A few years ago, Microsoft committed to releasing Xbox games on Windows 10, and it's stuck to its word so far. It's even started releasing games on Steam along with the Microsoft Store, which is great because I don't think a single soul prefers to use the Microsoft Store. That in mind, this week's Xbox Games Showcase can also be considered a PC Games Showcase, as any current or next-gen Xbox game we see ought to release simultaneously on PC.
How to watch the Xbox Game Showcase
The Xbox Games Showcase is airing this Thursday, July 23 at 9 am Pacific. That's 12 pm Eastern, 5 pm in the UK, and Friday 2 am AEST in Australia. You can catch it on Twitch (opens in new tab) or YouTube (opens in new tab) (embedded above). There are a bunch of different versions of the YouTube stream in different languages, too, including American Sign Language and with English captions—find those here (opens in new tab).
#XboxGamesShowcaseThursday, July 23🇺🇸 9 AM PT🇲🇽 11 AM Mexico City🇺🇸 12 PM ET🇧🇷 1 PM São Paulo🇬🇧 5 PM UK🇿🇦 6 PM Cape Town🇪🇺 6 PM Western Europe🇷🇺 7 PM Moscow🇮🇳 9:30 AM Mumbai🇯🇵 1 AM Tokyo (July 24)🇦🇺 2 AM Sydney (July 24)https://t.co/2McKgywm8iJuly 22, 2020
There's also a pre-show (opens in new tab), hosted once again by Geoff Keighley.
What to expect
According to Xbox games marketing GM Aaron Greenberg, the show will be about and hour long, and the topic will be "just games." No slideshow about the Xbox Series X's split motherboard, no business stuff.
The only game we're sure will be there is Halo Infinite (opens in new tab). Microsoft says we'll see the "first campaign gameplay reveal" during the show.
Otherwise, we assume Microsoft will want to promote some of the other games it says are optimized for the Xbox Series X. We could see more Assassin's Creed Valhalla (opens in new tab), as it's one of the games listed prominently on the Series X website. Also in that category are The Medium (opens in new tab) from horror dev Bloober Team and Dirt 5 (opens in new tab).
We'll hear from Microsoft's growing collection of studios, too. Double Fine could show Psychonauts 2 (opens in new tab), Obsidian could show Grounded (opens in new tab) or something new, Ninja Theory may bring Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 (opens in new tab), and inXile may have an update on Wasteland 3. (opens in new tab) Rare teased a game called Everwild (opens in new tab) last year, and a better look at that wouldn't be surprising. Fable 4 (opens in new tab) would make sense, too, after years of rumors.
For reference, here are some of the other games that appeared at Microsoft's 2019 E3 showcase and still haven't released: CrossfireX, Cyberpunk 2077 (opens in new tab), Elden Ring (opens in new tab), Dying Light 2 (opens in new tab), Microsoft Flight Simulator (opens in new tab), Spiritfarer, Twelve Minutes, Way to the Woods, and Tales of Arise (opens in new tab).
Any of those could reappear, although Elden Ring feels like a long shot. (Though if it isn't shown, the fanart scene (opens in new tab) will probably only get more intense and gruesome.)
