The November 2025 Xbox Partner Preview wasn’t just a showcase — it was a 30-minute speedrun of premieres, surprise releases, cosmic weirdness, deep-sea sushi hustling, time-warping cowboys, voxel fever dreams, and at least one moment where the timeline fractured so badly that Agent 47 is now canonically hunting Slim Shady. Xbox asked: “Should we go absolutely feral?” And the devs apparently responded: “Say no more.”

This edition of the Partner Preview put an unusually bright spotlight on third-party partners, from indie darlings to long-time studio titans. Five brand-new games debuted, three games shadow-dropped like they were avoiding detection from the CIA, and nine titles strutted into the room wrapped in that coveted green ribbon: day one on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

It also came with a stealth hardware W: the fullscreen experience (once exclusive to ASUS ROG Ally) goes universal on November 21 for all Windows gaming handhelds. In a year where handhelds are eating like kings, that’s a quiet but important shift.

So let’s break it all down — every game, every reveal, every “wait, what?” moment — in a full, detailed recap.

Armatus – A Gothic Roguelite Set in the Ruins of Paris

The show opened with Armatus, a cinematic world premiere drenched in gothic atmosphere and the kind of art direction that whispers “cathedral chic, but make it apocalypse.” It’s a third-person roguelite shooter from Counterplay Games, and the trailer immediately sets the tone: Paris is gone, wiped out by an event known only as The Vanishing. Not destroyed — not invaded — vanished.

You play a masked warrior, resurrected and mysteriously empowered, wandering through the skeletal remains of the city as demonic horrors wander between broken monuments and collapsed boulevards. Think: “Bloodborne took a weekend trip to France,” with heavy weapons, supernatural combat, and a story that teases more questions than answers.

Launching in 2026, and yes, Game Pass day one.

007 First Light – Young Bond, Big Car, Bigger Problems

If the phrase “Aston Martin Valhalla with guns” doesn’t raise your heart rate, please check for a pulse. 007 First Lightreturned to remind us that Bond games are at their best when they get flashy, fast, and stupidly cool.

The new trailer focused almost entirely on the car — which, let’s be honest, is exactly what we want — showing the Valhalla speeding through neon-lit combat sequences with weaponized flourishes that would make Q weep with pride. It’s a younger Bond and a sleeker, meaner ride, and the whole thing promises a blend of espionage and high-speed chaos.

Releasing March 27, 2026.

CloverPit – Rogue-Slot Machine Madness

CloverPit is a roguelite where your life depends on a slot machine that absolutely hates you. The setup is simple and sinister: you’re locked in a room, saddled with a massive debt, and every run is a roll of fate between survival and being dropped through a trapdoor into a very bad day.

Every spin influences your build, your luck, your odds of escape, and your ability to avoid becoming floor decor. It’s frantic, strange, and delightfully unhinged.

And it launched today, onto everything including Game Pass Ultimate.

Crowsworn – Stylish Action, Cursed World

Crowsworn’s new footage is a reminder that stylish action platformers aren’t dead — they just needed a coat of gothic paint and a protagonist who moves like a caffeine-powered assassin.

Set in the cursed land of Fearanndal, the game leans into tight traversal, fluid combat, and a Metroidvania structure built around secrets, upgrades, and fast-paced, acrobatic fights. The new gameplay trailer shows more of its absurdly polished art style and combat depth, and the community hype is very real.

Also coming day one to Game Pass Ultimate.

Dave the Diver + In the Jungle DLC

Xbox players finally get Dave the Diver, the oceanic life-sim-action-management-RPG hybrid that somehow became one of the industry’s most beloved success stories.

You dive by day, run a sushi restaurant by night, and occasionally fight eldritch sea creatures in between. The Xbox launch also includes optimizations for handhelds, perfect for Ally/Legion/AYANEO-style players.

The show also teased In the Jungle, a DLC expansion dropping early 2026, bringing land-based exploration, jungle settlements, and a massive crocodile boss that looks like it has unresolved anger issues.

Echo Generation 2 – More Voxel, More Chaos

Cococumber returned with Echo Generation 2, a sequel that expands everything players loved about the first game: supernatural weirdness, kids saving their town, turn-based combat with over-the-top animations, and heavy doses of ’80s/’90s nostalgia.

The new trailer shows cosmic monsters, robot rampages, and a team dynamic that feels even more character-driven — and yes, there’s a small creature that looks suspiciously inspired by Gremlins, which feels spiritually correct.

Erosion – A Decade Passes Every Time You Die

One of the most interesting mechanics of the showcase came from Erosion, an isometric western-themed voxel action game where every death advances the world by ten years. Towns change. People age. The world erodes — literally.

It has an eerie, bittersweet tone and a “your choices matter because you won’t be around forever” vibe, making it one of the more experimental titles shown.

Launching into Xbox Game Preview in spring 2026.

Hitman: World of Assassination – Agent 47 vs. Slim Shady

This is real, and no, you’re not hallucinating.

The next Elusive Target features Agent 47 hunting down Slim Shady, not the real Eminem, but a violent alter-ego who has apparently manifested with murderous intent. Eminem (the actual one) tasks 47 with eliminating the monster he helped create.

It’s wonderfully bizarre. Hitman thrives when it embraces chaos, and bringing Eminem into the mix is a chef’s kiss of crossover madness.

The Mound: Omen of Cthulhu – Cooperative Cosmic Terror

Then came some pure Lovecraftian dread. The Mound: Omen of Cthulhu is a co-op horror adventure where shifting realities, creeping dread, and impossible geometry are the main threats — not just the monsters lurking in the shadows.

The trailer showed explorers navigating a haunting coastline filled with jungles, ruins, and supernatural distortions that suggest sanity is optional.

Launching summer 2026.

Raji: Kaliyuga – A Third-Person Reinvention

The show closed with one of its strongest reveals: Raji: Kaliyuga, a full 3D third-person sequel to the award-winning Raji: An Ancient Epic. The new entry leaps from isometric to full action-adventure, expanding its mythological world and elevating its narrative stakes into full cosmic warfare.

You play as both Raji and her younger brother Darsh in alternating segments, with gods, demons, and ancient forces all colliding across a story set six years after the original.

It launches day one on Game Pass.

Reanimal – Little Nightmares Energy, Now Co-Op

From the creators of Little Nightmares comes Reanimal, a co-op horror adventure about a brother and sister escaping their now-twisted home while searching for missing friends. The environments ooze tension — warped rooms, crawling shadows, looming threats — and co-op puzzle traversal looks like a big focus.

A demo is available now, with full release coming February 2026.

Roadside Research – Aliens Running a Gas Station

One of the strangest games of the show — and probably one of the funniest — was Roadside Research. You’re an alien undercover as a gas station attendant, gathering intel on humans while trying not to raise suspicion.

Restock shelves, manage the store, study customers, and avoid triggering government intervention. It’s goofy, grounded, and has big “co-op chaos simulator” energy.

Launching Q1 2026 and hitting Game Pass day one.

Tides of Annihilation – Reality-Shifting Boss Battles

Inspired by Arthurian legend but taking it into cosmic fantasy territory, Tides of Annihilation showed a full boss battle where the protagonist, Gwendolyn, shifts between realities mid-combat for tactical advantage.

It’s flashy, surreal, and looks like it could become a sleeper hit when it eventually drops.

Total Chaos – Surprise Release Horror

From the creator of Turbo Overkill comes Total Chaos, a survival horror title mixing crafting, exploration, and monster-filled nightmares. The gameplay trailer is dripping with tension: dark corridors, limited supplies, and frantic encounters with creatures you’d really rather not meet at midnight.

Surprise — it’s available today on Game Pass.

Vampire Crawlers – Poncle Goes First-Person

Poncle, of Vampire Survivors fame, returns with a fresh take: Vampire Crawlers, a first-person dungeon-crawling roguelike with deckbuilding elements.

Yes, it has garlic. Yes, it has the bible. Yes, it has the whip.

It’s still chaotic, still “one more run,” and somehow feels both familiar and brand-new.

Zoopunk – Anthropomorphic Sci-Fi Action

Rounding out the show, Zoopunk expands the universe of F.I.S.T.: Forged in Shadow Torch with sky pirates, animal warriors, and fast-paced third-person combat. The trailer showed a character being captured by a rival faction while chasing an artifact known as the Spark, hinting at faction drama, exploration, and big set pieces.

Launching in 2027.

Xbox’s November 2025 Partner Preview was a compact but dense showcase that leaned heavily into creativity, genre variety, and experimental mechanics. Between the Game Pass haul, unexpected sequels, and genre mashups — plus the very welcome handheld enhancements — it’s clear Xbox is doubling down on a future built around accessibility, discovery, and unpredictable third-party gems.

If you want this expanded into a full editorial, SEO-optimized article, comedic breakdown, or platform-specific summary (Game Pass only, indies only, horror only), just say the word.