12 Xbox Series X games confirmed for Smart Delivery

With the impending next-generation, one of the top gamer concerns is backward compatibility. Will all your purchases maintain their relevancy when the Xbox Series X comes along? Using their newly-developed Smart Delivery system, Microsoft hopes to ape standard PC gaming practices by providing free upgrades to Xbox Series X for all players that purchased select games on Xbox One. Smart Delivery is the future of backward compatibility, but how will it work? And which games are confirmed for it?

"All Xbox Game Studios titles that are optimized for Xbox Series X, including Halo Infinite will support Smart Delivery," an Xbox Wire post reads, meaning Smart Delivery will be a feature that emanates throughout Xbox's next generation.

What Smart Delivery achieves is that you will always be given the most optimized version of a game for your setup. If you're playing a title on Xbox One, your file size will only include game assets that will work on Xbox One. If you're playing on Xbox Series X, the file will size will increase to include better assets that can work with the system.

Aaron Greenberg, the GM of Xbox Games Marketing confirmed on Twitter that Smart Delivery will include a transfer of the save file, making it feel like you never left.

"Smart Delivery is available to all Xbox developers," Xbox Wire confirms, implying that all Xbox titles at least have the option. Any developer can include Smart Delivery at their discretion, but they can also add caveats for its use: EA's Madden 21 will only make Smart Delivery available until the sequel Madden 22 releases. Other companies have yet to add their own caveats, but it's only a matter of time until more costly plans are introduced.

Here are the 14 games announced to support Smart Delivery:

14. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

• Developer: Ubisoft
• Release Date: December 2020

The Next generation of Assassin's Creed titles begins with Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. This one will bring the franchise into the depths of the Norse. The game will try to realistically depict the Viking lifestyle including rap battles called "flyting." Notably, the first gameplay tidbit also launched during the May 2020 Inside Xbox showcase, making it perfect for Smart Delivery.

13. Call of the Sea

• Developer: Raw Fury
• Release Date: Unknown

Call of the Sea is an otherworldly first-person person puzzle game taking place on a lush uncharted island in the 1930s. You'll spend the game searching for your husband, who went missing while exploring the island. It's complete with transatlantic accents, making it perfect for the era.

12. Chorus

• Developer: Deep Silver
• Release Date: 2021

Despite the name, this isn't a game about music. Chorus lets you fly through outer space taking on intergalactic dogfights as Nara, a pilot who needs to face her past. You'll also interact with your sentient spaceship, aptly named Forsaken.

11. Cyberpunk 2077

• Developer: CD Projekt Red
• Release Date: September 17, 2020

People love customization, RPGs, and Keanu Reeves. With these three elements, CD Projekt Red has probably already struck gold with Cyberpunk 2077.

The whole thing takes place in a cyberpunk future metropolis called Night City, and you will quite literally shape the world around you, which means this might be the most choice-driven game in history. This makes sense, given that it’s based on a tabletop game. In this first-person RPG, you’ll have space to customize your guns, appearance, and allies.

10. Destiny 2

• Developer: Bungie
• Release Date: September 22, 2020 (Beyond Light expansion)

You may know Destiny 2 from its years on the market as Activision's big property, but after Bungie separated from their parent company, they took Destiny 2 in a whole new direction. Rather than developing Destiny 3 or 4, Bungie will release the Destiny 2: Beyond Light expansion this fall. The expansion will ostensibly be massive enough to be nearly a whole new game. You can start playing right now and seamlessly transfer your save data when the expansion launches. Bungie has made a host of quality of life changes. If you're a reformed player, it might be enough change to get you back into the space shooter.

9. Dirt 5

• Developer: Codemasters
• Release Date: October 2020

Racing, dirt, motorbikes, monster trucks. The racing game doesn't have much new to say, but it's still going to be a messy good time. You can master even the most dangerous rides in this new arcade-style racing game.

8. Gears 5

• Developer: The Coalition
• Release Date: September 10, 2019

As the only game from an Xbox Studio that launched in 2019 on this list, Gears 5 makes you question Microsoft's future plans for Smart Delivery. Will other back catalog titles be rebranded as Smart Delivery compatible? Maybe this series' previous title, Gears of War 4 or the recent Gears Tactics? If you've already picked up Gears 5 every bit of progress from single-player to multiplayer will be available when you open your Xbox Series X,

7. Halo Infinite

• Developer: Xbox Game Studios
• Release Date: Holiday 2020

Despite not being the monolith it once was, Halo still feels like the reason Xbox exists. The game will bring the franchise back to its roots by placing Master Chief back into the fray. If you haven’t kept up with Halo since the Chief departed, you’re in luck: Infinite is a spiritual reboot of the franchise. According to the E3 Trailer, Master Chief has been tasked with reuniting a divided human race. This version of Master Chief will also be uniting Microsoft’s player base by being playable on both Xbox Series X and Xbox One.

6. Madden 21

• Developer: Electronic Arts
• Release Date: August 25, 2020

As mentioned earlier, Madden 21 is notable for being the first title to limit when you can access Smart Delivery. If you like American football, you'll yet again like Madden 21. Like previous entries, there will likely be a single-player experience taking you through the life of a Football player while vying for an NFL position. Deeper information has yet to be revealed.

5. Scarlet Nexus

• Developer: Bandai Namco
• Release Date: Unknown

Scarlet Nexus, takes place in the distant future. In the intervening years between now and then, scientists have discovered a method to grant humans psychokinetic abilities, allowing them to control. This occurs as humanity is facing an invasion from mutants known as “Others,” who hail from the sky. Others are immune to conventional weaponry, leaving those with psionic abilities as Earth’s last defense.

4. Second Extinction

• Developer: Systemic Reaction
• Release Date: Unknown

If you liked the Just Cause franchise's massive landscapes and bonkers off the wall action movie set pieces, you'll lose it with Second Extinction. Instead of fighting boring humans, you'll fight Jurassic Park inspired mutant dinosaurs in a three-player co-op action title.

3. The Ascent

• Developer: Neon Giant / Curve Digital
• Release Date: 2020

If you'd like to take on a cyberpunk-themed setting from another point of view, The Ascent has your back. It's a twin-stick shooter that you can play alone or with numerous friends. It takes place as the mega-corporation called The Ascent Group has collapsed, so what's next for you and humanity?

2. Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2

• Developer: Hardsuit Labs
• Release Date: 2020

In 21st century Seattle, you might find better than average Starbucks coffee, but you'll also get the setting for Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2. It's a first-person RPG where you play as a vampire thriving in the modern world. If you like urban magical realism, this game is for you.

1. Yakuza: Like a Dragon

• Developer: Sega
• Release Date: 2020

After its humble beginnings on PlayStation 2 in 2005 with the first Yakuza game, the franchise has continued to tell the story of Kazuma Kiryu for over a decade. You're getting a fresh start on next-gen consoles with Yakuza: Like A Dragon, replacing tenured protagonist Kiryu with Ichiban Kasuga and drastically altering other Yakuza mainstays. Even the Beat-Em Up combat has changed drastically!

Xbox Series X will be released in time for the 2020 holidays.