Microsoft has revealed 22 games that will be optimized for the Xbox Series X, including "Assassin's Creed Valhalla," "Halo Infinite," and "Cyberpunk 2077."

Games that will be badged "Optimised for Xbox Series X" will have improved frame rates, better graphics, and employ ray tracing. They will also benefit from faster loading times thanks to the Xbox Series X's SSD.

Games labeled with this label are available on other systems, but will run particularly well on Microsoft's next-generation consoles thanks to their reduced load times, smoother frame rates, and sharper graphics.

Microsoft explained how the "Optimized for Xbox Series X" label works in a blog post on Xbox Wire. The magazine's editor-in-chief, Will Tuttle, explained what the label means for both new games developed with the Xbox Series X in mind and current generation games that will look and play better on the Xbox Series X than on the Xbox One. Tuttle explained the three main points were better graphics, better frame rates, and better load times.

"When you hear about a game optimized for the Xbox Series X, you know it's a game that its developers have either designed natively or completely reworked to take full advantage of the unique features of the most powerful gaming console ever. Games displaying the Xbox Series X-optimized badge will see substantially faster load times thanks to the Xbox Velocity architecture, improved visuals thanks to next-generation custom GPUs, hardware-accelerated DirectX ray tracing, and frame rates up to 120 fps, and much more.

Games optimized for the Xbox Series X will look better than current generation games thanks to DirectX 12 Ultimate rendering and DirectX ray tracing. These two technologies work together to dramatically improve the lighting of a game so that light bounces off of a variety of light sources rather than from a single source. Tuttle also noted that these technologies can promote more spatially accurate audio in games, which is especially important in titles where immersion is important

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All Optimized for Xbox Series X games target frame rates of 60 frames per second at 4K resolution; for titles where frame rates make a big difference in gameplay, such as racing games like Dirt 5, up to 120 frames per second. Of course, higher frame rates are a trade-off for resolution, so players will have some control over which features they prioritize.

Many of the games mentioned have already been announced as Xbox Series X games, most notably Halo Infinite, which could be a launch game for Microsoft's next-generation console. However, many of these games will also be available on Xbox One. So Microsoft seems to be making some effort to highlight why they will be better on the Xbox Series X.

Below are 22 titles that will be labeled Optimised for Xbox Series X:

Tuttle said that titles like "Halo Infinite" will be built natively on the Xbox Series X, and that the console's 12 teraflops of power directly, while other titles, such as "Gears 5" for example, will be enhanced for the upcoming console, he explained. This would work in conjunction with Microsoft's Smart Delivery service, which allows users to upgrade to the Xbox Series X version completely free of charge when purchasing games on Xbox One, a feature that would give Microsoft's console a clear advantage over the PS5 could give Microsoft's game console a distinct advantage over the PS5.

Nevertheless, the PS5 will also be able to upgrade some titles from the PS4 version for free. In its new Cyberpunk 2077 Night City Wire, developer CD Projekt Red emphasizes that those who purchased Cyberpunk 2077 on PS4 will receive enhanced upgrades when moving to PS5.

With such cross-generational features and enhancements, the two new consoles look really interesting. Now we just have to wait for November or December, when the Xbox Series X and PS5 will be available.