Console exclusives are one of the big reasons to own any particular console over another. With that said, what will the Xbox One bring to the table in 2019?



× Hey! Listen! The writer of this article has personal biases towards RPGs, Action Adventure, and MMORPG games and prefers them over Sports, Tactics, and most Racing Games. Read More…

I’ll start this off by giving a disclaimer that not all of these games are 100% confirmed for release in 2019. If you saw our 2018 article last year, you’ll see that either not all of these games released in 2018, or some ended up not being exclusives at all. Most of them are, however, and yet more have been teased or even outright said they will release in the calendar year while not giving a firm date. However, as is common in the video game industry, titles are likely to slip past their initial release dates and potentially fall into the 2020 timeframe. The games on this list, however, are likely to release and are ones you should consider putting onto your playlist. Something I should probably note is that just as the title says, these are console exclusives. Not necessarily platform exclusive. Which means one or more of these titles may release on PC or even mobile in extreme cases, but not for one of the other 2 systems. It will also include timed exclusives if those games have yet to be confirmed for a different platform. Another thing that should be considered is that Microsoft has had a troubled history with exclusives lately, but they have bought several new studios to hopefully remedy that. Most of them aren’t big AAA studios, but that doesn’t mean they can’t make games worth paying attention to. Although, we wonder if they will have anything to release exclusively for the Xbox One any time soon. But I digress, shall we dive into the meat of the question at hand?

Battletoads Rare’s Battletoads is finally coming back, but it seems like they are letting DLaLa Studios do the heavy lifting. There is, however, virtually nothing else known about the game. Good thing we know it’s coming in 2019.

Crackdown 3 Crackdown 3 is a special case, and I’m honestly not sure what to think about it. As a long time fan, and a lover of the first two games, I’m worried about this one, seeing as how it got several delays and a noticeable downgrade in destruction output compared to when they first revealed it. As well as the focus on single player when they first showed off the game as focusing on multiplayer and the power of the cloud. The general fan consensus isn’t too high either. I really want it to be an awesome title, and I’m optimistic about it, but it just looks rough around all the edges so far. Here’s hoping I’m proven wrong on all counts. With a firm release date (hopefully) of February 15th, we’ll all be able to find out soon enough.

Gears of War 5 Gears of War is returning in a big way, and it appears to be taking single player cues from some big names in the industry. Needless to say, I’m happy about that. The series has been taking a slow decline over the years, and this is just what it needed. More focus on the story, the writing, the character development, and solid gameplay to make things interesting. Gears 5 releases on Xbox One and PC sometime in 2019, and is promising 4k HDR and 60fps on all modes. This is likely to be their biggest hit in 2019.

Ooblets This is a territory that Microsoft doesn’t often venture into, though to be fair, this isn’t made by them. Ooblets is in production at Double Fine Studios, the guys behind Psychonauts, Broken Age, and Brutal Legend. Ooblets is a farming, town life, and creature collection game inspired by Pokémon, Harvest Moon, and Animal Crossing. It sees you managing your own farm, growing and training your ooblets, running a shop, exploring strange lands, battling wild ooblets and other ooblet trainers, and unlocking the mysteries of Oob. Ooblets will see a release on Xbox One and PC sometime in 2019.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps I figured I could just cut/paste what last year’s article said to save some time… Ahem: This is a direct sequel to one of Xbox One’s biggest indie games that is beloved by many. Sadly, not much is yet known…. oops, let me pick it up here… AHEM! The game is going to be much larger than the first, have a host of new locations, enemies, bosses, abilities and more. Ori and the Will of the Wisps comes with an entirely new combat system that dynamically reacts to your actions and the world around you. Ori and the Will of the Wisps will be available for Xbox One and PC in 2019.

Phoenix Point Phoenix Point is a new tactical-strategy hybrid game from Julian Gollop, the creator of the original X-COM. The game has a procedural alien creation system to give players a constant challenge that changes more than just in shape, but in size and scope too. The game is also open-world in scope, and has AI-controlled human enemies that may pose their own threat, so keep up your guard. If you like X-Com, Phoenix Point is a game you should keep your eye on. There is no solid release date just yet, but developers Snapshot games are aiming for a June window.

Session Ever wanted another sequel to the Skate franchise, but EA just won’t make it? Well, you’re in luck because Session, often called the spiritual successor to Skate is for you! Originally announced back in 2015, and a bit of history in between as well as a successful Kickstarter, Session will be releasing on Xbox One and PC as an Early Access title sometime in the second quarter of 2019.

Tunic Tunic is just the kind of game that Xbox needs. A grand old classic in the vein of Zelda and it appears it will deliver on all counts when it releases. I talked about it a few months ago, and it is easily the best game Xbox had to show at E3. Top down view, classic combat, open exploration, puzzles to challenge your mind, and much more. Tunic looks like a joy to play, and if you have any nostalgia playing games during the glory days of Super Nintendo, you have plenty to be excited about. Sadly, Tunic does not have a solid release date, but it is planned for a 2019 release.

Void Bastards Do you want a game inspired by BioShock and System Shock 2? Who wouldn’t, right? Void Bastards is a ‘revolutionary’ new strategy-shooter that will test your wits as well as exercise your aim. You are tasked with leading a band of misfit prisoners from the Void Ark through various derelict spaceships and a myriad of dangers in the Sargasso Nebula. Will you survive?

If you missed our PlayStation 4 exclusives list, you can find it here. (Article in the works, Stay Tuned!) The Switch exclusives list can be found here. (Article in the works, Stay Tuned!)