This time last week, I was on day two of the Gamescom 2024 rollercoaster—a gaming conference so massive that I'm pretty sure I walked the circumference of the Earth. Half of that distance was spent just navigating the audaciously huge Xbox booth, it's biggest ever. By that point, I had already played so many games that they nearly blended into one pixelated fever dream. But now that I'm back home and able to reflect on my time in Cologne with more clarity, there are seven games that truly stood out to me.
These are my personal picks from the show—some I knew I would enjoy, while others weren't even on my radar before the trip but are now firmly on my wishlist. All but one (which isn't a video game) will be coming to Xbox.
Monster Hunter Wilds
I'm already a firm fan of the Monster Hunter franchise, with Monster Hunter World being my first introduction to the series, and later playing Monster Hunter Rise when it came to Xbox Game Pass. Heading into my time with Monster Hunter Wilds, I knew I was going to love it. From what I've seen so far, it's a juiced-up, harder, better, faster, stronger version of its predecessor. It’s exactly what I’d expect in a sequel, and sometimes, predictability is a good thing.
Monster Hunter Wilds takes everything I love about World and adds some further conveniences. For instance, mounts now have a built-in GPS to follow your prey. Once you’ve picked up the scent of your monster, your mount will automatically walk to its location, giving you a chance to grab a drink and enjoy the scenery. Of course, you can take the reins at any time to regain control. You can also switch and use weapons while mounted, which was a game-changer for me as I jumped into the hunt with my favorite weapon, the Bow. Given my limited time with the game and the two quests I played, I stuck with the weapon I know and love, but I was pleasantly surprised by its upgrades.
The Bow is now much more maneuverable, no longer freezing you in place with the Dragon Piercer move, allowing you to react more fluidly to the enemy. Power coatings no longer run out in the field (though you have to reapply them every 8 coatings), and there’s an exciting new Tracer feature that lets you target specific body parts—handy for crafting. The Arc Shot returns, but instead of raining rocks on your prey, it now rains arrows, which feels much more fitting for the build. You can also combine this with the new Focus attack for some devastating damage.
All in all, while I played something that felt initially familiar, it had enough improvements to keep things exciting. I'm eager to experiment more with the Bow build when Monster Hunter Wilds launches on Xbox in 2025.
Winterburrow
Winter Burrow was the perfect game to end a chaotic first day at the conference. It’s a charming and cozy survival adventure from Pine Creek Games. The premise is simple: you’re a cute little mouse trying to fix up your childhood home, and to do so, you’ll need to brave the elements and gather materials. Think Ark Survival, but instead of dinosaurs, you’re hitting beetles with a twig. The stresses of the day melted away as I spent time in this game collecting wood and stone for my home.
Winter Burrow is pleasantly slow-paced as you rebuild your fireplace, set up a nice seating area, and gradually add more furniture to your cozy tree stump. The game does get more perilous as night falls, and if you stay out in the cold too long, you can freeze to death. This leads itself nicely to another quest where you need to knit a jumper and some woolly pants for your next venture into the wilderness. Along my travels, I met shopkeepers who sold crafting items, and the developers mentioned that those who don’t want to venture into the more risky parts of the game can earn coins and buy what they need from these merchants.
As my time as a mouse drew to a close, I really wished I could take the game home with me on my Steam Deck. It seems perfectly suited for handheld play and is ultimately where I’ll enjoy it most—but the game is also coming to Xbox Game Pass in 2025.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Of all the games mentioned here, my absolute favorite and the standout of the conference was Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. I've gone into more detail in my full Expedition 33 preview about how its breathtaking visuals and unique combat system truly shine, especially considering the small team of 30 people who created it. Remarkably, this is the first-ever game from the small studio Sandfall Interactive, and if the final product is as good as the preview, it could be a game-of-the-year contender.
The gameplay we experienced introduced us to three fascinating characters: Gustave, Lune, and Meille, each with their own abilities and skill trees, between whom the player can switch. The story follows them as they explore a linear environment in Lumeire, a land inspired by Belle Époque France. Each monster they encounter in combat has its own pulsing theme tune. The combat system is particularly unusual; during the player’s turn, it’s turn-based and operates on an action point system similar to games like Baldur's Gate 3 and XCOM. However, when it’s the enemy’s turn, you’re pulled straight back into real-time, with the ability to dodge, parry, and counterattack. It’s an engaging approach to combat, and I’m just disappointed we didn’t get to try it ourselves. But with the launch in 2025, and the game being available on Xbox Game Pass from day one, I guess I’ll just have to wait until then!
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King of Meat
King of Meat wasn't on my radar at all prior to the wacky trailer at Gamescom 2024, which featured an animated Geoff Keighley being dragged into its torture chambers. However, it was the first booth I visited in the Xbox stand, and I left with more than just a free foam finger—I left wanting to play more. The hack-and-slash combat has you competing in a dystopian game show as part of a 4-player co-op team, and the art style took me way back to the Happy Wars days on the Xbox 360. The objective is simple: smash stuff. Smash everything, find treasure, and get rewarded for more efficient smashing and locating the targets. The platforming elements are forgiving enough to avoid frustration, making it a straightforward loop of smash, grab, and watch your score climb. Perfect. After your smashing spree, you can use in-game currency to buy cosmetics, tweak your character, show off to your friends, and upgrade abilities on your skill tree.
Where the game will really come into its own is with the promise of user-generated levels. Much like the classic Little Big Planet, you'll be able to play all sorts of dungeons created by both the developers and the community, all using the same tools. King of Meat is coming to Xbox on an as-yet-unknown date, and you can sign up here for the playtest. As for why it's called King of Meat? I asked the developers, and that remains a mystery.
Avowed
My anticipation for Avowed has ebbed and flowed with each new reveal. Initially, I was incredibly excited by the first reveal, which hinted at a dark fantasy setting—Skyrim with better combat, if you will. However, as more details emerged, to be completely honest, my excitement waned. The art style wasn't what I was expecting from a dark-toned fantasy game. But after the latest behind-closed-doors gameplay I saw, I’m back on board. Alongside clear visual improvements in the setting, where Avowed really shines is in the quest lines and dialogues. Based on The Outer Worlds and Pentiment, I know that if Obsidian can do anything, it’s tell an incredible story and make your choices feel impactful, and that was clearly on display in the demo.
My colleague, who was lucky enough to play, shared their experience playing through Avowed for the first time. Similarly, in the mission I observed, there were numerous different endings available for one simple quest, with consequences that could even lead to the death of a character. Your choices matter greatly, and this also extends to character building, where abilities and equipped treasure make a significant difference to your playstyle. Throughout the demo, we as an audience were asked to make choices that determined how the story would move forward, so I’m sure everyone who walked into the Avowed booth that day experienced a different outcome.
I’m now relieved by the announced delay until February 18, 2025, for Avowed's release, as it allows the game to shine away from the hectic holiday release calendar. I’ll certainly be one of the many eager to explore the world of Eora when it arrives.
Starfield: Shattered Space
Starfield: Shattered Space will be the first DLC for Bethesda's space exploration RPG, launching on September 30. You can actually get the premium upgrade on sale right now at CD Keys for $25.19 ensuring you're ready ahead of launch. The base game is playable through Xbox Game Pass. Shattered Space will continue our story in Starfield, but with a noticeably darker tone. It introduces a fully purpose-built area dedicated to the House Va’ruun faction, a cult of space serpent worshippers—finally, the fantasy sci-fi epic I was looking for!
Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed my time with Starfield, but its story didn’t evoke as much emotion in me as previous Bethesda titles. However, I always sensed the potential, and I think Shattered Space is going to fill in those gaps. Reality as we know it is torn apart by a vortex, spewing forth twisted creatures as the setting really leans into horror themes. You’ll follow blood smears to find your crewmates, and the combat, as shown in a new trailer, is more chaotic and close-quarters, with melee weapons—including a space sword.
The return to focused storytelling, rather than procedurally generated environments, is going to breathe new life into Starfield, and I can't wait to experience it.
Console Wars: The Card Game
I saved the best for last, and it’s not even a video game. Console Wars: The Card Game takes something that isn’t fun at all—dealing with console warriors—and turns the toxic practice into a hilarious game. Created by our friends over at Xbox Era, the Kickstarter hit its target with ease long before the game arrived at Gamescom, but you can still back Console Wars today to secure your pack of cards and help the team hit their stretch goals, delivering even more additions to the deck.
If you enjoy games like Exploding Kittens and Unstable Unicorns, you’ll love Console Wars. Four of us sat around the table, each representing a platform. With our cards in hand, we each collected games, trying to turn them into fully-fledged franchises, all while hoping we had enough fans in our pile to support those projects. In Console Wars, without fans, you’re vulnerable—and their value varies between Casuals and Hardcore, even the Grans and the Karens.
Throughout the game, our business dealings were constantly sabotaged by other players using underhanded tactics to steal fans and franchises. Using cards to manipulate the market in your favor, and even introducing Battle Passes to squeeze more income, the game becomes increasingly ruthless and hilarious as the turns roll by. Xbox Era has designed the cards to make the games recognizable enough that it’s immediately obvious why Call of Shooty is worth a lot more investment than single-player Alan Woke. Console Wars pokes fun at what can sometimes be the worst part of being in the gaming community, and I’ve already backed it so I can enjoy a high-stakes game with my PlayStation- and Nintendo-loving family when my cards arrive. Just don’t tell them I’ve already played and have an advantage…
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Over to you...
These are just a handful of the games I saw at Gamescom 2024, and everyone’s list of memorable titles will be wildly different. Among my friend group, some were most excited for Star Wars Outlaws, Space Marine 2, and I can’t deny the massive queue for games like Assassin's Creed: Shadows. It was truly impossible to see and experience everything due to the size of the event, but I’d love to know what your favorite games were, whether you attended or simply watched the livestreams. Comment below with your picks!
