Lately, Microsoft has had a bit of an exclusivity problem. The Xbox One might have a number of great games, but most of them are cross-platform games that you could just as well play on a PlayStation 4 or PC, or sometimes even Nintendo Switch. And looking at the games slated to come out this year, Xbox One owners will have a lot of great cross-platform games to look forward to. But for this list, let’s take a look at some of the console exclusive games that those who are sticking with Microsoft’s console can look forward to picking up.
Crackdown 3 – February 15, 2019
February 15 is going to be one of the busiest games in the video gaming world in recent memory, with games like Dead or Alive 6, Far Cry New Dawn, Jump Force, and Metro Exodus all coming out on that one day. Another game coming out on February 15, however, is the Xbox One console exclusive Crackdown 3. This game was originally supposed to come out in 2016, before being delayed to 2017, then 2018, and then finally to 2019. It looks like this latest release date is going to stick, though.
https://youtu.be/k_9fG8hPCi0
Battletoads – 2019
Crackdown 3 is the only notable Xbox One exclusive with a set release date, with the rest of the console’s major exclusives holding the vague release window of “sometime in 2019.” One of these eventual 2019 releases is a reboot of Battletoads, which was revealed at E3 2018. Not much about this new game is known at the moment, but it will include three-player local co-op functionality.
Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course DLC – 2019
Not a full game, but 2017’s breakout hit Cuphead will be receiving DLC entitled “The Delicious Last Course” sometime this year. This DLC will add quite a bit to the base game, with a new isle containing new bosses, weapons, charms, and a new playable character, Ms. Chalice. Those who enjoyed the difficult, Xbox One console exclusive platformer in 2017 are sure to look forward to this extra content in 2019.
Ori and the Will of the Wisps – 2019
Speaking of Xbox console exclusive platformers, 2015’s Ori and the Blind Forest has a sequel in the works called Ori and the Will of the Wisps. Taking on more of a Metroidvania style than Cuphead‘s run and gun platforming approach, Ori and the Will of the Wisps is another game coming to Xbox One and PC at some point in 2019.
Gears 5 – 2019
One of the biggest Xbox exclusive franchises is the Gears of War series. Going into E3 2018, many fans of the series were hoping and praying for a new entry, and they got it. This time, the series has apparently dropped the “of War” part of its name, as players will be put into the shoes of Kait in Gears 5. In addition to this main series game, Gears POP! is coming out for mobile devices this year and Gears Tactics will be a PC-exclusive coming out this year as well, but neither are coming to Xbox One. As far as console games go, you can expect Gears 5 to come out sometime in 2019.
Beyond 2019
The Xbox One may be lacking in many console exclusives, especially when compared to the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch, but it looks like it will still have some good exclusives this year. Additionally, there are plenty of other Xbox One exclusives to look forward to, whether they end up coming out in 2019 or not. Halo Infinite is obviously the biggest title Xbox One owners can look forward to at some point in the future, but that’s not all. Though we may not have any specific titles yet, Microsoft announced last year that they have acquired a number of studios, including We Happy Few developer Compulsion Games, Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice and DmC: Devil May Cry developer Ninja Theory, State of Decay developer Undead Labs, and Forza Horizon developer Playground Games, as well as creating a new studio called The Initiative to create Xbox exclusive games. And of course, it’s very likely that Microsoft will be announcing more Xbox One exclusives throughout the year in addition to the five listed above. Though this short list of exclusives itself may not be terribly exciting, the prospect for even more exclusives, as well as the large number of cross-platform games coming out this year, makes 2019 look like it could be a good year for the Xbox One.
