ID@Xbox Showcase October 2026: Every Game and Announcement

The October 2026 ID@Xbox Showcase, presented in partnership with IGN, delivered a packed lineup of indie games, surprise announcements and new additions to Xbox Game Pass.

From the unexpected return of Shrek 2 to a remastered version of Telltale's The Wolf Among Us, there was plenty to take away from the presentation. We also got our first look at several new projects, including Magenta Down and A Game About Digging a Hole Together, alongside release dates for games arriving over the coming weeks.

A few of the announcements were particularly well-timed for Halloween, with Mouthwashing and No, I'm Not a Human both confirmed for Xbox Game Pass.

Here's everything announced during the showcase.

Shrek 2 Remastered is coming in November

Of all the games we expected to see during an indie showcase, Shrek 2 Remastered probably wasn't high on the list.

The 2004 co-op action-adventure is making a comeback, bringing players back to Far Far Away with improved graphics and several new features.

The remaster retains the original game's cooperative adventure, with familiar characters and locations from the DreamWorks film. There's also a new Photo Mode and Cheat Mode for anyone who wants to revisit the game without taking things quite so seriously.

Shrek 2 Remastered launches on 10 November 2026 for Xbox Series X|S.

Pre-orders are available now, with discounts of up to 20% for eligible Xbox Game Pass subscribers and 10% for non-subscribers until 9 November.

Whether the game holds up more than two decades later remains to be seen, but it's certainly one of the more unexpected revivals we've had this year.

The Wolf Among Us Remastered arrives just in time for Halloween

Telltale's The Wolf Among Us is returning on 29 October 2026, with a remastered edition of Bigby Wolf's original investigation.

The new version features improved visuals, upgraded animation and audio, and a redesigned werewolf form for Bigby.

There's also an entirely new Noir Mode, behind-the-scenes bonus content and, perhaps most interestingly, playable deleted scenes restored from the game's original 2013 development.

For returning players, that additional content could be the biggest reason to revisit Fabletown.

The Wolf Among Us Remastered launches digitally on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One.

A Game About Digging a Hole Together brings friends into the excavation

The original A Game About Digging a Hole proved that sometimes a simple idea is all a game really needs.

Now there's a follow-up, and this time you won't have to dig alone.

A Game About Digging a Hole Together expands the original concept into a multiplayer experience where friends can work together to excavate a beach, collect and sell resources, improve their equipment and search for treasure buried underground.

It's a straightforward premise, but that's part of the appeal.

The game releases on 4 December 2026 for Xbox Series X|S and Xbox PC, including Xbox Game Pass.

Three CRITICAL REFLEX games are heading to Xbox

Publisher CRITICAL REFLEX had a particularly interesting showing, confirming three of its unusual indie games for Xbox.

Mouthwashing is the standout for horror fans. The psychological horror game follows the crew of a stranded space freighter as their situation deteriorates. It arrives on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Xbox PC and Game Pass on 29 October 2026.

No, I'm Not a Human is also heading to Xbox and Game Pass, although players will have to wait until 2027. The game revolves around identifying dangerous impostors disguised as ordinary people during an apocalyptic crisis. You decide who can be trusted when strangers come knocking.

Arctic Eggs, meanwhile, is available on Xbox Series X|S right now. It's a surreal cooking game set in a dystopian Antarctic city, where frying eggs is somehow the least unusual part of the experience. Players must also deal with increasingly ridiculous ingredients, including cigarettes, bullets and beer bottles.

Three very different games, but all worth a look if you're interested in the stranger side of indie development.

Magenta Down reveals a harsh new sci-fi adventure

From the creators of Unto the End comes Magenta Down, an atmospheric science-fiction adventure set on a hostile exoplanet.

Players must survive dangerous environmental conditions while managing injuries, radiation exposure and limited supplies.

The objective is to find a way to save both yourself and your crew, with survival looking far from guaranteed.

Its bleak setting and emphasis on vulnerability make it one of the more intriguing new projects from the showcase.

Magenta Down is scheduled for early 2027 on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox PC.

ZERO PARADES: Director's Cut gets an Xbox release date

ZA/UM's espionage RPG ZERO PARADES is coming to Xbox in an expanded Director's Cut.

Players take on the role of Hershel Wilk, a spy brought back into the field for one final opportunity at redemption.

The new edition includes approximately 40,000 additional words of narrative content, full English voice acting and a new Backstage Mode.

ZERO PARADES: Director's Cut launches on 3 November 2026 for Xbox Series X|S and Xbox PC.

Every other announcement from the showcase

Beyond the headline reveals, Xbox and IGN showed off a wide range of upcoming games covering everything from precision platformers and tactical RPGs to cozy adventures and deeply questionable office activities.

Chronoscript: The Endless End

An unusual action-adventure combining two different visual styles. Players explore a three-dimensional mansion filled with manuscripts before entering the two-dimensional, pen-and-ink worlds contained within their pages.

Arriving in 2027 for Xbox Series X|S and Xbox PC.

Croak

A hand-drawn precision platformer starring a frog prince who uses his tongue to grapple through levels and bounce between obstacles.

It features boss encounters, collectibles and online speedrunning leaderboards.

Releasing in March 2027, including day-one Xbox Game Pass.

Drill Keeper

A roguelike deckbuilder combining mining operations with tower defence.

Players construct fortifications, manage resources and assemble card combinations to protect mining sites from hostile creatures.

Launching in Northern Hemisphere summer 2027 for Xbox PC and Game Pass.

Graytail

A pixel-art mystery adventure following a detective investigating the disappearance of a famous pilot somewhere in the Pacific.

With the pilot's daughter accompanying the investigation, players explore an island where the truth becomes increasingly difficult to uncover.

Coming in November 2027.

Love is a Roguelite

A combination of turn-based tactical combat, deckbuilding and dating simulation.

Players build relationships across repeated runs, with the developers promising 16 different romantic pairings and a story that unfolds over multiple playthroughs.

Scheduled for Northern Hemisphere autumn 2027.

Mr. Magpie's Harmless Card Game

A sinister roguelike deckbuilder wrapped around an unsettling workplace setting.

Matthew Mercer voices Mr. Magpie, the game's host, as players build card combinations and attempt to survive what is apparently a completely harmless work experience.

Arriving in early 2027, including Game Pass.

Mr. Records

A music-driven adventure centred around a record shop, where individual vinyl records transport players into colourful worlds filled with memories.

Players explore these musical environments while building relationships with customers and uncovering their stories.

Coming in Northern Hemisphere spring 2027.

Paper Shredder

A game about shredding paperwork. Lots of paperwork.

What begins as a relatively simple office task escalates into an incremental game about destroying enormous quantities of confidential documents in pursuit of a million-dollar payout.

Coming to Xbox Series X|S and Xbox PC during the Northern Hemisphere winter, with a specific date yet to be confirmed.

Red Kiss

A vampire-themed tactical narrative RPG set against the backdrop of Cold War Berlin.

Players manage mysterious vampire operatives, develop relationships and use their abilities while navigating a story built around espionage and manipulation.

Coming to Xbox Series X|S and day-one Game Pass, with no confirmed release date.

Rustown

A story-driven stealth adventure set five years after a pandemic that left many survivors living with cognitive difficulties.

Players follow Jian as she searches for her missing father in a settlement inhabited by people pushed to the margins of society.

Rather than relying on combat, the game focuses on exploration, evasion and uncovering the stories of its residents.

Releasing on 30 June 2027.

Scramble Knights Online

A cooperative MMO-lite action RPG where players explore a shared fantasy kingdom, take on quests, clear dungeons and collect equipment.

Players can return to town between adventures to craft new gear before heading out again.

Launching on 26 October 2026 for Xbox Series X|S and Xbox PC, including Game Pass.

VANRAN

A dark fantasy action RPG built around demanding melee combat and encounters with enormous monsters.

Players will need to climb colossal enemies, identify their weaknesses and take them down in brutal boss battles.

Coming in early 2027.

Waveling Island

A cozy creature-collecting adventure set on a colourful, hand-drawn pixel-art island.

Players can explore, craft items, build friendships and discover mysterious creatures known as Wavelings.

Launching in early 2027.

What's coming to Xbox Game Pass?

Several games shown during the presentation were confirmed for Game Pass, providing subscribers with plenty to look forward to.

The announced additions include:

Scramble Knights Online - 26 October 2026

Mouthwashing - 29 October 2026

A Game About Digging a Hole Together - 4 December 2026

Croak - March 2027

Mr. Magpie's Harmless Card Game - Early 2027

No, I'm Not a Human - 2027

Drill Keeper - Northern Hemisphere summer 2027

Red Kiss - To be announced

Xbox also confirmed that many of the games featured will support Xbox Play Anywhere, allowing eligible digital purchases to be played across Xbox console and Windows PC without buying separate copies.

An interesting end to the year for indie games

While the October ID@Xbox Showcase didn't focus on blockbuster releases, it demonstrated just how much variety exists in the indie space.

There were some genuinely unusual concepts on display, from cooking questionable ingredients in Arctic Eggs to exploring illustrated manuscripts in Chronoscript, alongside more traditional adventures, RPGs and platformers.

The remasters of Shrek 2 and The Wolf Among Us will understandably attract plenty of attention, but there are several smaller announcements worth keeping an eye on.

Magenta Down looks particularly intriguing, while Mouthwashing arriving on Game Pass just before Halloween gives Xbox players an excellent opportunity to experience one of indie horror's more unsettling releases.

And if all of that sounds a bit too serious, there's always the option of spending December digging an unnecessarily large hole with your mates.

For a showcase dedicated to smaller games, that's a pretty good range of options.