How to watch the new Xbox Games Showcase – Developer_Direct returns

(Image credit: Microsoft / Future)

published 9 January 2025

Microsoft is hosting an all-new Developer_Direct presentation later this month, which will give us an in-depth look at several games coming to Xbox Series X/S and PC,

The development teams themselves will present their games, with one of them currently unannounced – so expect a pleasant surprise.

Here's how and when to watch it, plus everything else you need to know.

When is the Xbox Developer_Direct for January 2025?

The Xbox Developer_Direct will take place on Thursday, 23 January 2025. It'll start at 18:00 GMT and will focus on four games in total.

Here are the start times for other regions:

US West Coast: 10:00 PST
US East Coast: 13:00 EST
UK: 18:00 GMT
Central Europe: 19:00 CET
India (New Delhi): 23:30 IST
Japan (Tokyo): 03:00 JST (24 January)
South Korea (Seoul): 03:00 KST (24 January)
Australia (Sydney): 05:00 AEDT (24 January)

How to watch the new Xbox Developer_Direct

We hope to host the stream right here on T3 closer the time.

Alternatively, you should be able to watch it on Xbox's channels on YouTube, and Twitch.

What to expect

The Xbox Developer_Direct is a bit different to the brand's usual showcase events. It is hosted by each of the development teams themselves, who take you through a deep dive on their respective games.

There are four games planned for the latest episode – South of Midnight by Compulsion Games; the debut game from Sandfall Interactive, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33; the highly-anticipated Doom: The Dark Ages from id Studios; and a mystery game from another studio that's yet to be revealed.

Arguably the lesser known of the three – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – is perhaps the one we're looking forward to seeing more of most. It's a turn-based RPG very much in the mould of Final Fantasy and has a stunning art style.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 | Reveal Trailer - YouTube

Watch On

Of course, that doesn't mean Doom: The Dark Ages and South of Midnight won't be interesting too – the latter is from the same team behind We Happy Few, after all.

And as for that fourth game, internet speculation points towards a much-rumoured remake of Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.

We guess there's only one way to find out for sure.

Rik is T3’s news editor, which means he looks after the news team and the up-to-the-minute coverage of all the hottest gadgets and products you’ll definitely want to read about. And, with more than 35 years of experience in tech and entertainment journalism, including editing and writing for numerous websites, magazines, and newspapers, he’s always got an eye on the next big thing.

Rik also has extensive knowledge of AV, TV streaming and smart home kit, plus just about everything to do with games since the late 80s. Prior to T3, he spent 13 years at Pocket-lint heading up its news team, and was a TV producer and presenter on such shows as Channel 4's GamesMaster, plus Sky's Games World, Game Over, and Virtual World of Sport.