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ID@Xbox April 2026 Showcase Date, Time, How to Watch, and Confirmed Games

Dimas Ibnu — Mon, 20 Apr 2026 13:17:34 +0000

Xbox’s indie-focused showcase is back this week. The ID@Xbox April 2026 Showcase has been locked in for Thursday, April 23, with IGN once again hosting the livestream alongside Microsoft. The event will spotlight a fresh batch of indie titles heading to Xbox and PC, with a handful of games already confirmed and plenty more being kept under wraps until showtime.

It is the latest in a string of Xbox events the company has been lining up, sitting between the recently announced Xbox Games Showcase 2026 in June and the dedicated Gears of War: E-Day Direct that’s expected to follow. For indie fans, though, this Thursday is the one to circle.

When Is the ID@Xbox April 2026 Showcase

The showcase kicks off on Thursday, April 23, 2026 at 10am PT / 1pm ET / 5pm GMT. For local audiences, that lands at 5am NZST on Friday, April 24, which is admittedly a rough one for anyone hoping to watch live in New Zealand. A daytime catch-up via VOD is the more realistic option for most Kiwi viewers.

Runtime hasn’t been officially confirmed, but ID@Xbox showcases have historically run somewhere between 30 minutes and an hour, so expect a tight, trailer-heavy presentation rather than a sprawling Direct-style event.

How to Watch the ID@Xbox Showcase

The stream will be available across a wide range of platforms, with IGN leading the broadcast as the official partner. You can tune in via:

Microsoft’s own Xbox channels are also expected to carry the broadcast, as they have for previous ID@Xbox events.

Confirmed Games at the ID@Xbox Showcase

Four titles have been officially confirmed for the April 23 lineup so far. The rest of the slate is being held back as a surprise reveal during the show itself, which is fairly standard for ID@Xbox presentations.

Mistfall Hunter

An extraction-focused multiplayer title that has been building quiet momentum on the PC indie scene. Its inclusion suggests a console announcement or playable build update is on the cards.

There Are No Ghosts at the Grand

A narrative-leaning indie with a distinctive title that has been generating curiosity since its first reveal. Expect a deeper look at gameplay or a release window during the showcase.

Aphelion

Aphelion has already been confirmed as a Day One arrival on Xbox Game Pass as part of the April 2026 Wave 2 lineup, so a fresh trailer here would line up neatly with the launch push.

Solo Leveling Arise Overdrive

A console-flavoured spin on the wildly popular Solo Leveling: Arise mobile and PC action RPG. This one carries the most mainstream pull of the confirmed lineup, given the franchise’s anime crossover audience.

Read More: Xbox Games Showcase 2026 Set for June 7

What Else Could Be Featured

Beyond the four confirmed titles, ID@Xbox has a track record of using these showcases to surface games well outside the usual indie spotlight. The October 2025 event leaned on a mix of breakout hits and lower-profile reveals, with MOUSE: P.I. For Hire, Invincible VS, Vampire Survivors, TCG Pocket Simulator, and Sledding Game all featured. Several of those have since worked their way onto Game Pass.

That pattern is worth keeping in mind on Thursday. The unannounced portion of the lineup is usually where the more interesting reveals land, whether that’s a surprise shadow drop, a Game Pass announcement, or a first look at something genuinely new.

Where the Showcase Fits in Xbox’s 2026 Plans

This event sits at the lighter end of Xbox’s 2026 calendar, sandwiched between bigger beats. The Xbox Games Showcase 2026 is locked in for June and is expected to carry the major first-party reveals, while the Gears of War: E-Day Direct will follow with a focused look at one of the platform’s tentpole releases.

The ID@Xbox showcase is a deliberately smaller affair, but it’s also where Microsoft has historically used Game Pass leverage to sign Day One indie deals and surface games that might otherwise get lost in the noise. With Aphelion already confirmed for the Game Pass April Wave 2 drop, expect at least one or two more Day One announcements to land during the show.

The livestream goes live on Thursday, April 23 at 10am PT / 1pm ET / 5pm GMT, which is 5am NZST on Friday, April 24 for New Zealand viewers.

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Xbox @ The Game Awards

Shane Thomas — Tue, 11 Dec 2018 22:37:02 +0000

In the last couple of days Xbox shared some news at The Game Awards for some of their upcoming titles including Crackdown 3, Forza Horizon 4, Xbox Game Pass and the ID@Xbox Winter of Arcade!

Winter of Arcade is a re-launch of Xbox’s beloved Summer of Arcade promotion and to celebrate some highly anticipated games from independent developers coming out, they’re excited to announce the ID@Xbox Winter of Arcade! Through this promotion, fans will get a $5 gift card for each ID@Xbox title purchased through the Microsoft Store or Xbox.com, after the first one, up to $40 if all nine games are purchased. In addition to savings galore, Xbox were excited to announce that ID@Xbox Winter of Arcade will also feature four games that will or have launched day-and-date into Xbox Game Pass: Below, Ashen, Mutant Year Zero and Kingdom Two Crowns.

Forza Horizon 4: Travel to Fortune Island in the first expansion to the critically acclaimed open-world racing game and experience the most treacherous Forza Horizon expansion yet. With extreme terrain, perilous weather conditions such as atmospheric storms and the Aurora Borealis, a brand new Horizon treasure hunt and a host of new driving challenges, Fortune Island cranks the Forza Horizon 4 experience to 11. Fortune Island releases worldwide on December 13th, 2018 at no cost for players who own the Forza Horizon 4 Ultimate Edition, the Forza Horizon 4 Expansions Bundle or the Forza Horizon 4 Ultimate Add-Ons Bundle. Xbox Game Pass subscribers are eligible for 10% off a standalone purchase of Fortune Island or 10% off each bundle.

Xbox Game Pass: Microsoft announced several new titles will become available to Xbox Game Pass members beginning today, including Ashen, Mortal Kombat X, PES19 and Spintires: Mudrunner. Additionally, Kingdom Two Crowns will be available beginning December 11th, 2018, Below will be available beginning December 14th, 2018, Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice will become available beginning December 17th, 2018 and Ori and the Blind Forest and Shadow Warrior 2 available on December 20th, 2018.

Crackdown 3: Commander Jaxon continues to challenge his real-life counterpart, Terry Crews, to step it up in a brand-new video (above) for Crackdown 3, available February 15th, 2019 with Xbox Game Pass and globally on Xbox One and Windows 10.

Capcom’s Devil May Cry 5 Demo Now Available Exclusively on Xbox One: From now, Xbox fans can experience one of the most over-the-top action experiences of this generation with the demo right now only on Xbox One. In this action-packed sample of the craziness of Devil May Cry 5, you play as Nero, our hero on a mission to figure out what’s going down in Redgrave City.

For more info on Xbox at The Game Awards and upcoming announcements, you can als ocheck out the Xbox Wire.

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Ashen Comes to Xbox One

Shane Thomas — Thu, 06 Dec 2018 23:04:43 +0000

The wait is over! The dark world of Ashen will finally see the light and launch on Xbox One and Xbox Game Pass on December 7th, 2018 and what a journey it’s been to get there.

To celebrate the upcoming launch of Ashen, the ID@Xbox team recently visited the dev studio Aurora44 in Wellington, New Zealand to find out more about Ashen’s open-world, action RPG that Xbox gamers around the globe will soon experience.

Thrown into a world of darkness, Ashen follows the story of a fantasy world with no light, that is suddenly reborn with an explosion of sunlight. It is your role to understand and protect this light, fighting the evil and darkness in stamina-based action combat, either independently or with the help of helpful strangers through passive multiplayer gameplay.

Your journey through Ashen will have twists, turns, and magical moments as you discover both the enemies of the light, and the strength of a community that creates amazing moments together. With passive multiplayer in Ashen, you’re only ever alone if you want to be – you’ll never die or battle alone, because you’ll have a helping hand next to you from others in the game…. if you need it.

But that’s not to say you won’t be challenged. Whilst accessibility has been key to the games design, players who seek brutal boss fights and challenges will find a wealth of worthy battle sessions in the game.

The game’s first preview at the 2015 Xbox E3 Briefing set the studio on the path to an exciting trajectory of development and new ambitions in the games design, and now, finally getting the game into the hands of players.

Xbox gamers, welcome to Ashen!

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