Xbox players have had a turbulent year. Several of the brand’s once-exclusive titles have made their way to PlayStation, sparking debates about the future of console exclusivity. But it’s not all dark clouds for the fan base.
The launch of the new Xbox hand-held device in October, the ROG Xbox Ally, alongside a growing catalogue of inventive releases, has breathed new life into the platform.
Amid this transition, Xbox is still delivering experiences worth celebrating. From meditative storytelling and dark fantasy sequels to gleefully absurd sci-fi shooters, here are seven of the most anticipated Xbox games arriving soon.
Goodnight Universe, November 11
From the creators of the award-winning Before Your Eyes, Goodnight Universe follows Isaac, a six-month-old child with psychic abilities, caught between the desire for love and acceptance and a powerful tech corporation that seeks to exploit him.
The game mixes inventive storytelling mechanics with interactive exploration, including a “camera as controller” mode on compatible devices, allowing players to influence the story in real-time with their gaze and movements.
The narrative explores themes of identity, family, and personal growth, offering an emotional experience that feels rare in contemporary gaming. Its visual style blends surreal, dreamlike environments with expressive character animation, creating a world that is as captivating as it is unsettling.
Winter Burrow, November 12
Winter Burrow invites players to slow down and engage with a game focused on comfort, exploration and quiet survival. Players return to their childhood home, a burrow buried beneath snow, and work to restore it while contending with harsh winter conditions.
The game’s visual style uses soft textures, gentle lighting and seasonal effects to evoke the quiet beauty of winter, encouraging slower, reflective play.
The gameplay is a mixture of crafting, cooking, foraging and small-scale home improvement, making each session feel like a meditative process. Players bake pies, gather firewood, care for small animals and explore hidden nooks of the forest, all while managing warmth and energy levels.
The Berlin Apartment, November 17
This first-person narrative adventure game spans a century of lives contained within a single apartment. Players assume the role of a handyman refurbishing the space, uncovering artefacts and diaries belonging to former residents.
Each object reveals a story, recounting historical events, personal triumphs, tragedies and moments of quiet reflection. The game blends exploration, puzzle-solving and branching narratives that reward attention to detail and curiosity. Players experience genres ranging from romance to suspense as each chapter unfolds, making the apartment feel alive with history.
Terminator 2D: No Fate, November 26
Terminator 2D: No Fate reimagines the film Terminator 2: Judgment Day in a side-scrolling format with pixel-art visuals. Players can assume the roles of Sarah Connor, John Connor or the T-800, each offering unique abilities and story perspectives.
The game features multiple endings based on player choices and combat efficiency, combining retro arcade action with modern mechanics such as dynamic platforming, stealth sections and environmental puzzles.
The storyline reinterprets key events from the franchise while adding fresh narrative threads, offering both familiarity for longtime fans and new surprises for newcomers. Its soundtrack and sound effects recreate the tension and drama of the original films, providing an authentic, cinematic feel within a nostalgic game format.
Octopath Traveler 0, December 4
A prequel to Square Enix’s acclaimed series, Octopath Traveler 0 follows eight heroes whose fates intertwine in Orsterra. Players engage in turn-based combat and strategic planning while exploring storylines.
The title employs the signature HD-2D visual style, blending retro-inspired pixel art with modern lighting and visual effects to create a striking, immersive world. Each character’s narrative arc reveals political intrigue, personal redemption and emotional growth, offering multiple perspectives that intersect in meaningful ways. The game’s tactical depth challenges players to experiment with party compositions, skill timing and elemental weaknesses.
Code Vein 2, January 30
The sequel to the cult favourite Code Vein continues the dark fantasy saga, blending challenging combat, intricate world-building and rich narrative layers. Players will once again explore a world of Revenants, humans cursed with vampiric abilities, as they navigate political intrigue, environmental hazards and formidable enemies.
Code Vein 2 promises expanded character customisation, deeper combat mechanics, new storylines and a wider range of environments, from ruined cities to eerie forests. Its combination of action, RPG progression and Gothic horror aesthetics makes it appealing to fans of the original as well as newcomers seeking dark fantasy adventure.
High on Life 2, February 13
The beloved High on Life game returns with a sequel that boasts its signature absurd humour, sci-fi chaos and talking guns that defined the original. Players confront a galactic conspiracy with inventive weapons, colourful worlds and outrageous enemy designs.
The sequel expands the open-world aspects of the first game, introducing new biomes, side missions, NPCs and challenges while maintaining the irreverent comedy that fans expect. Its combination of polished shooter mechanics, creative storytelling and comic absurdity make it a standout title for Xbox players looking for entertainment that blends action and humour seamlessly.
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
Results
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WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
How will Gen Alpha invest?
Mark Chahwan, co-founder and chief executive of robo-advisory firm Sarwa, forecasts that Generation Alpha (born between 2010 and 2024) will start investing in their teenage years and therefore benefit from compound interest.
“Technology and education should be the main drivers to make this happen, whether it’s investing in a few clicks or their schools/parents stepping up their personal finance education skills,” he adds.
Mr Chahwan says younger generations have a higher capacity to take on risk, but for some their appetite can be more cautious because they are investing for the first time. “Schools still do not teach personal finance and stock market investing, so a lot of the learning journey can feel daunting and intimidating,” he says.
He advises millennials to not always start with an aggressive portfolio even if they can afford to take risks. “We always advise to work your way up to your risk capacity, that way you experience volatility and get used to it. Given the higher risk capacity for the younger generations, stocks are a favourite,” says Mr Chahwan.
Highlighting the role technology has played in encouraging millennials and Gen Z to invest, he says: “They were often excluded, but with lower account minimums ... a customer with $1,000 [Dh3,672] in their account has their money working for them just as hard as the portfolio of a high get-worth individual.”
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
