The Xbox has been a consistent player in 21st-century gaming, with plenty of big-name releases helping cement it as a strong competitor for Sony and Nintendo. However, the brand has long faced the perception that it largely failed to connect with Japanese audiences and developers. While plenty of American and European game makers found a home on the Microsoft console (and there were exceptions to the rule, like Team Ninja), plenty of notable Japanese companies ended up remaining focused on PlayStation and Nintendo.
It’s an old conception that seems to be fading with time, especially in 2026. In fact, Microsoft Gaming is set to bring in over a dozen new Japanese-developed titles to the Series X/S in the first quarter of the new year. It easily plays into Microsoft’s apparent plans for the future of its gaming division and may finally help the company shed a stereotype about the Xbox that has been around since the earliest days of the console.
Xbox Is Getting 13 Huge Japanese Games In The First Three Months Of 2026
In years past, the Xbox was decried by some gamers as lacking in titles from Japanese developers, but that seems to be changing for 2026. In fact, there are several major games from Japan set to launch on the Xbox Series X/S by the end of March alone, which could help alter the perception of the console on the global market. Square Enix’s Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade and Bandai Namco’s Code Vein II are both set for January releases.
Meanwhile, a host of Japanese-developed titles (like Dragon Quest I&II HD-2D Remake, My Hero Academia: All’s Justice, Romeo is a Dead Man, Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties, Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma, No Sleep for Kaname Date – From AI: The Somnium Files, Tales of Berseria Remastered, and Resident Evil Requiem) will all launch in February. After that, Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Remake, Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection, and Dynasty Warriors 3: Complete Edition Remastered will all hit the Xbox by the end of March. On top of that, there are plenty of other Japanese games (like Pragmata, Onimusha: Way of the Sword, and Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve) set for release later in the year.
Each of these games comes from established Japanese developers or is part of long-running franchises that in the past have been somewhat absent from the Xbox brand. Between the remasters, sequels, and remakes, it’s exciting for Xbox players who have missed out on some long-standing benchmarks of the gaming ecosystem. It’s an impressive series of releases for Microsoft Gaming, especially given previous perceptions about the Xbox brand and its output.
Xbox Has Historically Been Lacking In Japanese Releases
Ever since the launch of the original Xbox, there has been a certain amount of disconnect between the brand and the Japanese corner of the gaming industry. The Xbox has always faced an uphill battle in Japan among consumers, with long-standing loyalty to Sony and Nintendo consoles seen as an early blockage for the Xbox in Japan. The Xbox has also typically been defined by the kinds of genres that do better in Western markets (like first-person shooters) than with Japanese audiences.
This has led to the long-standing perception that the brand was never going to find success in Japan, and played a big part in the console’s troubles competing with the likes of PlayStation and the various Nintendo consoles. This has also been reinforced with notable Japanese franchises missing out on an Xbox release and only a handful ever having Xbox exclusivity. This new push seems to coincide with Microsoft Gaming’s plans to shift away from dedicated consoles and more towards cloud gaming that can hop between home releases, PC ports, and mobile experiences.
By bringing more marquee Japanese titles and franchises to the Xbox hardware, the company expands the number of high-profile games it can count among its digital library. If Microsoft’s gaming plans are indeed moving away from a dedicated Xbox console, then bringing in new titles like this could be a key example of how Microsoft Gaming’s future could be looking to expand on the international market in future years.