Not one, but two Xbox Series X console exclusive games released last year are hitting Nintendo Switch 2 this month. In fact, one has just been released on the Nintendo eShop, while the other will arrive at the end of the month. Meanwhile, one of these games is actually an Xbox game from an Xbox studio. The other is not an Xbox Game Studios release, and it remains unclear why it was ever an Xbox console exclusive to begin with.
Below, you can check out both Xbox console exclusive games in question, both of which have decent marks with critics and strong user reviews as well. Better yet, neither costs full price.
Back to the Dawn
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Back to the Dawn is an RPG from developer Metal Head Games and publisher Spiral Games. And after a two-year stint in Steam Early Access, it was released last year in July via both PC and Xbox Series X.
Upon release, it earned an 81 on Metacritic, but user reviews, at least on Steam, suggest this is selling the game short. On Steam, the RPG has an “Overwhelmingly Positive” rating, the highest rating a PC game can earn on the platform. This is the result of a 96% approval rating across 1,168 user reviews. Meanwhile, its Xbox Store score lines up more with its Metacritic score, because after 403 user reviews, it has a 4/5 star rating.
Back to the Dawn was actually just released on the Nintendo Switch 2 via the Nintendo eShop. Unfortunately, where it costs $23.99 on Xbox and PC, it costs substantially more on Nintendo Switch 2, currently priced at $34.99.
South of Midnight
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The more consequential Xbox console exclusive game making its way to the Nintendo Switch 2 this month is the action-adventure title South of Midnight. This isn’t because it’s the better game, it’s not, but it was a bigger release last year, primarily because it is a game from Xbox itself. More specifically, it is from Xbox studio, Compulsion Games.
Upon release last spring, South of Midnight earned a combined 76 on Metacritic, 4/5 stars on the Xbox Store, and a 94% approval rating on Steam. These scores range from acceptable to great, but despite this, and despite being a game with Xbox marketing behind it, it came out and flopped because virtually nobody bought or played it. To this end, it was one of the biggest flops of 2025.
Later this month, on March 31, it will get a second chance at life with both a PS5 and a Nintendo Switch 2 release. How much it will cost on the latter remains to be seen, but on Xbox and PC it retails at $40.
All of that said, and as always, feel free to leave a comment or two letting us know what you think, or join the conversation over on the ComicBook Forum.
