One of 2025's Highest-Rated Games Quietly Confirmed for Another Platform

Dominik Bošnjak / GameRant | Source images: Giant Squid/OpenCritic

An official Xbox Store listing that went live without any fanfare has quietly confirmed that Sword of the Sea is coming to the Series X and Series S. It would thus appear that one of the highest-rated titles of 2025 is finally on the verge of ending its console exclusivity, although some questions about this unexpected new version of Sword of the Sea remain unanswered.

The third title from Los Angeles indie studio Giant Squid, Sword of the Sea is a minimalist surfing adventure that originally launched for the PlayStation 5 and PC on August 19, 2025. Its debut generated a lot of positive buzz, as underlined by its “Mighty” rating on OpenCritic, based on 51 professional reviews with an average score of 87 and a 96% recommendation rate. Together, those data points place it in the 98th percentile of all titles in the aggregator’s database. Reviewers praised Sword of the Sea‘s smooth traversal, stylish presentation, and ethereal ambient music, among other qualities.

Sword of the Sea Xbox Version Gets Surprise Confirmation

Sword of the Sea appeared on the Xbox Store in late October 2026, roughly 14 months following its initial launch. The listing materialized entirely out of the blue, with the game’s official website and social media channels making no mention of an Xbox version. While the page still identifies Giant Squid as the game’s sole developer, it also states that this quietly confirmed port is being published by Fictions, formerly known as Take-Two Interactive’s Private Division and nowadays owned by Colorado-based Haveli Investments.