Xbox Developer Direct 2025: How to see Xbox’s new gaming showcase

Microsoft will hold its first Xbox Developer Direct of 2025 on January 23, with a look at four games: Doom: The Dark Ages, South of midnight, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33and… a mystery game that will be revealed during Thursday’s live stream.

The Xbox Developer Direct 2025 will stream Thursday at 10:00 PST/13:00 EST/18:00 GMT and can be viewed on the official Xbox YouTube and Ryk channels.

The Xbox team promises a new look at gameplay, features and news about the announced upcoming titles. As with previous Xbox Developer Directs, these details will come directly from the game creators themselves – in this case at id Software, Compulsion Games and Sandfall Interactive. Microsoft describes the fourth, unannounced game as being in development at “a surprise studio.”

Doom: The Dark Ages will send players back in time for a medieval prequel that will unpack the “origin story of the Doom Slayer’s fury” when it releases this year. South of midnight is a magical realistic occult adventure from the creators of We Happy Few that will explore folklore, music and rural environments in a fictionalized South. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 will mix turn-based RPG gameplay with real-time mechanics in a Belle Époque-inspired setting. As for the mystery game, it has been reported to be a “new entry in a legendary Japanese IP that has decades of history.”

The three confirmed games shown during Thursday’s Xbox showcase will help kick off a strong year for Microsoft’s games business. Other games coming in 2025 from Xbox Game Studios include next month’s AvowedPlayground Games’ reboot of Fableand The Outer Worlds 2.