One of the most highly rated titles that's come from Microsoft's Xbox Game Studios publishing in recent is Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, the 2024 narrative-driven action-adventure game from MachineGames that stars the beloved archaeologist-turned-action hero. The game was a big success for the developer and Xbox, as it received a strong critical reception and drew in millions of players across Xbox, PC, and Xbox Game Pass.

It later came to PS5 in April 2025 and got a well-received DLC in September, with a Nintendo Switch 2 version now scheduled to arrive on May 12. But once the game heads to that platform, what's next for the studio? It's something fans have been wondering for a while now, with many guessing that MachinesGames' next project will be a new Wolfenstein game.

It's a reasonable assumption, given that entries in the gory alternate history World War 2 FPS franchise are what the developer is best known for, and that there hasn't been a new mainline release since 2019's Wolfenstein: Youngblood. Interestingly, though, a new GamesIndustry.biz interview with studio director Jerk Gustafsson reveals it may be something else entirely — though MachineGames will return to the series at some point.

"Our intention has always been to go back to Wolfenstein. We wanted to finish the trilogy. And when we do that, that is something that I don't want to comment on," he noted. "It can be now, it can be later, but we're not done with it. That's what I can say."

Gustafsson went on to note that the positive reception of the studio's work with Indiana Jones was exciting, as it tried something new that ultimately paid off. Thus, the developer is "looking more to see what we can do to innovate and expand" in the genre of "first-person, story-driven titles" like Wolfenstein it's been making since its founding.

Regardless of whether MachineGames' next title is the rumored "Wolfenstein 3" or not, though, what matters most to Gustafsson is that the team is motivated and happy to work on the project. "I think that's the most important part for me, because the team needs to be excited and passionate about the work we do, otherwise we won't be able to deliver a good result," he explained.

He also acknowledged that the studio has to "justify the business side" of whatever its next project is to Xbox and Microsoft, and show that it will ultimately be profitable and successful. Working under the firm, though, has overall been positive in his view, with support work done by MachineGames on id Software's 2025 shooter DOOM: The Dark Ages giving its employees valuable insight on another developer's creative process.

"Often we hear, 'Oh, it would be amazing to be independent,' but it's actually quite nice to be part of a bigger organization in that regard," he said. The team is also inspired to work hard and create something high quality by being part of Xbox's publishing label, because "We can't be worst in class."

All in all, per Gustafsson's comments, it seems an exciting time for MachineGames. Though the studio isn't growing in the traditional sense — Gustafsson says "I like the idea of keeping it as lean as possible," and leans on partner studios when the developer's less-than-200 team members are stretched thin — it's just opened a new office in Sundsvall several hours north of its Uppsala, Sweden headquarters for the employees that live in that area.

That's part of an initiative to encourage working in the office rather than remotely at home, "because we know that we are a lot more efficient and a lot more collaborative in general when we're actually in the office together. It is an improvement in how we operate."

What's your opinion of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, the Wolfenstein games, and other MachineGames projects? Do you want the studio to make Wolfenstein 3, or try something new again? Let me know in the comments.

Here at last we arrive, with the final wave of games coming to Xbox Game Pass in 2025 announced via Xbox Wire on Tuesday.

It's a mixed grab bag, with some new games like Routine launching day one into the service, as well as existing titles like Mortal Kombat 1 coming over for subscribers to play. Several games like Indiana Jones and the Great Circle were already available for Ultimate and PC subscribers, and are now coming to the Premium tier of the service.

Notably, there is also a batch of new Essential games, adding to the small but steady list of games players on the lowest tier have access to. You can find the full list of games coming across December below:

December 2, 2025

• Lost Records: Bloom & Rage (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox Cloud Gaming, Windows PC) - Ultimate, Premium, PC

December 3, 2025

• Medieval Dynasty (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Xbox Cloud Gaming, Windows PC) - Essential
• Monster Train 2 (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox Cloud Gaming, Windows PC) - Premium
• Spray Paint Simulator (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Xbox Cloud Gaming, Windows PC) - Ultimate, Premium, PC
• Stellaris (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Xbox Cloud Gaming, Windows PC) - Essential
• World War Z: Aftermath (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Xbox Cloud Gaming, Windows PC) - Essential

December 4, 2025

• 33 Immortals (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Xbox Cloud Gaming, Windows PC) - Premium
• Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox Cloud Gaming, Windows PC) - Premium
• Routine (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Xbox Cloud Gaming, Windows PC) - Ultimate, PC

December 9, 2025

• A Game About Digging a Hole (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Xbox Cloud Gaming, Windows PC) - Ultimate, Premium, PC
• Death Howl (Windows PC) - Ultimate, PC
• Dome Keeper (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Xbox Cloud Gaming, Windows PC) - Ultimate, Premium, PC

December 10, 2025

• Mortal Kombat 1 (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox Cloud Gaming, Windows PC) - Ultimate, Premium, PC
• Bratz: Rhythm and Style (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Xbox Cloud Gaming, Windows PC) - Ultimate, Premium, PC

December 11, 2025

What is leaving Xbox Game Pass in December?

As always, there are some games that are exiting the service, with a couple of games leaving at the halfway mark for December and at the very end of the year. If you want to keep playing these titles, you'll need to buy them:

• Mortal Kombat 11 - December 15
• Still Wakes the Deep - December 15
• Wildfrost - December 15
• Carrion - December 31
• Hell Let Loose - December 31

The year closes out

With the winter holidays soon to descend, this is almost assuredly the last wave of Xbox Game Pass titles we'll see for the year. Mortal Kombat 1 is a solid addition (it's worth playing the campaign at the very least) and players on the lower tiers can now enjoy games that have previously been available in Ultimate, such as Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.

2026 is promising a similar first-party slate, so we'll have to wait and see how things go when the new year arrives. In the meantime, if you need to stock up on Xbox Game Pass, there's still a discount running at Amazon.

One of the best games of 2024 is getting even better, with developer MachineGames and publisher Bethesda Softworks' Indiana Jones and the Great Circle receiving a free Anniversary Update.

Per Bethesda, this update adds a new Cairo-themed outfit (which you can see in the image above) with the promise of more outfits to come in the future. Indy isn't just getting new looks, as this update is also introducing a proper New Game Plus mode. With this mode, players can start the game over, but with all the Adventure Book skills they've previously unlocked.

Completing the game in New Game+ brings another reward, with a new ending that comes after the credits.

MachineGames is bringing some support for the upcoming ASUS ROG Xbox Ally partner handhelds. The game will now detect if it's running on these handhelds, and will automatically adjust with recommended graphics settings for better performance.

The Anniversary Update is slated to roll out on October 10 across all platforms. Below, you can find the patch notes for all the bug fixes coming as part of the update.

General Fixes

• Fixed an issue where enemies might linger in their “stumble” animation if you punched them while they’re breaking out of your grab.
• Fixed an issue where pushing a grabbed enemy into a tight space could leave the enemy detached from Indy but still in the “grabbed” animation state.
• Fixed an issue with a specific “finisher” animation where the camera would clip through Indy’s arms.
• Fixed an issue where you could enter wall squeezes while downed and using the “Lucky Hat” ability that resulted in you standing up and unable to progress properly.
• Fixed an issue that could cause a control-lock if restarting a checkpoint during the middle of a save.
• Fixed an issue where using the “push” button to open “disguise doors” could prevent you from being able to walk through the door.
• Fixed an issue where, if you left a level while holding an inventory item, it would be stuck to your hands when revisiting the level

Missions & Quests

• DLC
  • Fixed another issue that might cause pipes to be placed incorrectly during the Gladiator puzzle.
  • Fixed the animation of the blackshirt being dropped from the bridge near the entrance to the Gladiator puzzle.
  • Fixed many minor graphical glitches through the whole story.
• Peru
  • Fixed an issue where audio was missing in the Main Menu if you quit the game during the opening cutscene.
• Gizeh
  • Fixed an issue where the clothes of certain villager NPCs would not animate when the character moved.
• Sukhothai
  • Fixed an issue that might cause the boat engine sounds to never stop when you arrive at the rebel village at night.
• Iraq
  • Fixed an issue where skipping the cinematic where Indy frees Gina might result in the Siren sounds to never stop.

UI

• The price of guides and books now show correctly when inspecting them from one of the vendors.

PC-Specific

• Fixed an issue where binding the interact/use key to be the same as the “buy” button from vendors, it could prevent you from buying items.
• Fixed an issue where setting Reflections to the lowest quality made certain objects look completely black.

Localization

• In Arabic, fixed the alignment of the quick-inventory warning text about restricted zones.

A cool update, so what's next for MachineGames?

There's some good stuff here, and I'm happy to see some Xbox first-party developers working to make their games efficient on the Xbox Ally handhelds.

The most curious thing to me, however, is the new ending. Why add a new epilogue? Could it be a hint toward something in the future?

If it is, then I'm going to be incredibly fascinated to see what MachineGames' next project is. The team's leadership recently mentioned that they still hope to one day develop Wolfenstein 3. On top of that, a report indicates that a Wolfenstein TV series is being worked on with Amazon.

No matter what is next, we'll likely be waiting for a while. MachineGames is working on a Nintendo Switch 2 port of Indiana Jones, but otherwise, the team's next new game is likely a ways off.

Regardless, if you haven't played this globetrotting adventure yet, be sure to check out my review of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. I also reviewed the recently-launched Order of Giants DLC, and found it to be a fun addition, if a bit small.

If you're interested in picking up an Xbox Ally X or the lower-end Xbox Ally, preorders for both devices are currently open. Both handhelds are slated to launch on Oct. 16, 2025, in most countries.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is currently available on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC (Steam and Xbox on PC), and PlayStation 5. A Nintendo Switch 2 version is in development and is slated to launch in 2026. Like all Xbox first-party games, it's also available in Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.

In 2021, the experienced Swedish developers at MachineGames revealed that the team's next project would be an Indiana Jones game, with Bethesda Game Studios' Todd Howard serving as executive producer on the adventure.

It seemed a match made in heaven, and indeed, it was.

I absolutely loved Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, and indeed, it ended up being my favorite game of last year, deftly mixing in MachineGames' experience in first-person combat and Nazi obliteration with carefully-constructed puzzles and a sense of cinematic adventure that could live up Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Naturally, I was curious about what the promised DLC would offer, and earlier this year, the team revealed The Order of Giants, with Indy exploring Rome in search of secrets surrounding the titular myths.

Having played through The Order of Giants, I'm happy to say it's well worth checking out and lives up to MachineGames' work on the main experience...for the most part.

This review was conducted using the same review copy of the Premium Edition of Indiana Jones and The Great Circle as our review of the base game, provided by Bethesda. They did not see or have any input in the content of this review.

What is Indiana Jones and the Great Circle: The Order of Giants?

The Order of Giants is a DLC (downloadable content) that expands Indiana Jones and the Great Circle with new areas to explore, a new story to follow, and more.

Like the main game, it's been developed by MachineGames and published by Bethesda Softworks. It is available on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PlayStation 5 for $20. Unlike the main game, it is not included in an Xbox Game Pass subscription.

The Order of Giants is also included in the Premium Edition of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, meaning that any players that picked up that more expensive version of the game already have access to this new story.

The Order of Giants is set during the Venice portion of the original game, with Indy veering off on a side quest, promising to help a priest named Father Orlando Ricci, who is accompanied a chatty parrot.

From there, things spiral out, and the intrepid hero is forced to explore the ruins under Rome in pursuit of a cult that seems to be guarding the secrets of an ancient Nameless Crusader.

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Indiana Jones and the Great Circle: The Order of Giants review — What I liked

I half-considered trying to get away with a one-sentence review for this DLC, but the fact is, The Order of Giants is merely more of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.

That's not even remotely a bad thing. I'm quite happy to have more puzzles to solve, with one particular contraption that's going to stick out in my brain long after I finished this adventure. Indeed, this DLC is dense with puzzles, and without spoilers, I appreciate how many of them played into the themes of Roman and Crusader history.

The game continues to look beautiful, and I also appreciate getting to see a bit of Rome, with quite literal layers of history to delve into.

Indiana Jones as a franchise plays into ancient cultures and lost worlds with a fun magnifying lens, taking a look at different ruins or myths and dressing them up with plausible explanations and fierce traps, with an extra touch of the strange that defies our understanding of reality.

All of that is present here in The Order of Giants, with Troy Baker continuing to give an incredible performance as the titular adventurer.

MachineGames continues to demonstrate a remarkable understanding of film techniques, with a couple of particular shots in certain cutscenes that feel like they've could've been plucked out of a nonexistent film from the era of the original trilogy.

The team's penchant for clever writing also continues, and I found myself always making sure to scour every single note I found for hidden gems. One particular highlight shed a light on the logistics behind running a cult, with a hilarious note on the quantities of food needed in order to host themed feasts.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle: The Order of Giants review — What I disliked

While I've had a great time with The Order of Giants, this bite-sized adventure does suffer in one major way. The antagonists here can't hold a candle to the forces you're up against across the Great Circle.

I'm certain it's a conscious choice by design — fighting cultists instead of fascists is a bit more lighthearted — but because you don't have long to get to know them, they're never really fleshed out in a serious way that makes them feel threatening. Emmerich Voss and Locus cast a towering shadow that simply isn't matched.

Tangentially, I also found this DLC to be just a tad shorter than I'd have liked, taking just under four hours to finish, though I'll likely tack on another hour as I finish my search for every last collectible. It's the better option compared to overstaying its welcome, but still, having just a bit more to do in Rome would've been nice.

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Indiana Jones and the Great Circle: The Order of Giants review — My final thoughts

✅You should buy this if ...

• You want even more of Indiana Jones.

While it's not quite a full expansion, The Order of Giants is the perfect excuse to revisit Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. There are new mysteries to solve, new photos to take, and even a cat to pet.

• You played the base game through Xbox Game Pass

While Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is included in Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass, this DLC is not, so you'll need to purchase it in order to play through the Roman adventure.

❌You should not buy this if ...

• You didn't like Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

If, for some reason, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle didn't click with you, then this DLC is absolutely not changing your opinion. It's more of what came before, with additional puzzles and sneaking through ancient ruins while clobbering opponents with whatever tools happen to be lying around.

Ultimately, it's pretty simple: If you liked what Indiana Jones and the Great Circle had to offer, then this is more of that. More puzzles to solve, but instead of knocking out fascists while examining ancient sites all around the world, you're clobbering strange cultists underneath Rome.

Playing through The Order of Giants has immediately refreshed me on just how much I enjoy MachineGames' take on the world's expert adventurer archeologist, and it has me reflecting on what I want to see the team do next.

With MachineGames studio head Jerk Gustafsson recently indicating that the team still wants to make Wolfenstein 3 — it's unlikely to be a coincidence that a Wolfenstein TV series is also reportedly in the works — I'm torn between my love of Indiana Jones and a desire to see BJ Blaskowicz get the final entry in his trilogy.

It's beyond unlikely that Indiana Jones finds any meaningful purchase in media outside of future MachineGames-developed titles. At the same time, the sheer brutality and careful introspection Wolfenstein: The New Order and The New Colossus offered is begging to be revisited, especially at times like this.

I'm torn, and I'm truly unsure what I'd prefer to see this talented studio do next.

Still, whatever it is, I'll be there, and I'm sure there'll be plenty of Nazis to kill.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle: The Order of Giants is available on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC (Steam and Xbox PC), and PlayStation 5, and is coming to Nintendo Switch 2 in 2026.

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Gamescom 2025 is kicking off with countless video game announcements and reveals, and that starts with our live coverage of Opening Night Live. During the show, we got another look at the upcoming DLC expansion for one of the best Indiana Jones adventures we've gotten in years, along with some great news.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, the first-person action-adventure game I loved so much I 100% complete it, is getting even bigger with The Order of Giants expansion. New secrets, more puzzles, and fresh enemies are arriving in just a few weeks, but we already knew that — so you can sit back and simply enjoy the gameplay preview we got during the event.

Watch the trailer, though, and you may notice something interesting at the end...

Yes, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is coming to another platform, namely the Nintendo Switch 2. The game may have launched on Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC originally, but Bethesda Softworks and MachineGames brought it to PlayStation 5 earlier this year. Now, Indy is going handheld.

I assume this also means "The Order of Giants" DLC will be coming to Switch, as well. Either way, I'll be interested to see how this detailed, photorealistic game handles on Nintendo's latest mobile platform.

• RELATED: Our live coverage of Gamescom 2025 and Opening Night Live

Bethesda didn't give us an exact release date for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle's Switch 2 debut, only that we can expect it at some point in 2026. Hopefully, the upcoming DLC expansion will give us plenty of new content to quench our thirst before that happens.

I can't wait to dive back into the game

Apart from an annoying bug that prevented me from fully completing the Journal until months after launch, I explored every inch of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle right away. There are a lot of reasons I named it my second favorite game of 2024.

This latest trailer gives us some more information on where the journey will take us go — Rome, Italy. It seems we'll continue to investigate the mysterious cult of giants that appeared in the main game, and obviously stir up a lot of trouble in our quest to discover lost artifacts and uncover buried history.

I'm interested to see if MachineGames plans to mix up the gameplay loop with new mechanics or systems. The trailer feels like more of the same, but even if that's true I'll be happy just getting additional game to play through.

I'll be sure to hit this DLC as soon as I can around launch. Those of you who have yet to play Indiana Jones and the Great Circle still have a few weeks to get to it, too.

The Order of Giants officially launches for Xbox, PC, and PlayStation on Sept. 4, 2025. The base game is still (and always will be) available through Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Cloud Gaming, too, and subscribers can enjoy a nice discount on the expansion.

In other Gamescom 2025 news, Season 2 of the Fallout TV show got a beefy trailer, and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 was officially revealed. The next World of Warcraft expansion also got its standard cinematic reveal trailer. Stay tuned to Windows Central for even more content as the event (and this week) progresses!

Bethesda's Indiana Jones and the Great Circle was a knockout hit for Xbox, and now fans of the franchise can look forward to more time with their favorite adventurer in new DLC revealed during the 2025 Xbox Games Showcase.

The Order of Giants is slated to release on the Xbox ecosystem, Steam, and PS5 on September 4.

The trailer for the Order of Giants DLC trailer shows Indy heading off to a new adventure set in the ancient streets of Rome to the city of Antiago.

According to Bethesda, The Order of Giants will have Indiana Jones facing off against a dangerous cult, all while deciphering puzzles and uncovering a legacy of Nephilim giants.

We see Indy swinging from an airplane, zip lining with his whip, and engaging in even more of the action and adventure originally offered in the base game. No price was announced for the DLC, but Bethesda did confirm that players with the Premium Edition of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle will have access to the DLC.

This includes the premium edition upgrade available to Xbox Game Pass subscribers that is bundled with the Digital Art Book and the Temple of Doom outfit.

The Xbox Games Showcase is ongoing, with more games and announcements on the way. Additional details on Indiana Jones and the Great Circle's first DLC is still forthcoming.

Stay tuned to our live coverage of the Xbox Games Showcase for more announcements from Xbox, Bethesda, and third-party partners.

All games and content highlighted in the showcase are part of the Xbox Play Anywhere initiative, with many titles also heading to the Xbox Game Pass subscription service.

Bethesda Softworks and MachineGames' Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is getting another big update, this time bringing new features and visual improvements alongside a host of bug fixes.

According to Bethesda, this update brings improved ray-traced global illumination to Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC at no performance cost, meaning the game should look a bit better without any decrease in the current framerate.

There's also new skills to obtain via the Adventure Books. Sleight of Hand lets Indy pull an enemy's weapon toward him after they've been disarmed, while Open Season makes foes take more damage after being hit with the whip

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle first launched back in December 2024 across Xbox and PC to critical praise, rapidly garnering 4 million players. A PlayStation 5 version of the game is set to launch later in April. You can find the full patch notes below:

New Adventure Books

• With the “Open Season” Adventure Book, hitting an opponent with the whip temporarily causes them to take more damage from subsequent attacks
• “Sleight of Hand” lets Indy pull an enemy’s weapon towards him after disarming them with the whip

Quality of Life Features

• You can choose to disable the center dot on the HUD (if you’re prone to motion sickness, we recommend leaving the dot enabled)
• We’ve added an “Always Allow Skipping Cutscenes” option, letting you skip cutscenes even if you haven’t watched them
• Players can disable the “Stealth Vignette” around the edge of the HUD while Indy is crouched in stealth
• You can cycle between local maps and level maps when viewing the journal in “lowered” mode
• Players will now see slightly more of the map while the journal is in “lowered” mode
• Some of you have told us that you don’t have much use for Repair Kits. Well, now you can throw them at your enemies!
• We have added a timer to the combat HUD around Indy’s health that lets you know how long it will take for alerted enemies to call off a search
• The PC version now supports the PlayStation DualSense Wireless Controller for advanced haptic feedback and adaptive triggers
• If you are using PlayStation or Steamdeck controllers in the PC version, they will now show up in the controller configuration menu
• You can now bind a key to toggle High Contrast Mode on PC
• Several new tutorials have been added:
  • Tutorials are now given explaining how to unlock/activate Adventure Books after you’ve collected them
  • Tutorials are now given about how to buy Health or Stamina upgrades after collecting multiple medicine bottles
  • We’ve added a tutorial on how to blow away scorpions at the end of the Gizeh level
• The menu to purchase or unlock Adventure Books and map information booklets has been improved to give clearer information about unlock costs and to better subdivide the categories
• We’ve recorded new one-liners for Indy during fights, for extra variety
• We’ve improved Ray-traced Global Illumination on all platforms at no performance cost; contact shadows have been improved, helping objects appear more “grounded” in the scene

General Bug Fixes

• Made Indy’s transition from ledge hanging into whip attach and swing look smoother
• Fixed an issue where some medicine bottles could not be picked up in various locations in the game in specific circumstances
• Dogs move their legs more naturally when turning while walking
• It’s now much easier to throw defeated soldiers over ledges when carrying them
• Fixed issue where Gina would use here her standing conversation ‘gesture’ animations while she’s crouching
• Prevented merchant items from disappearing if you trigger a cutscene with them immediately after holding one of their books
• Fixed an issue where you could get stuck in third-person camera if using a zipline while inspecting an item
• Fixed an issue where you could loot multiple items from downed opponents by spamming the interact button
• “Parry” tutorial stays on screen longer, giving you more chance to read it
• Whipping the air near an enemy soldier is now always considered an offensive action even if you are in a soldier disguise

Missions and Quests Bug Fixes

• Marshall College
  • Interaction marker for the Cat Mummy photograph is now shown from farther away
  • Pendant Marker is now visible when you are in the exhibition hall
  • Markers are now shown on the cabinets when you pick up the exhibits in the Cat Mummy puzzle
• The Vatican
  • Fixed an issue where the marker for Giuseppe could not be shown if he left Section F (for example if he came to investigate gunfire sounds). The marker on Giuseppe will always be shown now (if you have ‘Objective Location Markers’ set to ‘On’ in the ‘Adventure Experience’ section of the ‘HUD and Gameplay’ menu). Also prevented the “Search Giuseppe” marker from disappearing if you leave Section F before searching him
  • Fixed an issue where you could not open the “Bulls of Blood” secret door when revisiting the Castel Sant Angelo. Also prevented the “search area” for this mystery from appearing on your map if you the mystery was started on your first visit to the area but not completed
  • Fix for priests appearing behind the sealed ‘demon door’ in the Tower of Nicholas V in the Vatican
  • Fix to prevent speedrunning players running under the gate before it closes in the Silver Path Trial in the Vatican, and finding themselves stuck
  • Fixed an issue where player may get stuck in a death loop in the flames of the Silver Path Trial in the Vatican
  • Fixed issue where Gina would not exit the Silver Path Trial rooms if you lingered on the whip-swing beams
  • Solved an issue where Indy’s animations broke if you tried to inspect a photo with the magnifying glass in the Vatican at the same time as equipping another item.
  • Fix to prevent player falling out of world when vaulting through a fireplace in Castel Sant Angelo
  • Objective marker for rescuing Sidney from the barracks no longer shows permanently if player hasn’t actually enabled the ‘Objective Location Markers’ feature in the Adventure Experience menu
• Gizeh
  • Fixed issue where it was not possible to track the Remedy for All activity in Gizeh if the guidebook was collected before speaking to Dr. Kafour
  • Fixed issue where Gina would only escort you across the first scorpion-filled room in Sanctury of the Guardians if you picked up a specific one of the three staffs
  • Fix for “Parked Car” photo opportunity marker in Gizeh Village appearing before the car is actually present
  • Fixed an issue where player may be able to survive falling into pits in the temples near the Nazi Dig Site in Gizeh, getting stuck
  • “Gantz’s Orders” and “Gantz’s Journal” note marker is changed to be a Search Area instead of a point marker
  • Added some extra grabbable ledges around the pit where you collect the Selek Stele, to allow for more graceful swing failures!
• Shanghai
  • Fixed issue where you might see enemy planes frozen in the sky
• Sukhothai
  • Updated how objective markers are displayed in the “Royal Army Transmissions”. Markers appear by the radio closest to Gina when you have frequencies to return to her, and the marker appears on Gina when you have returned all of the frequencies
  • Fixed issue where it was not possible to complete the Royal Army Transmissions mission despite having turned in all radio frequencies
  • Fixed an issue where player could not swim to escape from the flooding temple in Sukhothai
  • “Fried Egg” note can now be obtained even if player does not start the “Trapped in the Past” mission by talking to Sunan before travelling to the cave. Players who did not speak to Sunan will receive the note when exiting the dream sequence. Players who have already completed this mission should also receive the note
  • Fixed an issue where Gina would be repeating her startled and worried voice lines from the ambush when you revisit Sukhothai. Update 3 prevented new players from experiencing this issue, and in Update 4 we’ve been able to fix this for players who are already encountering this bug
  • Fixed issue where Gina may be missing when exiting the flooding temple in Sukhothai
  • Fixed issue where Gina might stay at Wat Mahathat when you return to Sukhothai in a revisit, making it seem like she has “disappeared.” Gina now returns to the Village correctly
  • Fixed an issue where the game may crash after being eaten by the Giant Snake while swimming underwater
  • Fixed an issue whereby changing your outfit outside of the Sukhothai village might have prevented you from performing certain actions, such as punching
  • The Mystery Guide bought from Tongdang now shows the marker on the May Yek mystery.
  • Removed the duplicated marker for “Fascist’s Journal” in Sukhothai shown in the Sukhothai Notes guidebook after you have collected it
  • Fixed an issue where the Serpent’s Chest mystery would not start when opening the chest in a specific scenario
  • Fixed another issue where the keys for Serpent’s Chest mystery would not spawn in very specific circumstances
  • Fixed an issue where you could re-use the same key multiple times to open the Serpent’s Chest
  • Fixed an issue where the Demon’s Tomb quest could get stuck if using dynamite to prematurely open the weak wall in the sarcophagus room
  • Made it easier to hit certain giant mushrooms with the Khmer spears after the snake fight in the Nephilim Archive
  • Fixed an issue where player couldn’t whip-climb up a wall in Sukthothai when escaping the flooding temple if you were using saved games made in the initial launch of the game
  • Fixed an issue where you could get permanently stuck in the spiked-walls trap room in the Demon’s Tomb if you tried to run straight through the spikes
  • Fix for “Exploded Opening” photo opportunity marker appearing before you can take the photo
  • An autosave now occurs after you complete “The Kid Who Vanished” mission
  • Fix to prevent players from being able to start The Demon’s Tomb mission before you have purchased the rebreather in certain circumstances
  • Map marker is now shown correctly for “Painted Message” photo opportunity in Path of Tigers
  • Sukhothai Mysteries guide now points to correct location for A Game of Wits mystery
  • Map markers are incorrectly shown for “A Game of Wits” mystery when the player is actually tracking Field Notes
  • Fixed issue where you would die instantly if picking up Indy’s fedora from the wrong side of the podium in “Trapped in the Past”
• Iraq
  • Updated the Iraq level so the gates to the camp should now be open when you revisit the level, making for easier backtracking
  • Gina will no longer walk in front of Indy while you are solving the final Nephilim puzzle in Iraq
  • Fixed issue that could stop the Lower Elevator button from working
  • Iraq’s chapter summary now increments correctly with progression
  • “Grab Gina’s Hand” marker is now more visible in the final stages of the last fight with Voss
  • Fixed issue where player could fall down the elevator shaft in Iraq without dying, getting permanently stuck
  • Removed camera jerkiness when the player gets control at start of the fight with Voss in Iraq
  • Player will now respawn at their last saved checkpoint when revisiting Iraq, rather than always appearing in front of the Nephilim Vault

UI Bug Fixes

• When inspecting notes, the icon shown on the description text is now of the correct category
• Fixed issue where mission objectives would still appear on screen even when there in is no main mission available
• Fixed issue where combat state stayed active on the HUD when entering or exiting the Sukhothai boat while in combat
• Prevented overlap of some “interact” and “waypoint” markers in various locations through the game
• Solved issue where books tracked in “A World of Knowledge” do not have their objective markers cleared if you bought the book in another game level
• The Gizeh dig site local map is now better aligned
• Fixed an issue where player could get into a broken animation state when inspecting Adventure Books while quickly switching between different books
• Colors used in “High Contrast Mode” now more closely match the colors shown in the menus
• Fixed several letters and notes not giving an Adventure Points notification on the HUD
• Fixed several photo opportunities giving zero Adventure Points as reward
• Fixed several photo opportunities having no star rating
• Fixed several controls so they can be set as toggleable when bound to LT; Aim Firearm, Aim Photo, Camera, Raise Lighter and Whip Free Climb
• New objectives now appear more quickly when they change in the HUD
• Onscreen objective text for several Discoveries now updates in real-time correctly

Audio Bug Fixes

• Made the voice lines from Captains to be more audible from distance when they are spotting Indy in disguise, to give you a better idea that they’re suspicious of you. Also increased their subtitle range
• Added audio for when you are whip-punching, or kicking, a blocking enemy
• Fix for subtitles not appearing in parts of the “Path of Tigers” mystery
• Gina will remind Indy to pull her up into the ship when first entering the Kummetz in Nepal
• Added engine sounds for the enemy boats, and fighting sounds for Locus, in the boat chase in Sukhothai
• Fixed issue that could result in Locus’ whistling be silent near the beginning of Iraq
• Made sure all of Gina’s lines play when racing to reach her at the end of the Sukhothai level
• Made sure all of Annika’s lines play in the Demon’s tomb if you interrupt her by talking to her
• Fixed some missing lines of VO from Indy at the start of The Kid Who Vanished quest in Sukhothai
• Added sound for Gina opening the door in the Borgia Tower in the Vatican
• Improved reverb on the rifle shots in echoing environments
• Added sounds to when Indy moves the banana crates in Gizeh
• Effort sounds added when Indy and Gia rotate the fountain of confession in Vatican
• Fix for several sounds that were looping incorrectly
• Cinematic Music Volume option now controls the volume of the music in cutscenes in the Peru level correctly
• Solved missing waterfall sounds in Sukhothai
• Fixed several instances of Indy or Gina repeating their lines if the player repeats the same action

Graphics Bug Fixes

• Reduced the shimmering on the horizon of Lake Hammar in the cinematic reveal PC-specific Fixes
• Additional fixes for being able to use Xbox cloud saves on the Steam release. You can now enable these correctly even if you have never played the game on an Xbox console or the Xbox App PC release

Localization Bug Fixes

• Several text corrections; and updates to menu text and subtitles across all languages
• Various fixes to voiceover localization, including sync issues
• Aligned HUD notifications for Arabic localization after picking up items
• Fix for rare crashes when scrolling through the game manual tabs in Arabic
• Fixed issue where, on occasion, multiple items would be highlighted in the option menus in Arabic
• Fixed some issues where Indy would repeat his lines every time he interacted with certain props
• River Duuro is now correctly named in the travel montage when flying to Rome

We've known for a while that Indiana Jones and the Great Circle was coming to PlayStation 5 some months after its debut on Xbox and PC, and now, we have the release date.

Bethesda Softworks and MachineGames' globetrotting adventure is hitting PlayStation 5 on April 17, with two-day early access for anyone buying the Premium Edition.

You can take a look at the announcement trailer below, which amusingly features Indiana Jones actor Troy Baker talking with Nolan North, another actor known for playing a distinct adventurer...

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle saw critical acclaim when it first launched in December last year, quickly garnering 4 million players and winning multiple awards, including Adventure Game of the Year at the 28th D.I.C.E. awards.

I also absolutely loved this experience, and it was easily my personal game of the year for 2024.

I wrote in my review of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle that "From the manner in which every line is delivered and scene is shot to the smirk on Indy's face when solving a puzzle, it's clear that everyone at MachineGames just gets what makes Indiana Jones so special. This is a game that can sit next to the original trilogy with pride."

Hopefully we won't be waiting much longer to learn about the promised Order of Giants story DLC, which is also included in the Premium Edition of the game.

April is packed with game launches just from Xbox

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is joining a number of other games launching in April from across Xbox Game Studios and Bethesda Softworks.

Forr new games, Compulsion Games' South of Midnight is launching toward the start of the month on April 8, with early access kicking off five days earlier. Towerborne is also entering Xbox Game Preview on April 29, and both titles are launching in Xbox Game Pass.

There's another late port in the form of Playground Games' Forza Horizon 5, which is launching near the end of the month on April 29, with four day early access for Premium Edition buyers.

As if all that wasn't enough, rumors continue to circle that a remake of Bethesda Game Studios' The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion is slated to be revealed and launched in April.

Even if that doesn't end up happening, April will be one of the most packed months with different launches from a single company (admittedly across different publishers) that I can remember happening in a long time.

There's perhaps less overlap than it seems at first glance, with Xbox players already having had access to Indiana Jones and Forza Horizon 5, but still, it's something to behold.

NVIDIA has announced that its long-awaited GeForce RTX 5070 Ti is now available for purchase online. In addition, NVIDIA is releasing the latest GeForce Ready Driver update so GeForce users can add the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti to their PC systems.

In addition, NVIDIA will enhance the graphics and framerates of several games using its patented DLSS 4 technology. These games include Marvel Rivals, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, and Delta Force: Black Hawk Down. Also, NVIDIA will add DLSS Super Resolution and DLSS Frame Generation to Legend of Ymir, Like a Dragon: Yakuza in Hawaii, and Lost Records, Bloom & Rage.

For those unaware, the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti is NVIDIA's latest graphic card and one of the most powerful it has produced to date. This PC component can enrich the graphical fidelity and framerate performance of the best PC games to new heights of high-quality gaming thanks to its Fifth-Gen Tensor Cores, Streaming Multiprocessors, Fourth-Gen Ray Tracing Cores, FP4, and DLSS 4.

The DLSS 4 is a key part of the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti as this latest iteration of NVIDIA's Ai-Suite is what allows the graphics to greatly boost the framerate and resolution of PC games without causing latency issues. (You can check out our NVIDIA DLSS primer for more detailed information on how it works).

For action-packed games like Like a Dragon: Yakuza in Hawaii, Marvel Rivals, Indiana Jones, and the Great Circle, this feature will sweeten their image quality while making them more responsive to play during intense moments where player reaction times are needed most.

The popular competitive PvP Hero shooter Marvel Rivals will especially enjoy the benefits of the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti, making the fast-paced gameplay even more responsive while being gorgeous to look at. The performance improvements from this graphics card could potentially bring in more players to join the game's 40+ million player base (an achievement confirmed by NetEase) and make it more financially successful.

However, Marvel Rivals' future is currently in question as its developers have been laid off by NetEase so it's uncertain if the game will survive long enough to reap the benefits.

The GeForce RTX 5070 Ti is a powerful graphics card...if you can even buy it

Then again, it's doubtful if the general public will get to experience using this graphics card at the moment as it's confirmed that the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti already sold out in mere seconds. Plus, its MSRP is currently sitting at $749.99, which is pretty steep even by the standards of the best PC graphics cards, so unless you're mega-rich, you won't be buying this GeForce RTX 5070 Ti anytime soon.

But if you have the cash but want alternative premium graphic cards to fill the void until the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti is back in stock, you can check out our reviews for the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 to see if they meet your high PC gaming needs.

The 28th D.I.C.E. awards have come and gone, with Bethesda Softworks and MachineGames' Indiana Jones and the Great Circle grabbing three wins. The (mostly) first-person Nazi-bashing adventure snagged Adventure Game of the Year, Outstanding Achievement in Story, and Outstanding Achievement in Character.

The biggest winner of the night was PlayStation Studios' Astro Bot though, which grabbed five wins from the six categories it was nominated in, including Game of the Year. It's a repeat for the little bot, which also won Game of the Year at the Game Awards 2024.

Online juggernaut Helldivers 2 also won big, grabbing four wins including Action Game of the Year.

You can find the full list of categories with the winners highlighted below:

Game of the Year

• Astro Bot - Winner
• Balatro
• Black Myth: Wukong
• Helldivers 2
• Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction

• 1000xRESIST    
• ANIMAL WELL - Winner
• Lorelei and the Laser Eyes         
• Riven   
• Thank Goodness You're Here!

Outstanding Achievement in Game Design

• ANIMAL WELL  
• Astro Bot - Winner  
• Balatro
• Helldivers 2      
• UFO 50

Online Game of the Year

• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6           
• Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred       
• Helldivers 2 - Winner
• Marvel Rivals   
• Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2

Mobile Game of the Year

• Balatro - Winner
• Halls of Torment          
• Monument Valley 3      
• Paper Trail       
• Wuthering Waves

Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game

• ANIMAL WELL  
• Balatro - Winner
• Grunn  
• INDIKA 
• Mouthwashing

Immersive Reality Game of the Year

• Alien: Rogue Incursion  
• Batman: Arkham Shadow - Winner
• Escaping Wonderland   
• Skydance's BEHEMOTH 
• UNDERDOGS

Immersive Reality Technical Achievement

• Alien: Rogue Incursion  
• Batman: Arkham Shadow         
• Starship Home - Winner
• Skydance's BEHEMOTH 
• UNDERDOGS

Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year

• Balatro - Winner
• Caves of Qud    
• Frostpunk 2     
• Tactical Breach Wizards
• Satisfactory

Sports Game of the Year

• EA SPORTS College Football 25  
• EA SPORTS FC 25          
• MLB The Show 24 - Winner
• NBA 2K25

Role-playing Game of the Year

• Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth    
• Dragon Age: The Veilguard       
• Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree      
• Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth   
• Metaphor: ReFantazio - Winner

Racing Game of the Year

• F1 24 - Winner
• MotoGP 24
• NIGHT-RUNNERS PROLOGUE

Fighting Game of the Year

• Blazing Strike   
• Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero
• Mortal Kombat 1: Khaos Reigns
• Tekken 8 - Winner
• UNDERDOGS

Family Game of the Year

• Astro Bot - Winner
• Cat Quest 3
• Little Kitty, Big City       
• The Plucky Squire         
• Super Mario Party Jamboree

Adventure Game of the Year

• 1000xRESIST    
• ANIMAL WELL  
• Indiana Jones and the Great Circle - Winner
• The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
• Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown

Action Game of the Year

• Batman: Arkham Shadow         
• Black Myth: Wukong    
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6           
• Helldivers 2 - Winner
• Stellar Blade

Outstanding Technical Achievement

• Astro Bot - Winner
• Batman: Arkham Shadow         
• Indiana Jones and the Great Circle        
• Senua's Saga: Hellblade II         
• Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2

Outstanding Achievement in Story

• 1000xRESIST    
• Indiana Jones and the Great Circle - Winner
• Metaphor: ReFantazio  
• Still Wakes the Deep     
• Thank Goodness You're Here!

Outstanding Achievement in Audio Design

• Frostpunk 2     
• Helldivers 2 - Winner
• Monument Valley 3      
• Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2         
• Still Wakes the Deep

Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition

• Astro Bot         
• Helldivers 2 - Winner
• Monument Valley 3      
• Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2        
• Star Wars Outlaws

Outstanding Achievement in Character

• 1000xRESIST - Watcher 
• Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth - Yuffie Kisaragi      
• Indiana Jones and the Great Circle - Dr. Henry "Indiana" Jones  - Winner
• INDIKA - Indika 
• Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 - Senua

Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction

• Black Myth: Wukong - Winner
• Indiana Jones and the Great Circle        
• LEGO Horizon Adventures         
• The Plucky Squire         
• Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2

Outstanding Achievement in Animation

• Astro Bot - Winner
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6           
• Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth    
• Neva   
• Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2

Obsidian Entertainment's latest role-playing game Avowed supports DLSS 4 features at launch, NVIDIA confirmed on Thursday. The fantastical adventure will allow players to use Multi Frame Generation and other DLSS features right from the start when it begins early access. Ubisoft's Star Wars Outlaws also supports DLSS 4 now, thanks to a new update enabling the feature set for Ubisoft and Massive's Star Wars adventure.

Another Xbox first-party game will be joining in the fun soon. Bethesda Softworks and NVIDIA confirmed that MachineGames' Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is getting DLSS 4 support in a patch next week. This patch will be part of the third big update for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, and will also include a number of bug fixes for the game based on issues that players have reported since its launch back in December 2024.

Multi Frame Generation is exclusive to the new 50-series GPUs

While DLSS 4 is available across NVIDIA's entire lineup of ray-tracing capable graphics cards, Multi-Frame Generation is only available for anyone that picks up one of the new 50-series cards. Stock for the 5080 and 5090 hasn't been great so far, meaning not many players will be able to use this bleeding-edge technology right away.

Fortunately, this feature is only necessary for players who want to push truly wild framerates like 240 FPS with every setting in a game dialed to max, including high-end ray tracing like Indiana Jones' path tracing option. If you're content with merely enjoying Avowed and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle at 120 FPS, regular frame generation will be sufficient for your needs.

If you still haven't played MachineGames' latest yet, read my review of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, where I praised it as a fun adventure with immersive sim elements, as well as being a game that "can sit next to the original trilogy with pride."

Meanwhile, Avowed is almost here, with early access for the Premium Edition and Premium Upgrade owns kicking off later today. My colleague Zachary Boddy writes in their review that "A varied combat system, gorgeous visuals, and an interesting story all help make Avowed one of the most fun RPGs I've played in a long while."

The standard edition of Avowed is slated to launch on Feb. 18, 2025 across Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC. Like all Xbox first-party games, it's included day one in Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.

The nominees for the 28th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards are in.

The 28th entry in the awards show organized by the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences (AIAS) is on the way, with games from across different parts of the industry being nominated.

Bethesda Softworks and MachineGames' Indiana Jones and the Great Circle tied with PlayStation's Astro Bot and Helldivers 2 for the most nominated games of the event with six nominations each. All three games were also nominated for Game of the Year.

Following close behind are Localthunk and Playstack's Balatro and Xbox Game Studios and Ninja Theory's Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2, which grabbed five nominations each. Xbox and PlayStation both managed 15 nominations across the teams' different games.

The winners are set to be presented on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025 at 8:00 p.m. PT / 11:00 p.m. ET at the 28th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards ceremony. Just like the past couple of the years, the awards will be hosted by Kinda Funny Games' Greg Miller and media personality Stella Chung.

You can find the full list of nominations below:

Game of the Year

• Astro Bot
• Balatro
• Black Myth: Wukong
• Helldivers 2
• Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction

• 1000xRESIST    
• ANIMAL WELL  
• Lorelei and the Laser Eyes         
• Riven   
• Thank Goodness You're Here!

Outstanding Achievement in Game Design

• ANIMAL WELL  
• Astro Bot         
• Balatro
• Helldivers 2      
• UFO 50

Online Game of the Year

• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6           
• Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred       
• Helldivers 2      
• Marvel Rivals   
• Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2

Mobile Game of the Year

• Balatro
• Halls of Torment          
• Monument Valley 3      
• Paper Trail       
• Wuthering Waves

Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game

• ANIMAL WELL  
• Balatro
• Grunn  
• INDIKA 
• Mouthwashing

Immersive Reality Game of the Year

• Alien: Rogue Incursion  
• Batman: Arkham Shadow         
• Escaping Wonderland   
• Skydance's BEHEMOTH 
• UNDERDOGS

Immersive Reality Technical Achievement

• Alien: Rogue Incursion  
• Batman: Arkham Shadow         
• Escaping Wonderland   
• Skydance's BEHEMOTH 
• UNDERDOGS

Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year

• Balatro
• Caves of Qud    
• Frostpunk 2     
• Tactical Breach Wizards
• Satisfactory

Sports Game of the Year

• EA SPORTS College Football 25  
• EA SPORTS FC 25          
• MLB The Show 24         
• NBA 2K25

Role-playing Game of the Year

• Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth    
• Dragon Age: The Veilguard       
• Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree      
• Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth   
• Metaphor: ReFantazio

Racing Game of the Year

• F1 24 MotoGP 24    
• NIGHT-RUNNERS
• PROLOGUE

Fighting Game of the Year

• Blazing Strike   
• Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero
• Mortal Kombat 1: Khaos Reigns
• Tekken 8         
• UNDERDOGS

Family Game of the Year

• Astro Bot         
• Cat Quest 3
• Little Kitty, Big City       
• The Plucky Squire         
• Super Mario Party Jamboree

Adventure Game of the Year

• 1000xRESIST    
• ANIMAL WELL  
• Indiana Jones and the Great Circle        
• The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
• Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown

Action Game of the Year

• Batman: Arkham Shadow         
• Black Myth: Wukong    
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6           
• Helldivers 2      
• Stellar Blade

Outstanding Technical Achievement

• Astro Bot         
• Batman: Arkham Shadow         
• Indiana Jones and the Great Circle        
• Senua's Saga: Hellblade II         
• Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2

Outstanding Achievement in Story

• 1000xRESIST    
• Indiana Jones and the Great Circle        
• Metaphor: ReFantazio  
• Still Wakes the Deep     
• Thank Goodness You're Here!

Outstanding Achievement in Audio Design

• Frostpunk 2     
• Helldivers 2      
• Monument Valley 3      
• Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2         
• Still Wakes the Deep

Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition

• Astro Bot         
• Helldivers 2      
• Monument Valley 3      
• Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2        
• Star Wars Outlaws

Outstanding Achievement in Character

• 1000xRESIST - Watcher 
• Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth - Yuffie Kisaragi      
• Indiana Jones and the Great Circle - Dr. Henry "Indiana" Jones    
• INDIKA - Indika 
• Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 - Senua

Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction

• Black Myth: Wukong    
• Indiana Jones and the Great Circle        
• LEGO Horizon Adventures         
• The Plucky Squire         
• Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2

Outstanding Achievement in Animation

• Astro Bot         
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6           
• Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth    
• Neva   
• Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2

As 2023 approached its end, I collected my thoughts on my personal top five games of the year. 12 more months have passed, and I'm thinking this will become an annual tradition for me.

2024 was a busy year for the video games industry in a lot of ways. Sure, there were plenty of incredible games released throughout the year, but there were a lot of other stories and trends that dominated our collective consciousness. In December, many of us celebrated the best of what we played this year, and that included tuning into The Game Awards 2024 — which gave us a huge peek into what's coming in 2025 in addition to the awards.

Right now, though, I want to talk about the real game of the year list: the definitive, objective, entirely factual collection of the absolute best games released on Xbox and PC in 2024. Well, it's at least the definitive list in my eyes, based on all the games I personally played and completed this year. There were a lot of great games I couldn't quite get to, including Balatro, Astro Bot, Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth, Silent Hill 2 (2024), and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth.

I did play a lot of other games, though, and these were my favorites.

5. The “Purrfect Adventure” Award — Cat Quest III

This one may surprise a lot of people, but I stand by this selection. More than any of my honorable mentions, Cat Quest III stood out to me as one of the best games I played this year. It's very far from the largest, most ambitious, or most technically or visually impressive title here, but it earned its place because it's simply fun.

Cat Quest III is an approachable, casual isometric RPG that is impossibly adorable and refreshingly bright. The story is simple and filled with cat puns, the world is cartoonish, and the gameplay is straightforward, but none of this is to the game's detriment. At its core, Cat Quest III is designed so you can enjoy yourself, and it cares little about trifles like "balance."

In my Cat Quest III review, I concluded, "Cat Quest 3 is a short, approachable RGB with a modest open world and a simple narrative, but still manages to be one of the most enjoyable, fun gaming experiences I've had all year thanks to its delightful and surprisingly varied combat, its adorable and consistent world, and a cute cast of furry characters. It's a great game for all ages, and even supports local two-player co-op."

I 100% this game and its achievements, and I still wanted more to play. Honestly, that's my biggest complaint with this game — it's too short. If you want 10 hours of pure RPG fun, though, Cat Quest III is genuinely amazing.

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4. The “I Didn’t Break My Controller” Award — Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown

The first game I reviewed this year also ended up being one of the best. Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown surprised me in more ways than one, and isn't just a 2024 game of the year contender — it's one of the finest Metroidvanias released this decade. A reimagining of the iconic Prince of Persia franchise, it's immediately clear that The Lost Crown was crafted with the utmost care and passion.

The story, level design, platforming, combat, progression, and unique abilities — Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is excellent on all fronts. Its precise and responsive gameplay makes exploring incredibly satisfying, and it's perfectly difficult in that you never feel like you died or failed unfairly. I certainly had my moments of frustration, but I prevailed (and never felt like I was in danger of breaking my controller).

In my Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown review, I concluded, "It's not a direct follow-up to the last Prince of Persia games release, but The Lost Crown is a decidedly fun, challenging, and interesting Metroidvania 2D platformer. There are minor flaws with the story and controls, but overall this is genuinely a great game that you shouldn't immediately write off."

I'm devastated that The Lost Crown team at Ubisoft isn't getting a chance to continue this series because this is hands-down one of the best games Ubisoft has released in a long time.

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3. The “You Can Pet the Dog” Award — Neva

There are many beautiful games, but Nomada Studio has been a cut above the rest twice in a row, first with GRIS and now with Neva. This gorgeous, emotional, and powerful action-platformer grabs your attention with its vibrant world and hand-drawn animations, and it keeps your attention with its moving narrative.

The world is threatened by darkness, and you alone are fighting against it. At your side, the orphaned cub of your lifelong companion, who now looks to you for guidance. Neva takes you through the seasons in a story of growth and rebirth, where you'll watch Neva grow into a powerful wolf as your own abilities evolve. It's a short adventure, but one that you're not liable to forget.

In my Neva review, I concluded, "Neva cements Nomada Studio as a master of color and art design, with phenomenal visuals and animations that make the powerful, emotional narrative even more impactful. Neva also dramatically improves gameplay versus GRIS with satisfying combat and platforming. My only major grip is that the journey is simply over too soon."

Neva isn't just beautiful and emotional, though; it's also carried by its surprisingly fun combat and interesting puzzles. Nomada Studio has upped its game on every front, and the result is one of the best games of 2024.

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2. The “Punch All the Fascists” Award — Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

The only game on this list I didn't personally review is also the latest entry. I just barely finished Indiana Jones and the Great Circle before writing this, after 45 hours of my own 'Spielberg-ian' adventure through dungeons and tombs all over the world. I'm so glad I made an effort to play this game before the year ran out because it's absolutely amazing.

Honestly, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle might have taken the #1 spot, but it's still buggy, and there are some frustrating segments. I can't even 100% the game or its achievements right now because there's literally ONE photo that's glitched and won't let me capture it (I've done everything else). That aside, this game is gorgeous, it runs amazingly on Xbox Series X, and it's the perfect blend of immersive sim and puzzle-filled action-adventure.

My colleague, Samuel Tolbert, concluded in his Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review, "With cinematic flair straight out of the original movies, MachineGames proves it understands the world's most iconic Nazi-fighting archeologist. With fun exploration, dangerous puzzles, and a few twists up its sleeves, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is sure to satisfy the cravings of anyone eager for an old-school adventure."

There's little that's more satisfying than beating up fascists with all manner of tools, instruments, and weapons, all while exploring a beautiful world and collecting treasure. This didn't quite earn my personal game of the year, but it's certainly Xbox's best game of 2024.

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1. The “Humans Are the Real Monsters” Award — Metaphor: ReFantazio

Anyone who knows me won't be surprised by this. Metaphor: ReFantazio is my game of the year, something I certainly never would've guessed at the beginning of 2024. I have little experience with RPGs from Japanese developers, and I've never once played any of the Persona games. I ended up with the task of reviewing Metaphor: ReFantazio mostly by coincidence and otherwise likely wouldn't have touched it, either.

It must've been destiny, and I'm sure glad fate worked out that way. Metaphor: ReFantazio is a masterpiece of a game, combining strategic turn-based RPG combat with third-person action-adventure combat in a harrowing adventure across an incredible, living world. It's a story of magic, companionship, humanity, war, and the all-consuming battle between opposing ideals.

In my Metaphor: ReFantazio review, I concluded, "With the credits rolling as I write this verdict, Metaphor: ReFantazio has cemented itself as the best game I've played this year so far. While the long periods of time with no gameplay and the divisive art style may not be to everyone's taste, Metaphor: ReFantazio makes a compelling argument for the "game of the year" title with its evocative and passionately crafted narrative, loveable and believable characters, incredible RPG, combat, and social simulation elements, and an art design that truly brings to life this unique world."

Metaphor: ReFantazio's art style won't appeal to everyone, and it's not the most gameplay-centric RPG, but this is the best game of the year in terms of art design, narrative direction, world-building, character development, and that phenomenal original soundtrack. I can't recommend it enough.

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Honorable mentions

Next, I want to highlight three other games that almost made the top five but didn't for some reason or another. These are games that I love (and perhaps adamantly defend), but they weren't quite the best of 2024.

Star Wars Outlaws

My first honorable mention is for a game I wasn't sold on when I first previewed it, but that ultimately won me over with its final release. Star Wars Outlaws is an open-world action-adventure game set in the titular Star Wars universe, and it's published by Ubisoft instead of EA like we've come to expect. There's also little to no mention of the Jedi, either, as Star Wars Outlaws focuses more on the seedy underworld of the galaxy.

Star Wars Outlaws was never going to be one of my games of the year, but I will defend this title from the tired "It's made by Ubisoft so it's garbage" tirade. Ubisoft has a lot of problems and weaknesses as a modern games publisher, but an Ubisoft-published project is one of my games of the year (Prince of Persia, by the way). I had a lot of fun with Star Wars Outlaws despite its bevy of flaws, and I don't for a moment regret the hours I invested in it.

My colleague, Rebecca Spear, reviewed Star Wars Outlaws and felt much the same way. There is a lot to love about this game and its spectacular world-building, even if there are some flaws you have to overlook.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

Next is the latest entry in a franchise that is rarely considered for "game of the year," but came closer than ever to deserving it in 2024. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is a genuine return to form for the beleaguered first-person shooter franchise, which has stagnated recently thanks to the shaky launches of annual releases. This time around, though, Black Ops 6 properly won me back, and I've already spent dozens of hours playing.

It's not just the multiplayer, either, which is at its very best with precise and fluid gameplay. This is also my favorite Call of Duty campaign ever by a long way. I truly adored the injection of gameplay and narrative elements inspired by classic spy thrillers into the tried-and-true Call of Duty campaign shenanigans with which we're all familiar. I'm not a big Zombies fan, but I've still enjoyed the handful of hours I've put into the game mode in Black Ops 6.

My colleague, Cole Martin, reviewed Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and praised it on all fronts, and I can't really protest any of her points. If you've been away from the Call of Duty franchise for a few years (with complete reason, I've been mostly gone since 2020), Black Ops 6 may be the game to call you back.

Senua's Saga: Hellblade II

Finally, there's the game that came closer to any at earning a spot in my top 5. I have to remain true to my initial feelings, though, and Senua's Saga: Hellblade II just barely missed. That's not to say this is a bad game, though. It's easily one of my favorites that I played this year and is a work of art in many ways. The continuation of Senua's story is also one of the most visually and audibly stunning games ever released.

Senua's Saga: Hellblade II is a technical and graphical marvel, but it also tells an incredible story of trauma, mythology, and the struggle to survive and find purpose in life. Alongside the gorgeous world and mind-bending set pieces, you're also treated to the single best performance from an actor in years. Melina Juergens brought Senua to life, and that was the final piece that made Hellblade 2 a masterpiece for me.

It is short, though, and the top 5 games I chose for this list all came to mind before Hellblade 2 did. Still, there's a reason I praised this game so much in my Senua's Saga: Hellblade II review.

Looking ahead to 2025

I completed 40 games this year, which is actually a lot less than 2023. Work kept me busy, but I also ended up playing a lot of larger games that took me a long time to complete, like Pillars of Eternity and Metaphor: ReFantazio. Despite all my completions, though, my backlog is bigger at the end of 2024, not smaller. But hey, at least I hit 150,000 gamerscore on Xbox with Indiana Jones!

I'm very much looking forward to what 2025 holds, as there are a lot of video games coming. Honestly, next year may end up being the year of Xbox, as long as Microsoft actually releases the games it has announced. Avowed is number one on my list of the most anticipated games of 2025, but I also can't wait for Fable, The Outer Worlds 2, Doom: The Dark Ages, and South of Midnight.

I'm also personally excited to get my hands on Assassin's Creed: Shadows, and there are plenty of other games like Monster Hunter Wilds that may garner a lot more anticipation from me if I can find some time to visit previous entries in those franchises. The list of interesting games set to release in 2025 is already massive, which makes me terrified about how large my backlog will grow to become. Will I have any time at all to clear some of it out? I'm not feeling confident at this point.

• Back to the top ⤴

We've got some neat (extremely early) data for one of the year's last big games. Usually, I'm eagerly waiting for once-a-month data drops from Circana executive director and analyst Mat Piscatella, but every so often, he shares a bit more insight into what's going on week-to-week with U.S. video game sales.

As shared on Monday, Bethesda Softworks and MachineGames' Indiana Jones and the Great Circle was the second best-selling game in dollar sales of its full debut week ending Dec. 14, 2024. Holding firm in the number one spot was, of course, Activision's Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, another first-party Xbox title that launched a couple of months before Indiana Jones. Black Ops 6 has dominated the charts since it launched, being the best-selling game of October and November in the U.S.

I say "full debut week" for a reason, as it's starting from December 9, the day that the standard edition and Xbox Game Pass launch of Indiana Jones was available. Players who purchased the Premium Edition (or the Premium Upgrade, for Game Pass subscribers) were able to start playing on December 6. These sales aren't counted for the following week, making the figure a bit more impressive, especially since players enjoying the game solely through Xbox Game Pass naturally aren't counted on the dollar sales charts.

In a separate post, Piscatella also shared that Indiana Jones and the Great Circle was the third-most played game on Xbox Series X|S consoles for the same week, using Circana data tracking total hours, not concurrent players.

Room for one more outing in the future?

Obviously, this is just the earliest results, and we'll have a better picture of how Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is selling as time goes on. Still, I'm happy to see this kind of solid debut, and I'd love to see word of mouth continue to result in more players and sales. We could all use more old-school fun and Nazi-punching in our lives.

I don't want to see Quake and Wolfenstein abandoned, but after this game being such a fantastic example of how to do a licensed cinematic property justice, I do hope we get at least one more Indiana Jones game from the crew at MachineGames. Maybe set right after the events of The Last Crusade?

If you need more convincing on picking this game up, read my review of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, where I wrote that "From the manner in which every line is delivered and scene is shot to the smirk on Indy's face when solving a puzzle, it's clear that everyone at MachineGames just gets what makes Indiana Jones so special. This is a game that can sit next to the original trilogy with pride."

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is currently available on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate/PC Game Pass. A PlayStation 5 version is currently slated to launch at some point in Spring 2025.

The latest whip-cracking Xbox adventure is getting even better.

A new update for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is rolling out, with MachineGames and Bethesda Softworks sharing details on Tuesday. Per the patch notes, this update fixes a few bugs, including a couple of blockers that could potentially keep players from progressing. There's also some platform-specific improvements, with DLSS problems smoothed out on PC.

Meanwhile, Xbox Series X|S console users can look forward to improved ray tracing with more accurate lighting that's no longer as unintentionally bright in places as it was before. You can check out the full patch notes for Update 2 below:

General

• Fixed an issue where users Game Slot may be reported as being damaged, or may appear to be completely missing, when no actual problem had occurred.

Gameplay

• Fixed an issue where player may be unable to equip Indy’s whip.
• Fixed an issue where a player may end up with Indy’s camera permanently equipped.
• Fixed an issue where player may drop and lose their camera if they use the quick-equip (“key item”) prompt to equip their camera while they are inspecting another nearby pick-up item.

Graphics

• Fix to prevent “Double vision” getting stuck on screen when Indy has almost drowned. To players who have already encountered this issue, repeating the near-drown should clear the issue.
• Some further improvements to reduce “stutter” from duplicated frames during cutscenes.

Missions and Quests (some mild spoilers)

• Fixed an issue where Gina may not approach the secret entrance to the Vatican Treasure Chamber, blocking the mission from progressing.
• Fixed an issue where Gina may go to pick the lock to the exit from the Vatican Treasure Chamber as soon as you enter the room, meaning you may miss some very important story developments.
• Fixed a big hole in the floor collision around the edge of the wall around the Ziggurat in Sukhothai that the player could fall through.

PC only

• Fixed an issue where Nvidia DLSS may cause performance problems when enabled.
• Fixed an issue where Nvidia Frame Generation wasn’t activated properly if HDR is in use.
• Fixed an issue where Nvidia Low Latency Mode could cause performance problems when used with Frame Generation.
• Fixed an issue where global illumination may be completely disabled when playing with below minimum VRAM graphics cards.
• Fixed an issue where Lighting may be over bright in interior spaces if Path Tracing (Full Ray Tracing) is set to Medium or High Quality.
• Known Issue: Nvidia Frame Generation may be temporarily disabled if HDR is activated for the first time. To work around this issue, disable and then re-enable DLSS. This only needs to be done once.

Xbox only

• Improvements to Global Illumination on Xbox, to fix issues where shadowed areas had appeared brighter than expected.

A great game gets better

I'm glad to see MachineGames is staying on top of things and not slowing down in updating Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, as I'm sure a number of players will be picking it up for the first time over the holidays, especially with the current Xbox Series X sale going on.

I'm also happy the team is improving global illumination further on consoles. I know it's controversial, but I appreciate the heck out of a studio building a game around requiring ray tracing, and the benefits to the lighting (even at lower settings) are amazing.

In my review of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, I wrote that "With fun exploration, dangerous puzzles, and a few twists up its sleeves, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is sure to satisfy the cravings of anyone eager for an old-school adventure."

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is available now on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate/PC Game Pass. It's also coming to PlayStation 5 at some point in Spring 2025.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle on gaming handhelds

Considering Indiana Jones and the Great Circle's hefty PC system requirements, I wasn't sure if this new title would run well on handhelds. However, I was positively surprised, overall.

I have played the Steam version of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle on my Steam Deck, ROG Ally, ROG Ally X, and Legion Go. Of course, it's also available through Xbox Game Pass.

While Indy's latest adventure technically does run relatively smoothly (with limited choppiness if the settings are right) on each of these devices, the visual quality on Steam Deck is significantly worse. There is a lot of pop-in, strange artifacts appear around characters' eyes, everything is grainy and wriggles in a distracting way, and it's extremely difficult to see anything in dark locations.

For example, as part of the game's intro, you relive parts of the Raiders of the Lost Ark film's opening sequence, which involves going into some ruins. This part played fine on the Windows 11 gaming handhelds; however, the moment I entered the ruins on Steam Deck, it suddenly became way too dark to see anything.

I attempted to adjust in-game settings and turn up the brightness on my Deck, but this didn't help things. So, I had to exit the game and enable Proton Experimental beta, and this made it so I could see enough to get through the game's booby traps. However, the distracting eye outlines on each character and the overall busy graininess of every environment are hard to ignore.

Best Steam Deck settings for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

Once more, I don't recommend playing Indiana Jones and the Great Circle on Steam Deck, but if you really want to do it then you'll want to make the following changes.

To get the best playing experience possible, put the Steam Deck in Proton Experimental beta. This will improve some performance and make it so you can see better in darkly lit areas of the game. After that, make sure game settings are set as follows:

Menu button (☰) → Options → Video:

• Display Mode: Fullscreen
• Monitor: 1
• Aspect Ratio: 16:10 [Native]
• Resolution: 1280 x 800 [Native]
• Picture Framing: Fullscreen (your preference)
• HUD Safe Zone: (Only adjust if needed)
• Field of View: 90
• Vertical Sync: Adaptive
• FPS Limit: 60
• Edit Brightness and HDR: (Not supported)
• Motion Blur: Medium
• Chromatic Aberration: Off
• Sharpening: 75
• Film Grain: 10
• Depth of Field: On
• Depth of Field Anti-Aliasing: On
• Overall Graphics Quality: Low
• Decal Rendering Distance: Low
• Global Illumination Quality: Low
• Reflections Quality: Low
• Motion Blur Quality: Low
• Water Quality: Low
• Volumetrics Quality: Low
• Hair Quality: Low
• Texture Anisotropic Filtering Quality: High
• Vegetation Animation Quality: Off
• Resolution Scaling: Dynamic
• Static Resolution Scaling: 100 (greyed out)
• Dynamic Resolution Scaling Target FPS: 60
• Performance Metrics: Off (your preference)
• Color Filter Mode: Off (your preference)
• Filter Brightness: 50
• Filter Contrast: 33
• Filter Intensity: 70
• Filter Strength: 100
• High Contrast Mode: Off (your preference)
• High Contrast Effect Strength: 79 (greyed out)

Best ROG Ally and Legion Go settings for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

Before running Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, make sure to put your Ally or Legion Go at max TDP. The game won't start otherwise. To get the best gaming handheld experience, enable AFMF on ROG Ally and also increase ROG Ally VRAM to 6G or 8G.

With the right settings in place, this RPG typically ran around 40 FPS on average but sometimes dipped to 30 FPS when run at optimal settings:

Menu button (☰) → Options → Video:

• Display Mode: Fullscreen
• Monitor: 1
• Aspect Ratio: 16:9 [Native]
• Resolution: 1920 x 1080 [Native]
• Picture Framing: Fullscreen
• HUD Safe Zone: (Only adjust if needed)
• Field of View: 90
• Vertical Sync: Adaptive
• FPS Limit: 60
• Edit Brightness and HDR: (Not supported)
• Motion Blur: Medium
• Chromatic Aberration: Off
• Sharpening: 75
• Film Grain: 10
• Depth of Field: On
• Depth of Field Anti-Aliasing: On
• Overall Graphics Quality: Low
• Decal Rendering Distance: Low
• Global Illumination Quality: Low
• Reflections Quality: Low
• Motion Blur Quality: Low
• Water Quality: Low
• Volumetrics Quality: Low
• Hair Quality: Low
• Texture Anisotropic Filtering Quality: Low
• Vegetation Animation Quality: Medium
• Resolution Scaling: Dynamic
• Static Resolution Scaling: 100 (greyed out)
• Dynamic Resolution Scaling Target FPS: 60
• Performance Metrics: Off (your preference)
• Color Filter Mode: Off (your preference)
• Filter Brightness: 50
• Filter Contrast: 33
• Filter Intensity: 70
• Filter Strength: 100
• High Contrast Mode: Off (your preference)
• High Contrast Effect Strength: 79 (greyed out)

Swing into Indy's latest adventure on your gaming handheld

If you have a powerful enough PC gaming handheld like ROG Ally, ROG Ally X, or Legion Go, then you can enjoy Indiana Jones' latest escapade as long as you put the device at their best settings. Remember that both in-game settings and the system's settings will need to be adjusted for optimal performance.

While it is possible to play on Steam Deck (and it does run a lot smoother than I expected) there are so many distracting visual elements that I don't recommend playing on Valve's handheld.

Xbox and IHOP recently joined forces on an epic food and collectibles collaboration, including a new line of exclusive dishes with an Indiana Jones theme and a healthy collection of exclusive rewards and prizes for IHOP's most loyal eaters. When Xbox shared the news with me, I joked that I would love to review the tasty-looking French toast on the new menu, but it's obviously unrealistic to expect a French toast review sample to show up on my doorstep.

However, Xbox did end up sending me the full five-piece collectible glasses set from the IHOP and Xbox collaboration. Each glass features unique Xbox art from the talented Matt Taylor. The glasses are awesome, but more importantly, you have the chance to collect them yourself (among other prizes) whenever you eat at IHOP in the United States.

This article was made possible thanks to a gift provided by Xbox and IHOP. The companies had no input nor saw the contents of this article prior to publication.

I hesitated taking these glasses out of their boxes, they look so nice

Countless companies collaborate on an infinite variety of products and promotions, and Xbox is no stranger to the concept. It seems every major Xbox game launch comes with a fresh collaboration, but this latest partnership with IHOP is a little more involved. In addition to a fresh limited-time menu of delicious breakfast items themed around the new Indiana Jones and the Great Circle game, IHOP has also stocked its "Stack Market" rewards program with a ton of Xbox sweepstakes, merch, and games.

At the center of this new collection is a matching set of five collectible glasses, each with a unique art from the talented Matt Taylor (whom you can see on Atrbute.com). Xbox sent me all five, but anyone has the potential to at least nab a few of these epic glasses for themselves, as long as they're willing to chow down on some pancakes.

Out of the five collectible glasses in the Xbox and IHOP set, four are dedicated to a specific Xbox Game Studios title, while the fifth ties all the art together with the iconic Xbox logo and the "Power Your Dreams" motto. There's a glass for Halo Infinite, Sea of Thieves, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.

I think the art looks wonderful, with each cup having its own color palette and character. The Indiana Jones glass and the center Xbox glass, in particular, stand out to me. I imagine both of them will be some of the most sought-after prizes during the Xbox and IHOP collaboration event.

These are glass cups, too, so the quality is there. Because of the way the designs are printed on the cups, I'm not confident they're dishwasher-safe, but I imagine most of the people aiming to collect these glasses won't be using them. I know I won't be, just like I don't use my set of collectible glasses for Avatar: The Last Airbender.

What you need to know to get your own Xbox x IHOP glasses

Alongside the limited-time menu, IHOP has also dedicated an entire section of its Stack Market (a major part of the IHOP rewards program) to Xbox. Members can redeem their points to enter sweepstakes for controllers, monitors, creator gear, and even an ultimate package that includes a one-of-a-kind IHOP-themed Xbox Series X, but there's more that doesn't rely on luck. For one, anyone can go buy some limited-time Xbox and IHOP gift cards at IHOP.com, each with a unique design.

With enough points, IHOP rewards members can earn limited-edition Xbox and IHOP merch, including shirts, hats, and mouse pads. There are also Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subs, as well as digital codes for games like Indiana Jones and the Great Circle and Sea of Thieves. Of course, the new Stack Market includes the exclusive Xbox and IHOP collectible glasses, too.

To begin working your way toward the rewards of your dreams, all you have to do is sign-up for the IHOP Rewards Program at IHOP.com. Don't worry; it's completely free and only requires an email, password, and your name (although providing your birthday means some annual gifts). Once you're a member, every $5 you spend at IHOP earns you 1 PanCoin, and these PanCoins are your currency for the Stack Market.

You can peruse the IHOP and Xbox Stack Market at IHOP.com, and spend your earned PanCoins however you like. 1 PanCoin is an entry into the sweepstakes of your choosing; 10 PanCoins earn you a limited-time shirt; 40 PanCoins nets you a free digital game code, etcetera. To begin collecting these glasses, you'll need to save up 15 PanCoins a piece. Supplies are understandably limited, though, so it'll be difficult to obtain all five glasses during the event.

Still, it's totally free to join, and your PanCoins don't become useless after the event ends — as long as you eat at IHOP, you can earn free pancakes and other delicious rewards over time. I know I'll be taking my family to IHOP in the near future to try the new Xbox recipes, so I already signed up with that in mind. I can't wait too long, though, and neither should you — the Xbox and IHOP event ends on Jan. 5, 2025. You can find out more about the rewards program at IHOP.com.

If pancakes (or collectible glasses) aren't your thing, though, the game that inspired this collaboration is still here. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle earned top marks in our review, with my colleague Samuel Tolbert concluding, "With cinematic flair straight out of the original movies, MachineGames proves it understands the world's most iconic Nazi-fighting archeologist. With fun exploration, dangerous puzzles, and a few twists up its sleeves, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is sure to satisfy the cravings of anyone eager for an old-school adventure."

That was enough to convince me to delay some of my gaming plans and install the game on my Xbox. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is now available on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and Xbox Game Pass.

• Indiana Jones and the Great Circle releases on December 9.
• The title from MachineGames has been well received by reviewers.
• Bethesda has put together a blog to detail the game's accessibility.

In the lead-up to the release of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, publisher Bethesda and the team at MachineGames have shared details on the game's accessibility and approachability features.

If the reviews for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle are to be believed, everybody loves bashing some fascists with loaves of bread, shovels, and anything else they can get their hands on. For those of us with disabilities, taking on the iconic role of the whip-toting archeologist may seem difficult. Thankfully, the teams at Bethesda and MachineGames recognize that when we all punch Nazis, we all win.

In a post on the Bethesda Softworks blog, the team stated, "Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is designed to be an approachable and accessible game so that as many people as possible can experience the adventure as Indiana Jones."

Indiana Jones and accessibility menus

The blog post also shared details on what accessibility features players can expect to see in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle when it releases on December 9. The game's accessibility menu will feature a selection of quick options to find subsets of commonly used accessibility settings. This is similar to the menu navigation function found in Call of Duty's UI, which makes it easier to find accessibility options that often relate to one another together for streamlined adjustment.

Regarding the UI and Camera, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle players can expect to find adjustments for UI Font Size, Color Presets, and the UI Safe Zone. Players can also find camera adjustments for Field of View, Motion Blur, Camera Stabilization, and Screen Shake. Adjusting these settings can help players who experience discomfort from the fishbowl effect or motion sickness.

Color filters can be applied to make color cues in the game more visible, and those filters can be adjusted for brightness, contrast, intensity, and strength independently. A high contrast mode has also been added to highlight objects and characters. This can also be manually configured with adjustable strength and colors.

Subtitles are also included in accessibility settings, as well as closed captioning. Font size, visibility of the speaker's name, and subtitle backgrounds are adjustable.

For player input, the standards, standard accessibility features like adjustable vibration settings, thumb stick and trigger dead zones, and mouse and controller input sensitivity are all customizable. Players can set whether to toggle or hold the following actions:

• Toggle Sprint
• Toggle Aim Firearm
• Toggle Aim Photo camera
• Toggle Raise Lighter
• Toggle Prime Throw
• Toggle Boat Forward/Reverse
• Toggle Whip Free Climb

Indiana Jones and future accessibility updates

Bethesda and MachineGames' effort to include accessibility features in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has led to some frustration in the accessibility community among players who face barriers because of low or no vision. The accessibility guide for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle does state that a screen reader will not be supported for menu or UI narration. The team has committed to working to implement a screen reader in a future update, but the absence of the feature at launch has led some in the accessibility community to voice frustration at the need for sighted assistance.

There has also been debate over whether certain features listed in the accessibility guide can be deemed "accessibility" related. Bethesda has listed features like pausing during cutscenes and gameplay, replayable chapters, and multiple save slots as accessibility features, while some have shrugged these off as just expected elements to find in a new AAA title. These gameplay features are more geared toward making Indiana Jones and The Great Circle more approachable.

Gameplay accessibility is often an intersectional challenge, and there can even be conflicting access needs where improvements made for one community can override and create a barrier for another. Approachability and accessibility, like in the case of pause menus and in-game journals, can really be seen as another intersection in the path to developing games that are viable for as many players as possible.

Bethesda has created a support form for players to provide feedback on Indiana Jones and the Great Circle's accessibility features, though it does require signing up and logging in to the website to fill out the form. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle launches on Xbox consoles and PC on December 9, and is available on day one to subscribers of select Xbox Game Pass plans. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has already received its first major patch ahead of its wide-scale release. You can read Windows Central's review of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, where our own Samuel Tolbert says of the game: "Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is an absolute blast worthy of the iconic adventurer's name."

• Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is available now for Deluxe Edition owners and for everyone else on Xbox and PC on December 9, 2024.
• The adventure game is akin to a long lost Indiana Jones movie, with an emphasis on puzzling, story, and stealthy combat.
• It has already picked up its first major patch, which contains a variety of polish and fixes.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is here, and it could mark the beginning of a new era for Xbox first-party games.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is developed by Machine Games of Wolfenstein fame, co-produced with Todd Howard of Bethesda Softworks (Elder Scrolls). The game revolves around The Great Circle myth, which is a long-standing theory that major spiritual sites throughout history were built in perfect alignment with a circumnavigable line across the surface of Earth. Indiana Jones and the Axis powers seem to have discovered that there may be more to this "Great Circle" than meets the eye.

In our Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review, we offered strong praise for the game's unique blend of adventuring, tactile puzzles, and "immersive sim" traditions. It's not a full-blown first-person shooter like Machine Games' previous titles, but instead challenges players to use their wits and sneaking skills to manage conflict. Indiana can throw a nasty punch when necessary, though.

The game is generally polished, but has some performance issues on both Xbox and Windows PC, where it is currently a timed-exclusive until a PlayStation 5 version in 2025. To that end, Machine Games just revealed the first patch for the game. Full Ray Tracing has been added for NVIDIA GPUs on PC, although you'll need a very beefy graphics card to get the most out of it.

The full patch notes are as follows.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (Update 1. December 8, 2024)

New Features

Added Full Ray Tracing (Path Tracing) feature on supported NVIDIA video cards. A minimum of 12GB VRAM is required to make use of this feature. Please note that we’re also working to support AMD FSR in a future game update.

General

Fix for a rare crash that could occur while saving the game.

Fix for an issue where you could temporarily lose Pre-Order/Deluxe outfit entitlements.

Fix to ensure your photographs appear more quickly when inspecting them from the journal.

Gameplay

Fix for a broken animation that could occur if you equip the rebreather immediately upon jumping into water.

Fix for a situation where you may not be able to interact with objects temporarily if you tried to push an enemy with your revolver while stamina is exhausted.

Fix for an issue that could prevent you from being able to block punches while looking at a nearby pickup object.

Fix for issue where you may not be able to change your disguise after leaving the Sukhothai village via a fast-travel signpost.

Fix for several places where the whip may detach unexpectedly when swinging.

Fix for an issue where Indy’s legs may unexpectedly snap into place when swinging across the gap in the bridge in Nepal.

Fix to prevent enemies from being unaware of Indy when reloading a checkpoint made very close to soldiers that are guarding the entrance to a restricted location.

Fix for an issue that may result in Gina not appearing near your docked boat when expected.

Fix for camera shaking unexpectedly when dying to scorpions near the end of the Gizeh level.

Fix for an issue where first shot made from a temporary gun would be silent.

Fix for an issue where enemies may have a delayed response after you have stolen valuables from them.

Fix for an issue that might make you appear in a broken animation state if restarting a checkpoint after using a zipline while the game is saving.

Fix for an issue that might result in being unable to use your whip if you were performing a whip crack while saving the game, and then reloaded that save.

Fix for an issue where you may become stuck in the “Lucky Hat” recovery state.

UI

Added “Reset to Default” selection in the Options menu.

Fix for a situation where rapid cycling of the Quick Equip menu might result in the wrong item being shown in the menu.

Added explanation of the Blue Suitcase revisit icon on maps to the in-game manual.

Prevent map location titles from overlapping with photo opportunity names.

Fix for intermittent text flicker during the credits.

Ensure the player’s Adventure Book list is updated immediately after unlocking a new book.

Graphics

Fix for bottles appearing overly blurred when moving around with an equipped bottle.

Fix for an issue where Indy’s right arm might look pinched above the wrist when in a bare-armed costume.

Fix for occasional stuttering that might be seen in cutscenes.

Fix to make Indy’s whip behave more naturally when attached to his belt.

Missions and quests – Please note this section contains some small spoilers

Ensure several photo opportunities are still available when revisiting levels or after completing sections of the game.

Ensure several journal notes are still available to be collected when revisiting levels or after completing sections of the game.

Ensure several Adventure Books are shown correctly on the map after purchasing map information booklets.

Fix to prevent player from getting stuck when dropping Giuseppe’s Key, rather than stashing it, in A Savage Predicament.

Fix to prevent rare issue where Gina may not path to the open door after the fire trap in the Chamber of Fire – Silver Trial mission in the Vatican.

Fix to prevent rare issue where Gina may not use the levers or may get stuck when pathing to an elevator in Wat Si Sawai in Sukhothai.

Fix for an issue where Gina may not help open the Game Room door at the Sukhothai Ziggurat.

Fix for an issue where Gina may not enter a co-op vault or climb when she has recently been in combat.

Fix for an issue where pieces of the Vatican fountain puzzle may keep moving slowly, that could prevent its completion if left for a very long time.

Fix for an issue that could prevent the “Finish Forging the Gold Key” quest objective from ever being cleared in your journal in the Vatican.

Fix for an issue where dying shortly after opening the safe in the Sukhothai HQ may result in player being unable to pick up all of the gold.

Fix for an issue where gates may be locked inside the caves if restarting a checkpoint while sneaking into the Nazi Compound in Gizeh.

Fix for an issue that prevent player from picking up an important book in Voss’ office inside the Nazi Compound in Gizeh.

Fix for an issue that might result in Antonio or Ventura being stuck in a “cower” state while you are in Antonio’s office in the Vatican.

PC Specific fixes

Improved performance on larger game levels if using an 8GB VRAM video-card.

Fix an issue where Alt-Tabbing might prevent you from being able to open your inventory.

Fix to make sure that the “Revert” option works correctly when you change video modes.

Fix for torch or lighter flames flickering when playing the game at a high refresh rate.

Fix for Sand Pouring and Torch flame effects not rendering correctly in Peru level on AMD video-cards.

Fix for issue where enabling HDR and DLSS simultaneously might result in a moiré effect on plain white walls.

Fix for an issue where black artifacts may appear in Indy’s eye during cutscenes inside the cave in Peru.

Fix for issue where black squares may appear intermittently on screen if renderscale is used at certain resolutions on AMD video-cards.

Fix to ensure that your Photos can be exported correctly from Steam cloud saves if you decide to switch to using Xbox cloud saves.

Please note that AMD FSR support will be added in a future game update.

A new era of high-quality for Xbox story-driven games?

While Indiana Jones and the Great Circle's combat hasn't been to everyone's fancy, the praise around its story delivery has been near unanimous. Troy Baker's expert portrayal of Indiana Jones is uncanny, and the entire cast deliver a stellar performance atop what is honestly a better Indiana Jones experience than the most recent two movies potentially.

Xbox has faced some long-term criticism for its ability to deliver character-driven story games in recent years. Microsoft has done well with its simulation-leaning games like Forza, Flight Sim, and Age of Empires, but Xbox's first party has struggled to deliver consistent quality with its story and action-heavy titles over the past decade. There have been bright spots of course, but Xbox fans have long wondered where the firm's "Game of the Year" contender is, fair or not.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle sadly missed the cut off date to be eligible for Geoff Keighley's "Game Awards" show, but it seems as though it potentially had a strong chance to be nominated. With attention turning now to 2025, you have to wonder if upcoming Xbox games like Avowed, South of Midnight, Fable, Perfect Dark, and beyond can help maintain the momentum.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is available now with premium access on Xbox Series X|S and PC, and is launching in general on December 9, 2024, included day one in Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

What you need to know

• Indiana Jones and the Great Circle supports Xbox cloud saves on Steam.
• While some Xbox games have supported cross-saves and carrying over progress some progress, these titles were usually co-op or online-oriented.
• It's possible we could see Xbox cloud saves as a standard feature for future games.

Something interesting has been uncovered.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is now available in early access for Premium Edition buyers. While I played Bethesda Softworks and MachineGames' whip-cracking adventure on Xbox Series X, PC players hopping into early access through Steam are noticing a special feature.

As shared by @MauroNL3 on X (Twitter), Indiana Jones and the Great Circle allows players on Steam to use Xbox Cloud save games, effectively allowing players to go back and forth between their Xbox consoles and the PC version on Steam without the issue of losing progress.

Now obviously, Xbox games on PC through the Xbox app already support shared Cloud saves through Xbox Play Anywhere, and some online-focused Xbox games have already supported universal saves across console and Steam, such as Obsidian Entertainment's Grounded or Rare's Sea of Thieves. A single-player game getting this as a dedicated feature on Steam is new however, and it makes me wonder if this will be standard moving forward.

Reaction: Will Cloud saves one day be standard across Xbox and Steam games?

This is an awesome addition, and it's certainly something that I hope will be made standard in the future.

I shuffle back and forth between my gaming PC and my Xbox Series X all the time for work. While it's not necessarily a big deal for some games on Steam, not having my progress carry over for larger first-party titles like Starfield can be frustrating if I just want to play for a bit or capture a particular screenshot. If this is a standardized feature for future first-party games like Avowed and DOOM: The Dark Ages, I'll certainly be using it.

Who knows where else this kind of feature could lead? Cross-buy seems extraordinarily unlikely, but deeper Xbox integration on Steam could happen, with additional features that make the overall platform consistent no matter where you're playing.

That seems especially important as Microsoft keeps numerous irons in the fire, experimenting with bringing non-Activision Blizzard games to Battle.net and working on some kind of dedicated Xbox handheld. The team finally started delivering on letting users play games they own through Xbox Cloud Gaming, and an Xbox Mobile Store is still in the works, even if it's been seemingly indefinitely delayed thanks to regulatory struggles with Google.

In the meanwhile, if you're still on the fence about diving into the world of Nazi-punching archeology, be sure to read my review of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, where I wrote that "From the manner in which every line is delivered and scene is shot to the smirk on Indy's face when solving a puzzle, it's clear that everyone at MachineGames just gets what makes Indiana Jones so special. This is a game that can sit next to the original trilogy with pride."

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is currently available in early access for Premium Edition buyers. The standard edition is arriving across Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate/PC Game Pass on December 9. A PlayStation 5 version is also in development and slated to launch in Spring 2025.

Indiana Jones comes to PC day one

The last several years have been fantastic for gaming, and 2024 has been a pretty great one, too. From huge releases like the popular co-op shooter Helldivers 2 and the long-awaited open-world immersive sim STALKER 2 to surprise hits like the creative deck builder Balatro and the solo-developed indie darling Animal Well, excellent titles of all sizes, shapes, and genres have launched this year to great acclaim. One major game that's still yet to come out, though, is Indiana Jones and the Great Circle — a highly anticipated action-adventure game from Bethesda and MachineGames.

When you consider that this is the first Indy game on mainstream gaming systems since 2009's LEGO Indiana Jones 2 and also that it's been developed by the same team responsible for the well-received Wolfenstein titles, it's not surprise to learn that tons of gamers are excited for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle's December 9 release. On top of that, those flames of hype have only been fanned by strong reviews and Metacritic scores, with Windows Central's own Samuel Tolbert awarding it a 4.5/5 score in our review. As a consequence of this, there are many wondering which platforms they'll be able to play this next Indy adventure on, including hopeful PC gamers.

For those gamers, I have good news: as a first-party Microsoft Xbox and PC exclusive, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle will officially be available to play on Windows PC. Specifically, you can get it on both Steam and the Microsoft Store for its $69.99 MSRP, giving you two different storefront options. Note that the Indiana Jones PC system requirements have been made public ahead of its upcoming launch, so be sure to review them and make sure your rig is ready for the title (the requirements are very steep, so there's a good chance you'll need to make an upgrade).

What other platforms is Indiana Jones on?

Buying Indiana Jones and the Great Circle directly from Steam or the Microsoft Store is one option, but it's not the only one. As an exclusive available on both Xbox and PC, you have the option of picking the game up on one of Microsoft's Xbox Series X or Series S consoles and playing it that way. According to reviews, its technical performance is very stable and smooth on these systems, so if you have a current-gen Xbox, it may be worth getting that version instead of the demanding PC one.

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On both Xbox and PC, it's also possible to play Indiana Jones with an Xbox Game Pass subscription on day one instead of purchasing it at full price. PC Game Pass will give PC players access through the Microsoft Store, while the premium tier Xbox Game Pass Ultimate unlocks it on both platforms and also allows you to stream it with Xbox Cloud Gaming. PC Game Pass is definitely the best option if you strictly play on PC, though I'd invest in Ultimate if you're a multiplatform gamer and like using the cloud to play when you're away from your dedicated setups.

Finally, it's worth noting that Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a timed exclusive, with Microsoft planning to publish a port of the title on Sony's PlayStation 5 in Spring 2025. There's no word of a specific launch date for this port yet, but when it does eventually come, you'll be able to get it and play the game on the PS5.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is scheduled to launch on Dec. 9, 2024 across Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC, with a PlayStation 5 version coming in 2025. Like all Xbox first-party games, it's included in Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. Anyone that buys the Premium Edition of the game gets three-day early access. For more information, consult our Indiana Jones and the Great Circle preorder guide.

What you need to know

• Indiana Jones and the Great Circle launched on PC and Xbox Series X|S on December 9.
• The game is getting rave reviews, including a Must Play award from our own Samuel Tolbert.
• Listed system requirements are steep, but the game is running surprisingly well on lower levels of hardware.
• The Karan Benchmarks YouTube channel posted a video detailing performance on the RTX 3050, 3060, 3060 Ti, and 4060, with some surprising results.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle launched on December 9, and I'll admit its reception took me by surprise. It's never easy adapting a movie into a game, but developer MachineGames seems to have absolutely nailed it, with positive reviews flooding in from critics and players alike. If you're a fan of the movies, the game is a must-play.

Windows Central's gaming guru Samuel Tolbert reviewed Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, awarding it 4.5 stars and handing it a Must Play award in the process. The game is available on Xbox Series X|S and PC, with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass receiving it on day one.

Leading up to the launch, there was some trepidation surrounding PC system requirements. As it turns out, the game runs a lot better than expected, with some surprises on older hardware. Yes, the game is a VRAM hog, but it rewards those who feed it.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle's system requirements aren't as steep as expected

Windows Central's other gaming whiz, Brendan Lowry, wrote about how he'd only recently upgraded his PC but was still worried about running Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.

Revealed just a few days before the game's launch, system requirements listed at least an Intel Core i7-10700K/Ryzen 5 3600 CPU and NVIDIA RTX 2060 SUPER/AMD Radeon RX 6600 GPU to get the game going at 1080p.

Want to bump that up to fit your 1440p monitor's native resolution? Listed are a Core i7-12700K/Ryzen 7 7700 and an NVIDIA RTX 3080 Ti/Radeon RX 7700 XT. And that's only for a baseline 60FPS. Getting into ray tracing requirements, you're recommended to have at least an RTX 4070, climbing to an RTX 4090 for 4K at 60Hz.

In a reversal of what I've seen happen a lot lately, the PC system requirements have leaned into being too severe, allowing lesser hardware to run the game smoothly. It's a nice change of pace.

However, the game seems to be hungry for VRAM to handle all of those detailed textures, and those with an RTX 3060 with 12GB of VRAM should see better performance compared to the newer (and pricier) RTX 4060.

PC benchmarks show a heavy ask for VRAM

YouTube channel Karan Benchmarks is a great source for no-nonsense performance data in modern PC games. Uploaded yesterday is a lengthy video detailing the performance you can expect from the NVIDIA RTX 4060, 3060 Ti, 3060, and 3050 GPUs.

The results comparison between the RTX 3060 and RTX 4060 is what really surprised me, but it shows how much VRAM matters in modern games. The RTX 4060 with 8GB of VRAM averaged 56 FPS at 1080p with the Ultra preset, while the RTX 3060 with 12GB of VRAM averaged 66 FPS with the same settings.

With DLSS enabled, the RTX 4060 hit a 72 FPS average at 1080p, while the RTX 3060 climbed to an 86 FPS average. That's not an insignificant jump. As mentioned, the listed system requirements seem to be stricter than they are, which is a nice change of pace to allow more PC gamers smooth access.

Even at 1440p with Ultra settings, the RTX 3060 manages a 47 FPS average at 1440p with Ultra settings. With DLSS Quality thrown in, that average climbs to 62 FPS. Karan lists the test equipment as a Zotac RTX 4060 Twin Edge 8GB and an Aorus RTX 3060 Elite 12GB. Rounding out the text PC is an Intel Core i5-13600K CPU and 32GB of DDR4 RAM.

NVIDIA's RTX 4060 and 4060 Ti aren't aging well

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle highlights a growing issue in modern PC gaming. Larger amounts of VRAM are required to enjoy all of the detailed textures at a high FPS in demanding titles, and GPUs like NVIDIA's RTX 4060 and RTX 4060 Ti with 8GB of VRAM are falling behind.

Previous-gen cards, like the RTX 3060, have 12GB of VRAM (though there are 8GB models as well), and as we can see from the results above, you can spend less on a GPU and get better performance. As Windows Central's Harish Jonnalagadda mentioned in his RTX 4060 Ti review, the card "delivers meager gains over its predecessor, and NVIDIA's betting on DLSS 3 to offset the margin."

Anyone with an RTX 3060 (12GB) in their PC is no doubt quite happy with the purchase, and it should remain a quality card for the foreseeable future all thanks to that extra VRAM.

The reviews are piling in for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, the latest game from the teams across Swedish developer MachineGames and the publishing office at Bethesda Softworks, all under the greater Xbox umbrella. Overall, people seem to like it!

At the time I'm writing this, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has an 86 on Metacritic across 46 reviews, which marks a high degree of praise across a decent number of outlets. There's a fair number of 10s mixed in with dozens of 9s and 8s, though as always, there's a few outliers. I've highlighted a few of the outlets and the reviews below:

• GamesRadar+ (10/10): "Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is utterly enthralling. Small grievances don't detract from what is undoubtedly one of the best, most singular adventures that I have played in recent years – if anything, there's a clear roadmap for improvements and iteration should MachineGames follow through with a deserved sequel. I'm left with the impression that the studio took some big swings here, from the immersive first-person perspective to the complexity of its sandbox spaces, and they all connected."
• Inverse (9/10): "After decades of inspiring countless video game characters across generations, it’s great to see Indiana Jones make such a triumphant return to the medium. Machine Games thankfully avoided modernizing the character with Uncharted-inspired action scenes, opting instead to create the ultimate Indiana Jones simulator. And by staying doggedly true to the hallowed source material, The Great Circle creates something wholly unique in today’s AAA gaming landscape. Paired with its impeccable direction and presentation, The Great Circle is every bit an authentic entry in the legendary character’s greater mythos."
• GAMINGBible (9/10): "Indiana Jones And The Great Circle is, I’m delighted to say, shaping up to be what Marvel’s Spider-Man and the Batman Arkham games are to their respective superheroes. That is to say, this is a faithful, lovingly made adventure that puts you in the dusty boots of Doctor Jones like never before. I can’t wait to play more."
• Digital Trends (8/10): "Despite working with a more family-friendly property with less blood and guts, Machinegames’ latest still has all its teeth in place. A globe-trotting action-adventure romp becomes a slapstick comedy about outsmarting fascism rather than outgunning it."
• Pure Xbox (6/10): "Ever since we caught wind of MachineGames making an Indiana Jones title, we've been very excited by the prospect, but ultimately, we're a little disappointed in the final product. The overall experience isn't bad, and it successfully sells the Indiana Jones fantasy, but the gameplay elements here just don't match up to the vibe of a fun-time Indy adventure. The pacing is all out-of-whack, the open stealth-driven levels don't work in the context of an Indiana Jones romp, and the game just feels at odds with itself overall."

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A thrilling mystery taking place across the globe

There'll always be variety in opinions, with something working for someone and not working for someone else. That's why it's always great to try and read a spread of different reviews before engaging with something and drawing your own conclusion.

Even so, it's clear the majority of critics are enjoying this adventure, with praise for the game's authenticity in being adapted from the films, while also leaving room to tell new stories and punch more Nazis.

Naturally, I also reviewed Indiana Jones and the Great Circle for Windows Central, giving the game 4 and a half stars while writing that "From the manner in which every line is delivered and scene is shot to the smirk on Indy's face when solving a puzzle, it's clear that everyone at MachineGames just gets what makes Indiana Jones so special. This is a game that can sit next to the original trilogy with pride."

I'm thrilled with what the teams across Xbox, Bethesda, and MachineGames have crafted here, and I'll be looking forward to the DLC expansion whenever it arrives!

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle launches across Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, and PC Game Pass on Dec. 9, 2024. Premium Edition owners get early access starting on December 6. A PlayStation 5 version is currently slated to arrive at some point in Spring 2025.

Indiana Jones' launch is imminent as I write this, and the game is absolutely fantastic. I've been playing it myself over the past week, and in our Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review, we lauded the game's authenticity and rare "AAA" chops in an under-served genre.

I think some non-Indiana Jones fans might find the gameplay loop a bit odd admittedly, the focus on exploration and puzzles and "archaeology" is a departure from Machine Games' high-octane Wolfenstein shooter series. However, we're not here to talk about what might seem odd about the game today. We're here to talk about the odd fact that Microsoft is advertising it on Battle.net right now.

Battle.net is Blizzard's iconic launcher. The platform was developed out of pure necessity to facilitate its pioneering online games, such as Warcraft and StarCraft. Over the years it has evolved into a social platform that powers games like Diablo IV and World of Warcraft, but it has also featured third-party games occasionally too.

Since Blizzard merged with Activision, Call of Duty itself began appearing in Battle.net, ending the "Blizzard-exclusive" nature of the platform. With Microsoft now owning Activision-Blizzard in its entirety, it's apparently evolving again, complete with Xbox Game Pass integration and now, Xbox games too.

So we have to ask, what's going on here? Is it a big deal? Is it a simple experiment, or part of a grander plan? Let's explore, for fun.

Battle.net IS better than the Xbox PC app ...

I wrote an article some months ago about what Microsoft should do with the Xbox app on PC.

For those who don't know, the Xbox app on PC is how Microsoft delivers its PC Game Pass service, which gives you hundreds of games on a relatively small monthly fee. It also, like Battle.net, gives you access to your Xbox network friends. It now also allows you to connect up your Battle.net and Activision accounts, so that you can play games like Diablo IV from the Xbox PC launcher instead of Battle.net.

Yeah ... it's getting a bit weird.

The issue for the longest time with the Xbox app on PC was its quality. It was slow, it was missing features, it sometimes had issues delivering games, and also had issues connecting up DLC or providing mod access. Yet, Microsoft soldiered on, improving the app incrementally over the years to the point we're at today.

Previously, I've argued that perhaps Microsoft should ditch the Xbox app for PC and just go all-in on Battle.net itself, using Battle.net as the vehicle for delivering PC Game Pass and Microsoft's vast and greatly expanding library of games. Battle.net has a monstrous amount of digital footfall. Generally, you need to launch the app to access updates for games like Overwatch 2, Diablo IV, World of Warcraft, StarCraft 2, and so on. Also, it's where you'd typically buy DLC for those games, such as the recent Vessel of Hatred expansion for Diablo IV.

Therein lies some of the issues Microsoft has with Battle.net, and why it's getting a bit "weird" with its overlapping launchers.

Microsoft has committed itself to a strategy known commonly as "Xbox Play Anywhere," by which you can buy any Xbox-developed game and also use that same license to play the game on PC. Microsoft has also gradually convinced third-party developers to jump on board too. The recent Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Collection, for example, has Xbox Play Anywhere. Many games hitting Xbox Game Pass also come with Xbox Play Anywhere as standard. But as of writing, it's not always the case with Blizzard's content.

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I wrote recently about how Warcraft 1 and 2 are absent from the Xbox app on PC, but they're also absent from PC Game Pass, which seems to break Microsoft's pledge to bring its first-party content to the service day one. Additionally, Diablo IV "Vessel of Hatred" was not cross-buy, forcing Xbox players to buy the expansion twice if they wanted to access their Xbox Game Pass version of the game across Xbox Series X|S or PC gaming handhelds like the ASUS ROG Ally or Lenovo Legion Go.

And sure, a lot of this stuff is likely teething problems and integration timelines. Most likely Microsoft is working towards getting Blizzard games fully integrated with Xbox and PC Game Pass. But it begs the question, do we really need two launchers if we're moving towards both of them doing the same thing?

... but the Xbox PC app has gotten A LOT better, and is future-proofed too.

It's true that the Xbox app for PC has gotten better. It's a ton faster than it was previously, even some of my recent complaints about chat windows loading slowly seem to have been addressed to some degree. It delivers games consistently. The features have improved too (although... what I wouldn't give for cloud saves indicators). It has a compact mode for those PC gaming handhelds now too, although getting into the app in the first place can be a pain with all the launchers Lenovo and ASUS put on top of their devices.

In any case, that's part of the issue here too. Microsoft has been developing the Xbox app for PC specifically for multi-device use scenarios. It has Xbox Cloud Gaming built into it, for low-power devices that can't run Xbox PC games natively. It's far better than Battle.net on touch screens too. Trying to sign into Diablo IV on Battle.net via ASUS ROG Ally is not exactly an intuitive experience. Battle.net is designed all up for desktop PC scenarios, which you could argue is one of its strengths over the Xbox PC app, which tries to do a lot of stuff for different people.

That's what led me to question previously, "perhaps Microsoft should just ditch the Xbox PC app and go all-in with Battle.net." Chat and socials via Battle.net are far faster and more deeply integrated with the games themselves. The brand is iconic too, and synonymous with PC gaming. And then, of course, there is the user base itself. There are tens of millions of users streaming through Battle.net every day. I'm sure the Xbox PC app is no slouch in its own right, given the huge volume of content on offer, but what if they were merged?

What if Battle.net had a growing library of third-party content from Xbox and beyond? Would all the extra noise hurt Blizzard's games? I'm sure that's what some of these experiments are designed to determine.

An experiment that might go nowhere, or hints of a bigger plan?

Avowed is fully integrated into Battle.net, complete with the ability to play it without a purchase via a linked PC Game Pass account. Indiana Jones, however, is literally just a banner ad that links out to Xbox.com. It's not unusual for Battle.net to offer ads for random stuff, but it's odd considering Microsoft is already offering another one of its games here. Why not both?

Indeed, I suspect the efforts here revolve entirely around experimentation, foisted on Blizzard by a Microsoft keen to figure out what to actually do with its Battle.net platform. I know from discussions with Microsoft figures at events over the past year that Blizzard is a huge area of focus for Xbox, from utilizing dormant IP (hello StarCraft) to investing in getting some of its smaller franchises to the next level. But obviously, Battle.net is a huge asset in its own right, representing monstrously high engagement in a competitive PC gaming landscape.

Could shifting the PC Game Pass audience to Battle.net boost Game Pass in general? Could moving Microsoft's vast library of games to Battle.net help boost Blizzard's other franchises? Could third-party partners like EA and Ubisoft or even indie studios benefit from Microsoft moving over to Battle.net? Would it actually be cheaper than continuing to make the Xbox app for PC "happen?" Is Battle.net just a better brand for growing a PC store to compete with Steam or Epic Games?

What I don't think, is that Microsoft corporate will want to maintain both platforms simultaneously long term.

I'm sure all of these questions are running through Microsoft's analysts' minds right now. It could all wind up being nothing, but it could be a hint at a potential grander plan that could grow Battle.net into a much, much broader platform.

My whip cracks through the air and hits a Nazi guard on the hand, forcing him to drop his rifle. One hard punch sees him topple off the side of a cliff. Picking up his gun, there are two bullets left, which allow me to dispose of another guard, but three more are on the way. With another crack of my whip, I grab onto a nearby grapple point and swing across the cliff, dodging gunfire and making my escape into the sands of Egypt.

That’s one more daring escapade down in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, a new adventure telling a story of globetrotting antics, puzzle-solving, and punching out Nazis. It’s a major leap for developer MachineGames, and while there are certainly some consistent elements carried over from the team’s past Wolfenstein titles, this title shows the confidence of a studio clearly capable of branching out into new territory.

The action feels beat-for-beat with the best of what the original films have to offer, but Indiana Jones and the Great Circle isn’t afraid to slow down and let the player breathe for a bit through puzzles and exploration that feel suited to a world of ancient mystery and conspiracy. A few bugs aside, this is an adventure worth taking that respects its source material but still leaves room for plenty of surprises along the way.

This review was made possible thanks to a review code provided by Bethesda Softworks. The company did not see the contents of this review before publishing.

What is Indiana Jones and the Great Circle?

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a (mostly) first-person adventure game developed by MachineGames and published by Bethesda Softworks.

Players step into the shoes of the famous archeologist himself in 1937 — the game is set a few months before the events of The Last Crusade — as he’s drawn into a conspiracy that spans the entire world. To solve the mystery of the Great Circle, players need to pursue a number of objectives in places like the Vatican, Egypt, the Himalayas, and more.

There’s a variety of ways to accomplish these goals depending on if you prefer stealth or want to go in guns-blazing, but no matter the approach you take, you’ll have to solve strange puzzles and knock out more than your fair share of Nazis. Sometimes, it's easier to put on a disguise and avoid a dozen guards, but sometimes, you'll have to crack the whip and get to work.

A few areas allow you to go off the beaten path, undertaking side quests. These smaller adventures come in all shapes and sizes, with most of them providing rewards that make it easier to unlock new skills. These skills can add up quickly, bestowing benefits such as allowing you to reload your gun faster or making it harder for you to run out of stamina.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review — Story and characters

While there’s a full cast of characters in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, the leading man himself obviously carries the show. Performed with fantastic flair by industry veteran Troy Baker, this version of Indiana Jones looks and sounds right, with the camera capturing all his small quirks and the ever-so-slightly awkward moments that make the adventurer so fun to watch.

Jones is also accompanied by Gina Lombardi (Alessandra Mastronardi), an Italian journalist who has her own reasons for getting involved. Gina and Indy initially team in classic “Frustrated Indy must put up with female companion” fashion, but Gina pulls her weight, and the game’s direction here fortunately slides away from some of the franchise’s tropes.

Every hero needs a villain, and that’s where Emmerich Voss comes in. Marios Gavrilis lends this Nazi researcher a sneering, ostensibly astute presentation and superiority complex befitting a servant of the Third Reich. Obsessed with psychological reductions, Voss’ interactions with his befuddled soldiers and Indy alike are always entertaining to watch unfold.

Rounding out the cast is Locus, a mysterious figure who kickstarts the plot by breaking into Marshall College and stealing a strange figurine. Locus is performed by the late Tony Todd, who passed away on November 6, with this game marking a posthumous release for the beloved horror icon. Locus is an imposing figure, but there’s more to him than just being a secondary antagonist for Indy.

The story unfolds at a fairly reliable pace, which naturally varies depending on whether you choose to explore and wander more or stick to the main path. All in all, it feels in touch with the movies from which it draws inspiration.

Every time I started to get a bit worried that things were going to drag on, the adventure took a sharp turn, and the scenery changed. With hours of cutscenes woven in, playing through the Great Circle felt at times like I was watching an Indiana Jones film, but the controller is never taken away for too long.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review — Gameplay and features

While Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a first-person game, much like MachineGames' Wolfenstein games, there are a fair few differences when stepping out of B.J. Blazkowicz's shoes and into Indiana's. The intrepid archeologist can throw a mean punch and is handy with his whip and revolver, but he's not a one-man army.

It's usually better to stealth your way through a crowded enemy camp, and with careful exploration, you can find enemy disguises that make this process much smoother, though elite enemy commanders will still sniff you if you get too close.

If combat does break out, then there's a serviceable melee system, allowing you to dodge and trade jabs to knock your foes out, while the ever-trusty whip can be used to pull opponents toward you and off of ledges. You're at a disadvantage if your enemies have ranged weapons though, so it's important to scour the environment for anything useful.

Practically everything can be used as an impromptu weapon, and I found myself pulverizing fascists with shovels, clubs, sledgehammers, and loaves of bread. You've also got your revolver, which can be used to decisively end any one-on-one fight, but the noise can draw in other nearby enemies if you aren't careful. You can also pick up weapons like rifles and shotguns, but you'll have to discard them when you run out of ammo.

When you're not fighting, you're exploring, and it's here that Indiana Jones and the Great Circle truly shines. The open-world segments are genuinely fun to traverse, and oftentimes, figuring out how to get from one place to another can be a puzzle by itself. It's super-satisfying to go exploring — realizing there's a way to climb up into a building with your whip and then unlock the front door for future usage — all in a way that brings immersive sims like Dishonored to mind.

Simply put, there is an enormous amount of puzzles (both directly in your way and off the beaten path), requiring clever usage of pipes, solving ciphers, and paying attention to discarded documents. You're aided in your exploration and puzzle-solving by your camera, which gives you numerous opportunities to take pictures in exchange for "Adventure Points." These points can be used to unlock new skills from any books you've found, so it's important to embrace your inner shutterbug.

Those pictures aren't just for points, though, and you can see the photos you've taken stored away in your journal as you progress through the game, making it something of a living document that lends itself to some cool moments. At one point, I overheard a couple of nuns mention that they wished they had a picture of someone, and I realized I could just hand them the photo I'd taken earlier.

I did run into a couple of bugs during my time with Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. Most were fairly minor, like examining an object and the camera zooming in far too close, something that was easily corrected by simply putting it down and picking it up again.

The checkpoint system caused a more irritating issue. While the game autosaves at regular intervals (usually without issue), I got stuck at one point, with the game reloading me outside of where I was supposed to be and making it impossible for me to escape before getting noticed by Nazi guards. I was able to use the save rollback feature to get to a checkpoint about 20 minutes prior, but I can see this issue causing problems for others if it isn't patched.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review — Visuals and audio

MachineGames is a longtime collaborator on id Tech with its sister studio id Software, and that technological prowess is put to good work here. I played Indiana Jones and the Great Circle on an Xbox Series X, and it looks great. Lush and frigid environs alike are rendered in sharp detail, from the jungles of Sukhothai to the darkest tunnels under the Vatican.

I did notice a bit of foliage pop in in one particularly large area, but that blip aside, it's a consistently impressive presentation. Indiana Jones is a series that's all about exploration, and it's fitting that there's a wide variety of locations to explore in equal detail. The in-game lighting is especially impressive, with beautiful rays that practically sizzle with the heat of Egypt's sandscapes. The game plays out at a consistent 60 FPS, and I only noticed one brief drop when I accidentally set off an exploding trap at point-blank range.

All of this is made more impressive thanks to the camera framing, which is practically shot like one of the films, right down to the timing of physical comedy and the way a shot will linger as it becomes clear Indy is making a mental connection regarding some hidden clue.

MachineGames has also done a great job on the game's audio design, and I highly recommend playing with one of the best headsets in order to appreciate the different noises of materials and effects across the world. During one particularly-tense infiltration mission, I could tell where every enemy commander was in the building simply by listening to the difference in footsteps as they walked across wooden or stone floors. This allowed me to swipe some Nazi gold relatively easily.

The soundtrack, composed by Gordy Haab, is a solid effort that clearly draws inspiration from the main themes of John Williams' iconic scores. It's a good soundtrack that delivers exactly what you expect, kicking and getting you in the mood for exploring ancient ruins and fistfights where needed.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review — Accessibility and approachability

Like many other modern games, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle features a suite of accessibility options designed to tackle a range of needs, including colorblindness or motion blur sensitivity. In addition to the difficulty settings, which make the combat sections more or less difficult, players can also separately set the puzzle difficulty, making many of the puzzles simpler if they just want to focus on the story.

There's also an additional hint system accessed through the aforementioned camera. This system (which applies to required puzzles, not optional side quests) allows you to receive increasingly detailed hints upon request. It's a good middle-ground point, and I appreciated not having a companion yell the answer to a problem because I was taking more than 30 seconds to think about it.

As for the game's general approachability, the standalone nature of the story (much like any of the films) means that you don't really need to be familiar with Indiana Jones in order to have fun. You'll certainly get more out of this from being a longtime fan, and there are a couple of story beats that lightly touch on some constant threads throughout the series, but newcomers should feel welcome overall.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review — Final Thoughts

I've spent 25 hours exploring the world in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, and I've thoroughly enjoyed myself throughout this adventure. I was expecting to have fun, but I certainly wasn't expecting this game to cleverly blend immersive sim elements with actual cinematic storytelling, and it's been a fantastic experience.

From the manner in which every line is delivered and scene is shot to the smirk on Indy's face when solving a puzzle, it's clear that everyone at MachineGames just gets what makes Indiana Jones so special. This is a game that can sit next to the original trilogy with pride.

Aside from a small handful of bugs and checkpoint issues, I hope the developers can patch them soon; Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is an absolute blast worthy of the iconic adventurer's name. I'm looking forward to replaying this game in the future (and checking out the promised DLC) as much as I rewatch Raiders of the Lost Ark and the Last Crusade.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle launches across Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate/PC Game Pass on Dec. 9, 2024. Premium Edition owners get early access starting on December 6. A PlayStation 5 version is currently slated to arrive at some point in Spring 2025.

Indiana Jones is coming to Xbox consoles

All in all, this year has been an excellent one for gaming, with everything from new high-production hits like the bombastic co-op shooter Helldivers 2 to the delightfully creative deck builder Balatro captivating players throughout 2024 — and that's to say nothing of Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, which easily goes down in history as one of the best-ever DLCs. But even though there's less than a month until it rolls over into the New Year, there's still one more huge game slated to release: the highly anticipated Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.

Developed by Bethesda and MachineGames (known for the modern Wolfenstein titles), Indiana Jones and the Great Circle stands out as one of the most exciting new action-adventure games of 2024. After all, MachineGames has made what are arguably some of the best single player shooters in recent memory, and despite how popular the overall series is, there actually hasn't been a new Indiana Jones game on PC or game consoles since 2009's LEGO Indiana Jones 2. With that in mind, it's not surprising that there's a ton of hype surrounding its December 9 release, and also that many are wondering if they'll be able to play it on Microsoft's Xbox consoles (among other platforms).

Xbox Series X|S users will be happy to know that Indiana Jones and the Great Circle will indeed be available on their console for its $69.99 MSRP, as it's actually a temporary first-party Xbox and Windows PC exclusive until several months into 2025. However, it's not getting a release on last-gen Xbox One systems, as it's far too advanced for those aging consoles. If you're still using one of these, you'll either have to buy an Xbox Series X|S or stream the game with Xbox Cloud Gaming instead of playing it natively.

How else can you play Indiana Jones?

Directly purchasing Indiana Jones and the Great Circle on Xbox Series X|S is one way to play the upcoming Indy adventure, but it's not the only way you can. You also have the option of buying it on Windows PC via either the Microsoft Store or Steam, though something to be aware of is that the Indiana Jones PC system requirements are very, very steep. If you don't have a strong, modern gaming rig already, you'll likely need to make some upgrades or buy a new system if you want to enjoy the game that way.

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Alternatively, you also have the option of diving in with Xbox Game Pass on both Xbox and PC (the Microsoft Store version, specifically). As a first-party exclusive, Indiana Jones is one of the titles that subscribers to the premium Xbox Game Pass Ultimate or PC Game Pass tiers of Microsoft's all-you-can-eat gaming service can access on day one. Unfortunately, though, the console-specific Xbox Game Pass Core and Standard tiers do not include Indiana Jones. Note that Xbox One users should subscribe to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate specifically, as having it is what allows you to utilize Xbox Cloud Gaming.

Lastly, it's important to note that Microsoft plans to bring Indiana Jones and the Great Circle to Sony's PS5 console in Spring 2025 — a decision that's in-line with the firm's recent focus on multiplatform releases and bringing titles like Sea of Thieves and Hi-Fi Rush to PlayStation. There's not a concrete date set for Indy's PS5 arrival yet, but once the port is released, folks using that console will be able to play the game, too.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is scheduled to launch on Dec. 9, 2024 across Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC, with a PlayStation 5 version coming in 2025. Like all Xbox first-party games, it's included in Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. Anyone that buys the Premium Edition of the game gets three-day early access. For more information, consult our Indiana Jones and the Great Circle preorder guide.

Indiana Jones launches onto Game Pass day one

2024 has been home to a handful of great Xbox exclusives — STALKER 2 stands tall as one of the best open-world shooters ever developed if you ask me, and Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 is perfect for fans of games with a heavy focus on cinematic storytelling — and now, Microsoft is preparing to close out the year with (what is hopefully) another: Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. First teased for the first time in 2021, the action-adventure title is now finally coming out in just a few days.

Given that this is the first Indiana Jones game on Xbox and Windows PC since 2009's LEGO Indiana Jones 2 and that it's being developed by Bethesda and the Wolfenstein studio MachineGames, it's hardly surprising that there's quite a bit of excitement for this new Indy adventure. And with it scheduled to officially drop on December 9 next week, many players are curious if they'll be able to jump in with Xbox Game Pass. Game Pass is Microsoft's buffet-style gaming service that allows its subscribers to access a library of hundreds of games both old and new in exchange for a monthly fee.

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The good news for Game Pass users is that since Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a first-party Xbox game, it is indeed launching onto Game Pass day one on both Xbox and PC. A caveat to be aware of, though, is that you'll only be able to play it if you subscribe to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate or PC Game Pass specifically. The console-specific tiers Xbox Game Pass Core and Xbox Game Pass Standard will not include Indiana Jones at launch, so keep that in mind. PC-only gamers will likely want to subscribe to PC Game Pass to enjoy Indy, while users of both Xbox and PC will be best served by the premium Ultimate tier since it works across both platforms and also lets you use Xbox Cloud Gaming.

Will it come to Xbox Game Pass Standard?

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle may not be coming to Xbox Game Pass Standard on day one, but will it make it to the console-only version of the service in the future? Ultimately, there's no way to know for sure, as there's been no word of a plan to bring titles Microsoft excluded from Standard when it released like Diablo 4 and Starfield back onto it at the time of writing.

If Microsoft plans to handle major first-party releases similarly to how Electronic Arts does with its titles and its EA Play service, games such as Indiana Jones won't make their way to Game Pass Standard for several months or potentially even years after launch. However, it's unknown if this is actually what the firm wants to do or not; it could have an entirely different release plan in mind, or it may keep big games like this off Standard permanently to encourage Xbox Game Pass Ultimate purchases.

Thankfully, it's not too hard to find good deals on Game Pass Ultimate subscription time, so you should still be able to play the game through the service affordably even if Indiana Jones never comes to the less expensive Standard tier. This one at CDKeys, for example, gives you a redeemable code for three months of Ultimate for just $29.29 — that's half of what three months would cost if you paid Microsoft directly.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is scheduled to launch on Dec. 9, 2024 across Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC, with a PlayStation 5 version coming in 2025. Like all Xbox first-party games, it's included in Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. Anyone that buys the Premium Edition of the game gets three-day early access. For more information, consult our Indiana Jones and the Great Circle preorder guide.

What you need to know

• A few days ahead of the launch of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle on Xbox and Windows PC, Bethesda and MachineGames have revealed its official PC system requirements and recommended specs.
• The requirements are extremely demanding, with the action-adventure title requiring at least an Intel Core i7-10700K and an NVIDIA RTX 2060 SUPER for playing at 1080p. Also, having a ray tracing-capable GPU is a hard requirement since the game has partial ray tracing you can't disable.
• The rest of the requirements and recommended specs are similarly advanced, with some of the most notable ones being the need for an RTX 3080 Ti for 1440p High and an RTX 4090 if you want to play at 4K Ultra with full ray tracing.
• To hit most of the performance targets, you'll also need a hefty 32GB of RAM. Across the board, 120GB of SSD storage is also necessary.

The official PC system requirements for MachineGames' hotly anticipated action-adventure game Indiana Jones and the Great Circle are here, and they're...well, they're certainly something. I figured the Xbox and PC exclusive wasn't going to be easy to run given its impressive graphics, but I was hardly expecting hardware demands as brutal as what I'm about to go over below.

The requirements — recently posted by Bethesda on the company's social media channels — start at a Intel Core i7-10700K and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER for 60 FPS at 1080p with Low settings, with the list noting that there's a hard requirement for ray tracing-capable GPUs since Indiana Jones has partial ray tracing you can't disable. At a time when most minimum requirements can still be met with processors many years old and GPUs like the GTX 1060, 1070, and 1660, this immediately forecasts how painful the rest of the recommended specs are.

Moving up to the performance target of 60 FPS at 1440p High skyrockets the requirements to a Core i7-12700K and an RTX 3080 Ti, and also propels the required RAM up to 32GB from 16GB. 4K Ultra, meanwhile, demands the use of an i9-13900K and an RTX 4080. It should be noted that these requirements don't take upscaling and frame generation tech like DLSS 3 into account, but still...oh, and I hope you've got room on your SSD, because Indy needs 120GB of it. Good lord, man.

The eye-watering list of requisite hardware doesn't stop there, though. If you want to enable full ray tracing for maxed-out visual quality, the GPU requirements begin at 1080p with an RTX 4070 — a card intended for high-end 1440p gaming — and that's with upscaling and frame generation. Full ray tracing at 1440p High requires an RTX 4080, and to enjoy it at 4K Ultra, you'll need NVIDIA's luxurious ~$1,500-$2,000 flagship RTX 4090; anything less, and you can probably kiss any chance of good performance goodbye.

Frankly, these requirements are ridiculous, and I'm very surprised to see them coming from the developers that made the well-optimized and accessible Wolfenstein games. They've got me worried I won't be able to manage a consistent 60 FPS on High settings even though I upgraded to an RTX 4070 Ti SUPER a few short weeks ago, as while it's considerably more performant than the recommended RTX 3080 Ti, I also play with an 3440x1440 ultrawide monitor that's a fair bit more demanding than a regular 1440p panel. I'm using an i5-12600K CPU, too, which is a rung below the listed i7-12700K.

The decision to go all-in with advanced ray tracing and force players to partially use it is no doubt the reason we're seeing requirements this high. And given that the most recent Steam hardware survey indicates that only a small percentage of users have the recommended GPU or something roughly equivalent to it, I don't think it's going to go over well with PC gamers.

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These requirements also have me concerned about how the title will perform on Xbox Series X and especially the Xbox Series S, though it is important to note that console and PC graphics hardware isn't directly comparable due to console-specific optimizations and architectural differences. Still, there's valid reason to worry, and I wouldn't be surprised if it runs terribly on even the best gaming handhelds, either.

We'll find out soon enough when Indiana Jones and the Great Circle launches on December 9, but if you ask me, this is definitely a game you should wait on buying until you read reviews and performance analyses. If you've got Xbox Game Pass Ultimate or PC Game Pass, though, you can jump in on day one without the risk of being unhappy with your purchase.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is scheduled to launch on Dec. 9, 2024 across Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC, with a PlayStation 5 version coming in 2025. Like all Xbox first-party games, it's included in Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. Anyone that buys the Premium Edition of the game gets three-day early access. For more information, consult our Indiana Jones and the Great Circle preorder guide.

Microsoft and Xbox Game Studios have put out a handful of great exclusive games on Xbox, Windows PC, and Xbox Game Pass this year, but what is arguably the publisher's most significant 2024 title is still a few days away from launch. That game is Bethesda and MachineGames' Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, and when it comes out on December 9, it will stand as one of the biggest new games available to play over the holidays.

Given that it's developed by the same team responsible for the popular modern Wolfenstein games and that it's the first new Indiana Jones game on console and PC since 2009, it's not surprising that tons of folks are excited to play the Great Circle when it releases. If you're using the latter platform, though, it's important to check its minimum requirements and recommended specs to make sure your PC can actually run this new Indiana Jones adventure. 

Luckily, the Great Circle's official PC specs and system requirements have recently been revealed, and in the guide below, you'll find a full list of them. On top of that, I've also explained how you can check what hardware you have and included links to tips and recommendations for PC upgrades.

Indiana Jones PC requirements and specs

A few days ahead of the release date for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, its developers have released official minimum requirements and recommended PC specs for the action-adventure title. They can be viewed in the image above as well as in the tables below, along with some commentary on their highlights and how they compare to other modern games.

Indiana Jones minimum requirements

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle's minimum requirements are considered to be the bare minimum you'll need in order to run the game and have a decent experience playing it. The regular minimum requirements will net you 60 FPS performance on native 1080p while using Low settings, while the ones for full ray tracing will give you the same framerate when using DLSS 3 to upscale to 1080p and generate extra frames while playing on Low.

Indiana Jones recommended and Ultra specs

If you want to play Indiana Jones and the Great Circle at higher resolutions with more graphically intensive settings while still achieving a smooth 60 FPS, you'll need recommended and/or Ultra-level specs. The recommended hardware is good enough for 1440p gaming on High settings, while Ultra specs are for 4K and Ultra settings. Like the minimum requirements did, the requirements for full ray tracing at these performance levels throw DLSS 3 into the mix and list more expensive graphics cards.

Good lord.

Based on these requirements, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle looks to be one of the most demanding video games ever made, and I expect many PC gamers will struggle getting it to run well on their system. The need for an RTX 3080 Ti just to hit 60 FPS on 1440p High is indicative of how difficult it will be to play, and has me nervous about my own setup since I play with an RTX 4070 Ti SUPER on an ultrawide monitor; the RTX 4090 requirement for full ray tracing at 4K Ultra is also a rare sight, and confirms that you'll only be able to enjoy the Great Circle with maxed out settings if you've got a tricked out enthusiast-level rig.

Something worth noting is that 60 FPS is the performance target across every spec listed, which means that if you want to reach a higher framerate while playing with the recommended or Ultra-tier hardware, you'll have to either turn some settings down or employ resolution upscaling. Given that they already take DLSS upscaling and frame generation into account, though, this might be next-to-impossible to achieve with full ray tracing.

Speaking of ray tracing, something rather controversial about Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is that it can't be played without a ray tracing-capable GPU — a limitation that indicates it has a form of forced partial ray tracing. This will frustrate players still using graphics cards from before 2018, and sadly, there's no way to get around this requirement. The game also needs a solid-state drive (SSD), though the overwhelming majority of modern systems use them instead of aging hard disk drives (HDDs) already.

Put simply, Indiana Jones' PC requirements are brutal, and there's a good chance you'll need to either get a brand new rig or upgrade your existing one if you want to play it. For some suggestions and recommendations regarding that process, make sure you check out the below sections.

How to check your PC specs

Now that you're aware of the kit you'll need to have a good time playing Indiana Jones, the next step is figuring out if your PC meets those requirements or if you need to either buy a new system or improve the one you have. Sadly, it's likely you'll need to do the former unless you've got a high-end rig already, but you'll probably be good to go if you do.

Thankfully, checking the hardware in your PC is very easy and quick to do, and simply requires running Windows' DirectX Diagnostic Tool (dxdiag). Here's how to do that:

Click the Windows button on the taskbar.

Type dxdiag in the taskbar.

Click dxdiag to see your PC's specifications.

Select the System tab for your component details relating to memory, processors, and Windows version.

Click on Display tab for GPU details.

How to upgrade your PC for Indiana Jones

Due to how demanding Indiana Jones and the Great Circle's system requirements are, many PC gamers will need to upgrade their rig, purchase components to build a new one, or buy a powerful pre-built system or gaming laptop to play it. No matter how you choose to approach solving this problem, be sure to check out the list of links I've included below that will take you to various guides, tips, and suggestions about everything from picking out the best components to putting them all together or choosing a pre-built desktop to use.

• Recommendations: Best pre-built gaming PCs | Best gaming laptops
• Memory: How to upgrade and install RAM in a laptop | How to upgrade and install RAM in a desktop
• Storage: Best SSD for PC | How to upgrade laptop HDD to SSD | Tips to free up space on Windows 11
• CPU: Best CPU for your PC | How to install an Intel CPU in your PC
• GPU: Best graphics cards | How to install a new graphics card
• Overall tips: How to build your PC the right way

Can Indiana Jones run on gaming handhelds?

Many new games are now developed with gaming handheld devices in mind as well as traditional desktops and laptops, as they've exploded in popularity in recent years. The Steam Deck's 2022 release brought the then-niche form factor into the limelight, and in the years that followed, ASUS, Lenovo, MSI, and others have all developed attractive and capable handhelds of their own.

You can probably already guess the answer if you've read the rest of this article, but even so, read on if you're a gaming handheld user curious if you'll be able to jump into Indiana Jones and the Great Circle on your system.

Is your PC ready for the Indy's next adventure?

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is now less than a week away, but while it's easy to get swept up in all the hype for the first big Indy game in 15 years, it's crucial that you ensure your PC can play it. Therefore, make sure you refer to the system requirements above, use the dxdiag program to compare them to the hardware in your rig, and make any necessary upgrades to your PC specs before buying the title.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is scheduled to launch on Dec. 9, 2024 across Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC, with a PlayStation 5 version coming in 2025. Like all Xbox first-party games, it's included in Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. Anyone that buys the Premium Edition of the game gets three-day early access. For more information, consult our Indiana Jones and the Great Circle preorder guide.

What you need to know

• A launch trailer for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has arrived.
• This launch trailer dives into more of what players can expect during the latest adventure from MachineGames and Bethesda Softworks.
• Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is launching on Dec. 9, 2024 for Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and Xbox Game Pass, while a PlayStation 5 version is slated to arrive in 2025.
• Players that grab the Premium Upgrade can start playing early on December 6.

It's almost time to don the iconic fedora and pick up the world's most reliable whip.

MachineGames and Bethesda Softworks' Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is nearly here, and just ahead of launch, the teams shared a new trailer for the game. This launch trailer dives into all the places that Indy will be exploring, from the Vatican and the Himalayas to Egypt and Thailand.

You can check out the trailer below:

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One last grand adventure to close out 2024

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is sliding under the closing stone door of 2024 just in time to possibly cement itself as one of the year's top games.

This launch trailer makes me even more excited to check out Indy's newest adventure, and I love the attention to detail that seems to have been implemented in crafting real-world locations that'll we'll get to explore.

With a December launch, MachineGames' latest title is bridging the gap between 2024 and 2025 for the Xbox first-party group. This year saw the arrival of games like Age of Mythology: Retold and Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2, but 2025 currently looks even more packed.

Obsidian Entertainment's Avowed is kicking things off in February, but it seems it'll be followed by Compulsion Games' South of Midnight, id Software's DOOM: The Dark Ages, and even Playground Games' Fable.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is scheduled to launch on Dec. 9, 2024 across Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC, with a PlayStation 5 version coming in 2025. Like all Xbox first-party games, it's included in Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. Anyone that buys the Premium Edition of the game gets three-day early access. For more information, consult my Indiana Jones and the Great Circle preorder guide.

What you need to know

• Xbox and IHOP teamed up to create a menu inspired by Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.
• International Bank of Pancakes members who upload an IHOP receipt to earn PanCoins can redeem those PanCoins for exclusive Xbox-themed prizes.
• There will also be Xbox-themed sweepstakes with prizes such as a custom IHOP-themed Xbox Series X.
• Indiana Jones and the Great Circle launches on December 9, 2024.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle launches December 9, 2024. The game will be available on Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and Windows gaming PCs (the PlayStation 5 version will ship in 2025). But you don't have to wait that long to get a taste of the new game. IHOP and Xbox teamed up to create a menu inspired by Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.

To be honest, I'm not sure what fully loaded French toast has to do with Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, but I'm not one to complain about stacked breakfast dishes. The ‘Explorer’s Caramel Apple Butter Hot Chocolate’ and ‘Long-Lost Cookie Butter Milkshake’ don't exactly seem like treats Indiana Jones would enjoy, but hey, chocolate and cookies, am I right?

If you prefer non-edible treats, IHOP has some of those on the way as well. If you become an International Bank of Pancakes member and upload your IHOP receipt, you can earn PanCoins that can be redeemed for exclusive Xbox-themed prizes.

The "Stack Market," as IHOP calls it, will have weekly drops with prizes, including game downloads, merch, and gaming accessories. A month of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate will also be among the prizes, but only if you're a new member.

The exclusive prizes also include '80s-inspired glasses with artwork inspired by Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Halo Infinite, Sea of Thieves, and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024.

Perhaps the most interesting prize is an IHOP-themed Xbox Series X.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

Set between Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade, India Jones and the Great Cirlce has you combat Nazis and Mussolini's PNF. Our Executive Editor went hands-on with Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. Corden said the title "isn't just shaping up to be a fantastic game, it might represent the Disney franchise's future."

The game shows a lot of promise. Corden went as far as to say "Indiana Jones and the Great Circle could be remembered as the true "fourth" installment of the storied franchise if Machine Games can stick the landing." I'm sure that's more of a compliment to the game than just an insult about "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," which could be bested by the plot of a maze on the back of a cereal box.

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What you need to know

• MachineGames has released a new gameplay trailer for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, an action-adventure game based on the legendary Indiana Jones movie franchise.
• The trailer presents a deep dive into Indiana Jones and the Great Circle's gameplay from its exploration, puzzle-solving, combat, and more.
• Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is scheduled to be released on December 9, 2024, for Xbox Series X|S and PC via Windows and Steam, with PlayStation 5 ports to follow in 2025.

In just four weeks from now, players will get to step into the boots of the legendary movie icon, Indiana Jones, when MachineGames unleashes its high-anticipated action-adventure game, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle upon the world on December 9, 2024, for Xbox consoles and PC.

To build more excitement for this game, MachineGames has released a new ten-minute trailer that showcases various aspects of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle's gameplay in exquisite detail, from exploring ancient ruins riddled with puzzles and death traps, traversing semi-open-world locales for clues and secrets, and taking down bad guys using stealth or hand-to-hand combat.

The trailer begins with a short recap of the game's premise. Set between the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade movies, the world-famous archaeologist Indiana Jones sets out on a journey on behalf of Marshall University, USA, to retrieve a priceless artifact that's been stolen by a mysterious thief. From there, it snowballs into a greater adventure where you uncover conspiracies involving ancient mysteries and have run-ins with the Third Reich plundering ruins for artifacts for their ambitions.

The trailer then goes into detail about what kind of gameplay players can expect to engage in this title, starting with Exploration. As Indiana Jones, players will travel the world and delve into the ruins of ancient civilizations for long-lost relics that can help them solve this grand conspiracy. This is easier said than as many of these ruins are littered with puzzles and deadly traps to ward off intruders.

To get past these obstacles, players will need to utilize Indy's brilliant mind and iconic tools, such as the whip, to uncover clues on how to solve the puzzles and safely traverse the hazardous traps.

Exploration isn't just limited to ruins because players will get to explore other locales such as villages, jungles, excavation sites, and enemy bases. During these segments, you can converse with friendly townsfolk and some of Indiana Jones' contacts for information on where to go next or discover useful books that can grant you new abilities, such as being able to come back from the brink of death by grabbing your hat in the middle of combat or stealthily take down enemies in one hit while unarmed.

However, there will be locales filled with hostile enemies where you will be attacked if spotted. In these situations, you can sneak past enemies, adopt a disguise to fool them into thinking you're not a threat so they'll let you pass, or stealthily knock them out one at a time using items from the environment so they won't be a problem for you later.

If the worst comes to pass and stealth isn't an option, you will need to engage enemies in melee combat. During combat, you can use fisticuff combo attacks and parries to overwhelm your opponent, trip up them using your whip, or forgo pleasantries and shoot them in the face with your trusty revolver.

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Are you ready to embark on the biggest adventure in Indiana Jones' career?

One of my colleagues, Jez Corden, recently did a preview of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle and walked away incredibly impressed, stating that it's now one of his most anticipated upcoming Xbox games and upcoming PC games of 2024 alongside the Stalker 2. From his preview, the gameplay is shaping up to be fantastic, with an in-depth combat system, engrossing puzzle-solving gameplay, and a well-written, immersive story that's on par with the movies.

As someone who grew up watching the classic 1980s Indiana Jones movies as a kid, I'm inclined to agree with Jez Corden, as this game's visuals look absolutely gorgeous, and the gameplay looks like a faithful recreation of the movies.

Will Indiana Jones and the Great Circle be able to live up to fans' expectations and become one of the best Xbox games and best PC games of 2024? Join Indiana Jones on his newest adventure to find out when Indiana Jones and the Great Circle releases on December 9, 2024, on Xbox Series X|S and PC via Windows and Steam.

What you need to know

• Machine Games is building Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, an upcoming action-adventure based on the popular Lucas Film franchise.
• Set in 1937, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle once again follows Indiana on a journey to prevent the Nazi regime from acquiring supernatural powers.
• In an exclusive interview with Windows Central, Creative Director Axel Torvenius spoke about the game's performance targets on Xbox, as well as how the project came about.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle could be Xbox's answer to PlayStation's Spider-man, giving gamers within the Xbox Game Pass ecosystem an iconic hero they can call their own. In my Indiana Jones preview, I noted how Machine Games expertly weaves players' expectations of the classic franchise with modern gameplay design sensibilities, landing on something that feels uniquely Indiana while still offering the fun and interactivity you'd expect from the medium.

HANDS-ON PREVIEW: Indiana Jones and the Great Circle might represent the future of the Indiana franchise

In an interview with Creative Director Axel Torvenius, we learned a little bit more about what players can expect from Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, as well as the performance targets the studio hopes to hit on Xbox Series X|S consoles.

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How Indiana Jones and the Great Circle materialized

"It all started with Todd Howard, our long-time friend. He's a huge Indiana Jones fan, he had an idea for an Indiana Jones game a while ago around this Great Circle myth. He had the opportunity to pitch the game to LucasFilm Games, and they were immediately positive. Then, Todd Howard reached out to us, he thought we'd be the ideal partner for this."

The Great Circle is this idea that various major real-world monuments, such as the Great Pyramid in Giza, can be lined up to form a perfect circle circumnavigating the entire planet. It's a fairly obscure theory and is, of course, most likely the result of cascading coincidences, but it makes for an interesting setting for Indiana's latest adventure. Much like the Fallout TV show and Starfield, Todd Howard has served to help produce Indiana Jones and the Great Circle alongside Machine Games, as they strive to maintain Indiana's iconic character in the most authentic way possible.

"We were very excited to be given the opportunity to work on it, so taking that from the get-go, Todd has been on board as the executive producer on the project. We took concepts of the Great Circle myth and expanded into a fully-fledged script, while exploring what world locations should expand into the game.

We were in contact with LucasFilm Games very early on in the project and then continuously, they have granted us access to all of their franchise archives, all old photographs from the sets, concept art, and even concepts that never made it into the early movies. It has been an interesting relationship and a good one.

With respect to the existing IP, we never set out with the goal to reinvent Indiana Jones, nothing like 'let's make him hip and cool for the kids.' None of that we were ever interested in. We love the Indiana Jones that we remember from Raiders of the Lost Ark, we want to get as close as possible to that."

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle's core pillars, and technical targets on Xbox Series X|S

I asked Axel Torvenius how the studio explored nailing that Indiana Jones feel while also managing some of the expectations revolving around Machine Games, given that the studio is known for the high-octane violence-o-rama that is Wolfenstein: The New Order and its sequel. Axel noted that ultimately, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle follows the studio's core pillars, Machine Games' "trinity," of strong narrative, interesting gameplay, and great art.

"It's always about those three things. You have to have a fantastically cool story, a strong narrative that runs right the way through the game. We need good gameplay and pacing, a roller coaster, with exciting new mechanics that unlock as you progress. Interesting interactions with enemies. Whether it's shooting nazis as B.J. with sci-fi shotguns, or pulling a Nazi in and beating him in the face with a banjo as Indiana Jones. It should still feel rewarding and interesting. The third part is the art, amazing art. The visuals, but also the animation, the audio, the lighting, and so on. Binding those three is the technical engineers and programmers. We've heard from testers that 'Oh yeah, it still feels like a Machine Games game.' That represents the core fundamentals of Machine Games."

I also wanted to get a sense of how the game performs on Xbox Series X|S, particularly the Xbox Series S, owing to the controversy of how games often perform (or underperform) on that system, as the case may be. Thankfully, for Series S owners out there, it seems Machine Games has your back.

"It might be that we will release even more details in terms of specifics, technical details, as we get closer to launch, once we see all the telemetry on performance. But what I can tell you is that the ambition is that the game runs at 60 FPS on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, and that, you know, it shouldn't be compromised in the visuals or the experience of the product. It should feel cohesive, running smoothly at 60 on both."

Full circle

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is shaping up incredibly well and could join STALKER 2, Flight Simulator 2024, and Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 to wrap up the year quite nicely for Xbox.

Microsoft has courted controversy with many of its core fans in recent months for inconsistent messaging about its overarching strategy. But with a strong games line up heading straight into Xbox Game Pass over the past year, it's hard to deny that gamers in the Xbox Series X|S ecosystem have been eating pretty good lately.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle launches on December 9, 2024, straight into Xbox Game Pass for Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC. It's also heading to PlayStation 5 sometime in 2025.

I think many gamers of a certain age have an ingrained skepticism when it comes to video games based on existing franchises. For as many movies, books, and TV shows that could potentially make a great video game, there are as many attempts that bore staggering failures. Whether it's classic cock ups like Superman 64 from the late 90s or more recent failings like Suicide Squad, there seems to be no shortage of license holders who want to make a quick buck without giving the source material the love and attention it deserves.

That's where Machine Games steps in with Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, taking the reins over one franchise that has quite recently seen its fair share of mismanagement. The classic trilogy helped propel Harrison Ford to immortality, playing the titular Indiana Jones, an archaeologist whose devotion to history lands him in the firing line between supernatural apocrypha and evil dictatorial regimes that seek their esoteric powers. Indiana Jones inspired a huge wave of creators and video games, too. Tomb Raider, Uncharted, and various others lend their roots to the famed trilogy. I think recent memory of Indiana Jones revolves around the subsequent two additional movies that, at least, failed to live up to the legacy set by their predecessors, to put it nicely.

As a fan of Indiana Jones, it was with all this cynicism and doubt for the franchise that I donned a high-def classic fedora and took a leap of faith into Machine Games' Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.

I left the preview event humbled and repentant, having my effrontery to doubt the creators of Wolfenstein: The New Order crushed beneath a gigantic rolling prop boulder.

With Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Machine Games proves beyond doubt its capacity to take the essence of a classic and reinvigorate it for a modern audience — a skill that seems wholly lacking in modern Hollywood, I might add. Wolfenstein was no fluke, and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle went from being a vaguery in my personal upcoming Xbox games list to sitting right up there with Stalker 2 among my most anticipated games.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle will be released exclusively for Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and Windows gaming PCs on December 9, 2024, with a PlayStation 5 version arriving a little later in 2025.

Machine Games understands the essence of Indiana better than Hollywood does

In my 2 to 3 hours with Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, I felt a sense of authenticity and nostalgia that was almost completely missing from the fourth movie. I mentioned in the intro that Indiana Jones has been a bit of a mishandled movie franchise, with the two more recent movies not reaching the heights of the classics for whatever reason. Capturing that sense of magic and adventure for something that means so much to so many must've been a daunting task for Machine Games, but I'm happy to report that they've absolutely nailed it — at least so far.

The game is set between the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade in 1937. In Machine Games' traditional fashion, the central antagonists are the forces of fascism, with the Nazi regime and Mussolini's PNF taking up their roles as well-deserving punching bags.

The game's intro sets the scene with style and confidence as Indiana wakes up in the iconic Marshall College to the sounds of a break-in. Assuming it to be wayward students, Indiana happens upon a leather-clad 8-foot titan of a man who has taken to smashing up an exhibit of some of the college's displayed artifacts.

After being on the receiving end of a stiff beat down, Indiana Jones teams up with Marcus Brodie to discover that the mysterious colossal stole an unassuming burial vase from ancient Egypt depicting a cat. In the mess left behind, Indiana discovers evidence that the Vatican's archaeological commission might somehow be involved. Intrigued, Indiana Jones packs up for another adventure.

It was during these initial stages of the game that I really got a sense that Machine Games knows exactly what they're doing with Indiana Jones and that the company truly understands the essence of the franchise. Marshall College was recreated in loving detail, and Troy Baker's delivery of Harrison Ford's iconic tones is nothing short of dark vocal wizardry.

We'll get into combat a bit more in the next section, but here I want to talk about how Machine Games develops Indiana Jones' immersion beyond beating Nazis to a pulp because so much of what makes Indiana Indiana can be found in the archaeology and investigative aspects of the game. And I think, well and truly, it might not appeal to everyone here, but this is absolutely what an Indiana Jones "simulation" game should look like, in my view.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is an incredibly interactive game. Machine Games seemed to be acutely aware of the expectations some might have for a studio known for the blisteringly paced violence of Wolfenstein: The New Order while also being careful to stay faithful to what Indiana Jones represents. He's not a super soldier, but ultimately, he's an archaeologist. The game revolves heavily around investigation, but that doesn't mean it needs to lack interactivity.

Everything from turning keys in a door lock to manipulating your in-game map feels tactile and intended to bring you into Indiana's world. The first-person viewpoint feels exceedingly deliberate and well-adopted to that end since a lot of what you will be doing is manipulating objects, reading manuscripts, and getting up close with puzzle details. Light and shadow play a huge role, too, since you'll be stalking catacombs and sneaking into military bases in the moonlight. The simple act of acquiring your lighter felt like a big moment while playing, opening up many optional areas and puzzles that were previously shrouded (literally) in darkness, almost with metroidvania-style backtracking.

Indeed, completionists are looking at around 30~ hours for a single playthrough, uncovering every secret the game has to offer, and there are tons. The demo space took us to the Great Pyramid of Giza, where the Nazis and their allies are, once again, looking for (potentially) supernatural artifacts. Even in this single area, there were tons of hidden objectives, mini-puzzles, side quests to find, and NPCs to talk to. The puzzles are genuinely puzzling, too. I'm embarrassed to admit I wasted about 15 minutes on one of the game's lockbox puzzles, but I was rewarded with collectibles and ammo for my cognitive turmoil.

The game definitely gave me a vibe of L.A. Noire when I played it, where combat is exciting and tight when it emerges — but ultimately doesn't represent all the game is. L.A. Noire, too, revolved largely around investigative play and the overarching mysteries woven expertly throughout the central narrative. You're not exactly forced to constantly wrap your head in knots trying to figure out complex puzzles, though. If you fancy it, Indiana's vintage pocket Kodak camera can offer hints to help you when you get stumped. But figuring things out on your own gives you that Indiana-like "eureka" moment that is well worth spending at least some time chasing. It also ties well into the game's camera mode as well, of course.

Indeed, I get the impression there will be plenty of opportunities for scenic photography sessions through Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. I haven't visited the Great Pyramid in real life, but the vista the demo build introduced to me really made me want to call up a travel agent. Each area will have a centralized main story mystery to solve, which may include sneaking into military outposts to acquire special artifacts, which then give you access to tombs replete with deadly traps, puzzles, and maybe even snakes. While moving between the main points of interest, new side objectives may present themselves, offering opportunities for hunting down collectibles or magazines that can reward you with new perks and combat skills.

Beyond the main "hub" type of small open-world areas, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is connected with linear sections that can foster those more scripted, epic setpiece moments. The Great Pyramid area was more open, with archaeological dig sites, Nazi military outposts, and village hubs dotted around for exploration. Traversing these areas isn't always safe to do, however. But much like in Raiders and the Last Crusade, Indiana can acquire disguises to slip between the cracks. Even the game's connective, cinematic linear areas were quite wide with opportunities for stealthy play and creative combat highs — which we'll get into in more depth shortly.

Executive Producer Todd Howard (of Fallout and Elder Scrolls fame) reportedly had the plan for this game down for some years, and what I've experienced so far represents a clear love letter from a team that quite intimately knows what Indiana Jones truly is.

If Tomb Raider is Indiana Jones as action adventure, The Great Circle is Indiana Jones as an immersive action simulator

Video games don't always translate well to film, and films don't always translate well to video games. For Indiana Jones, you could argue this is particularly true.

Indiana Jones is not a super soldier; he's not B.J. from Machine Games' Wolfenstein series. He's not known for carrying an arsenal of different types of guns, and he doesn't have super-human powers nor supernatural abilities. He's just a dude with a history book or two memorized, accompanied by a bullwhip and a 1930s revolver. On paper, you'd think this wouldn't make for a game that featured dynamic, varied gameplay on par with modern expectations, but against all the odds, Machine Games pulled it off.

At its core, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a stealth game, I would say, but it borrows from the dynamism of immersive sim titles to give you a wealth of environmental options for how to approach combat and enemy groups. Your typical stealth game staples like throwing objects to lure enemies take center stage, but beyond the basics, Indiana Jones rewards players' creativity for utilizing the environment to their advantage. Each area is crammed with objects, items, pitfalls, traps, and other potential solutions to overcoming the various fascists that stand between you and your prize, and I felt like I'd barely scratched the surface of the creative combat canvas unfolding before me as I played.

Indiana is essentially just a dude, hardly a trained soldier or spy. As such, he brings the swagger and elegance of a barroom brawler with him into combat, much as he does in the movies. The game captures the essence of this deftly.

Your weapons won't be silenced. You don't get a bow and arrow or ninja shurikens to take down enemies from afar. You will be sneaking up behind them, luring them into compromised positions, and smashing them in the head with whatever blunt objects you can find. Indeed, I dispatched enemies using shovels, umbrellas, wooden forks, frying pans, random bottles, busts, statues, and various other everyday utensils — many of which came with their own brutal and uniquely Indiana execution sequences. There's no splattering of brains or craniums here, but the unrelentingly satisfying clang of steel on skulls never gets old.

Indeed, sound plays a big part in really slamming home the Indiana feel here. The iconic snap of Indiana's knuckles on cheekbone is unmistakable when you do get into fisticuffs (and you will), and the nostalgic tones of John Williams' Indiana Jones theme roll in and roll out dynamically as combat ebbs and flows. Many of those classic 1980s sound effects return, and they'll put a huge grin on your face if you have, like I do, a ton of nostalgia for the original trilogy.

It's not all fighting and melee combat, though. Indiana Jones does get other tools, both on his person and within the environment, to dispatch nazis with increasingly hilarious creativity.

The game seems quite adept at preventing its combat loop from getting repetitive, although my time with the game was admittedly only 3 or so hours in what should be roughly around 20 hours of campaign gameplay (or anywhere up to 30 for completionists). But in the slice I experienced, there was a ton of variety offered in terms of enemy types, environmental tools, and terrain opportunities to deal with dangerous situations.

Much like in the movies, a simple violent shove can be enough to quietly and deftly remove an enemy combatant from the field. I found myself shoving nazis off balconies and ramparts and into archaeological dig ditches to remove them from play. Not every enemy is so easily beaten down, though. There were more often than not "heavies" wandering around, sometimes with dogs, too, which aren't as susceptible to simply being punched in the face. You have a number of tools to deal with these situations, too, with some being more violent than others.

Indeed, you have a revolver of your own with limited ammo, but using it will create a loud noise that will trigger other enemies to investigate your vicinity. The revolver is perhaps best used either as a last resort or in situations where you've already been discovered — and you need to quickly even the odds by leveling the playing field. There are also rifles you can find on occasion lying around too, or scavenged from your quarry. In keeping with the game's highly interactive design, these can be used as rifles but also as a makeshift baseball bat, flipped over so you can smash enemies in the head with the stock. They have a much longer range than the revolver, too, and given that some of the game's locations are very, very open, they could come in handy in certain situations.

Then, there's the whip. Indiana's iconic bullwhip is a tool used for various purposes. You can use it to ascend to higher vantage points to get a drop on or avoid enemies. You can use it to traverse gaps, trigger traps, and recover items. You can also use it in combat, ripping enemy's weapons from their hands or just beating them down with it. I didn't get the opportunity to experiment with it as much as I would have liked, but I was amazed by how many options that single weapon presented to me as a player.

Indeed, I found it difficult to pry myself away from the event when our time was up. It felt like there were so many interactions between the game's tools, environment, and enemies I had still to experience and experiment with. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle approach combat with similar traditions as immersive sim-type titles, where your creativity converges with the game's tools and physics to give you that sense of cinematic realism in a dynamic, emergent way, as opposed to something more scripted and formulaic. In The Great Circle, you are Indiana Jones, and to get the most out of the game, you better act like it.

Many questions remain

There's no way I can answer all of my questions about Indiana Jones and the Great Circle in the space of 2-3 hours of play. Even in the brief slice I experienced, there was a vast toolkit to reward creative players and mountains of puzzles to entice aspiring archaeologists. With suitable villains and an intriguing overarching mystery to pursue, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle could end up being remembered as the true "fourth" entry in the Indiana Jones lexicon.

The demo build I played did have some rough edges to speak of. The LOD (level of detail) seemed to get stuck in a low poly state at times, and the delta in quality between main character NPCs and random environmental NPCs was quite large. I'm also curious to find out if you do eventually get more tools. While the demo build offered a ton of variety, I can see myself eventually wanting more options as the game unfolds across its beefy-sounding campaign. But those are questions for the full review, which we'll hopefully get to pen before the game's planned release date on December 9, 2024.

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If what I experienced is representative of the full, finished product, it'll be a big win for Xbox and Microsoft's gaming division, joining STALKER 2 and Call of Duty Black Ops 6 to close the year out on an incredibly strong note.

Indiana Jones and The Great Circle is hitting Xbox Series X|S and Windows gaming PCs first, with a PlayStation 5 version planned for 2025. The game will also drop day one into Xbox Game Pass, and it's shaping up very, very nicely indeed.

Grab your whip and travel bag, because it's time to set off on a globetrotting adventure.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is on the way, with developer MachineGames and publisher Bethesda Softworks working to construct a journey that accurately reflects the original trilogy of classic Indiana Jones films. Preorders are open for the game, but with multiple editions available, you've got some choices to make. I've gathered everything you need to know about which version of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle to buy.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Standard Edition vs. Premium Edition

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is slated to launch across Xbox Series X|S consoles and Windows PC (including Steam) on Dec. 9, 2024. There is a PlayStation 5 version on the way, but it's coming later and is currently scheduled to arrive at some point in 2025.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is available in three different editions for the majority of players. The Standard Edition is just the game, and it's available for $70. There's also the Premium Edition, which is $100, and it includes the following extras:

• Base Game (Digital or Physical)
• Up to 3 days early access
• The Order of Giants Story DLC (when it releases)
• Digital Art Book
• Temple of Doom Outfit
• The Last Crusade Pack
  o Traveling Suit Outfit
  o Lion Tamer Whip

There's also the Premium Upgrade, which is available for $35. This upgrade includes all the extras in the Premium Edition, but it does not include the game. Instead, it's meant to allow players who initially pick up the Standard Edition to get the Premium Edition goodies without having to buy a second copy of the game. 

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle on Xbox Game Pass

As MachineGames and its parent company ZeniMax Media are part of Xbox, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is coming to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass on Dec. 9, 2024. Any players subscribed to either tier of Microsoft's game subscription service will be able to play the Standard Edition of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle when it arrives. 

There's another neat benefit here, as Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can also access the Premium Edition of the game without buying the full thing. Since access to the game is granted through the subscription service, a subscriber can simply buy the Premium Upgrade for $35 and play three days early on December 6. They'll also have access to the other bonuses, like the story DLC, whenever it arrives.

This is a system that's been used for a number of other Xbox first-party games from across Activision Blizzard, Bethesda Softworks, and Xbox Game Studios, including World's Edge's Age of Mythology Retold, Treyarch and Raven Software's Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, and Bethesda Game Studios' Starfield.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Preorder bonuses

Anyone that preorders the Standard Edition of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle will also get The Last Crusade Pack, which includes the Traveling Suit Outfit and the Lion Tamer Whip. While this is included in the Premium Edition, you don't have to shell out that extra cash if you just happen to want this pack. 

The Last Crusade Pack is also included for anyone that plays the game through Xbox Game Pass Ultimate or PC Game Pass. You'll have access to the pack for as long as you're subscribed. 

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Collector's Edition

Last, but certainly not least, there is a Collector's Edition of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. Available exclusively through the Bethesda Gear Store for $190, this is the ultimate item for a hardcore fan to grab, and unlike the other editions of the game, it's being produced in limited quantities. Here's everything included in the Collector's Edition:

• Base Game
• The Great Circle 11” Globe with Hidden Storage
• Up to 3 days early access
• Allmaker Relic Replica with Game Code (Base Game)
• Jumbo SteelBook Case
• New Adventure Journal
• The Order of Giants Story DLC (when it releases)
• Digital Art Book
• Temple of Doom Outfit
• The Last Crusade Pack
  • Traveling Suit Outfit
  • Lion Tamer Whip

What you need to know

• I recently saw a preview of MachineGames' Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, with the developers showing gameplay as Indy explores different regions around the world. 
• During a group Q&A session following the preview, game director Jerk Gustafsson and creative director Axel Torvanius confirmed that Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is the largest game the studio has ever made. 
• MachineGames previously worked on multiple Wolfenstein titles, and has also contributed to remastered versions of Quake, Quake 2, and DOOM II.

Players' adventures with Indiana Jones are going to be quite substantial. 

As part of a preview for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, game director Jerk Gustafsson and creative director Axel Torvanius explained that the game is going be fairly big. While the duo eschewed providing an explicit range of playable hours to expect, they both stated that it will be the biggest game MachineGames has ever built, with Gustafsson noting that would be true even if players stuck to just the main path. 

A lot of this is due to how the game is structured. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle unfolds across multiple locations, from Egypt to the Himalayas. Some of these historical sites are linear main missions, but many also provide the opportunity for exploration. There's optional puzzles to solve and treasures to find, which can help Indy progress further as he earns more money and unlocks new skills. 

As shared during Gamescom 2024, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is launching on Dec. 9, 2024 for Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. A PlayStation 5 version is also coming in Spring 2025.

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MachineGames has a long history of Nazi-killing games

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle pits players against some less-than-scrupulous characters, including Nazis and their accomplices. Fortunately, Indy has tools like his whip and revolver at his disposal, helping to continue a long tradition of inventive Nazi-killing in MachineGames' titles. 

The studio previously worked on three Wolfenstein games, starting with Wolfenstein: The New Order in 2014. This work continued with the launch of Wolfenstein: The New Colossus in 2017, with a smaller, more experimental game, Wolfenstein: Youngblood, being co-developed with Arkane Lyon and launching in 2019.

MachineGames has also closely collaborated with its sister studio id Software under ZeniMax Media. MachineGames and id Software partner on the development of the id Tech engine, and have also worked together with the team at Nightdive on the remasters of Quake, Quake 2, and DOOM + DOOM II.

Headquartered in Uppsala, Sweden, MachineGames also recently expanded with a second studio, opening another office in Sundsvall. This second studio is expected to be fully staffed in 2025.

Consulting his trusty journal, esteemed adventurer and archeologist Indiana Jones locates his next clue by the Great Sphinx of Giza. Swinging in carefully, he takes out one patrolling guard with a crack of his trusty whip before immediately guarding against another guard's haymaker. After a brief but fierce boxing match, Indy grabs his opponent and tosses him over the edge. A third guard enters eyesight, but he's quickly disposed of thanks to a shot from Indy's revolver.

So goes just one brief segment in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, an upcoming adventure game from Swedish studio MachineGames and publisher Bethesda Softworks. 

I recently had the chance to watch some new gameplay from Indiana Jones and the Great Circle in a hands-off preview, as well as partake in a group Q&A session with some of the game's directors. From what I saw, this game has far more depth than might've been expected, with investigative side quests and myriad puzzles joining the Nazi-punching, whip-cracking action sequences that have previously been shown.

A globetrotting adventure with danger and mystery

Set in 1937 (shortly after the events of Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark), the Great Circle opens with a break-in at Marshall College, as Indy witnesses a precious relic being stolen. From there, the plot unfolds rapidly across the globe as Indy joins forces with Italian journalist Gina. According to game director Jerk Gustafsson and creative director Axel Torvanius, MachineGames established sites that the game would feature early on, wanting to take players into locations like Egypt, the Himalayas, and the Vatican.

"The focus for this game is adventure," adds audio director Pete Ward. "When you venture into the unknown, we want exploration to feel truly rewarding."

Part of that is handled through Indy's journal, which is used to track clues and hints that have been found so far. The journal becomes stuffed with notes and details over the course of the game, even adding pictures that players take using Indy's camera. I love the idea of tracking a player's journey and making it feel personal, and the journal is a perfect way of doing just that.

It wouldn't be an Indiana Jones game without mystery, and that's where puzzles come in. There are numerous puzzles throughout the game, with smaller challenges hiding small hints and larger puzzles that feature surprising secrets. During the preview, I see Indy having to break through a wall, line up reflective mirrors, and pay careful attention on where to throw a trident that allows him to then swing to safety on his whip. Gustafsson notes that puzzle difficulty can be tuned separately from the rest of the game, in case players want more (or less) of a challenge outside of combat.

Speaking of combat, Indy's prowess as a brawler has been firmly kept intact here. Blocking enemy punches and dishing out your own forms a key part of the gameplay loop, which players can combine with the whip and revolver, as well as anything else they can get their hands on. At different points in the preview, MachineGames shows Indy knocking out guards with shovel, a rolling pin, and more.

You're not required to go in whip-cracking and revolver blazing though, and it's often beneficial to take a more subtle approach, as you can get through many (though not all) of the game's encounters without fighting. Donning costumes can allow you to infiltrate enemy camps as long as you're careful, while stealth means you can avoid drawing attention to yourself. It's an impressive array of mechanics from what's shown, and the potential for different mission outcomes and paths here has my mind racing. 

Plenty to explore off the beaten path

While some adventures will be fairly straightforward, with linear tombs and ancient ruins to explore. At other points, the game opens up wide, with hub-like locations to check out that feature optional quests and puzzles. You can choose to solve as many mysteries off the beaten path as you'd like, with rewards like money that be used for purchasing things from merchants in a bazaar.

Solving puzzles and taking pictures relevant to the mysteries you're pursuing also unlocks Adventure Points, which can be used to get different skills. One example shown in the preview is for a skill called True Grit, which gives Indy a second chance after falling in combat, allowing him to get back up once after being knocked out in a brawl.

Depending on how long you take to explore, your adventure may be a fair bit shorter or longer, but you're in for a hefty journey either way. According to Gustafsson and Torvanius, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is the biggest game that MachineGames has ever crafted, making it larger than the studio's prior Wolfenstein titles even if players only stick to the main path.

An in-depth story and quest

I was already excited for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, and that excitement has only grown following this preview. The different side story and puzzle elements seem fascinating, and I'm curious about how wild some of them will get. I particularly love the inclusion of the journal as a storytelling aid and an in-game documentation of Indy's adventures, as it should help make the game feel more lived-in and enticing. 

While Indiana Jones isn't the gore-drenched, guns-roaring type of shooter that the Wolfenstein games were, there still seems to be plenty of action, with immersive sim-lite elements that should make for a fun experience. 

Naturally, I still have some questions, but at this point I'm content to let most of those questions rest until I can get my hands on this adventure. 

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is slated to launch across Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC on Dec. 9, 2024, as shared during Gamescom. Like all Xbox first-party games, it's also included day one in Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. A PlayStation 5 version is also coming in Spring 2025.

What you need to know

• Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is an upcoming first-person adventure game from MachineGames and Bethesda Softworks. 
• First unveiled earlier in the year, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle now has a release date, and will be launching on Dec. 9, 2024. 
• It's also coming to PlayStation 5 in Spring 2025.
• Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is coming to Xbox Series X|S consoles and Windows PC, as well as being available day one in Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

We've got an exact date for when we can jump into the latest Indiana Jones adventure. 

During Opening Night Live at Gamescom 2024, publisher Bethesda Softworks and developer MachineGames revealed that Indiana Jones and the Great Circle now has an official release date, with the game slated to arrive on Dec. 9, 2024 for Xbox Series X|S consoles and Windows PC. Like all Xbox first-party games, it's also included day one in Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.

That's not all though, as this first-person globetrotting adventure will also be arriving on PlayStation 5 at a later date. PlayStation users can look forward to joining in on the fun at some point in Spring 2025.

Set after the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle takes players across the globe as they struggle against rival archeologist Emmerich Voss, who is working with the Nazis to uncover ancient relics with a deeper mystery. I had the chance to see more gameplay in a preview for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, where MachineGames showed off the environments, puzzles, and depth the game has to offer.

Why is Indiana Jones and the Great Circle coming to PlayStation 5?

Indiana Jones' later launch on PlayStation 5 comes as Microsoft's gaming strategy continues to evolve. Earlier in the year, four previously Xbox console exclusive games came to PlayStation and Nintendo hardware, with Obsidian Entertainment's Grounded and Pentiment launching across PlayStation 5 and 4 as well as Nintendo Switch, while Rare's Sea of Thieves and former first-party Tango Gameworks' Hi-Fi Rush received PlayStation 5 versions. 

Microsoft Gaming CEO Matt Booty has spoken on the reception of these ports, saying the team has been "really pleased" with how Sea of Thieves performed. 

Another game from the ZeniMax Media and Bethesda Softworks wing of Xbox, id Software's DOOM: The Dark Ages, is arriving day one on PlayStation 5 alongside its Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and Xbox Game Pass launch. Meanwhile, multiple other first-party Xbox games such as Playground Games' Fable, The Initiative's Perfect Dark, and Compulsion's South of Midnight do not have PlayStation 5 versions announced.

Analysis: Fetch my whip

I'm excited to get my hands on Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. I've been in since the game was first announced, and everything shown has reinforced that the developers at MachineGames understand everything players could want from a whip-wielding adventure.

What you need to know

• Gamescom is a major, annual convention that brings together thousands of people to celebrate video games.
• Now, Xbox has detailed its Gamescom 2024 plans, including showcasing over 50 Xbox games alongside Activision Blizzard.
• There will be hands-on demos, live shows and guided previews, the opportunity to win free prizes, and much more.
• Confirmed games include Avowed, Starfield, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Towerborne, Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred, and many more first and third-party Xbox titles.

It was basically a given that Xbox would have a huge presence at Gamescom 2024, as the major publisher is rarely missed at the biggest video games conventions and shows (and, also, Xbox already confirmed it'd be at Gamescom). Now, we know exactly what to expect from Xbox in Cologne, Germany this year, with the company joining forces with its new subsidiary Activision Blizzard for the first time to offer players at the show and abroad a ton of fun experiences.

Xbox's Gamescom presence later this year will boast over 50 new and upcoming Xbox and Windows PC games, split between Xbox's first-party studios and third-party partners. There will be plenty of hands-on demos, theater shows (that are also livestreamed worldwide), opportunities for fans to win assorted prizes, all the Xbox and Activision Blizzard merch you could ask for, and much more. It's looking to be a big year for Xbox, with accessibility being a priority to allow as many people as possible to experience it.

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So, we already knew that Xbox was planning its 'biggest booth ever' for Gamescom 2024, but we finally know what that actually looks like. The Xbox and Activision Blizzard booth will let attendees and fans go hands-on with a ton of games, including (but certainly not limited to) Age of Mythology: Retold, Ara: History Untold, Towerborne, Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred, Fallout 76: Milepost Zero, and The Elder Scrolls Online: Gold Road.

Don't forget the third-party studios, as many of Xbox's partners are also excited to let attendees go hands-on with their games, including Star Wars Outlaws, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, Atomfall, and a ton of various ID@Xbox titles. There will be dozens of games to play, but Xbox is showing off even more beyond the hands-on demos for the best upcoming Xbox games.

Xbox will also be hosting exclusive presentations in a dedicated theater (which will also be livestreamed globally) with new information and previews of Obsidian Entertainment's fantasy RPG Avowed, Bethesda Softworks' Starfield: Shattered Space expansion, and MachineGames' Nazi-punching Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. Blizzard will have its own showings, with an interactive experience for World of Warcraft: The War Within, a tournament for Diablo Immortal, and even a life-sized D.VA from Overwatch 2 (shown alongside a new all-electric Porsche, for some reason).

One great bit of news from all these announcements is the fact that Xbox is focusing on accessibility at Gamescom 2024. Each booth will be wheelchair accessible, Xbox Adaptive Controllers will be available for each demo if requested, ASL and DGS sign language interpreters and audio description guides will be on site, Xbox will provide accessory aids and a "quiet room" for anyone who needs them, and Xbox's "Here to Help" staff will be readily available to answer questions and provide guidance.

That still isn't everything, though. The next few sections will be dedicated to Xbox's fan-centric events at Gamescom 2024, when you can expect Xbox to go live worldwide, and what you need to know about Gamescom itself.

For the Xbox fans @ Gamescom 2024

Aside from the demos and live shows, Xbox will have various areas set aside for fans with unique events, experiences, and opportunities. Here's a quick rundown of what to expect:

• Xbox Game Pass will have its own section at Gamescom 2024 teaching players about all the different ways Game Pass can make gaming more fun for you. On top of that, Game Pass will be hosting giveaways and rewarding prizes through various games, with attendees able to win prizes like:
  • Xbox Game Pass tokens
  • NVIDIA GeForce Now tokens
  • PC and console storage
  • Xbox Cloud Gaming devices
  • HP OMEN and HyperX monitors, headsets, microphones, mice, and keyboards
• The Xbox Gear Shop will have a physical booth set up at Gamescom 2024 for attendees to buy merch and accessories for Xbox, Bethesda, Call of Duty, and more.
• Xbox will maintain a dedicated Community Area at Gamescom 2024 to let attendees get away from the hustle and bustle of the main show, and will feature special activities like cosplay meetups, trivia games, and meet-and-greets with developers, voice actors, and more.
• Xbox FanFest will also be making a return, bringing together Xbox's biggest fans for an exclusive event. If you're planning to attend Gamescom, you can sign up at the Xbox FanFest site and use code FANFEST for a chance to win tickets to this event.

Three days of Xbox and Bethesda livestreams

You don't have to go to Gamescom directly to learn more about the Xbox's upcoming games lineup, as both Xbox and Bethesda will be hosting daily livestreams. You'll be able to find the streams on Xbox's Twitch, Xbox's Facebook, and Xbox's YouTube. The livestreams will be English, but will also be available to stream in German, Arabic, Traditional Chinese, Czech, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Brazilian Portuguese, Castilian Spanish, Mexican Spanish and Turkish, and ASL and English Audio Descriptions.

Xbox and Bethesda both will be streaming on Aug. 21, 22, and 23 for Gamescom, with Xbox's daily stream starting at 6:00 a.m. PT / 9:00 a.m. ET / 2:00 p.m. BST / 3:00 p.m. CEST, with each day being focused on a different collection of upcoming Xbox games. Bethesda will have its own daily stream starting at 5:00 a.m. PT / 8:00 a.m. ET / 1:00 p.m. BST / 2:00 p.m. CEST.

You can read more about all of this on the Xbox @Gamescom 2024 site.

What is Gamescom 2024 and when does it start?

Gamescom is one of the oldest (still-running) video games conventions, bringing together gamers, fans, and companies from around the world for an annual event in Cologne, Germany. Since 2009, Gamescom has been a huge source of new games announcements and reveals, the opportunity for hands-on demos and previews, and more. Xbox has historically had a huge presence at Gamescom, and it'll be bigger than ever this year.

If you want to attend Gamescom or live around Cologne, Germany, Gamescom 2024 officially kicks off on Aug. 20, 2024 with an opening ceremony, with the main event taking place across Aug. 21-25, 2024. Even if you can't attend yourself, plenty of Gamescom 2024 will be streamed worldwide via various streaming services, especially direct from companies like Xbox.

What you need to know

• Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is being developed by MachineGames and published by Bethesda Softworks. 
• Earlier in the year, the teams showed off a first look at Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, as well as confirming it was slated to launch in 2024. 
• During the Xbox Games Showcase 2024, Bethesda returned to show a new trailer for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, showing how Indy deals with Nazis.
• Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is coming to Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and Xbox Game Pass.

One of the world's most famous adventure archeologists has a date for his next adventure. 

During the Xbox Games Showcase 2024, Bethesda Softworks and MachineGames showed up with a new trailer for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, reaffirming that this upcoming game will be launching across Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and Xbox Game Pass later in 2024.

Naturally, the teams also showed a new story-driven trailer for the game, showing Indy's tense encounters with the villainous Nazis during a trek into the Himalayas. You can check out the new trailer below:

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a mainly first-person game, with players solving puzzles and punching the Reich's fodder close up, while the camera pulls back into a third-person mode during traversal sequences and cutscenes, keeping a level of cinematic quality as befits a game being inspired by famous films.

Analysis: I'm in, but no release date?

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has looked exciting since the first time we saw it. I love the way MachineGames is building a (mostly) first-person experience that still captures the cinematic qualities of the Indiana Jones franchise. I'm ready to whip and shoot some Nazis while stea-er, liberating some precious ancient artifacts! I'll also be updating our FAQ for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle as we learn more about the game, so if you're excited for it, be sure to keep that page bookmarked.

With Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, as well as other first-party games like Obsidian Entertainment's Avowed and Activision's Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, with games like Playground's Fable and Compulsion's South of Midnight slated for 2025, the Xbox first-party lineup is simply looking fantastic over the next several months.

I do have note that it's surprising we don't have a release date here, a recurring trend for this showcase. The game certainly looks pretty far along, but I suppose it's possible Bethesda wants a separate marketing beat for the official release dare announcement. I do think of all the 2024 games Xbox has, this seems the most likely to slip to 2025, but we'll wait and see how things pan out. We also didn't get a release date for Starfield: Shattered Space or Avowed, so maybe Xbox will have a big presence at Gamescom? Who knows.

In 2021, Swedish developer MachineGames revealed that its next project wouldn't be a Wolfenstein game. Instead, the team was working on an Indiana Jones game, a project that was being coordinated with Lucasfilm Games and even got Todd Howard from Bethesda Game Studios involved. Now, we know a lot more about what to expect from this game, titled Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.

This game pulls from the developer's past experience, continuing on the legacy of fighting Nazis while introducing a number of new elements and ideas. There's a lot to look forward to, as Indiana Jones and the Great Circle could be one of the best Xbox games of the year. Here's everything you need to know and the answers to some frequently asked questions.

What is Indiana Jones and the Great Circle?

Best answer: Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a (mostly) first-person adventure game being developed by MachineGames and published by Bethesda Softworks.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle was first teased sans title in 2021, where almost all we knew was the developer. The game received a full, proper unveiling in January 2024 at the Xbox Developer_Direct 2024, with a trailer, gameplay, and behind-the-scenes footage that talked about the development process so far.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is set just after Raiders of the Lost Ark, but before the events of The Last Crusade, with Indy's adventure's kicking off as he chases down connections between historical sites across the world, from the pyramids of Egypt to the Himalayas.

While this Indiana Jones game is being developed by MachineGames and published by Bethesda Softworks — the publishing arm of Microsoft-owned ZeniMax Media — it's also being made in partnership with Lucasfilm Games, a division of Disney that provides aids on video game adaptions of Lucasfilm properties, such as working with Respawn Entertainment and Electronic Arts on Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is also the largest game that MachineGames has ever made.

Todd Howard of Bethesda Games Studios (one of MachineGames' sister studios under ZeniMax Media) also has a major role in the development of the game, as he's the executive producer. His conversations with Lucasfilm and Disney are a major reason development on the game began, and he has been working on the game's story for years in collaboration with MachineGames.

Our managing editor Jez Corden got to play a couple of hours early for a preview, and he found that Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is full of surprises, with crunchy fisticuffs in melee combat and intriguing puzzles to solve.

Is Harrison Ford voicing Indiana Jones?

The list of actors in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is full of talent, with gaming industry constant Troy Baker taking up the role of Indy. Speaking with GQ, Baker confirmed he learned how to crack a whip after getting the part, which involved going through months of tests and auditions before Howard agreed that he was right for the role.

Is Indiana Jones and the Great Circle canon?

Lucasfilm Games was established by Disney explicitly to ensure that any new licensed games being developed would strictly adhere to franchise canon. While this primarily mattered for the sprawling Star Wars license, Indiana Jones also falls under the Lucasfilm umbrella, so it's included. This game is a part of Indiana Jones canon!

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Why is Indiana Jones and the Great Circle a first-person game?

Before this game was fully revealed, there was much speculation and discussion around whether or not it would be a first-person game. First-person titles comprise MachineGames' history, with Wolfenstein: The New Order, Wolfenstein: The New Colossus, and Wolfenstein: Youngblood all taking a first-person perspective for killing Nazis.

Speculation was additionally fueled as other adventure games like the Tomb Raider and Uncharted franchises are third-person experiences. These games have drawn on the Indiana Jones films for inspiration, so to see things come full circle wouldn't have been a total shock.

All that in mind, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle being a first-person game makes sense. The studio's history is focused on building first-person games, which would've made development easier by not radically shifting the camera and the way things function.

"Whether it's cracking your whip, solving puzzles in ancient temples, or seeing your knuckles go bloody in a fistfight, all of these moments are much more intense in first-person," says cinematic producer Mitra Ashkan Far.

This doesn't mean players won't be seeing Indy's face, though. In addition to the usual cutscenes, there are still some third-person sections of gameplay, with the camera pulling back whenever you're in a "traversal" section, such as climbing up some scaffolding or sliding down a rope.

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When is the release date for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle?

During the game's proper unveiling at the Xbox Developer_Direct 2024, we did learn that MachineGames and Bethesda Softworks will be launching Indiana Jones and the Great Circle later in 2024.

The team later provided an update during Gamescom 2024, sharing that Indiana Jones and the Great Circle would be launching across Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC on Dec. 9, 2024, with three-day early access for anyone grabbing the Premium Edition of the game. As it's an Xbox first-party game, the standard edition of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is included day one with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.

If you're not sure which version to get, you can consult my Indiana Jones and the Great Circle preorder guide.

Indiana Jones is capping off a strong year of Xbox first-party releases, with other titles that launched throughout 2024 including Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2, Towerborne early access, Age of Mythology: Retold, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, and more.

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Is Indiana Jones and the Great Circle an Xbox exclusive?

Thanks to some testimony during the Microsoft vs. FTC court hearing in 2023 — when the former was in the process of acquiring Activision Blizzard — we already knew that Indiana Jones and the Great Circle was originally a multiplatform game, with Microsoft reworking the deal with Disney in order to allow the game to be exclusive to Xbox Series X|S consoles and Windows PC, but there's another twist.

When Indiana Jones and the Great Circle took the spotlight during the Xbox Developer_Direct 2024, the developers at MachineGames confirmed that it's being developed for Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC. During Gamescom 2024, the company then revealed that Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is coming to PlayStation 5 at a later date, making the game a timed Xbox console exclusive.

As Microsoft acquired ZeniMax Media (parent company of Bethesda Softworks and its studios) in March 2021, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle will be the first completely new game that MachineGames launches as an Xbox first-party developer.

That note of "completely new" is important, as the team has contributed to some titles that shipped over the last couple of years, with MachineGames crafting new, original campaigns for Quake Remastered and Quake 2 Remastered, which launched in 2021 and 2023, respectively.

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Is Indiana Jones and the Great Circle coming to Xbox Game Pass?

Best answer: Yes, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle will be available day one with Xbox Game Pass.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle will be launching day one on Xbox Game Pass, meaning it'll be available to any Xbox Series X|S or PC users that want to play it through their subscription instead of buying it outright.

We also knew this before the game's unveiling, as the fact it would be launching day one on Microsoft's subscription service is another detail let loose from the Microsoft vs. FTC court hearing, alongside the fact that the game would be an Xbox console exclusive, though that latter part ended up being timed after Microsoft's shift in direction.

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"It ain't the years, honey, it's the mileage."

Spoken by Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) in 1981's Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, that iconic line has helped set the tone for years of pulp adventure, both for the titular character and elsewhere across the genre. Now, with Indiana Jones and the Great Circle on the way from developer MachineGames and publisher Bethesda Softworks, there are new voices that'll be part of Indy's assemblage.

If you watched the gameplay reveal trailer and wondered, "Now where have I heard that voice before?" then you're in luck. As I learn more about the game, I've put together this list of all known performance actors who are taking up roles in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. 

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle actors: Emmerich Voss

Lead antagonist Emmerich Voss is being played by Marios Gavrilis. A veteran actor, Gavrilis has provided the voice of numerous characters in the German dubs of games like Gotham Knights and Final Fantasy XV, as well as being the voice of Alexios in Assassin's Creed: Odyssey. Notably, Gavrilis is giving life to Voss in the English and German language versions of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, making him a double-threat for the game. 

Voss is described by MachineGames as being something of a foil to Indiana Jones, as an intelligent threat that can very easily get under someone's skin. 

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle actors: Gina Lombardi

Reporter Gina Lombardi is performed by actress Alessandra Mastronardi. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is Mastronardi's debut performance for video games, as the actress has previously kept to TV and movies, including To Rome With Love and The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. 

Lombardi is described as being the game's second protagonist, with Gustafsson noting that "I would say that she is also somewhat of a resistance journalist, and that has been an important part as well for shaping this character to make sure that Gina has her own goals."

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle actors: Indiana Jones

The main character and playable adventurer himself, Indiana Jones, is portrayed by veteran game actor Troy Baker. It's probably easier to list the games that Baker hasn't been part of, but some of his most notable roles include Joel in The Last of Us and Sam Drake in Uncharted 4: A Thief's End. Incidentally, both titles are PlayStation games that are now available on Windows PC.

Speaking on Baker's performance, MachineGames’ co-founder and game director Jerk Gustafsson tells EW that "He really brings forward that charm and sense of humor in such a good way," adding that "He's also a very big Indiana Jones fan, which is super cool. So he's also very invested in the game."

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle actors: Locus

The strange and towering Locus is being given life by the talents of Tony Todd. In addition to myriad TV shows and movies, his gravelly voice has been featured in roles such as Venom in Marvel's Spider-Man 2. His most iconic role remains outside of games, and will likely forever be playing the titular character in the Candyman films.

Globe-trotting escapades with a star-studded cast

The cast of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle will extend even further in the full release, and players will be going on adventures around the world, visiting places like the Himalayas, Egypt, and many other famous locales.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is currently slated to launch at some point in 2024. When it arrives, it'll be available exclusively on Xbox Series X|S consoles and Windows PC, as well as launching day one into Xbox Game Pass.

What you need to know

• It was revealed back in Jan. 2021 that Bethesda was working on a new Indiana Jones game. 
• Today during Xbox Developer_Direct livestream, we go to see over 10 minutes of new gameplay for the highly anticipated adventure.
• Players take on the role of Indiana Jones as he tries to unravel the titular mystery of the Great Circle.
• The game will be coming to Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Game Pass later this year. 

During today's Xbox Developer_Direct livestream, gameplay was finally shown for Bethesda's upcoming Indiana Jones game, officially titled, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle... kind of lame, but true. Despite the generic-sounding title, the gameplay that was shown looks far more promising.

The gameplay premiere opened by showing our favorite explorer in a tight spot, buried in sand somewhere in Africa while talking to the evil Emmerich Voss and his group of ne're-do-wells. This is followed by quick cuts of various locations and first-person gameplay where Indy is doing typical tomb raider things like solving elaborate ancient puzzles, fighting enemies, shooting guns on top of a plane, or crossing rickety bridges. 

So what's the story? First off, you'll want to know that Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is set between Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade. This means that we have a more youthful Indy than we've seen in the latest movies.

A man shows up at the school Indy teaches at and steals a relic. After the man gets away, Indy takes on a quest to learn more about this man and why he stole the item he stole. Indy ends up at the Vatican and eventually travels all over the world while trying to unravel a complex mystery that centers around the titular Great Circle. 

As explained by developers, players will need to use their wits to solve puzzles and get around enemies. What's more, the developers say that the game was developed with the intention of allowing players to find different ways of achieving their goals. So players are encouraged to get creative and find unique ways of solving various challenges whether that be with puzzles or battles.

"I've wanted to make an Indiana Jones game forever," said, Executive Producer Todd Howard. "I had this idea for what it would be like and the story, what Indy was going after, what period of his life it was in, the arch he was going to have. And as the years ran on I thought, 'who would be, like, the best studio in the world to make this?' and it was my friends at MachineGames. 

"I can remember pitching LucasFilm on the game and being a little bit nervous because, look, it's Indiana Jones, and their response was just overwhelmingly positive and just that excitement has just bled through the whole project and they have just been so trusting and so supportive of everything we want to do with the game.

"It's been a long time. I've been a fan of this my whole life and I couldn't be more excited to share with you what the team here has been up to."

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle will be releasing later this year for Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Game Pass. We were also promised that more game information will be coming soon.

• To see the Indiana Jones section of the Developer_Direct, go to the 33:07 timestamp on the video above.

It was first revealed that Bethesda was producing a new Xbox-exclusive Indiana Jones game back in early 2021. MachineGames, known for the latest Wolfenstein series, is the exact studio working on the action-adventure.

For those of us who are long-time gamers, it's exciting to see a new Indiana Jones game that matches the adventurous spirit of older titles. This is not by any means the first Indiana Jones game that has come out. But for many, it could be the first one they've ever played since it has been over a decade since the last whip-wielding globetrotter's console title was released. Even then, the last game was LEGO Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues in 2009, which was hilariously fun but wasn't the same kind of realistic action many people wanted from the Indy franchise. 

What you need to know

• The FTC is currently trying to obtain a Preliminary Injunction against Microsoft trying to buy Activision Blizzard.
• During the hearing, the FTC asked Bethesda Softworks' head of publishing Pete Hines about an upcoming Indiana Jones game being developed by MachineGames. 
• The FTC alleged that the original contract with Disney was amended so the game would be Xbox exclusive and launch day one in Xbox Game Pass. 
• Hines confirmed that this is the case.

We've got a bombshell reveal, not from any showcase, but from the hearing of the case Federal Trade Commission v. Microsoft Corp. 

When questioning Bethesda Softworks' head of publishing, Pete Hines, the FTC asked about MachineGames' upcoming Indiana Jones game. The FTC asked if the original contract ZeniMax Media signed with Disney stipulated a multiplatform release and if the contract was amended after Microsoft acquired ZeniMax Media for Xbox exclusivity and a day-one Xbox Game Pass launch. 

Pete Hines confirmed this is the case, meaning that in a very unconventional format, we now know that the Indiana Jones game will be an Xbox console exclusive. Naturally, the game will also be available on Windows PC.

Earlier in the year, the first Xbox-exclusive game from Bethesda Softworks, Hi-Fi Rush, was announced and released on the same day. Bethesda Game Studios' upcoming science-fiction RPG Starfield is scheduled to arrive on Sep. 6, 2023.

Windows Central's take

With the timed PS5 console exclusive launches of Arkane Lyon's Deathloop and Tango Gameworks' Ghostwire: Tokyo firmly in the rearview mirror, the last remaining question around an upcoming multiplatform Bethesda game launch has been just what is going on with Indiana Jones. And just like that, now we know. 

Originally, it was multiplatform, but Microsoft negotiated with Disney to get the contract amended, and it's an Xbox exclusive, and by extension, an Xbox Game Pass day one launch.