Yesterday (January 18), Xbox Developer Direct hosted its first major game showcase of 2024, highlighting upcoming releases on the Xbox Series X, Windows PC, and Xbox Game Pass. And overall, the show was very impressive.

The showcase gave us our first proper look at the Indiana Jones game from Wolfenstein developer MachineGames, a new Elder Scrolls-inspired fantasy RPG by Obsidian We also got to see gameplay of Avowed, a new fantasy RPG inspired by Elder Scrolls by Obsidian. In all, there were five games on display, all of which looked quite exciting.

What was even more exciting was that Microsoft didn't spook us at this event: every game in the 45-minute presentation at least had a release date, and the long-awaited Xbox exclusive finally had a concrete release date.

If you missed the show, check out the five must-play games presented at the Xbox Developer Direct and why they are so important.

Even before the Xbox Developers Direct, there were plenty of reasons to be excited about Avowed: Obsidian is the development team behind Fallout: New Vegas, The Outer Worlds, and Pillars of Eternity, and they have an epic With the release of "The Elder Scrolls 6" now more than half a century away, "Avowed" could be the perfect game to fill the void. This sprawling fantasy role-playing title seems to be inspired by the world of Tamriel.

The gameplay shown in the presentation highlighted both the diverse world of Avowed, known as The Living Lands, and the game's focus on player choice. While many RPGs claim to offer quests that change based on player decisions, anyone who has played "New Vegas" knows that Obsidian is one of the best developers in the business at creating branching narratives. Avowed's release date is undetermined, but we do know that it will be released in the fall of 2024.

"Senua's Saga" proved to be a very appropriate title for Hellblade 2, a sequel to 2017's Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, which was originally announced for December 2019 with the Xbox Series X simultaneously, but after several years of not being announced, the team at Ninja Theory finally announced a release date.

Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 launches on May 21, and we're already counting down the days until we can experience this spooky action-adventure game. footage and interviews at the Xbox Developer Direct focused primarily on the focused on the game's sound. The sequel seems to be taking things to another level. I can't wait to be thoroughly dismayed by the voices in Senua's head again in just a few months.

While the Xbox Developer Direct was primarily dedicated to games from Microsoft's own studios, there was still time for a guest appearance from Square Enix in the form of "Visions of Mana," the company's first mainline title in 15 years. The latest video of the RPG showed off lively visuals and gameplay; Visions of Mana is scheduled for a summer release, which will also be available on PS5 and PS4.

Strategy fans have had their longest look yet at Ara: History Untold, a new historical game that aims to push the boundaries of the genre by innovating the classic structure of strategy games. The game is by Oxide Games, and from what was presented at Direct, it looked quite impressive. The diversity of play styles was emphasized, a deep crafting system was introduced, and the developers also explained their unique approach to campaign progression through the prestige system.

Ara: History Untold looks like a game that will keep players hooked for hundreds of hours. As of yet, a console version of the game has not been released. Instead, Ara will be coming to PC and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate in the fall of 2024. This may not be a bad thing, but strategy games are always best played on PC, so it makes sense that Oxide Games would target PC first. Furthermore, there is a possibility that an Xbox version will appear later.

Surprisingly, the game everyone wanted to see was left until last. However, "Indiana Jones and the Great Circle" was worth the wait. Offering the first look at gameplay as well as in-depth insights from key members of MachineGames' development team (along with executive producer Todd Howard), it looks like the video game that Indiana Jones fans have dreamed of for years.

"Indiana Jones and the Great Circle," an original story set between "Raiders of the Lost Ark of the Covenant" and "The Last Crusade," sees the whip-smart archaeologist embark on a globe-trotting adventure to uncover an ancient mystery. The first-person perspective of this title may seem odd at first, but it makes sense given the developer's pedigree, and this perspective will make you feel like you really are Indy.

The emphasis on adventure is also a wise decision. After all, Indiana Jones was never afraid of a gunfight, but he is no action hero. So the inclusion of both mandatory and optional puzzles is a wise choice. Furthermore, it confirms that combat scenarios can be tackled in more than one way. You can charge in with guns blazing, or you can distract enemy soldiers and sneak past them.

"Indiana Jones and the Great Circle" will undoubtedly be the biggest game of the year for Xbox and is currently scheduled for release during 2024.