Microsoft’s Xbox Series X/S console lineup continues to offer excellent choice and value for money. This is largely thanks to the Xbox Game Pass subscription service, which contains a huge lineup of varied titles that are sure to cater to pretty much anyone’s tastes. However, a lot of gamers tend to forget that there are plenty of games available outside of the Game Pass ecosystem, with new titles being released just as consistently as ever. Here are the best Xbox Series X/S games coming in April 2023.
Meet Your Maker (April 4th)
Super Mario Maker didn’t quite prove as influential as we’d hoped it would. Though the game found a hardcore contingent of fans who loved making content for it, games inspired or influenced by Mario Maker have only just started to crop up. Meet Your Maker is one such game. Using its extensive suite of base creation tools, you can make a challenge-filled deathtrap maze for other players to tackle, or you can seek out other players’ creations to take on if you’re more of a raider than a builder.
Curse of the Sea Rats (April 6th)
Described by its creators as a “Ratoidvania”, Curse of the Sea Rats casts you as a prisoner of the British empire, but with one significant twist: you’ve been transformed into a rat by Flora Burn, the piratical sea witch. You must find a way to get back to your human form while also going up against Burn and her crew. This is a rather unique Metroidvania platformer in that it can be tackled alongside your friends, but you can play it solo as well if you prefer.
EA Sports PGA Tour 2023 (April 7th)
Thanks to the new PureStrike system, EA Sports PGA Tour 2023 is promising to be a realistic and immersive golf sim in the vein of EA’s older golf games. It’ll have lots of officially-licensed content, including golfers, courses, and plenty more, and you’ll also be able to play iconic tournaments like the PGA Championship, the US Open, and the Masters tournament. In short, if you’re looking for a realistic golf sim that gives you everything you could want from a video game representation of the sport, it looks like EA will oblige.
God of Rock (April 18th)
God of Rock takes a rather innovative and intriguing approach to fighting gameplay. Rather than simply letting two colourful characters beat seven bells out of each other, God of Rock pits them against one another in rhythm-action battles that involve hitting beats rather than faces. Each character has their own special abilities and moves that you’ll need to use to triumph over your opponent, though, so there’s still plenty of classic one-on-one fighter action to look forward to.
Minecraft Legends (April 18th)
If you’ve ever found yourself wishing that real-time strategy incorporated more action elements, then Minecraft Legends could well be the game for you. It’s an action-strategy game that sees the diabolical piglins invading the world, and you (and optionally some friends) must put a stop to them by engaging in real-time tactical action gameplay. There’s also a competitive multiplayer mode, so if you want to pit your wits against those of your buddies, you’ve got the option to do that as well.
Stray Blade (April 20th)
Stray Blade promises to combine expansive exploration with tense, high-octane combat. It’s an action-adventure title in which you, along with your canine companion Boji, must explore the vast Valley of Acrea, which has fallen to corruption and war. You and Boji will travel the breadth of the valley, discovering what led to its current state and dispatching its violent inhabitants along the way. Battle epic bosses, discover varied biomes, and watch time progress even if you die.
Dead Island 2 (April 21st)
After many years of developmental troubles and delays, it’s almost time to play Dead Island 2 at last. Dambuster and Deep Silver promise a zombie-slaying action RPG to surpass the original Dead Island, complete with plenty of quests to complete, outlandish weaponry to assemble, and special zombie types to take down. Dead Island 2 isn’t promising to be the smartest game on the block, but it’s sure to be one of the most cathartic and satisfying when it comes to combat.
The Last Case of Benedict Fox (April 27th)
The Last Case of Benedict Fox promises a rather curious combination of 2.5D Metroidvania gameplay and detective-style puzzle-solving. You’ll engage in combat using the tricks and tools of the demon to which you’re bound, explore a Lovecraft-inspired nightmare realm, and try to put the case of a family haunted by its demons to rest. If nothing else, Benedict Fox promises to be an intriguing experiment, and it’s landing on Game Pass on day one as well, so there’s no excuse not to check it out!
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor (April 28th)
Since the Star Wars Battlefront II controversy and the failure of live-service disaster Anthem, EA seems to be much more willing to craft single-player games with no microtransactions or live elements, and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is another such game. Continuing the story of Cal Kestis after 2019’s Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Survivor will offer more of the same great action-adventure gameplay, albeit with more lightsaber styles to try out and more Force powers to use on your unfortunate enemies.
