Today, 2K announced WWE 2K24, the newest installment of the flagship WWE video game franchise developed by Visual Concepts, will be coming soon for PlayStation 5 (PS5), PlayStation 4 (PS4), Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC via Steam. As he burns a path through WWE in an effort to claim world championship gold and fulfill his destiny, "The American Nightmare" Cody Rhodes will be featured on the Standard Edition cover. Multi-time champions and Women's Royal Rumble winners Bianca Belair and Rhea Ripley share the Deluxe Edition cover, marking the first time in history two women have graced a dedicated WWE 2K cover, while the Forty Years of WrestleMania Edition cover features original artwork celebrating the most iconic Superstars and Legends in WrestleMania history, including The Rock, The Undertaker, Hulk Hogan, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, and more.

WWE 2K24 features several franchise advancements, including 2K Showcase…of the Immortals celebrating 40 years of WrestleMania, four new match types such as Ambulance and Special Guest Referee, two new MyRISE experiences, and much more. In addition, fans can also look forward to a massive roster of more than 200* WWE Superstars and Legends including Roman Reigns, Andre the Giant, Becky Lynch, Batista, Kurt Angle, Asuka, Bret Hart, Brock Lesnar, "Macho Man" Randy Savage, Chyna, and more. Incredibly realistic graphics and improved animations - with over 90% of facial expressions updated - plus improvements to Ramp cameras and Dive cameras, and the ability to move the camera during live gameplay provide the most visually impressive WWE 2K experience to date. WWE 2K24 Deluxe Edition and Forty Years of WrestleMania Edition are scheduled for worldwide release on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, followed by the Standard Edition and Standard Cross-Gen Digital Edition on Friday, March 8, 2024.

Visions of Mana is a game of many firsts. It's the first entirely new mainline Mana game for more than 15 years. It's the first game to offer such sprawling 3D worlds and freedom to explore them. And—perhaps most excitingly for the readers of this blog—it's the first Mana game to release on Xbox! Of course, that means that some of you may not be entirely familiar with this franchise. You may be wondering: What makes this one of the most beloved Square Enix series out there? Why did this announcement and trailer for Visions of Mana shown at The Game Awards 2023—and its surprise appearance in Developer_Direct—make people so giddy and excited. Let's start by introducing you to this brand new adventure.

What is Visions of Mana?
This sprawling new single-player action RPG puts you in the shoes of Val—a curious and carefree young man and skilled fighter. One eventful night, his childhood friend is chosen as an alm—someone who must travel to the Mana Tree and rejuvenate the flow of mana power. Val joins her as the Soul Guard to protect her on her journey, and an epic adventure begins. As Val, you'll explore vast areas, battle monsters, gain allies, and uncover the many secrets of this expansive world. And what a world it is! As you can see from the screenshots and trailer, it's a beautifully vibrant game with rich colors and expressive characters. The beauty is matched by equally appealing combat. Aerial combat allows for physical and magic attacks in mid-air, and the grand and mysterious powers of the Elemental spirits can assist players in the form of specialized weapons.. It's fast-paced, strategic, and endlessly satisfying.

It's going to be a good year for Xbox players. At this week's Developer_Direct show, we provided deep-dives into five new games launching across Xbox Series X|S, PC, Game Pass and/or cloud—all of which will arrive later in 2024. Development teams at Xbox, Bethesda, and even one of our third-party partners invited you into their studios to showcase extended gameplay, reveal key information, and more. Members of each development team gave us a look into their creation, with new information, and offered a tantalizing glimpse of what's to come this year. All four of these games will arrive on day one with Game Pass, and will contribute to what's going to be another huge year for members, delivering incredible games throughout 2024.

Avowed—Launching Fall 2024
Avowed Game Director Carrie Patel gave us a first deep-dive into the gameplay in Obsidian's upcoming fantasy action RPG, from its dynamic combat, to its thoughtful reactivity, to its "colorful, vibrant, strange" world set in the Living Lands. Avowed continues Obsidian's signature style of creating games with deep themes and player choice at the forefront. Not only will you make narrative decisions that can impact changes in the game down the line, but Avowed is also looking to offer choice in combat. Gameplay Director Gabe Paramo discussed not only how varied your weaponry will be - with melee weapons, ranged guns and bows, and magic-based wands (even dual-wielded wands!) to name a few—but how flexible combat can be, allowing you to quickly change loadouts for enemy encounters. Swappable loadouts mean you can approach combat however feels right to you.

CES always gives us an exciting look at what's next for hardware, and with gaming at the forefront of technological innovation, it's no surprise that CES 2024 has revealed some truly next-generation Windows 11 gaming PCs. Microsoft and our partners are leading the way in combining traditional power with advancements in AI, and this selection of new announcements are a perfect way to future-proof your gaming experience on PC.

Every PC on this list is designed to run the latest games - including those on PC Game Pass, which will help you to jump into some of the greatest games on the platform the moment you switch on your new machine. Even better, every single computer listed below comes with at least one free month of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, giving players access to hundreds of high-quality PC, console and cloud games.

You're about to get an exciting look at some of the incredible games ahead with Xbox, as we present a new edition of Developer_Direct. On Thursday, January 18 at 12pm PT / 3pm ET / 8pm UK, fans will get an inside look at a selection of highly anticipated games coming to Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Game Pass. Shortly after, ZeniMax Online Studios will host The Elder Scrolls Online 2024 Global Reveal at 1pm PT / 4pm ET / 9pm UK to preview 2024's biggest update.

Presented by the game creators themselves, Developer_Direct offers an in-depth look at upcoming titles, how they're being created, and who's creating them. We'll visit MachineGames in Sweden to check in on their Indiana Jones game, swing by Obsidian's Irvine offices to see more from Avowed, head to Oxide Games' Maryland home to learn about Ara: History Untold, and take a trip to Cambridge, England to see Senua's Saga: Hellblade II from Ninja Theory. Please note that while this show won't have updates on games from Activision Blizzard, you can look forward to news from those teams later this year.

Happy 2024! We hope your new year's celebration was full of fun and games and that you have even more in store in the days to come. To help with that, let's add some more games to your "to be played" list!

Available Today
Close to the Sun (Cloud, Console, and PC)—Deep in international waters, Tesla's Helios stands still. An unbound utopia for scientific research, Rose Archer steps aboard in search of her sister, quickly to discover not all is as it seems. Use your wits to guide Rose on her journey to find her sister Ada, overcome dangers unknown to understand the fate of the Helios and its inhabitants in this narrative driven steampunk adventure.

Airdrop Gaming is excited to announce that their innovative Audio Radar is now in production and shipping. This groundbreaking product is set to enhance gaming for everyone, especially the deaf and hard of hearing community. Experience Audio Radar at CES 2024 at booth #60704, Eureka Park, Venetian.

Audio Radar is a unique accessory that transforms game sounds into visual signals. This allows players to 'see the sound', creating an inclusive gaming experience. It's ideal for deaf and hard of hearing gamers, visualizing key sounds like footsteps and alerts. Audio Radar works with Xbox, PlayStation, and PC, making games more accessible and enjoyable for all.

Microsoft Xbox Series X/S, their hardware refreshes, and variants, will reportedly be the company's mainstay all the way up until 2028, the company disclosed in its documents filed as part of its anti-trust lawsuit with the FTC. In a presentation slide titled "From "Zero Microsoft" to "Full Microsoft," the company explains how its next gen Xbox, scheduled for calendar year (CY) 2028, will see a full convergence of Microsoft co-developed hardware, software, and cloud compute services, into a powerful entertainment system. It elaborates on this in another slide, titled "Cohesive Hybrid Compute," where it states the company's vision to be the development of "a next generation hybrid game platform capable of leveraging the combined power of the client and cloud to deliver deeper immersion and entirely new classes of game experiences."

From the looks of it, Microsoft fully understands the creator economy that has been built over the gaming industry, and wants to develop its next-gen console to target exactly this—a single device from which people can play, stream, and create content from—something that's traditionally reserved for gaming desktop PCs. Game streamers playing on consoles usually have an entire creator PC setup handling the production and streaming side of things. Keeping this exact use-case in mind, Microsoft plans to "enable new levels of performance beyond the capabilities of the client hardware alone," by which it means that not only will the console rely on its own hardware—which could be jaw-dropping powerful as you'll see—but also leverage cloud compute services from Microsoft.

Best-selling gaming headset and accessory maker Turtle Beach, today announced its critically acclaimed and highly-anticipated wireless controller, the Designed for Xbox Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra Wireless Smart Game Controller, is now available. Since its unveiling weeks ago, Turtle Beach's new king of wireless controllers has quickly set the new standard for what gamers should expect in a top-of-the-line gamepad. The Stealth Ultra uses Turtle Beach's proprietary low-latency wireless technology for connecting with Xbox consoles and Windows PCs, and Bluetooth for gaming on compatible Smart TVs and Android mobile devices.

An abundance of class-leading features begins with magnetic AntiDrift Hall Effect thumbsticks, precise and tactile microswitch buttons, and the innovative Connected Command Display dashboard that provides deep customization options. Adjustable short and long-pull triggers, four mappable buttons on the back, RGB lighting, plus the option to receive social notifications on the controller create the ultimate package for gamers who demand the absolute best. Turtle Beach's Stealth Ultra Wireless Controller is available for $199.99.

Rockstar Games has officially released a Grand Theft Auto 6 (or VI) trailer that brings together millions of GTA series fans. However, the game will remain exclusive for gaming consoles at launch. On the landing page for GTA 6, there is a note that says, "Grand Theft Auto VI heads to the state of Leonida, home to the neon-soaked streets of Vice City and beyond in the biggest, most immersive evolution of the Grand Theft Auto series yet. Coming 2025 to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S." While the first trailer showed this, we now have written confirmation that GTA 6 is a console exclusive at launch, whenever it happens in 2025.

If long-time GTA gamers remember, the situation was very much the same with the launch of the fifth installment in the GTA series, GTA V, which got a PC port almost two years after the initial release. The GTA V was released in September 2013 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles and got an upgrade to a new console cycle in November 2014 for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Only in April 2015 was the game released for Windows-based PCs, as Rockstar took its time to polish the port and make it work with PC gamers' various hardware choices. While we hope to avoid seeing such a big cadence from console to PC port, it will surely take Rockstar some extra time to make a PC version run smoothly.

Best-selling gaming headset and accessory maker Turtle Beach Corporation (Nasdaq: HEAR), today unveiled its eagerly anticipated first-wireless controller for Xbox and PC, the Designed for Xbox Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra Wireless Smart Game Controller. Turtle Beach's new king of wireless game controllers delivers ultra-premium performance through precision-crafted components and customization options for Xbox and PC gamers who demand the best. The Stealth Ultra features Turtle Beach's proprietary low-latency wireless connectivity to Xbox consoles and Windows PCs, and Bluetooth for gaming on supported Smart TVs and Android mobile devices. Stealth Ultra's tactile microswitches provide fast, reliable responses and are designed to last up to five times longer than standard buttons found in other controllers. AntiDrift thumbsticks eliminate drift for precise control, and adjustable short and long-pull triggers ensure a response suited to the game being played.

Turtle Beach's Stealth Ultra Controller also introduces a first-of-its-kind full-color Connected Command Display that lets gamers customize RGB lighting, game & chat audio settings, thumbstick sensitivity, mappable buttons, and more. Plus, patented Turtle Beach technology also lets gamers receive social notifications from their phone in the Connected Command Display dashboard on the controller. The Stealth Ultra also features adjustable power modes with the ability to provide up to 30-hours of battery life on a single charge, with power delivered via the included low-profile charging dock that also acts as a convenient place to store the controller when not in use. Turtle Beach's Designed for Xbox Stealth Ultra Wireless Smart Controller is available for pre-order today for $199.99 MSRP from www.turtlebeach.com and participating retailers worldwide. Stealth Ultra launches December 15, 2023.

Private Division and Roll7 today announced that Rollerdrome, the imaginative third-person shooter-skater, is now available on Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC. Rollerdrome is a thrilling single-player game which pits you in intense arena combat. Melding fluid movement, visceral combat, and technical tricks, the title aims to create an experience described as "flow-state mayhem." Can you battle your way to the top and become the next Rollerdrome champion?

"Looking back to the conception of the game, we wanted Rollerdrome to be fast, fluid, and exciting - we were shown an early gameplay prototype by the Creative Director Paul Rabbitte, and seeing the potential, we quickly assembled an incredibly talented team to turn what was a promising concept into a visceral and stylish game," said Tom Hegarty, Founder and Studio Head at Roll7. "I'm now super excited that we are able to share it, once more, with a whole new group of Xbox and PC players."

Beware do-gooders of the Overworld, for war is on the horizon. Publisher Kalypso Media and in-house developer Realmforge Studios have unleashed The Absolute Evil upon the Overworld with the official launch of Dungeons series' highly anticipated sequel, Dungeons 4.

Sound the alarm and prepare your traps, because Dungeons 4 is now available day one on Xbox Game Pass for console and PC and is available in Standard or Deluxe Editions on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PlayStation 5. The Deluxe Edition provides hellish extras for the most daring minions, including the Digital Artbook, exclusive Dungeons 3 Evil Hand Legacy Skin, Thalya Legacy 'Evil and Good' skin, remastered Storming of Dollaran Map from Dungeons 3, and the Official Dungeons 4 Soundtrack. Ensuring victory over the heroes of the Overworld. With larger dungeons, an expansive Overworld, enhanced co-op play, more evil critters, and the addition of the infuriating Dwarves, Evil has never looked this good!

HyperX, the gaming peripherals team at HP Inc. and brand leader in gaming and esports, today announced the release of the HyperX Clutch Gladiate RGB Gaming Controller. Designed specifically for Xbox gamers, the new Clutch Gladiate RGB delivers precision and comfort in a transparent design, unleashing next-level customization with full body RGB lighting options.

The Clutch Gladiate RGB provides an immersive gaming experience with robust dual rumble motors and tactile grips, ensuring games equipped with vibration feedback provide an engaging gameplay experience. The controller also boasts impulse triggers that offer variable tactile feedback, allowing gamers to connect to the game in unmatched ways. Integrated with impulse rumble motors, this feature provides haptic feedback for an elevated gaming experience.

Unlock the rich history and stories of two remarkable civilizations—The Mountain Royals is now live! The exciting next expansion is available now on Steam, and the Microsoft & Xbox Stores. There so much to delve in to with two new civilizations, three new, fully-voiced campaigns, plus the newly updated Persian civilization.

Prepare to embark on a legendary journey as we introduce the "The Mountain Royals" DLC for Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition. Unlock the rich history and untold stories of two remarkable civilizations, the Armenians and Georgians, and immerse yourself in three captivating new campaigns: Tamar, Thoros the Great, and Ismail. Lead the Charge! Forge Empires! Get "The Mountain Royals" DLC Now and Conquer History Anew!

Apparently if you say "day one with Game Pass" three times in front of your mirror nothing actually happens, and you did that for nothing. But we do happen to have a bunch of day one games coming soon (and available today), so let's dive in!

Available Today
Headbangers: Rhythm Royale (Cloud, Console, and PC)—Available on day one with Game Pass: Headbangers puts you and 29 others into the eye of the Pigeon while you battle it out in rhythmic challenges to find out who is the ultimate Master Headbanger. Compete against each other in mind-bending musical minigames, screw over your competitors with powerups, and collect Crumbs to customize your very own Pigeon!

If you're looking to build a city, build a team, or build a to-play-next list of games, we have updates for you. Some games you'll remember from seeing at gamescom or at our Xbox Games Showcase, and we have a few new announcements - excited to get to the game play!

Available Today:
Like A Dragon: Ishin! (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Take up the sword as Sakamoto Ryoma and venture to Kyoto to find your father's killer, clear yourself of a framed murder, and restore your honor. In doing so, you will bring an end to the samurai era and forever change the future of Japan. Draw your blade and join the revolution in this heated historical adventure.

Gaming allows us to experience worlds beyond imagination, share our stories and forge friendships with people across the world. At Xbox we believe that gaming is for everyone, including the over 429 million players with disabilities, and it is our responsibility to create a place where everyone feels welcome, safe, and included to experience the joy and community of gaming.

Each October we take a moment to celebrate the disability community, and earlier this month Xbox celebrated its partnership with Special Olympics in the form of Gaming for Inclusion, a hybrid, multi-day tournament that aims to showcase the power of inclusion through gaming, break down barriers and empower Special Olympics athletes through technology. Prioritizing accessibility in gaming invites more people to experience gaming, by empowering all gamers to play in the way that is true to them.

Team Xbox is so excited to see the initial response to the Xbox Mastercard with the first group of Xbox Insiders! We're happy to announce that we're opening up the Preview to all eligible Xbox Insiders in the US starting today. You can find the Xbox Mastercard Preview in the Xbox Insider Hub under the Previews section. If you are not an Xbox Insider, you can join the Xbox Insider Program for free by downloading the Xbox Insider Hub on console or Windows PC. Keep the feedback coming!

How to get Xbox Insider support and share your feedback
If you're an Xbox Insider looking for support, please join our community on the Xbox Insider subreddit. Official Xbox staff, moderators, and fellow Xbox Insiders are there to help. We always recommend adding to threads with the same issue before posting a brand new one. This helps us support you the best we can! Don't forget to use "Report a problem" before posting—the information shared in both places helps us understand your issue better.

After almost two years, Microsoft has finally closed the $68.7 billion deal and acquired Activision Blizzard. Confirmed by Phil Spencer, head of gaming at Microsoft, the deal comes after the final approval from UK's Competition and Markets earlier today. The acquisition puts Activision Blizzard, developers Infinity Ward, Raven Software, Sledgehammer Games, Treyarch, Toys for Bob, Beenox and High Moon Studios, as well as the mobile game maker King, which is known for its Candy Crush game, all under Xbox Game Studios.

In case you missed it, Microsoft announced its intention to acquire Activision Blizzard back in January 2022, after which it started its battle with various regulators, including UK's CMA, the European Commission, the US Federal Trade Commission, and others. In its extensive statement, Phil Spencer, head of gaming at Microsoft, once again confirmed that they will continue to make more games available in more places, as it promised to the European Commission, and they can now start the work to bring all those franchises to Game Pass and other platforms. Earlier this week, Activision Blizzard confirmed it expected to start adding titles to Game Pass in 2024, if the aforementioned deal goes through.

The gates of the Burning Hells have opened once more, welcoming more of Lilith's children home. Diablo IV is a game about slaying nightmarish creatures and acquiring powerful gear, but also about forging memories with new and old friends. We want to break down barriers to make it easier for wanderers everywhere to defend Sanctuary. Which is why we're honored to announce…Diablo IV will be available to play on Steam starting October 17! The Diablo IV Steam page is live now, and the game is available to wishlist.

Diablo IV's presence on Steam is in addition to Battle.net, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, and PlayStation 4, so wanderers playing the game on any existing platform need not make any changes. Those wanting to play on Steam will need to first purchase the game on that platform, then connect Diablo IV to a Battle.net account (as we require for all platforms). This enables cross-platform play and more. Players using Steam will have access to features specific to that platform, such as Steam achievements, their Steam friends list, and the option to invite those friends to play in-game. We're looking forward to seeing more defenders of Sanctuary band together and welcome any feedback you may have.

Included in the Forza Motorsport Premium Edition and Premium Add-Ons Bundle, you can play the full game and begin your racing career up to 5 days early on Xbox Series X|S, Windows and Steam. On Xbox and Windows, Forza Motorsport Early Access rollout is region dependent. At 12:01am local time in your country, the game will be available to play. On Steam, this unlock happens globally at 12:01am EDT on October 5.

Upgrade to the Premium Add-Ons Bundle with Xbox Game Pass and enjoy a 10% discount with up to 5 days early access to Forza Motorsport and all the additional content included with the Premium Edition. Forza Motorsport Early Access has started to unlock around the world! Here is the time you can play the game in your country:

From the shadows, the Xbox Wireless Controller - Gold Shadow Special Edition is making its grand debut in the spotlight. A homage to Xbox One's fan-favorite Shadow series designs, this controller sports a sophisticated gold-to-black metallic finish on the top case. Aside from the top case and D-Pad, the rest of the controller is draped in carbon black, allowing the gold elements to shine. This controller is a statement piece, perfectly suited to be your new favorite, and the crowning gem of any collection.

This elegant piece comes with all the key features players love in our current generation of controllers. The metallic gold hybrid D-Pad provides a smooth touch for your thumb to expertly glide on. The rubberized black diamond patterned side grips and textured grip on the triggers, bumpers and back case provide that extra support needed to stay in control of high-pressure gaming moments.

If you're looking for some spooky games, some fast ways to drive away from anything spooky, or just some great games to load up and dive into the story… have I got some recommendations for you! We've got some games available today for you to check out, some more coming soon, and even a reminder on some you might have missed that we snuck in last month. Let's get to the games!

Available Today:
Gotham Knights (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S)—Batman is dead. A new expansive, criminal underworld has swept the streets of Gotham City. It is now up to the Batman Family - Batgirl, Nightwing, Red Hood, and Robin - to protect Gotham, bring hope to its citizens, discipline to its cops, and fear to its criminals.

The Lamplighter's League (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S)—Available on day one with Game Pass: Sneak, steal, and shoot your way through a world of pulp adventure in The Lamplighters League! Globetrot across a variety of exciting locales around the world and outwit your enemies in strategic turn-based combat and, if you play your cards right, you might just save the world.

At Xbox, we believe that gaming is for everyone. You hear it a lot, but it's absolutely true. The Xbox community is at the center of everything we do, every decision we make. This month we're recognizing the 400+ million players who make up the gaming and disability community. In their own words, we're inviting Elle Vance, Software Engineer II for Xbox Player Services, to share their story on how being part of the gaming and disability community has impacted their life:

"I understand the world through a different perspective. Unlike most neurotypical people, who understand the world from a top-down perspective; I start with a bottom-up approach, focusing first on the details. Sometimes my perspective is advantageous in my work as a Software Engineer II, and in other areas of my life, too, as I am able to troubleshoot problems at a granular level before processing it from a broader framework which could potentially create bias in attempting to solve that problem.