Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is coming September 2022

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 was announced during today's Nintendo Direct, with a September 2022 release window. Check out the announcement trailer just above.

The first trailer for Xenoblade Chronicles 3 shows off some gameplay and cinematics set in a sprawling, diverse world full of towering cliffs, snowcapped mountains, and plunging waterfalls. Contrasting with the beautiful natural landscapes are massive mechanical monsters occupying land and sea, as well as futuristic, built-out settlements. Nintendo's description says Xenoblade Chronicles 3's story "ties together the futures of the worlds depicted in Xenoblade Chronicles and Xenoblade Chronicles 2," the latter of which released in December 2017 on Nintendo Switch.

Xenoblade Chronicles is an open-world action-RPG with fast, real-time combat and a focus on exploration. The first game in the series launched way back in 2010 on Wii, eventually getting a definitive edition on Switch in December 2020. A spiritual successor of sorts, titled Xenoblade Chronicles X, was released on Wii U in 2015. But then in 2017, a proper sequel simply called Xenoblade Chronicles 2 launched on Switch. So, technically, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is actually the fourth entry in the series, even though Xenoblade Chronicles X didn't have any narrative connection to the prior games. 

Nintendo confirmed that the two leads are named Mio and Noah but hasn't said much about where Xenoblade Chronicles 3 will take the story beyond a central theme of "life." That said, it sounds like it may show us what became of Alrest following the events of Xenoblade Chronicles 2, as well as the Bionis and Mechonis from the original game.

For what to play in the wait for Xenoblade Chronicles 3, here are the best Switch games available right now.