With Gamescom 2025 underway, a slew of new announcements hit the internet today after the first of two Xbox livestreams — with a release date and fresh details for the handheld ROG Xbox Ally, a game inspired by the “Halloween” film series, and more game reveals and news.
The ROG Xbox Ally, a new handheld console developed by Xbox and ASUS, with compatibility for Xbox’s ‘Play Anywhere’ games library and games available on PC, is confirmed to be releasing worldwide on Thursday, October 16. The console comes in two forms, the Xbox ROG Ally and Xbox ROG Ally X, the latter being a higher-performance model with twice the storage for players interested in easily running more demanding games.
Additional details were revealed about the specs of the consoles, too, with features like automatic resolution scaling, AI highlight reel systems, advanced shader delivery, a range of compatible accessories and enhanced support on docked gameplay for playing on a larger screen. Xbox has yet to confirm pricing for either model.
On the games front, the most exciting announcement of the day was “Halloween the Game,” from developer IllFonic (“Friday the 13th,” “Predator Hunting Ground”). As evidenced by their past work, this is a team that specialises in turning horror films into multiplayer games, and “Halloween The Game” looks to be much the same, with a Michael Myers vs survivors multiplayer mode and a single player story campaign set in the town of Haddonfield. “Halloween The Game” will presumably release on Xbox and PC, sometime in 2026.
Beyond the big reveal, there were a number of other announcements for games coming to Xbox. There was the Xbox launch trailer for HD-2D turn-based “Triangle Strategy,” multiplayer paradise farming adventure “Starsand Island,” vanlife adventure game “Outbound,” 2D fishing RPG “Nice Day for Fishing” and a new trailer for the Amazon series-adapting fighting game “Invincible VS.”
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There was also a pack of announcements for games releasing onto the Xbox Game Pass subscription service. There’s the whimsical deck builder-meets kitchen game “Beastro,” 5V5 football sequel “Freestyle Football 2,” the launch trailer for roguelite platformer “The Rogue Prince of Persia,” a cosy new trailer for “PowerWash Simulator 2” and the announcement of the latest dictatorship management game “Tropico 7.”
Gamescom 2025 still has more to go, so keep your eyes peeled for announcements and news yet to come.