I got to see more of trippy sci-fi adventure 'The Alters' and four other upcoming Xbox games — and most are coming to Game Pass

Screenshot of The Alters from an ID@Xbox event.

Recently, I had the opportunity to hear more about five upcoming Xbox games directly from the people making them, courtesy of an exclusive preview event hosted by ID@Xbox.

For the uninitiated, ID@Xbox is the publishing branch at Xbox dedicated to helping independent developers and smaller publishers bring their games into the Xbox ecosystem, including consoles and Windows PC.

Some of the absolute best and most creative Xbox games resulted from the efforts of the ID@Xbox team, so I'm always interested to see what games are coming out of that part of the Xbox family.

One of the five titles I saw certainly stood above the rest, with The Alters making another appearance ahead of its highly anticipated launch later this year, but all five games are likely to find plenty of fans on Xbox — especially since at least three are landing on Xbox Game Pass from day one.

Here are my quick thoughts on all five indie games, with some possibly becoming some of the best titles coming to Xbox Game Pass.

The Alters

It's definitely not your traditional base format. (Image credit: 11 Bit Studios)

You'll have to strategically fill this space with everything you need to survive, kind of like a massively expanded Fallout Shelter. (Image credit: 11 Bit Studios)

The Alters isn't purely a strategy basebuilding game, though, with a lot of different gameplay elements. (Image credit: 11 Bit Studios)

The narrative aspect is most important, though, with the Alters you choose and how you interact with them influencing the branching story as you progress. (Image credit: 11 Bit Studios)

You'll have to juggle a lot to outlast this hellish landscape, but it may be worth the journey. (Image credit: 11 Bit Studios)

One of the most anticipated upcoming Xbox games among the Windows Central team for quite a long while is The Alters, the latest project from 11 Bit Studios.

Our own Jez Corden raved about The Alters after his limited hands-on last year, but since then the game has been delayed into 2025 to give the team more time to polish everything up.

I'll never complain about developers taking all the time they need to fully realize their creative vision, and after seeing The Alters during this ID@Xbox event covering upcoming titles from the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) regions, it's on my most anticipated list, too.

In The Alters, you play as the lone survivor of a tragically fated expedition team to a far remote planet. Desperate to survive but unable to handle the harsh environments of your new home on your own, you turn to a mysterious technology that allows you to create alternate versions of yourself.

By "alternate," I mean versions of yourself that made different decisions throughout your life, resulting in dramatic departures in personality, skillset, and even appearance. It's the foundation upon which 11 Bit Studios builds its survival, base-building, strategy, and narrative-adventure gameplay.

The Alters looks amazing, and I can't wait to play it myself. It's also supposed to drop on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PlayStation 5 later this year, although we don't have an exact date right now. What I do know is that we'll be able to play this one via Xbox Game Pass on day one.

Winter Burrow

I was only given one screenshot of Winter Burrow from the new event, and it's... Not the most exciting, heh. (Image credit: Noodlecake)

The next game is actually one I've seen before at previous events, and even went hands-on with (although I didn't write about that brief experience).

Winter Burrow is an intriguing survival game that sees you step into the shoes of a tiny rodent struggling to build a life for itself in a frozen forest.

It's adorable, with an art style and premise that reminds me of the Redwall series that helped define my love for books as a child. Winter Burrow isn't likely to make you drool with descriptions of imaginary food, but it may be one of the best casual survival games of 2025.

Personally, survival games don't tend to be my favorite genre to explore, but Winter Burrow's approachable gameplay and intriguing narrative may be enough to draw me in.

Developer Pine Creek Games has also been hard at work improving the hand-drawn art and animations since the last time Winter Burrow made a public appearance, and it's looking good.

Winter Burrow is slated to arrive on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and Windows PC sometime later this year, and is also a day one addition to Xbox Game Pass.

Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault

This is definitely a big departure from what I've seen of the first Moonlighter. (Image credit: 11 Bit Studios)

Moonlighter 2 is combining some of the most addictive genres into one. (Image credit: 11 Bit Studios)

With massively improved visuals and gameplay, this could be a real time sink for a lot of people. (Image credit: 11 Bit Studios)

I'm definitely intrigued, but it's the fluidity and flexibility of combat that makes or break a dungeon-crawler like this. (Image credit: 11 Bit Studios)

From what I've seen, Moonlighter 2 may nail it — I'll just have to wait and see for myself. (Image credit: 11 Bit Studios)

I'm especially intrigued by the prospect of running my own shop outside of battling monsters and searching for new loot. (Image credit: 11 Bit Studios)

This is one game to look out for, I think. (Image credit: 11 Bit Studios)

I'm not familiar with the original Moonlighter, but it seems the sequel is hotly anticipated by many players.

Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault is a roguelike, dungeon-crawling action-RPG that also blends in shopkeeping elements, which could be an incredibly addictive and rewarding gameplay loop if executed properly.

I can tell at a glance, though, that Digital Sun is looking to massively refine absolutely ever aspect over the original, starting with the art style.

The flat, nondescript pixel art of before has been replaced with gorgeous, vibrant isometric 3D environments, and it looks like a major evolution that should also affect the fluidity and tactility of combat.

It'll be easy for me to try Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault when it releases, too, because it's another 11 Bit Studios project landing day one on Xbox Game Pass alongside its Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PlayStation launch.

Outbound

You can't make a cozy, open-world exploration game without making it pretty, and Outbound nailed that. (Image credit: Square Glade Games)

I didn't learn much about how Outbound will encourage you to explore, but doing it in a camper sounds interesting, at least. (Image credit: Square Glade Games)

I assume some kind of magic is being used to condense all of this into something that can fit on top of a camper while traveling. (Image credit: Square Glade Games)

Oh well, I won't be thinking about it much while wandering around. (Image credit: Square Glade Games)

I saw a lot of different tools and options during my preview, so hopefully Outbound allows for lots of player freedom. (Image credit: Square Glade Games)

We'll also be able to customize our camper, and the developers are apparently looking into adding different kinds of vehicles. (Image credit: Square Glade Games)

Being able to play with friends could be the killer feature that puts Outbound on a lot of players' radar. (Image credit: Square Glade Games)

I wonder just how big you can make these camps. (Image credit: Square Glade Games)

A lot of people can't get enough of cozy exploration games, and Outbound looks to be an exciting (or relaxing, depending on your perspective) addition to the genre.

This co-op game supports up to four players, and involves exploring an idyllic, utopian world comprised seemingly entirely of picturesque landscapes.

To navigate this world, you'll need to take advantage of your electric camper, but this homely vehicle is also, well, your home.

Outbound is a cozy, open-world exploration game, but it also boasts basebuilding elements. You can transform your camper into the mobile home of your dreams, complete with advancing technology trees and a host of tools to get the exact look and feel you desire.

If Outbound makes exploring the world worthwhile and nails its cozy gameplay, it could be an incredible addition to the Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC catalog. This one won't be coming to Xbox Game Pass, but it's still worth keeping an eye on.

Hela

Being able to explore such beautiful landscapes as a mouse certainly possesses its own charm. (Image credit: Knights Peak)

There are plenty of promising games harmed by lackluster platforming, though, so I hope Hela can deliver something fun. (Image credit: Knights Peak)

I'm not sure why you have a froggy backpack that also allows you to grapple and rappel, but it is cute. (Image credit: Knights Peak)

I better be able to play that violin. (Image credit: Knights Peak)

Hela also lets you play with friends, so it could make for a very interesting co-op game. (Image credit: Knights Peak)

Our final game comes from the same minds that brought us Unravel, and it's another co-op platforming and exploration game — but that's where the similarities end.

Set in a magical world inspired by the Swedish and Scandinavian countrysides, you and up to three of your friends play as highly intelligent, capable mice on a quest to aid the ancient witch that watches over the local village.

Your mouse can chart its own course through the world, using a wide array of traversal abilities to scale, leap, swing, and run from goal to goal. The game is built around collaboration and exploration, with a non-linear story urging players on.

The success of Hela will hinge entirely on how fun it is to explore this world as a mouse and whether the platforming feels good and responsive, but Hela could be another fantastic game to play with friends. I'm glad co-op isn't dead.

Hela doesn't have a release window yet and it hasn't been confirmed for Game Pass, but we do know it's coming to Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC when it does drop.