Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Release Date Moved Up To July 29

Nintendo has announced a new release date for Xenoblade Chronicles 3, but unlike The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2, this is not a delay. Instead, Nintendo is bringing the game's release date forward by a couple months. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 will now come to Nintendo Switch on July 29, which is earlier than its previously announced September 2022 release window.

Nintendo also confirmed that a special edition of the game will be available through the My Nintendo Store. It includes special packaging artwork from Xenoblade artist Masatsugu Saito, as well as a 250-page hardcover art book and a steel case. More details on the limited edition will be announced later.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 was announced during the February 2022 Nintendo Direct. The game features a brand-new cast of characters, including the dual protagonists Noah and Mio. Players can control Noah's party of six, in addition to other characters on the way.

A new trailer sets up some of the backstory for the game, which is set in the world of Aionios, a "vast and sublime natural world." The video also spotlights some of the game's battle system. Each character has their own special attributes, so players can lean into the strategy element and assemble a formidable team for any encounter.

There is also a new "interlink" system through which tag-teams of pairs--Noah and Mio, Lanz and Sena, and Eunie and Taion--can team up to create a giant, powerful form called Ouroboros.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 preorders are open now.