Top trending Xbox games (June 2024)
Are you searching for the latest trending games to play? Let’s start by exploring some of the newest Xbox games. These are handpicked by editors and showcase some of the best recent games that you can try out if you’ve already played the best of what Xbox has to offer. These picks are generally genre-agnostic and will likely include the best games available on the Xbox Game Pass subscription service this month as well.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
After two years since the release of the critically-acclaimed Souslike action-RPG Elden Ring, its highly-anticipated DLC expansion, Shadow of the Erdtree, has finally arrived. For those anxious few wondering if this DLC will live up to the hype, we've got good news for you.
We recently reviewed Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree and not only does it live up to the quality of the base game, it even surpasses it in many ways. This DLC cuts out some formulaic elements of Elden Ring's open-world design to refine its core gameplay mechanics to deliver the most enriching experience in a Fromsoft game to date.
This DLC has a massive open-world map rich with secrets to discover, an amazing art direction, a healthy variety of unique enemies, challenging bosses that are more difficult to beat than the base game's bosses, and an intriguing story where you and a cast of interesting characters work together to uncover the motivations of Miquella, son of Queen Marika.
Hi-Fi Rush
After the disheartening announcement that Microsoft would be closing down Tango Gameworks, its most recent and critically acclaimed title, Hi-Fi Rush jumped in popularity again for one last hurrah.
Hi-Fi Rush is a 3rd-person action game with rhythm game elements that has the player control Chai, a wannabe rockstar that gets augmented with rock music-empowered cybernetics and pulled into a crazy adventure to stop the evil megacorp Vandelay Technologies and their sinister plans.
This game shocked the world when it shadow-dropped in January 2023 with its bombastic comic-book art-style, its cast of endearing characters, a rocking soundtrack featuring classic licensed music and original, streamer-friendly tracks, and addictive combat system where you timed your attacks and dodges to the music for extra damage.
Dragon's Dogma 2
After twelve years since Capcom's Dragon's Dogma graced the gaming landscape in 2012, its sequel Dragon's Dogma 2, has at long last launched on modern consoles.
Dragon's Dogma 2 is an action-RPG where you play as the Arisen, a mortal who has been cursed by the ancient Great Dragon and must now travel the land to destroy him before the fiend destroys the world. Along the way, you will meet up with Pawns who will aid you in battle, hunt gigantic beasts and monsters, and engage in political intrigue as you try to expose fraudulent Sovran who is pretending to be an Arisen.
Fans of the original Dragon's Dogma have waited over a decade for this game and thankfully, their faith has been rewarded in spades. This game is one of Capcom's finest titles featuring a breathtaking open-world filled with tons of secrets to discover, action-packed set pieces, and an in-depth and engaging combat system.
While its esoteric quest systems and subpar framerate performance on consoles are a bummer, they are by no means deal breakers if you have the patience to push through.
If you want to know more about why this game is awesome, check out our glowing review of Dragon's Dogma 2.
Palworld
Palworld is taking the videogame by storm, breaking over one million concurrent players and selling over one million copies just a few days after its release date on January 19, 2024. But what is this game that is blowing up all over the internet lately?
To put it simply – Palworld is an open-world adventure game that combines the elements of survival-crafting games like ARK: Survival Evolved with monster-catching games like Pokémon. You are trapped on a mysterious island, and your only means of survival is to craft weapons and tame wild creatures with magical powers called "Pals."
You can train Pals to fight enemies, build bases, and even gather resources to help you craft better equipment and facilities.
