It's been a pretty good year for Xbox fans, and it may continue to be thanks to Gamescom 2021. The release of the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S consoles has ushered Microsoft into the current generation, and the often criticized lack of exclusives is steadily being addressed with upcoming titles like Halo Infinite, Forza Horizon 5 and Psychonauts 2.
The Xbox Game Pass subscription service continues to lead the charge when it comes to one of the best deals in gaming, and with all current and future first-party games hitting the service on day one, Xbox provides a consumer friendly approach to trying out high-quality titles as soon as they're available for the cost of one monthly subscription.
So how about the future of Xbox? Gamescom 2021 is all but underway, and Xbox has prepared a 90-minute showcase that, according to its news post, will feature "in-depth updates from some of our previously announced Xbox Game Studios titles alongside some of our third-party partners, including some of the incredible titles coming to Xbox this holiday, upcoming releases to our monthly subscription service, Xbox Game Pass, and much more."
Read on to find out when and how you can tune in to the Gamescom 2021 Xbox Stream, as well as what to expect, and a few predictions from us.
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How to watch the Gamescom 2021 Xbox Stream
The Gamescom 2021 Xbox Stream takes place on August 24 at 10am PT / 1pm ET 6pm BST / 7pm CEST.
This is just before Gamescom 2021 kicks off proper, with the Geoff Keighley-hosted Opening Night Live happening on August 25 at 11am PT / 2pm ET / 7pm BST / 8pm CEST.
The showcase is being streamed all over the internet on sites like YouTube, Twitch, Twitter and Facebook Gaming and will be available to watch in 30 different languages, with support for English audio descriptions and American sign language.
The Gamescom 2021 Xbox Stream will be streamed in 1080p 60fps, but note that a 4K version of the livestream will be made available to watch on Xbox's official YouTube channel after the fact.
Gamescom 2021 Xbox Stream: what to expect
As mentioned, the 90-minute Xbox showcase will largely shed more light on already announced titles from both first and third-party developers, some of which are releasing this Holiday season. As such, expect details on both Halo Infinite and Forza Horizon 5, both slated to release in that timeframe.
Xbox's news post also mentions the showcase will cover additions to the Xbox Game Pass service. This will of course cover any and all first-party titles, but we may see some new announcements of popular games coming to the subscription service soon.
Xbox has been on a roll with Game Pass recently, after all, with titles like Hades, Katamari Damacy and the entire mainline Yakuza series coming to the platform in recent months.
While some surprises are possible, don't expect much in the way of brand new reveals, as the Xbox stream seems to be more focused on already announced titles. We also don't expect far-off titles like Fable, Everwild or Perfect Dark to be shown here, but we're very much open to being surprised there.
Gamescom 2021 Xbox Stream predictions
Here's a few predictions of what we think could be shown off or announced during the Gamescom 2021 Xbox Stream. Remember that the following is just speculation, so be sure to take them with a grain of salt.
Halo Infinite release date
With the positive reception of the first technical flight under its belt slightly hampered by the lack of campaign co-op and Forge at launch, Halo Infinite could use an injection of good news ease fans' nerves about the game.
Halo Infinite is still slated for a 2021 launch, so we can't think of a better time for developer 343 Industries to announce the game's release date than at Gamescom 2021.
Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 details
It's been a hell of a long time since Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 was announced back in 2019. The game made waves at the time thanks to its powerful trailer and impressive technical previews.
A short behind the scenes update video in 2021 did little to satiate fans' appetite for the psychological horror sequel, but it was a morsel of news that was welcome nonetheless.
Gamescom 2021 would be a perfect time for developer Ninja Theory to reveal even more details about Hellblade 2. And while we don't necessarily expect a release date for the game, a gameplay trailer could do wonders to generate excitement for the game again, and remind fans that the game is indeed on the horizon.
Details on third-party titles
With Opening Night Live featuring a spot for Call of Duty: Vanguard, we imagine that Battlefield 2042 wouldn't want to be potentially cannibalized by the popular Activision shooter. Instead, it's possible EA Dice's offering will show up during the Gamescom 2021 Xbox Stream with a new gameplay trailer.
We may also see updates for Far Cry 6, but as that game is also headlining Opening Night Live, we expect anything shown at the Xbox Stream won't be as robust as what we'll see the next day.
What about Bethesda?
With Bethesda firmly a part of the Xbox Game Studios family, we won't count out the possibility of a good chunk of the Xbox Stream dedicated to upcoming titles from the Texas-based studio.
Xbox and Bethesda's E3 2021 showcase opened and closed with Starfield and Redfall respectively, albeit in a CGI-heavy, non-gameplay format. While Starfield is still a long ways off (releasing in late 2022), a Redfall gameplay trailer is slightly more within the realms of possibility.
The Bethesda MainStream showcase is also happening on August 26 on Twitch, so if the company skips out on the main Xbox stream at Gamescom 2021, it's possible that details on its upcoming projects could make an appearance here.
