdallr, The Vigilant, and Full Keyboard and Mouse Support Arrive in Smite’s Newest Update on Xbox One
Hurl axes and traverse the mystical Bifrost Bridge as the legendary viking God Heimdallr, The Vigilant, in Smite’s newest Update available now on Xbox One. At the edge of Asgard and Midgard there stands a god with unmatched senses. From this vantage point he sees and hears of important matters from all the nine realms. Heimdallr has built great wisdom from this power, and he lives in solitude to stay dedicated to his cause: prevent any trespassers from entering Asgard. 

Dauntless

Dauntless Launches New Behemoth and Escalation
Dauntless
 is a game about slaying behemoths: colossal, aether-devouring beasts that roam the floating islands of the Shattered Isles. But what goes into producing these creatures? The Malkarion, the final “boss” in the brand-new Escalation experience, is the latest addition to Dauntless. When building this beast, the team started with broad concepts before refining them.

Take a Holiday Trip with Ticket to Ride on Xbox One
Hello everyone! ‘Tis the season to be jolly, coming home to a nice cup of hot chocolate as snow gently falls behind the windows… Time for something that feels like it’s always been there and puts joy in each of us. It’s the holidays, and holidays are for the classics. Celebrate now by playing the first modern board game to be adapted on Xbox One: Ticket to Ride.

Gears Tactics is Coming to PC on April 28
Fans got their first look at the next installment in the Gears saga with the release of the Gears Tactics World Premiere Trailer on The Game Awards earlier tonight. First announced at E3 2018, Gears Tactics is a fast-paced, turn-based strategy game and is the first game in the long-running series to be developed from the ground up for PC. The game will launch April 28, 2020 on the Windows Store and Steam and will be available the same day with Xbox Game Pass for PC (Beta).

The Valkyrie Rides into Battle in Black Desert on Xbox One
The Valkyrie is one of Elion’s chosen warriors and uses her weapon to pierce through her foes with overwhelming power! She’s a perfect fit for players that enjoy having offensive skills while still being able to defend themselves with their shield. Her magical abilities add even more variety for combat on the battlefield.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps Hero image

Ori and The Will of the Wisps Available for Pre-order Today Ahead of March 11, 2020 Release
In case you missed the big news from The Game Awards, we had a lot to talk about for Ori and the Will of the Wisps! First up, we announced that players around the world can pre-order Ori and the Will of the Wisps starting today ahead of the game’s worldwide release on Xbox One, Windows 10 PC, Steam, and day one on Xbox Game Pass. We also unveiled the Collector’s Edition of the game which is available for pre-order starting today and includes all of the following:

Counting down the 50 Greatest Sea of Thieves moments from 2019
From heart-warming community stories to a treasure trove of hilarious gameplay videos, bucketloads of free content updates, including a massive Anniversary Update, to that monkey incident, 2019 has been quite the year for Sea of Thieves. As we head towards the end of the year it’s time to sit back and celebrate all the awesome things that happened across the Sea of Thieves in 2019. Starting from the December 12, we’ll be sharing our Top 50 Sea of Thieves moments from the last year and celebrating the people who make the game what it is – our amazing community.

The Eliminator_Forza Horizon 4

The Eliminator Brings Battle Royale Inspired Racing to Forza Horizon 4, Free for All Players Today!
Xbox One, Windows 10 PCs and Xbox Game Pass players – are you ready for The Eliminator?! In celebration of our amazing fans, we bring you an all-new, battle royale inspired racing game mode, The Eliminator, coming to Forza Horizon 4 today at 10:00 a.m. PT for free in the Series 17 update. The Eliminator invites up to 72 players to face off within an arena set in the open world of Britain, eliminating one another in head-to-head races to earn new upgrades and a chance to pick up faster cars. Arena walls contract throughout the game, forcing players closer together until a final white-knuckle race among the survivors determines the winner.

Free Play Days – Fallout 76, Soulcalibur VI, and DayZ
Jump in and brace for all the fun that awaits you in this weekend’s Free Play Day event! Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members can play Fallout 76Soulcalibur VI, and DayZ from Thursday, December 12 at 8 a.m. PST until Sunday, December 15 at 11:59 p.m. PST. You can find and install the games here on Xbox.com. Click through will send you to the Microsoft Store, where you must be signed in to see the option to install with your Xbox Live Gold membership. To download on console, click on the Gold member area on the home dashboard on your Xbox One.

Verdun

Welcome to Verdun Remastered
This is a hugely exciting day for all of us on the Verdun dev team. Anyone who has worked on a game will know that it never feels quite finished because there’s always more you could add, but we feel this remastered version of Verdun for Xbox One has been greatly improved, from the control schemes to a new user interface… and that’s far from all this remaster brings to the table. You also get revamped graphics, a new audio system and sound effects, AI opponents, a new map, new squads, and much more. The remaster is part of a whole new look and feel for the entire WW1 Game Series: everything from logos to the in-game artwork.

Pinball FX3 Triggers Treasured Arcade Memories with Williams Pinball Volume 5
Is 90s fever still a thing? It sure is at Zen Studios, as we’ve had an amazing year recreating the pinball classics of the decade with our Williams Pinball packs. The newest of which just arrived on Xbox One and Windows 10, featuring three heavy hitters — Tales of the Arabian Nights, Circus Voltaire and No Good Gofers.

Halo Master Chief Collection Key Art

Halo Fans New and Old Propel The Master Chief Collection to Blockbuster Launch on PC
The long-awaited debut of Halo: The Master Chief Collection (MCC) on PC was worth the wait, thanks to the amazing Halo community as well as a host of all-new players experiencing the Halo universe for the very first time. The release of Halo: Reach in MCC on both PC and Xbox One on December 3 led to a monumental launch for the Halo franchise, with record numbers including…

Design Your Hospitals and Cure Unusual Illnesses in Two Point Hospital on Xbox One
You kick back and relax with a cup of tea. Your hospital’s looking pretty sharp: you’ve got a reception desk, you’ve built a doctor’s office… things are running rather well. But no more than two sips into your overly milky beverage, you realize that this isn’t exactly a normal hospital. The cup slips from your hand, tumbling inexorably towards your new carpet. Your mouth, agape. A patient suffering from Cubism has just walked in looking like a Picasso painting. This, my friends and new acquaintances, is Two Point Hospital. An unusual healthcare sim to say the least; one that’s been loved by critics and players alike and is now heading straight to your couch –it’s coming to Xbox One February 25.

Gears 5 – Operation 2: Free for All Available Today for All Players
Today, The Coalition will release Operation 2: Free for All. Operations are free quarterly, multiplayer updates that introduce new ways to play Gears 5. Operation 2: Free for All adds four new characters, three game types, five maps, a new Versus season and a brand-new Tour of Duty full of earnable content.

Resident Evil 3 Coming to Xbox One on April 3, 2020
20 years ago, Capcom altered the landscape of the survival horror genre forever with the release of Resident Evil 3: Nemesis. Starring franchise favorite Jill Valentine, Resident Evil 3: Nemesis featured her harrowing escape from Raccoon City during the panic-stricken hours leading up to and following the events of the acclaimed Resident Evil 2. Today, Capcom celebrated the anniversary of this seminal survival horror masterpiece by announcing Resident Evil 3, slated for release on April 3, 2020 on Xbox One.

DayZ - Livonia

DayZ Livonia is Available Now on Xbox One
Survivor, DayZ’s second official map – and first-ever DLC – has arrived on Xbox One and is available now for 13.99 USD / 13.99 EUR. The vast and varied landscapes of this new Baltic backdrop bring a whole new atmosphere to DayZ’s survival experience. Set in the southern lush green forested region of Livonia, this 163 km2 of landlocked terrain provides a perfect idyllic backdrop for any survivor lost in the wilds. Venture south, chart new territory, avoid frenzied infected, encounter other survivors, build a base, and much more. Do whatever you can to survive for as long as possible. 

Return to Jurassic Park: Stomp Around This Prehistoric Playground Today on Xbox One
65 million years ago, dinosaurs ruled the Earth. And today, Return to Jurassic Park invites players back to Jurassic World Evolution with its latest and biggest premium DLC pack. To get more details I talked with our Executive Producer Richard Newbold to share more about what’s in store for players on Xbox One.

Untitled Goose Game

Untitled Goose Game is Coming to Xbox One December 17
Oh, hello. We are House House. We spent the last three years making a game where you play as a goose. Untitled Goose Game is a slapstick-stealth-sandbox, where you are a goose let loose on an unsuspecting village. Make your way around town, from peoples’ back gardens to the high street shops to the village green, setting up pranks, stealing hats, honking a lot, and generally ruining everyone’s day. Now Untitled Goose Game is coming to Xbox One and Xbox Game Pass on December 17.

They Are Billions Campaign Available Now on Xbox One with Revamped Controls
In case you don’t know They Are Billions yet, it’s a strategy game set in a distant future after a zombie apocalypse destroyed most of humanity. Now there are only a few thousand humans left alive that must struggle to survive under the threat of the infection. Billions of infected roam the world in massive swarms seeking the last living human colonies.

Bayonetta and Vanquish 10th Anniversary Bundle

Bayonetta and Vanquish Get Bundled Up for Xbox on February 18, 2020
10 years after their original debut, Sam Gideon and the Umbra Witch return once more in the Bayonetta and Vanquish 10th Anniversary Bundle on Xbox One. It’s out on February 18, 2020 and you can pre-order it today on the Microsoft Store. Get ready to tear through countless hordes of enemies in two of gaming’s most celebrated (and stylish) cult-classic action games from PlatinumGames. Both Bayonetta and Vanquish will get the remaster treatment and will be enhanced for Xbox One X with 4K resolution and brisk 60fps gameplay.

Next Week on Xbox: New Games for December 17 to 20
Welcome to Next Week on Xbox, where we cover all the new games coming soon to Xbox One! Every week the team at Xbox aims to deliver quality gaming content for you to enjoy on your favorite gaming console. To find out what’s coming soon to Xbox One, read on below and click on each of the game profiles for pre-order details (dates are subject to change).

Minecraft Players on PS4 Join Bedrock Starting Tomorrow, Enabling Cross-Play
Starting tomorrow, Minecraft players on the PlayStation 4 Edition will begin updating to the unified Bedrock version of Minecraft. This means that cross-platform play will be active across Xbox One, Windows 10, Nintendo Switch, iOS and Android mobile devices, Gear VR and now PS4. In addition, PS4 players will now have their purchased content and progress carry across platforms and have access to the ever-growing in-game store – a source for worlds, skins, mini-games, and mash up packs – meaning PS4 players will have not just a better Minecraft experience than ever before, but more Minecraft than ever.