Bethesda's new Indiana Jones game finally has a release date, and a surprise platform

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle screenshot. Courtesy of Bethesda and MachineGames
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle screenshot. Courtesy of Bethesda and MachineGames

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny may have marked Harrison Ford's last adventure as the famed archaeologist on the big screen, but thanks to the power of video games, the escapades can continue. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a new action-adventure video game from Bethesda and developer MachineGames that follows Indiana Jones on a new globe-trotting adventure, letting players experience the thrill directly through the eyes of Indy himself.

This past week at Gamescom, Microsoft finally announced a release date for the game, narrowing down its "Holiday 2024" launch window to December 9th. It will be available for Xbox Series X|S and PC, as well as Game Pass for those who are subscribers.

But perhaps the most surprising, and welcomed, bit of news was that it will no longer be an Xbox console exclusive. Despite Microsoft's acquisition of Bethesda, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle will be coming to PlayStation in the future.
While we don't have an exact date for the PlayStation release, Microsoft said it should be available in Spring 2025.

This timed exclusivity is nothing really new for the video games. We see this most often with third party games though. Microsoft bringing its own first-party Xbox title to a competing platform is typically not the norm, although the company did suggest this would be the case moving forward.

In any news, this is fantastic news for gamers and Indiana Jones fans in general. Rather than gatekeeping what should be a popular game behind a specific brand, everyone who is a fan of Indy can experience the adventure.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is between the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade. The original story follows legendary archaeologist Indiana Jones — voiced by Troy Baker — as he attempts to thwart sinister forces from acquiring the secret to an ancient power connected to the Great Circle.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a first-person action-adventure, but the game's cinematic approach to storytelling makes it feel like you're actually playing a movie. Developer MachineGames recently released a lengthy gameplay trailer and it really nailed the tone of the films.

With the Indiana Jones franchise seemingly in flux with Harrison Ford stepping away, video games might be the new way to tell stories starring this beloved adventurer. Well, games and attractions, as it was recently announced by Disney that they will be adding new Indiana Jones-themed rides into Animal Kingdom.