Best Xbox Exclusives: 20 Great Games For Xbox Series X And Xbox One

Developer Mighty Yell's first game, The Big Con, is fantastic. In terms of story, visuals, and music, this adventure game is oozing with the style of '90s animated TV shows and culture. In The Big Con, you play as Ali, a teenager roped into a partnership with a con artist after finding out her mother owes almost $100k to loan sharks. You go on a cross-country trip to swindle every dime you can. The challenge of planning your own cons is pretty fun, as The Big Con encourages you to be strategic in piecing together how to maximize your profits. The story is no slouch either--seeing Ali come into her own as a talented con artist as she grapples with her mom's expectations of her and the blossoming queer feelings she has for her best friend keep you invested. The Big Con is available for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC.

See our The Big Con review.

Forza Horizon 5 somehow managed to improve on everything fans loved about Forza Horizon 4. The game takes place in the sprawling and diverse landscape of Mexico, with volcanoes, jungles, beaches, and quaint villages passing by your window as you speed down their winding streets. Its gorgeous locale is a large part of the fun, but Playground Games didn’t forget about the cars--and with more than 500 vehicles to unlock and master, you’re never more than a few moments away from your new favorite. Coupled with approachable gameplay that rewards you for every action and a driving system that’s absolutely exhilarating, you’ve got one of the best racing games in recent memory.

See our Forza Horizon 5 review.

The Coalition's Gears 5 expands on the scope of the series, incorporating open areas that afford you agency to pursue optional objectives. This addition adds a nice freshness to the tried-and-true Gears formula. This is still an engaging third-person shooter that rewards quick reflexes with satisfyingly brutal depictions of carnage, but there are now more opportunities to tackle the same challenges in different ways depending on how you approach an enemy base and what weapons you've chosen to bring with you. The story isn't phenomenal--you primarily play as Kait Diaz, who goes out in search of the origins of the Locust in hopes of uncovering the mystery surrounding her family's history--but the gameplay more than makes up for that. Gears 5 is available for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC.

See our Gears 5 review.

Developer Obsidian Entertainment's Grounded is a survival game where you play as someone who's been shrunk down and must now find their way in a suburban backyard filled with insects and arachnids that pose a danger to you. It's basically Honey, I Shrunk The Kids meets Minecraft--which is a fairly fun set-up, especially if you have friends to party up with. As you strive to build a base and weapons to protect yourself from the critters that want to eat you, you must uncover the strange remnants of a secret lab and technology that may hold the key to how you shrunk in the first place, as well as the means for returning to your normal size. It also includes a neat assortment of accessibility features, including an arachnophobia mode that makes spiders seem less scary. Grounded is available for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC.

See our Grounded review.

Despite a few issues with production and a poorly received gameplay reveal, Halo Infinite went on to win over both critics and long-time fans. The game takes Halo’s iconic action and plops it into an open world brimming with content, letting you tackle its missions as you see fit. Once you’ve worked through its lengthy campaign, an even more robust multiplayer mode is waiting for you online. With both casual and ranked modes (and a deep battle pass featuring dozens of rewards), there’s enough content to keep dedicated players coming back for years.

See our Halo Infinite review.

Okay, admittedly, this is cheating. 343 Industries' Halo: The Master Chief Collection isn't one game, it's six--Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Halo 2: Anniversary, Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST, Halo: Reach, and Halo 4. But if you're looking for a story-driven, sci-fi military drama with excellent first-person arena shooter mechanics, Halo is king. Few shooter franchises have had the impact that Halo has, and The Master Chief Collection is the ideal way of experiencing that story from the beginning, regardless of whether you want to play from the series' start of Halo: Combat Evolved or the chronological start of Halo: Reach. Halo: The Master Chief Collection is available for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC.

See our Halo: The Master Chief Collection review.

First developed by Double Helix Games (now part of Amazon) before being handled by Iron Galaxy and Rare, Killer Instinct is the third main entry and a reboot of the fighting game series. If you've played a fighting game before, like Injustice 2 or Guilty Gear Strive, then you already have an idea of what Killer Instinct is. The game is great--fighters are diverse and combat is mechanically rewarding, with many combos to learn and satisfyingly pull off. And the game's initial problems at launch--lack of fighters and content--have been addressed with three seasons of post-launch expansions. Killer Instinct is available for Xbox One and PC.

See our Killer Instinct review.

Bloober Team's The Medium just squeaks onto this list. It's a great Xbox console exclusive that deserves to be listed here, but it's also scheduled to release for PS5 in September so it won't be an exclusive for much longer. Starring Marianne, a medium, this psychological horror game sees you simultaneously exploring a decrepit resort and the trauma of those who stayed there, as Marianne's literal body and consciousness can exist side by side in the real and spiritual plane. This structure delivers some stellar cinematic shots, as well as a way to explore an intriguing story through both a literal and figurative lens. The soundtrack is incredible, too. The Medium is available for Xbox Series X|S and PC.

See our The Medium review.

Developer Asobo Studio's Microsoft Flight Simulator is such an incredible feat. The game uses real-world data pulled from Bing Maps to inform the in-game AI to generate a fully realized 3D Earth. Flight Simulator looks at our Earth and then somehow, some way (we're convinced it's magic) updates its in-game Earth to reflect an accurate depiction of what's going on, including changing weather patterns like massive storms or hurricanes. And then it just lets you loose to fly anywhere you want in that world--so yeah, again, an incredible feat. Microsoft Flight Simulator is available for Xbox Series X|S and PC.

See our Microsoft Flight Simulator review.

Developer Cyan's Myst is a reimagining of the original 1993 Myst. This remake incorporates new art and sound assets, includes more interactions, and adds an option to randomize the game's puzzles. In Myst, you're sucked into a strange book and transported to an island where you begin to uncover clues surrounding a family that's been mysteriously trapped. The original Myst is fantastic, but it's pretty old at this point. This remake does for it what the remakes for Resident Evil 2, Final Fantasy VII, and Demon's Souls did for them--it modernizes an excellent experience to current day standards. Myst is available for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC, and Oculus Quest.

See our Myst review.

Developer Glumberland's Ooblets is a bizarre but charming blend of farming simulator and creature collecting RPG. Think "Stardew Valley meets Pokemon." You play as the newest resident of Badgetown, where you're given a worn-down farm and the choice of your starting ooblet, a little creature grown from seeds. As you fix up the farm, you'll be able to plant crops to sell and ooblets to grow. You can also set out on a journey across the region of Oob and challenge other trainers, which play out as card-based dance battles. With the funds you earn, you can buy improvements to your farm, furniture for your house, and gifts for your neighbors--the latter of which improves your overall relationship with them. Ooblets is available for Xbox One and PC.

See our Ooblets Early Access review.

Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis is an updated and separate "shared universe" version of the original Phantasy Star Online 2--you can use the same character across both games but you'll have to level them separately across the two. New Genesis is a more streamlined PSO2. It features a new story that gets you into the action more quickly, a faster and more intuitive combat system, and new exploration mechanics--Photon Dash and Photon Glide--that help you get around the world. As a relatively new MMORPG, New Genesis is still a bit bare bones when it comes to endgame content, but what's currently there is already pretty fun. Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis is available for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC in North America. It's technically playable on PS4 and Switch, but only in Japan at this time.

Rare Replay is one of the rare (heh) games to truly be an Xbox exclusive. You can buy these games individually for other platforms but Rare Replay is an Xbox exclusive--there's no PC version and no plans to ever make one. Developer Rare's collection includes 30 games from the studio's history, from the era of the ZX Spectrum to the Xbox 360. That's a huge variety of titles, from beat-'em-up Battletoads and 3D platformer Banjo-Kazooie to first-person shooter Perfect Dark and life simulator Viva Piñata. So even if you're not a fan of every type of game, there's likely at least one title included in Rare Replay that will tickle your fancy. Rare Replay is available for Xbox One.

See our Rare Replay review.

Sable came out of nowhere in 2021 and quickly became one of the best indie games of the year. This mysterious title places you on the colorful planet of Midden as you take control of Sable--a young adult that’s undergoing a series of coming-of-age trials. Much of your time on Midden will be spent solving puzzles, navigating ruins, and exploring the strange world to unravel its secrets. There’s also an interesting narrative that unfolds as you chat with NPCs and complete missions, and most of Sable’s fun is derived from forging your own story as you help Sable along on her quest. Sable has a Breath of the Wild-vibe to it with regards to its exploration, so fans of Zelda should definitely check it out.

See our Sable review.

Developer Rare's Sea of Thieves is an action-adventure game in which you can live out your fantasies of being a pirate. The game takes place in a shared world, allowing you to both set sail with your friends and encounter other players--it's your choice as to whether you want to help them, ignore them, steal from them, or just outright kill them. Sea of Thieves' ship combat is a great time with friends, and its vast open world is quite the sight to behold. One of the game's biggest criticisms at launch--its lack of content--has been addressed with several substantial updates and expansions. Most notably, Sea of Thieves has a major Pirates of the Caribbean crossover expansion that adds hours of fun story-driven content to the game. Sea of Thieves is available for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC.

See our Sea of Thieves review.

If you're tired of playing Left 4 Dead style games where you're going up against zombies, may we direct your attention to developer Systemic Reaction's Second Extinction, a cooperative first-person shooter where you and your squad go up against dinosaurs? In Second Extinction, humanity has retreated to space stations when mutated dinosaurs take over the Earth. Your squad's job is to orbital drop onto the planet in a series of missions to find a way to fight back and ultimately deal with the dino threat. The game utilizes a threat level system so engaging in missions in the same parts of the world will lower the threat level and make subsequent drops in those areas easier, but ignoring other areas will allow the dinosaur presence to spike out of control there and make future missions in those areas more difficult. Second Extinction is available for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC.

Developer Undead Labs' State of Decay 2 has come a long way since its launch, expanding on its zombie survival open world formula with graphical overhauls, new maps and modes, and more story missions. It's now a solid game for those looking for that Walking Dead experience, where you're building bases, recruiting allies, managing resources, maintaining relationships, scavenging for resources, and creatively fighting hordes of the undead. There's a cooperative element to the game as well, so you can tackle State of Decay 2's challenge with friends if you want. State of Decay 2 is available for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC.

See our State of Decay 2 review.

In a lot of ways, Insomniac Games' Sunset Overdrive is an early precursor to the developer's follow-up project, Marvel's Spider-Man. An open-world action-adventure game, Sunset Overdrive makes you the superhero-like guardian of Sunset City, which is in the midst of a quarantine following an energy drink turning most humans into mutant monsters. Like Marvel's Spider-Man, Sunset Overdrive mixes combat and movement--you're rewarded with incredible bonuses for shooting your arsenal of guns while wallrunning, grinding across phone lines, or bouncing on top of cars. Your character also brings plenty of hilarious wisecracks to every fight, and the game's continued references to other games and movies is pretty funny. Sunset Overdrive is available for Xbox One and PC.

See our Sunset Overdrive review.

Take the challenging combat flow of Dark Souls and merge it with the isometric world of early Zelda games, and you’re pretty close to having Tunic. This adorable adventure game gives you little to no directions, although an in-game instruction manual helps show you the ropes and gets you moving towards your first quest. After that, it’ll largely be up to you to figure out where to go and how to get there. Dozens of monsters will attempt to stop your progress, but a variety of upgradable attributes and unlockable gadgets help even the odds against the game’s most demanding bosses. It’s not easy, but exploring the charming world of Tunic is a journey worth taking. Tunic captures the art of exploration and sense of adventure in a way that's quite rare.

See our Tunic review.

Developer Falling Squirrel's The Vale: Shadow of the Crown is a fascinating take on an action-RPG as you play as a princess who is blind. Since you can't see anything, you have to do all the stuff traditionally associated with RPGs--fighting enemies, stealthily sneaking past guards, firing a bow, and walking through markets--all via sound. You have to listen to enemies shuffling around you and exhaling as they swing a sword to know where and when to parry and attack, or pick out the clanging of a blacksmith's hammer amidst a busy market to figure out where to go to shop for new armor. It's an incredibly unique experience. The Vale: Shadow of the Crown is available for Xbox One and PC.