XCOM 3: When Will We Get A Sequel?

Developer Firaxis released "XCOM: Enemy Unknown" in 2012 to critical acclaim. The reboot of the beloved series was a hit with fans of the old games and newcomers to the series. Its mix of base building and tense turn-based combat against alien invaders was thrilling and nerve-wracking. Many gamers know the heartbreak of losing a beloved soldier and his valuable gear or the excitement of scoring a last-chance shot to finish an alien and save the day. Since its release, Firaxis has built on the success of "XCOM" and its success with more additions to the series.

The following year, Firaxis followed up with "XCOM: Enemy Within," an expansion that was practically a new game in itself. Only three years later, it released "XCOM 2" in 2016. The sequel was also well-received, and it kept what fans loved from the previous entry while adding new features and taking the story in a new direction. For the first time, you were no longer leading a powerful organization against alien invaders. You were now in charge of a ragtag resistance movement fighting an enemy that's already won and conquered earth. The next year gave gamers "XCOM 2: War of the Chosen," an expansion that, once again, was practically a whole new game.

With two great games and expansions under its belt, fans were eager to see what Firaxis would do next. Unfortunately, five years on from the release of "War of the Chosen," there's no indication that we'll be getting XOM 3 anytime soon.

For some time there's been little word about where Firaxis is taking the XCOM series. It did release "XCOM: Chimera Squad" in 2020 — a smaller game that involved leading a team of humans and aliens after XCOM's victory in "XCOM 2." It was an interesting game that played around with the turn-based mechanics of the series and helped to tie fans over, but it wasn't a true sequel to the core series. Now fans are asking, when will we get "XCOM 3?"

It seemed likely that "XCOM 3" would be delayed for some time when it was revealed that Firaxis would be developing a new Marvel game. "Marvel: Midnight Suns" is currently the focus of Firaxis, so it's safe to say "XCOM 3" isn't in development just yet. The news that "Midnight Suns" is already delayed until the end of 2022 means we won't see Firaxis turning to a new "XCOM" until 2023 at the earliest. Still, there's plenty of reason to hope that we will see "XCOM 3" someday, even if it takes some time.

Firaxis senior franchise developer Garth DeAngelis recently assured PCGamesN that there's "absolutely a future for [XCOM]." While the opportunity to develop a Marvel game was impossible to pass up, Firaxis is still committed to "XCOM" and developers are thinking about where to take the series next. These encouraging sentiments were echoed by "XCOM" and "Midnight Suns" creative Director Jake Solomon.

Solomon told GamesRadar that he's also thinking about what the next "XCOM" game will be like. He emphasized that, while "Midnight Suns" borrows from "XCOM," the next "XCOM" will be distinct from the Marvel game. "Midnight Suns" draws inspiration from anime and JRPGs to make playing the heroes feel more empowering, Solomon is still committed to making XCOM about feeling scared for your soldiers (via GamesRadar).

So, we're not likely to see "XCOM 3" for a while, we can hope to see it in the future. Firaxis is committed to building on the franchise and fans can rest assured that, despite branching out to other series, the developers still know what really makes "XCOM" tick.