Heidi — 5 video games we need to see on Xbox and Recreation Move in 2025
A number of the video games I’ve picked for this checklist are solely accessible on PC or Nintendo Swap, however would go down a storm on Xbox. Others are already accessible for Xbox Sequence X|S and Xbox One, however we reckon they’d be an ideal match for Recreation Move.
Whether or not it is as a result of a sport has out of the blue grow to be so standard that it would have the ability to consider different platforms, or as a result of they’re so nice that they might assist enhance the Recreation Move catalogue, listed below are our opinions on 5 nice video games we need to see on Xbox or Recreation Move in 2025.
Dave the Diver
- Developer: Mintrocket
- Platforms: Nintendo Swap, PC, PS5, PS4
- Launch date: June 28, 2023
Right here I’m, as soon as once more wishing for Dave the Diver on Xbox and Recreation Move. To be trustworthy, Dave the Diver might be answerable for the thought for this checklist within the first place. The fishing adventure-RPG launched for PC final yr, and I’ve been hoping, in any case the large recognition it is gained, to see it come to Xbox.
Its wild success is what gave us hope within the first place: after a triumphant debut on Steam, Dave then took his diving abilities to Swap, and has since swum to PlayStation. Good progress, however not sufficient! Dave the Diver must deliver its excellence to Xbox too.
And it’s wonderful. It’s a kind of uncommon video games the place there’s already a lot sensible stuff to do at the start, and then you definitely put in a dozen extra hours and out of the blue, what? There’s a lot extra to do? The start was solely the tip of the iceberg? Dave the Diver does a wonderful job of ceaselessly revealing satisfying options whereas nonetheless managing to maintain all that new content material on the similar stage of high quality.
All of the totally different components of Dave the Diver meld so nicely: the restaurant administration, the boss battles, the sensible forged of characters, and, after all, the diving. Add to {that a} beautiful artwork type, a superb sense of humour, a splendidly bizarre story, and a few really wonderful cutscenes, and, nicely, it needs to be on Xbox!
Proper, with that mentioned, onto the subsequent sport we’re not-so-patiently ready for on Xbox!
Solar Haven
- Developer: Pixel Sprout Studios
- Platforms: PC, Nintendo Swap
- Launch date: March 11, 2023
“However there are tons of of farming sims,” I hear you cry — that is true, and but I can’t cease myself eyeing up all the brand new ones. Fortunately, Solar Haven measures as much as all my hopes thus far. It has all of the appeal we’ve come to anticipate from farming sims since Stardew Valley, but it surely goes all-out on the magic and fantasy aspect of issues.
It’s a massively bold sport — there’s a lot extra to do past farming, and that is all backed up by intensive ability bushes which make it really feel such as you’re progressing on a regular basis. Solar Haven’s ambition does get virtually unmanageable whenever you keep in mind the different farms you unlock later within the sport, so pacing out the way you deal with the opposite areas helps tackle this panic.
The artwork type is completely beautiful, the world is a delight to discover, and your complete factor is only a fantastic fantasy journey to vanish into. After a prolonged time on Steam, Solar Haven is now on Swap. Admittedly, it’s been a tough time getting the sport onto Swap, and Solar Haven has its share of bugs and clunkiness, however as soon as that is ironed out, I hope the devs would possibly someday flip their consideration to bringing the sport to Xbox too.
Moonstone Island
- Developer: Studio Supersoft
- Platforms: PC, Nintendo Swap
- Launch date: September 20, 2023
I had my eye on this one however had no thought I’d get pleasure from it as a lot as I did. Moonstone Island is a creature-collecting life-sim the place it’s good to full your Alchemy coaching in a sky plagued by islands of all totally different sizes and biomes. These islands are crammed with spirits, temples, and dungeons, and also you spend most of your time fortunately zooming between these to combat and seize new spirits or uncover new loot.
On prime of this, you’ll even be making pals with the NPCs, rising crops, making potions, caring on your spirits, and upgrading and adorning your house. It’s a extremely satisfying gameplay loop of amassing and elevating up spirits (that are themselves splendidly ridiculous — a sand-castle in a bucket, a lizard sporting a snorkel, and so forth) and exploring the islands.
It’s a little bit of a distinction to Solar Haven however one factor I fairly like about Moonstone Island is that it’s just a little extra toned-down. There aren’t too many NPCs, the farming isn’t the dominant a part of the sport, and the artwork type has a clear, pared-back look that offers the remainder of the sport room to breathe.
One other factor which I like about Moonstone Island is that the times are fairly hectic. Usually, shorter days can be disturbing (Stardew Valley taught us all to cram as a lot effectivity as potential in on daily basis), but it surely’s truly fairly refreshing in Moonstone Island to simply zoom concerning the islands just like the busy Alchemist you’re.
To this point, Moonstone Island is just supposed for PC and Swap, which is a disgrace; we love card battles and creature-collecting right here too!
The Plucky Squire
- Developer: All Potential Futures
- Platforms: Xbox Sequence X|S, PS5, Nintendo Swap, PC
- Launch date: September 17, 2024
The Plucky Squire is my newest obsession. It’s a dimension-hopping, action-packed, puzzle-and-platform-filled expertise through which you come to study that you simply’re a storybook character. You don’t have a lot time to digest this earth-shattering information, nevertheless, earlier than you’re tasked with defeating the ebook’s villain, who’s booted you out and is attempting to take over.
The Plucky Squire himself, Jot, takes fairly nicely to the wild indisputable fact that he can now leap between dimensions, and we’re quickly spun off on an journey which takes us via the 2D pages of this ebook and the 3D world outdoors it.
One other nice twist is you can often rearrange the phrases of the ebook to alter what’s occurring in that web page — creating new stairs, draining water, deflating frogs, you title it.
The Plucky Squire is already out for Xbox Sequence X|S however it might be a implausible get for Recreation Move, particularly because it’s already had its go on PlayStation Plus. The Recreation Move library is huge however its month-to-month additions can vary a bit in high quality — The Plucky Squire can be a crowd-pleasing win.
Dinkum
- Developer: James Bendon
- Platforms: PC
- Launch date: July 14, 2022
Dinkum would possibly really feel like the perfect mash-up between Animal Crossing and Minecraft, but it surely stands solely aside as a beautiful sport which might go down a storm on Xbox.
It is a farming sim set in a world impressed by the Australian outback, which in itself is an attention-grabbing change. Like all the most effective farm sims, you begin from scratch and construct up a city, attracting new inhabitants and terraforming and adorning the whole lot you will get your fingers on.
That basically is the whole lot, too, since you possibly can transfer the land block by block and reform the whole lot to your personal requirements. It’s truly just a little overwhelming how a lot remaking you are able to do — I often go in with grand redesign plans and, after limitless deliberation, find yourself fastidiously putting three flowers.
All of us beloved Animal Crossing throughout lockdown, however it’s a bit irritating whenever you’ve picked some flowers and offered a number of turnips after which don’t have anything else to do for the day. Particularly since, at first (after we’re most desirous to play) it’s good to wait a very long time for buildings to be accomplished earlier than you are able to do something. Dinkum doesn’t go for a similar real-world timings, and so you possibly can play nonstop in a Dinkum delirium.
You’ve obtained the same old choices of farming crops and animals (big wombats, superb) in addition to catching bugs and fishing, however you’ve additionally obtained to hunt for meals and combat predators, including a layer of “oh my god the whole lot’s attempting to kill me” which type of fits the outback setting. There’s additionally mining, which is disturbing in its personal particular manner.
Within the much less panic-stricken parts of your day, it’s also possible to embellish your home and city. What higher approach to loosen up after being chased by crocs? No whisper of any platform but besides PC, however we’re very a lot hoping it will change — particularly because the sport is, hopefully, coming to the top of its Early Entry on Steam after some nice content material updates.
Cult of the Lamb
- Developer: Huge Monster
- Platforms: Xbox Sequence X|S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, Nintendo Swap, PC
- Launch date: August 11, 2022
Like The Plucky Squire, we have already got Cult of the Lamb on Xbox, however oh man would this be the proper Recreation Move sport. It’s an odd setup: Cult of the Lamb mashes cute and creepy collectively so that you simply’ve obtained lovely, wide-eyed animals doing terrible issues within the title of the lamb. That lamb is you, who has been rescued from demise and tasked with constructing a cult for the rescuer.
This includes a mixture of base constructing and going out on runs in opposition to rival cults and leaders, and it’s right here the place the gameplay loop excels. You need to select your path in your runs and survive so long as potential, however in the meantime your followers are getting as much as all kinds of hijinks and want quite a lot of consideration whenever you get again (and also you greatest hope you come back triumphant, or they could begin to lose religion).
It is advisable to resolve on rituals and doctrines to maintain the whole lot balanced so that you simply don’t come again (nicely, not as usually) to in poor health, hungry, offended followers threatening to depart and take your gold with them. Add to that that they’re a rowdy bunch at the most effective of instances (requesting pranks on pals and meals of poop) and also you’ve obtained your hooves full, particularly since you may have the ability to homicide/sacrifice/do all kinds of disagreeable stuff.
Positive, Cult of the Lamb may not want the enhance in gamers which Recreation Move can provide. It’s already massively standard with a devoted fanbase and the whole lot from a steel album to themed weddings at PAXAus. It’s extra that Cult of the Lamb is a kind of wonderful video games which dips so nicely into varied genres and options that it’d make sure to be a crowd-pleaser on Recreation Move.