New Xbox Games This Week: Planet Zoo 2, Valor Mortis, Boltgun 2 and Castlevania Return

The new Xbox games this week run from October 12 to 16, and four of them are worth clearing your evenings for. Planet Zoo 2 and Valor Mortis, these two are coming on October 13, if you like these kinds of games then the wait is over. Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 launching on October 14, and Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse lands October 15.

Valor Mortis is the first-person soulslike about an undead Napoleonic soldier from the Ghostrunner studio, and it slid from September 24 to dodge a crowded month. It also hits Game Pass on day one. Boltgun 2 is the retro shooter for anyone who wants a fast, loud 1990s-style fix, and Belmont’s Curse puts a new Belmont, Rose, at the centre of a 2D Castlevania.

New Xbox Games This Week at a Glance

Microsoft’s own list for the week runs to about 40 releases. Tales of Eternia Remastered (October 16), The Jackbox Party Pack 12 (October 15) and the Game Pass addition Deep Dish Dungeon (October 13) are the other names worth a glance.

Valor Mortis: The Soulslike That Retreated From September

Valor Mortis ran away from a fight, and it was the right call. The game was dated for September 24, then moved to October 13. Publisher Lyrical Games’ Blake Rochkind has said the September date looked clear when they picked it, before the summer showcases packed the calendar.

The studio then cut the price. Valor Mortis was originally pegged at $49.99 and now sits at $39.99, with a $59.99 Deluxe Edition that adds story DLC. There are no pre-orders. One More Level wants you to buy it after the reviews are out, and that’s a confident move.

It follows a military action story where a Grande Armée soldier died for Napoleon and was resurrected by him. The voice of Napoleon will guide you while you battle former comrades now turned into plague-ridden undead. The fight not only depends on the voice but relies on stamina, with dodges, blocks and parries, and the levels loop back on themselves the way good soulslikes do. 

The supernatural powers makes this game more interesting as it unlocks shortcuts and also the pistol that arrives in the second zone, allowing it to switch blade swings for gunshots.

If you played Ghostrunner, picture that momentum bolted onto Dark Souls-style discipline. The studio says the story runs about 20 hours. A Napoleonic setting is rare in games, and Game Pass makes this the lowest-risk pick of the week.

Planet Zoo 2: Sharks, Toucans and a Bigger Conscience

It’s been nearly seven years since the original Planet Zoo arrived in November 2019. Frontier’s sequel finally adds the two things players kept asking for: aquariums and aviaries.

The aquatic side includes black-tipped reef sharks and hawksbill turtles. The flying side includes the toco toucan and the secretarybird, a long-legged raptor that stomps its prey. Aviaries let birds actually fly, with custom barriers and support poles. Building one that doesn’t feel like a glorified cage will be the real test of the engineering.

The other big change is conservation. Beyond your zoo, you can restore wildlife reserves and release animals into them. Career, Franchise and Sandbox modes are all confirmed. The Deluxe Edition adds six more species.

If the first game was your comfort sim, buy this on day one. If you want quick wins, skip it. Frontier’s games reward patience, not impulse.

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 Is the Loud One

Auroch Digital’s sequel arrives October 14. Microsoft’s description calls it a fast-paced retro first-person shooter with a branching single-player campaign. That’s most of what’s officially confirmed.

The 2023 original cast you as Malum Caedo, a Space Marine hunting a power-source shard on the heretic-infested forge world Graia. It played like a pixel-art Doom with a heavy-metal attitude. The price is $24.99 published on Steam and it also gives a 10% discount when you buy it, so check the store page before you buy.

Doom (2016) fans will know what they’re getting. It’s the shortest-lead-time pick of the week, and the one most likely to be gone from your mind in two weeks.

Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse Brings a New Belmont to Paris

This is the release with the most history behind it. Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse is set in 1499, 23 years after Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse. Trevor Belmont is the hero who beat Dracula, and now his daughter Rose carries the Vampire Killer whip into a burning Paris.

Konami is publishing, with Evil Empire and Motion Twin, the studio behind Dead Cells, doing the development. That pedigree matters. Dead Cells has some of the tightest combat of the last decade, and that’s the bar here.

Bosses you defeat are sealed into Rose’s tarot cards as Arcana, which you can use as spells and special moves. You can also use the whip to swing through vertical spaces. The map covers Paris streets, sewers and catacombs, plus Dracula’s castle. Weapons come in seven categories, with Relics for offensive and defensive effects.

It’s a 2D action-exploration game, the style often called a metroidvania: a connected map where new abilities open old doors. Evil Empire’s director Emmanuel Nouaille has said the team doesn’t want the label, because Castlevania already works as its own genre. Fair enough.

It costs $29.99, or $39.99 for the Midnight Edition with extra costumes and a bonus Relic. It lands October 15 on Xbox, PS5 and PC. Steam appears to get it a day earlier, a Switch version follows later in 2026.

If you loved Symphony of the Night’s wandering, or Dead Cells’ combat, this is where you start.

Conclusion

The new Xbox games this week bring lots of fun and stories so you could free your evenings. There is a long-list of games which are going to be released in October but these four are worth playing for.

Overall, Valor Mortis is the first game to watch if its reviews deliver, especially if you have Game Pass. Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse looks like the safer choice for fans of 2D action, while Planet Zoo 2 makes more sense for players who enjoy building and managing their own world. As for Boltgun 2, it’s worth waiting for the price and Game Pass details before making a decision.