Definitive Edition Release Date, Story, Gameplay, & What’s Different

Xenoblade Chronicles X was one of the last few games stuck on the Wii U, with fans of the Xenoblade Chronicles mainline trilogy dreaming of the day that it was ported. It offered one of the biggest open worlds in gaming, a vast swathe of fun activities to complete, mechs to fly about in, a controversial yet incredible soundtrack, and an epic sci-fi story with a custom protagonist.

Luckily, out of the blue, Nintendo announced XBCX is coming to Switch, a huge revelation that was accompanied by a gorgeous trailer and a handful of fun tidbits to tide fans over until its release date. All of this information can be a bit tricky to trawl through, so combining it all in one place can be helpful. Luckily, everything a budding Xenoblade fan or a diehard enthusiast needs to know about the upcoming Definitive Edition can be found below.

Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition Release Date

It’s Launching March 2025

Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Editionis launching on the Nintendo Switch exclusively on Thursday, March 20, 2025. That’s 142 days after the official announcement of XBCX coming to the Switch was made, meaning fans won’t have to wait too long for it. It also means Xenoblade fans will have had to wait nearly three years between mainline releases, as the incredibly reviewed Xenoblade Chronicles 3 launched on July 29, 2022.

Nintendo is unlikely to delay the release of
Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition
, especially as it has a track record of launching
XBC
titles on time or, in some cases, earlier than anticipated. Additionally, the launch of
XBCX
likely marks the end of the Nintendo Switch’s major launches, so fans shouldn’t worry about it being pushed back.

Players can pre-order the game digitally or physically via the official Nintendo website, so long as they’re in the US. Physical pre-orders are not currently available in the UK via the Nintendo website. It costs $59.99, which puts it in line with the cost of the Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition. Naturally, the cost is quite high for a remaster of a game from 2015. However, there’s plenty of new content coming in this Definitive Edition for fans to look forward to.

Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition Trailer & Story Details

A Sci-Fi Adventure With Mechs

The announcement of Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition came with a flashy trailer, showcasing the brand-new enhanced visuals that closely resemble those of Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition. It also showed off the vast environments players will be exploring, introducing fans to the world of Mira and New Los Angeles, a brief story setup, and also teased a fun addition for those who played the original. It’s a great trailer, one that does a good job of showing just how distinct this Xenoblade Chronicles spin-off is, as well as its signature mechs.

Xenoblade Chronicles X is more of a sci-fi game than the Xenoblade Chronicles trilogy, and is unconnected from those games. It is set during the year 2054 and follows a group of survivors who crash-landed on the huge and varied open-world planet Mira after fleeing Earth after it was destroyed in the crossfire of a war between two alien species. The player is a silent custom-made protagonist who joins the BLADE organization and its band of misfits as they attempt to build up their community in the city of New Los Angeles and make a home for themselves on Mira.

There’s a wonderful cast of characters to meet and memorable villains to face. It’s a story full of big themes, epic cutscenes, and exciting twists that make it one of the best JRPGs of all time. While it is a standalone adventure, one that has nods to the other Xenoblade games but can be enjoyed on its own, it carries over a lot of the themes and ideas discussed in those games. It’s a huge deal that XBCX is finally on Switch, not just for fans, but for all the people who missed out on it the first time around.

How Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition Is Different On Switch

Visual Enhancements & New Story Content

The Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition has several key differences from the original Wii U title. Most notable are the visuals, which are a step up from the original game. Character models look much better with faces that more closely resemble those of Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition, textures have been enhanced across the board, with New Los Angeles looking more impressive. However, for the most part, it doesn’t look massively different from the original, with the jump from Wii U to Switch being less dramatic than the first game’s transition. The Wii U version did look incredible after all.

However, more important than the visual upgrade is the new story content that’s being added for the Definitive Edition release. While Nintendo has been fairly tight-lipped about what this new story content will be, it looks like it’ll focus on the game’s post-credit sequence, which left players with a bit of an unsatisfying cliffhanger in the original game. In the Definitive Edition trailer, that post-credit sequence of Lao lying on the beach appears, although it’s got some important differences, namely that the person approaching him is actually visible and speaks.

In addition to this new story content, players will also be able to access the online modes – so long as they have a Nintendo Switch Online account. This online content, which was available in the original game, allows players to join up to 31 other people in a variety of missions. These include Squad Tasks, Online Missions, and Global Nemesis Battles. It’s fun to see these return in the Definitive Edition release, as they were a fun addition to the original game.

It’s worth noting that the Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition came with a brand-new DLC called Future Connected that lasted around 15 hours. It added a lot of cut content from the original game, including a whole new area. While Nintendo hasn’t said whether the Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition will get the same treatment, it’s not hard to imagine it will. Regardless, it’s great to see such a beloved Wii U game on the Switch, and that Xenoblade Chronicles fans finally get access to all the games in one place.

Sources: Nintendo.com, Nintendo of America/YouTube, Nintendo of America/X, GameXplain/YouTube