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While the Xbox One generation is remembered for being a challenging period for Microsoft, our definitive ranking of the best Xbox One games show that there was plenty to love about the system. Whether you’re looking play some of the best Xbox Game Pass games or looking to revisit some old classics, there really is something for everyone here.
With a helping of Xbox exclusives and memorable third-party games, this selection covers a broad range of genres. So if you’re looking to tuck into your backlog or perhaps explore some games you might have missed, you’re sure to find something here for you. And if you’re jumping over to the next-gen, we’ve also rounded up the most exciting upcoming Xbox Series X games along with the best Xbox Series X games to get stuck into right now.
So join us as we take you through our selection of the best Xbox One games.
Although we’ve not added any new titles to our best Xbox One games list, we have checked the rankings for accuracy, clarity, and relevancy.
30. Final Fantasy 15
The Final Fantasy name isn’t exactly synonymous with Microsoft’s console, but we’re happy just the same as Final Fantasy 15 is easily one of the best RPGs of the year, and one of the best Xbox One games. It blends the vast open-worlds of Western RPGs with Final Fantasy’s hallmark over-the-top anime absurdity to great effect, crafting a world based on the highways and byways of Middle America while filling that world with ferocious monsters, massive crystals, and powerful magic. There are times when Final Fantasy 15 feels like an idiosyncratic mishmash of ideas, but when you throw everything together – the strange world, the thrilling, real-time combat, the lovable characters who stick with you for your entire journey – it becomes something much greater than the sum of its parts. It becomes one of the best Final Fantasy games in ages; a game well worth the wait.
29. Cuphead
After delays that led to maybe just a touch of apathy, Cuphead is here and has instantly become one of the best Xbox One games of all time – especially if you like shooters. While the presentation is crafted beautifully from 1930 cartoon art – things like Betty Boop shorts and Disney’s Silly Symphonies – this takes gameplay cues from sources like Mega Man, Contra, Metal Slug, and Gunstar Heroes. The levels aren’t huge but it’s the challenge, not the size that matters here as you dodge bullets and learn enemy patterns. Everything tests your skills and reactions in a range of interesting ways and, most importantly, are a joy to beat.
28. Halo: Master Chief Collection
*braces for complaints* Yes, we are well aware of the problems that plagued this particular entry, but now that it works, there’s no doubting the craftsmanship here and its place in our best Xbox One games list. Bungie’s genius meets 343’s love in a package that truly does justice to an industry-shaking legacy. Buffed-up, re-varnished and back in the shop window, The Master Chief Collection leaves us to wonder if Halo always looked so lovely. And you know what? It more or less did.
27. NieR: Automata – Become as Gods Edition
It’s a little late to the Xbox One party but a wait that’s been worthwhile as Nier: Automata – Become as Gods Edition, brings a 4K edition of Platinum’s esoteric action adventure complete with DLC and extra costumes. It’s a strange and unusual game about androids questioning the nature of existence via beating up robots and cleverly crafted homages to other games – when you’re not mastering the acrobatic gunplay, the camera plays with angles that turn this into things like a topdown shooter, or aside scrolling brawler. Other interesting ideas see things like a chip system that lets you automate parts of the game you might struggle with. For example, if you’re not great at dodging, an auto-evade chip can take care of that for you, while leaving every other facet of combat under your control. It’s odd, inventive and fascinating game hitting Xbox in its most definitive edition.
26. Rainbow Six Siege
The first few minutes of a Rainbow Six: Siege match feel more like a slasher film than an all-guns-blazing FPS. The pitter-patter of combat booted feet sounds through the roof. Defenders erect Home Alone defences. Was that the whine of a rappel buckle? It’s a sense of tension that beats most horror games. And once all hell does break loose, you’re suddenly thrown into the midst of deep, strategical, brutally unforgiving warfare. Ripe with tactical options and built for “one more go” appeal, this is by far Xbox One’s smartest multiplayer shooter.
25. Rise of the Tomb Raider
The best entry in Lara’s rebooted trilogy is an amazing advert for Xbox One X. While Rise of the Tomb Raider looks fairly impressive on the base console, play this Siberian-set sequel on Microsoft’s supercharged system and a 4K television, and the trinket-scavenging action looks incredible. Expanding on the hub areas of the first game and making those Challenge Tombs more intriguing than ever, Lara’s frosty adventure combines sharp Uncharted-style shootouts with platforming sections that give you more agency than PlayStation’s poster boy ever trusts you with. Is the story mostly nonsense? Sure. But when you’re wading through the most impressive virtual snow on Xbox and sticking your pickaxe into a furious grizzly’s throat, you’ll forgive the gaping plot holes.
24. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
FromSoftware’s hack-and-slash hit proves itself an even more brutally tough customer than Dark Souls. Yet despite being furiously tough, the masterfully balanced Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice never feels overly unfair. Encouraging controlled bouts of aggression, this is a game that rewards seriously steely nerves. And how about those boss fights? Demanding expert parrying and unblinking attacks, even the most skilled shinobi can end up getting downed by a monstrous ape and its poisonous poo. Don’t ask. Yet master Sekiro’s sharp, responsive combat and toppling its hardest enemies offers cathartic highs that are tough to top.
23. Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus
Wolfenstein: The New Order is one of the most unique, brutal, brave, hilarious, and intelligent shooters of the generation so far. MachineGames’ sequel, The New Colossus, confidently doubles down on all of that. Moving BJ Blazkowicz’s very personal war further into the alternative-universe ’60s, and transposing it to an America under Nazi rule, The New Colossus is uncompromisingly relevant. It’s a smart, sensitive, and emotive discussion of callousness, prejudice, and cruelty, that nevertheless knows how to be fun at all times. A biting portrait of human failures and social horrors, that does its biting with big robot teeth and hatchet blades. It’s a game that exemplifies heart and brains throughout, but never with more unremitting flair than when it comes to the noble art of tearing Nazis to shreds with bloody and balletic style.
22. Devil May Cry 5
Capcom has outdone itself with Devil May Cry 5, building off all the best bits of Ninja Theory’s brilliant DmC in terms of aesthetic and style, then calling back to the series’ beloved, finger-blistering history with its combo-heavy action and cast of fan-favorite characters. Our three heroes – Nero, Dante, and dapper newcomer V – all have distinct, over-the-top fighting techniques featuring fantastical weaponry (or animal companions, in V’s case) for wildly divergent playstyles. Our Devil May Cry 5 review puts it nicely: “It looks better than ever, plays better than ever – it’s Devil May Cry better than ever.”
21. Resident Evil 2 Remake
There are comebacks and then there’s Resident Evil 2 Remake. The decision to completely recreate the horror classic with a game that not only honours the 1996 original, but feels just as influential and relevant has paid off. It takes the original set up of a zombie outbreak in Raccoon City and crafts a gorgeous looking game with new controls and camera that feels as fresh as it does scary, as you fight zombies, jump scares and the always chasing MR X to stay alive. It’s a slick, great looking and an essential buy for horror and action fans alike.
20. Monster Hunter World
If you’ve never played a Monster Hunter game before then ignore all that ‘most accessible yet’ stuff. If this is your first time with Capcom’s creature killer then you’ll find a weirdly obtuse and alien game. Stick with Monster Hunter World though and you’ll see what the fuss is about as you track monsters, kill them and harvest the parts to make the gear to take on bigger challenges. That core loop is everything here as you dive into stat boosts, attack types and try to master a range of fantastically over the top and excessively styled weapons. What really brings it alive is playing it with friends as you coordinate classes, weapons and tactics. Battles are long tests of skill and cooperation but the hunt is everything, and when a monster finally falls it’s an amazing feeling.
19. A Way Out
Most co-op games revolve around boosting a friend over a wall and doors that can only be opened by two people at once. A Way Out has some of that, but overall makes so much more of it’s two character ideas. Both players are routinely given divergent but related objectives that keep you working together without feeling like you’re joined at the hip. From jail breaks to fixing cars it uses both players’ time beautifully while still fitting in great set pieces, emotional character moments, lighter moments, and a truly memorable ending.
18. Fallout 4
We sort of knew what we were getting. It’s big, it’s buggy, it’s Bethesda. Fallout 4 is a natural evolution, bringing with it the often aimless exploration, gentle humour and moral greyitude of the last two instalments, while propping it all up with a new-gen veneer. They might not be enormous shifts, but main character voice acting, better gunplay and (shock) not having to look inside crates to loot them all make this a streamlined version of a now-classic formula. Frame rate dips and occasionally horrifying glitches rear their heads as usual, but it’s difficult to feel too bad when there’s simply so much going on. Once again, Bethesda has crammed several games’ worth of joyously inconsequential stuff in here, resulting in one of the most compulsive, moreish games of this generation. Get stuck in, and you won’t emerge for weeks.
17. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
Let’s face it. Resident Evil had gone a bit like a foot left out of the fridge too long. A bit, well, off. After the glorious heady heights of Resi 4 defining the third person shooter as we know it, it all got a bit mediocre. Well 2017 is the year Resi got its groove back and you should be very afraid. Turning the franchise on its head, Resident Evil 7 is a first person survival terror-fest that sees you sneaking through a decrepit Louisiana mansion hunting for your missing wife. Texas Chainsaw Massacre style fiends? Check. Horrific body horror? Check that too. Add in a story that’ll leave you forgetting to breathe for a little too long and Resident Evil 7 manages to be an exhilarating rollercoaster ride that reinvents the franchise. Sure you’ll recognise those green herbs but this is a new brand of horror that just demands you creep through its hallways even if it feels like you should run in the opposite direction.
16. Titanfall 2
Any FPS that lets you run along walls and then double jump into a giant mechanical Titan instantly has our attention. Titanfall 2 does that and so much more. “But where’s our single-player?” we moaned, when the first Titanfall came to Xbox in 2014. “Fine!” retorted Respawn. “How about for this sequel, we tell the story of a pilot and his Titan? One where you steadily unlock Titan weapons that look powerful enough to burn the universe in half? How about a stage wherein you can travel through time at the touch of a button? How about several hours of dizzyingly paced, ideas-stuffed action that makes every shooter since we made Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare look lazy?” Well that certainly shut us up. Throw in Bounty Hunt, a capitalist nightmare of an essential multiplayer mode, and we promise never to accuse Respawn of laziness again.
15. Destiny 2
After the endless, life absorbing life sink of the original game what could Destiny 2 possibly do to beat it? The answer is actually obvious: more of the same, only richer, more approachable and… just… more Destiny. The sequel takes nearly every element of the space travelling, gun collecting, number raising MMO and polishes it to a fine sheen. You can see almost every area where Bungie learned from the last game, making the areas you explore richer with things to do, adding depth to both the systems that progress your character, and the activities you take on to do so. Few games mix combat, multiplayer and character progressions so well and it’s an addictive draw as a result. And with a helping of expansions now added to the experience, there’s never been a better time to jump into Destiny 2.
14. Overwatch
Well if Valve aren’t going to bother making Team Fortress 3, we’ll have Blizzard do it instead. The World of Warcraft studio had never made a shooter before, so it makes no sense at all that Overwatch is one of the best multiplayer FPS’ ever. A ridiculously varied cast of colourful heroes, each with powers that should logically break the game (Tracer can travel back through time for crying out loud!) Yet it all checks and balances, letting us fire bows and arrows, sky dragons, walls of ice and whip chains through the air for hours and hours without ever feeling like its cheaty or unfair.
13. Forza Horizon 4
Unlike the stuffier Forza Motorsport 7, Forza Horizon 4 is available free for Xbox Games Pass subscribers. One of the best technical showcases you can find for Xbox One, this breezy racer rules. Steering the sandbox franchise onto the roads of a bite-sized, extra blustery Britain, Horizon 4 serves up a series of exhilarating races. Those ludicrous Showcase Events also make a return, and they’re as brilliantly silly as ever. Want to race the Flying Scotsman as it steams through the Highlands towards Edinburgh? Have at it, petrolhead. The changing seasons, which add heaps of snow and eye-searing autumnal reds, ensure this is one of the most visually varied racers on Xbox One. The crisp handling model – pitched to just the right level of arcade accessibility – also remains best-in-class.
12. What Remains of Edith Finch
This is one of those things you really don’t want to know too much about before playing. It’s clever, inventive and emotional in a way few games have achieved. The story follows the Edith of the title as she backtracks through her family tree, rediscovering the lives of various relations who have all died early and unfortunate deaths. Each tale is built from completely different mechanics and vary from brief narrative punches to long, heartfelt looks into the characters they follow, matching it all to how it plays in incredible ways. Few games have managed to include so many different ideas, styles of gameplay and just pure feeling into a story about life, love and loss. It’s a beautiful game that should be in everyone’s collection.
11. Ori and the Will of the Wisps
A short but sublime action-platformer that’s sure to delight your eyes and ears – the soundtrack is sensational. While its predecessor is still one of the most gorgeous adventures on Xbox One, Ori and the Will of the Wisps wisely leans on another 2D Metroidvania to flesh out its backtracking quests. Introducing brilliantly judged new abilities in compelling drip-fed fashion – ala Hollow Night – the game’s adorable cat/marsupial thingy is a joy to control. Bounding around the screen with effortless jumps, vine swings and other powers we won’t ruin, there are few other games on Xbox One that feel quite so empowering with a controller in your hand.
10. Control
Talk about a misleading title. Despite the fact you star as a kickass bureau director who can fling dudes around with the power of her mind, you never really feel like you’re in control in… well, Control. In Remedy’s brilliant action-adventure, nothing is quite what it seems. Throwing you into a contorting, utterly bemusing government building, The Oldest House is the most interesting video game setting of the current console generation. While the walls and ceilings of this labyrinth twist around you, Remedy throws you into challenging battles that let you experiment with Jesse’s telekinetic abilities in constantly inventive ways. As you levitate around the joint like a young Magneto, crushing enemies with office furniture, it feels like you’ve been thrown into a thrilling TV show. One in which the star just happens to be the most badass pencil pusher ever.
9. Fortnite
The monster that is Fortnite shows no signs of slowing down. It’s got tens of millions of players and is one of the few games to be an honest to God cultural phenomenon as children, celebs and footballers alike floss like crazy whether they’ve played the game or not. What’s even more amazing is that it’s 100 player battle royale mode wasn’t even the main game. It started live as a co-op crafting and survival game that added on battle royale to catch a band wagon and ended up taking over the word. While its building and battling gameplay is already strong, it’s used of seasons – with constantly changing meta stories, secrets, mechanics and items – means it stays fresh even when the core mechanics remain the same.
8. Gears 5
It only took five attempts, but Xbox’s number two franchise finally delivers a decent plot. Sensibly shunting terminal dullard J.D. Fenix aside for the far more interesting Kait Diaz, Gears 5 manages to tell a genuinely compelling story that fleshes out both its new lead character and the ever-present Locust threat. Gears is also still really good at guns and gore. While open-world style hubs, various upgrade systems, and other modern-day tropes sneak into The Coalition’s third-person blaster, this is very much an old school cover shooter at heart. Gunfights remain thrilling and hectic, while those Locust still turn into extra squelchy chunks when you take the business end of your Lancer’s chainsaw to their supremely fugly faces.
7. Grand Theft Auto 5
Gaming’s biggest blockbuster deserves its place at the head of the list. GTA 5 was already an excellent, brutal, beautiful open-world game, and is made even more so on Xbox One with a visual tidy-up, a glut of new content and the addition of first-person pedestrian-beating. With the addition of online Heists to make its online component even more enticing, Rockstar edges closer to making a game world so vast and varied that you could start to do away with anything else. Which, come to think of it, was probably the plan all along.
6. Minecraft
As simple or as complex as you want it to be, Minecraft is the perfect example of a game that lives up to the hype. Whether you just fancy pottering around in creative mode, or jumping into survival to take on various blocky nasties in your quest for the End, Mojang’s masterpiece always feels perfectly yours and unique. It not not be and exclusive but it made its home on Xbox and belongs high up on the best Xbox One games list. This is a world worth just wandering in for eternity. Plus, the constant evolution with new packs, new textures and gameplay tweaks means that Minecraft is always moving forward. If you thought it was just about stacking up green blocks, it’s time to catch up.
5. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
Assassin’s Creed Origins might have reinvigorated the series after a short break, but it’s Assassin’s Creed Odyssey that has really set the tone for the future. It has a more exciting world, a more engaging story and generally tightens up all the ideas and mechanics of Origins to tightened perfection. This is even more of an RPG compared to the previous game with numerous plot threads to follow – none of which we’ll spoil. Set in ancient Greece it sees you travelling the islands waging wars (including full size battles), romancing whoever takes your fancy, and building out your choice of assassin – Alexios or Kassandra. Whoever you choose you have a glorious open world to explore and a fantastic journey ahead of you
4. Apex Legends
Respawn Entertainment’s take on battle royale came out of absolutely nowhere and immediately took the world by storm. Apex Legends grafts the best bits of Overwatch onto the familiar where-we-droppin’ formula of Fortnite, with default squads of three Legend characters who wield unique abilities that let you specialize your role. As with Respawn’s Titanfall series, the first-person shooting is sublime, with a wide variety of guns that reward mastery (yes, even the infamously underpowered Mozambique has its moments) and feel great to fire. Like Fortnite, Apex Legends is free to play with cosmetic microtransactions, so anyone and everyone can drop in and see if they have what it takes to become a Champion.
If we didn’t know better (or should that be worse?), we’d say Konami took the Hideo Kojima brand off of his last stab at MGS 5: The Phantom Pain because it feels quite so different to his previous efforts. Yes, it’s packed with the off-kilter jokes, mechanical ingenuity and conspiracy theories so wild they’re seemingly drawn from the darkest of the internet’s depths – but at it’s core, this is a very different kind of Hideo Kojima game.
The switch to wide-open spaces featuring multiple missions not only makes this an embarrassing masterclass for the rest of the world’s stealth-action developers, but effectively turns every player into their own spy film director. That time you pulled off a tense, magical heist alongside your mute sniper buddy? That was all you. When it all went tits up and you were forced to detonate C4 stashed across an enemy base, before riding into the sunset on your own personal chicken-mech? You were the architect. It’s long been said that Hideo Kojima has been more obsessed with emulating his favourite films than making true games. MGS 5 proves that to be false – he wants you to do that yourself. We’ll happily spend a few hundred more hours obliging him.
2. Red Dead Redemption 2
Red Dead Redemption 2 might be slow to start and is the archetypal ‘it gets good 20 hours in’ kind of game, but when we mean good, we mean good. Its broad Wild West opera builds out a world of characters in a changing time and take you on a journey with them as they face the new world taking over while fighting the old one still chasing them down. Arthur Morgan is a gruff, hero full of depth, capable of growing a mean beard, and with plenty to keep him busy. This is game where you can rob a bank, hunt animals, fish, play cards, and meet numerous strangers with lots for you to do. While there’s a story to follow, with some of the greatest highs and lows in gaming, there’s also just a huge, living place to inhabit and live in. Clear your calendars because this a game that has you in for the long haul.
1. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
One of the most immersive RPGs ever made – a standout, mutable storyline, endlessly satisfying detective-cum-hitman Contracts, and side quests deeper than many games’ main campaigns. The Witcher 3’s world is one of the few game spaces to deserve that title – full of political intrigue, folklore and gross beasts to slice into ribbons. And all of that’s failing to mention CD Projekt RED’s raft of free DLC, and a couple of expansion packs – the first of which, Hearts of Stone, is responsible for this shooting up to the highest reaches of this list. Beautiful, rewarding and essential, this is a game we’ll remember for years and years to come.
For more, check out our roundup of best free Xbox One games, best games on Xbox Game Pass, and best Xbox Series X games
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