Xbox gets "Overwhelmingly Positive" dystopia sim Beholder: Conductor with XPA support

Dystopian sim Beholder: Conductor is now available on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox PC

After more than a year of waiting, Xbox players can finally start unlocking Beholder: Conductor achievements on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and via the Xbox PC app after the game launched on the Xbox store on July 13, 2026. A spin-off to the nearly decade-old series of dystopian simulators, Conductor currently sits on Steam with an "Overwhelmingly Positive" reception from players, making it a new Xbox title worth keeping an eye on!

While Xbox players had to wait longer than other console platforms to get their hands on the game, there's an upside exclusive to this platform release, with Beholder: Conductor joining the list of games that support Xbox Play Anywhere at launch. That means if you pick up one copy of the game via the Xbox store, you'll get access to compatible copies on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and Windows PCs via the Xbox app.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYYoVG5LilA Long-time Xbox Game Pass subscribers may remember that the first game in the series, Beholder, was available on the service up until 2021. That original title puts you in the role of a landlord working for a totalitarian state, spying on your tenants and ratting out anyone who may harbor some feelings against the state.

Or, you can be a little bit less of a narc and make choices that undermine the government, if you're feeling sneaky. Beholder: Conductor generally takes that same premise, but instead of spying on tenants, you're spying on passengers.

It's a twist on the formula that seems to be working for the majority of players, with many hailing it as a massive improvement over 2022's Beholder 3. Myself, I'm always on the lookout for something that can scratch the itch left by the lack of Papers, Please in my life, so this looks like just the thing. We've also got our hands on the game's Xbox achievements, and they're exactly the same as its Steam achievements list, which gives us some helpful insight here, even if the game has just launched on the platform.

For the most part, there's nothing too challenging here, although it looks like players will need to play the game a few times over to get different outcomes involving different characters aboard the train. The toughest Xbox achievement here is "Snitches get Stitches" (beat the game without a single report or blackmail), which 3.9% of Steam players were able to unlock, which is still fairly high. You just have to fight your narc instincts and avoid reporting or blackmailing passengers.

That said, beating the game without these tools and without being killed is going to be tricky. Good thing it doesn't say you can't just have the passengers killed! Also, the next most challenging Xbox achievement here is "A Handshake is Available Upon Request," with 4% of Steam players pulling this one off.

Note that the achievement description here is missing a little bit — the full challenge here is to "Complete the game without a single fine for a search, a missed train, an unfurnished compartment, ticket issues, or incorrect information filed." Basically, you're going to be the most flawless state narc possible — quite the challenge! Although, for the sake of adding an achievement that