Crackdown 3 Release Date Confirmed At X018 Event

At Microsoft's X018 conference, the company finally announced a release date for Crackdown 3. The anticipated open-world sequel will come to Xbox One and PCs on February 15, 2019. As a first-party published game, it will be available to Xbox Game Pass subscribers on release day.

The presentation also took the wraps off of the new Crackdown 3 multiplayer mode, Wrecking Zone. The new mode pits two teams of five against each other in the midst of destructible arenas. An extended gameplay presentation of Wrecking Zone showed off the team combat.

To mark the occasion, Microsoft is also releasing the original 2007 game Crackdown as a free backwards compatible download through November 30. You can pick it up through the Xbox Store complete with Xbox One X enhancements.

Crackdown 3 has had a shaky road to release. Originally slated for 2016, it shifted to 2017 with big promises of a transformative multiplayer experience. It was then delayed again to 2018, and at E3 this year Microsoft announced yet one more delay. It was expected to lead Microsoft's fall line-up this year, so without it Forza Horizon 4 has been the biggest first-party release on Xbox One. Most recently, Xbox boss Phil Spencer indicated it needed more time.