The next generation of video game consoles is just around the corner and Microsoft’s upcoming Xbox Series X is lining up to be an absolute beast. It’s going to be the most powerful games console on the market when it launches later this year, with a huge suite of games available at launch from both first and third party studios.
The Xbox Series X will be launching later this year, so we thought it would be a great idea to collate all of the rumors, news, and important dates surrounding the console launch into one handy guide for you. We’ll keep this page updated with new information as it comes in, so stick with us for all the latest Xbox Series X news.
Xbox Series X: Specs and features
- Most powerful games console in the world.
- 4K Blu-ray player.
Microsoft wasn't lying in the initial Project Scorpio reveal when it said “it’s a monster”. The Xbox Series X comes with an 8-core AMD Zen 2 processor clocked at 3.8-GHz, a 12 Teraflop AMD GPU, 16GB GDDR6 memory, and a 1TB NVMe SSD storage drive. Now, all those tech specs are great for tech nerds like us, but what does this all mean in practice?
Simply put, the Xbox Series X will be the most powerful video games console ever made when it launches later this year. The 12 Teraflop GPU comfortably outshines the PlayStation 5, which has a 10.28 teraflop GPU. There are some advantages on Sony’s side, especially with the PS5’s super fast SSD, but when it comes to raw power, the Xbox Series X takes the gold.
The Xbox Series X comes with a 4K Blu-ray drive built-in too, so it doubles up as a Blu-ray player if you’re looking for an entertainment system as much as a games console. While we don’t have official confirmation on streaming apps at this time, based on the current Xbox One’s support, we'd expect to see all the best TV streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney Plus, etc with dedicated apps for the Xbox Series X too.
The 1TB storage drive should be enough to keep you going for a while, but games are getting bigger as the years go by, and AAA games like Red Dead Redemption 2 can take up 100GB by themselves, so you’ll end up running out of storage space if you’re not careful. Luckily you will be able to buy additional storage space in the form of SSD cards that slot in - a return to the days of memory cards, who would have guessed?
You can also use an external SSD or HDD, just as you can with the current Xbox One, but using a slower hard drive may affect your game loading speeds.
Xbox Series X: Release Date
- Holiday 2020.
- Very likely to be November.
We don’t have a firm answer on the Xbox Series X launch date, other than Holiday 2020. This means anywhere from October to December, but we can narrow things down a bit. Launching a games console in December wouldn’t leave very long for shoppers to pick one up before Christmas, which is why we haven’t seen a major games console launch in this month since the Commodore 64 back in 1990!
The last three Xboxes (Xbox, Xbox 360, and Xbox One) have all launched in November, as did the mid-generation refresh, the Xbox One X. So, it’s safe to assume that we’ll see this trend continue with a November launch for the Xbox Series X.
We expect to get an official launch date sometime soon - either at the Xbox Games Showcase on July 23rd or in the heavily rumored August hardware show that Microsoft will be running (where the all-but-confirmed Xbox Series S will also be revealed.)
Xbox Series X: Xbox Games Showcase
- Xbox Games Showcase on July 23.
- Halo Infinite and new announcements confirmed.
Microsoft has announced the date for its Xbox Game Showcase, which will be taking place on July 23 at 9am PT. We’re expecting to see what Microsoft’s first party studios have planned for the Xbox Series X in its first year on the market, along with some of the major releases from third party studios too.
Halo Infinite is still planned to be a launch title for the Xbox Series X and is confirmed to be at the show. We’re also expecting to see more of Ninja Theory’s Hellblade 2, which was first shown off last year with a teaser trailer. Turn 10 Studios will likely be there with Forza 7, the latest entry into the esteemed racing simulator series.
Rumors heavily point towards a return of the Fable series with developer Playground Studios at the helm, while there has also been chatter about classic Rare shooter Perfect Dark making a return. Beyond that though, what we’re hoping for most of all are surprises.
Xbox has made a lot of great moves over the course of this generation, with the Xbox One X helping the brand to shed the rough image that it launched with, but Xbox is still trailing behind Sony’s PlayStation when it comes to exclusive games. Xbox needs to come out swinging, and we expect it will.
We’ll be watching the Xbox Games Showcase along with you and we’ll have coverage of all the big reveals from the event, so check back in once it has aired to see our roundup and thoughts.
Xbox Series X: Games
- Halo Infinite, Cyberpunk 2077, Assassin's Creed Valhalla.
- Fable, Forza 7, and Perfect Dark rumored.
A video games console is only as good as the games you can play on it, so what do we know that we can play on the upcoming Xbox Series X? Well, a lot of things, especially thanks to Microsoft’s commitment to backwards compatibility, which means all of your current Xbox One games will play natively on it - no need to start your collection again from scratch.
As for new games, here’s a quick rundown of some of the heavy hitters that have been confirmed to be available on Microsoft’s Xbox Series X. We don’t actually have many confirmed first-party titles yet, but that’s sure to change on July 23rd after the Xbox games Showcase.
Exclusives:
- Halo Infinite
- Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2
- Everwild
Multiplatform:
- Cyberpunk 2077
- Dirt 5
- Yakuza: Like A Dragon
- Assassin's Creed Valhalla
- Watch Dogs Legion
- Rainbow Six Quarantine
- Resident Evil Village
There are a lot more games confirmed for release, so we’ve only covered the major titles here. If you want a complete list of everything, big and small, then check out the list compiled by our colleagues over at GamesRadar.
Xbox Series X: Preorder date
- No pre-order date announced yet.
- You can register interest with some retailers.
Without a firm launch date or even a price at this point, it’s a little bit early to be talking about Xbox Series X pre-orders. With that said, several retailers are letting you register your interest now so that they can email you when the pre-order date is revealed.
