Xbox and Bethesda at E3 2021: The biggest announcements

One of E3 2021’s biggest events was the joint showcase with Xbox and Bethesda. The event featured all-new information, announcements, and trailers for Starfield, STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl, Back 4 Blood, Battlefield 2042, Psychonauts 2, Fallout 76, Halo Infinite, Diablo 2: Resurrected, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Forza Horizon 5, and Redfall.

Here’s a roundup of the biggest announcements from the Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase at E3 2021.

Starfield

The trailer for Starfield leaked a little earlier, but we got another look at the upcoming game during the Xbox and Bethesda game showcase.

Starfield is coming exclusively to Xbox Series X and Windows PC on Nov. 11, 2022. The title will also be available for Xbox Game Pass.

STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl

STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl is the latest entry in the survival shooter franchise. The new trailer that premiered during the Xbox and Bethesda showcase revealed four minutes of gameplay and the title’s release date. The sequel will be available on Apr. 22, 2022 and is coming to Game Pass on day one.

Back 4 Blood

Back 4 Blood, the upcoming zombie shooter and spiritual successor to the Left 4 Dead series, is coming to Xbox Game Pass upon release.

Contraband

Avalanche announced its newest game, Contraband, at Xbox’s E3 2021 livestream. It’s the latest title from the Just Cause team. The trailer describes it as a co-op, open-world game set in a fictional version of the 1970s.

Sea of Thieves: A Pirate’s Life

Sea of Thieves is getting a new update called A Pirate’s Life. The free update is coming to the swashbuckling title on June 22. This add-on to the pirate sandbox game will feature new characters for the series: Captain Jack Sparrow and Davy Jones from the Pirates of the Caribbean films.

Battlefield 2042

Electronic Arts and DICE revealed Battlefield 2042 with a cinematic, explosive, mood-setting trailer, but on Sunday, Battlefield fans got their first look at the futuristic military shooter’s gameplay.

The new trailer, revealed at Microsoft’s Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase at E3 2021, shows off the game’s futuristic weapons of war, real-time destructive weather like tornadoes and sandstorms, and massive maps that support up to 128 players at once.

Twelve Minutes

Twelve Minutes, publisher Annapurna Interactive’s adventure game played in 12-minute loops, will be released on Aug. 19.

Psychonauts 2

Double Fine’s psychic, story-driven adventure game, Psychonauts 2, will available on Aug. 25 on Windows PC Xbox One, and Xbox Series X. The title will also be available on Game Pass.

Fallout 76 updates

We got two new trailers for Fallout 76. Steel Reign will be a free story update that concludes the tale that follows the Brotherhood of Steel.

Another free update that takes players out of Appalachia. The Pitt will take Fallout players to Pittsburgh in a series of story-driven, repeatable missions.

Hades is coming to Xbox Game Pass

Supergiant Games is bringing Hades, their award-winning action roguelike to consoles, including the Xbox One and Xbox Series X on Aug. 13. The title will also be available on Game Pass.

Halo Infinite

A new trailer for Halo Infinite showcased its gameplay during Microsoft’s E3 keynote on Sunday. The tentpole sci-fi shooter, delayed last year, will release during the 2021 holiday season along with a free-to-play multiplayer mode.

Diablo 2: Resurrected

Diablo 2: Resurrected, the remaster of the classic game will launch on multiple platforms including Windows PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X on Sept. 23.

The title will also have a multiplayer beta coming in August.

Slime Rancher 2

Monomi Park announced a 2022 release date Slime Rancher 2, the sequel to their gloopy adventure game.

Shredders

A reveal trailer for a new snowboarder title Shredders shows off snowy mountain peaks and plenty of sick tricks. Not much else is known about the title yet however the trailer claims that the game should come out around Dec. 2021.

Atomic Heart

A trailer for the forthcoming first-person game, Atomic Heart, doesn’t offer a lot of background information. We know it’s set in the Soviet Union, in the year 1955, and yet there’s clearly a lot here that’s not very well explained. For example, what’s with all these wacky robots? And why does that old woman have a ladle?

Replaced

Replaced is a new sci-fi action platform with detailed and fluid pixel art graphics coming in 2022. The title will also be available on Game Pass upon launch.

The Outer Worlds 2

Obsidian Entertainment’s latest role-playing series is getting a sequel with The Outer Worlds 2. The cheeky trailer doesn’t have too many details about the new title, but it will be coming to the Xbox Series X and Windows soon.

Microsoft Flight Simulator

Microsoft Flight Simulator is coming to the Xbox Series X on July 27. The console version of the game will also be available on Game Pass when it launches.

This Xbox Series X version promises to have “the same level of depth and complexity” as its PC counterpart. The E3 announcement also detailed a one-of-a-kind partnership with Paramount Studios to coincide with the launch of the Top Gun: Maverick film.

Forza Horizon 5

Forza Horizon 5 will take players to a highly detailed recreation of Mexico. The fifth edition of Playground Games’ action-racing franchise will launch for Windows PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X on Nov. 9, 2021. It will also be available on Game Pass on day one.

A gameplay trailer for Forza Horizon 5 showed off several modes in the game, including several minigames.

Redfall

Redfall was the final game that was announced during the Xbox and Bethesda Game Showcase. Arkane’s new Xbox exclusive open-world, co-op, shooter seems to feature multiplayer gameplay with players using special powers and unique weapons to fight off hordes of vampires.

Redfall will launch during Summer 2022.

Xbox Mini Fridge

Yes, this is really happening.

New titles for Game Pass

Nearly all of Microsoft and Bethesda’s upcoming titles will be available on Microsoft’s subscription service, with most of them coming to both the PC and Console versions too.

Here are some of the games that were announced for Game Pass during the Xbox and Bethesda Game Showcase:

Yakuza: Like a Dragon
Back 4 Blood
Starfield
STALKER 2
Halo Infinite
Hades
Slime Rancher 2
Psychonauts 2
The Outer Worlds 2
Microsoft Flight Simulator
Forza Horizon 5
Among Us

If you want to see all the titles coming to the subscription service, check out our round-up of upcoming Xbox Games Pass games.