The 20 Best Xbox Series X Games Money Can Buy

The Xbox Series X has been out some time. As a result, there are a lot of titles that have been released for it. Some of these titles have been very impressive. Others, not so much. Due to this, it can be useful for interested individuals to check out other people’s thoughts on the best titles if they are unsure what they want to get.

20. F1 2021

Sports series tend to pump out titles on a regular basis. As a result, they tend to change less from title to title when compared with other series. Still, this doesn’t mean that they are absent of innovations altogether. To name an example, consider how F1 2021 now lets two interested individuals participate in career mode together as either rivals or teammates.

19. Mass Effect Legendary Edition

Bioware seems to be on its way out. After all, Anthem was a disaster. Furthermore, the making of Dragon Age 4 has been plagued by issues, as shown by how it started up in 2015 but underwent a major shakeup in content as recently as 2020 with the decision to remove multiplayer in preference for focusing on a purely single-player experience. Still, Bioware managed to make some games worth remembering. For those who either enjoyed the Mass Effect trilogy or are curious about it, Mass Effect Legendary Edition is the best way to experience those titles as a remastered compilation.

18. Gears 5

Gears 5 would be the latest installment in the Gears of War series. It is named thus for a couple of reasons. One, Gears is simpler than Gears of War. Two, most players were using Gears anyways, meaning that the makers were just moving with the flow rather than putting up a futile resistance. In any case, Gears 5 is one of the most notable third-person shooters to be released in recent years. The series might be an old one. However, Gears 5 makes it clear that developmental experience counts.

17. Gears Tactics

Speaking of which, Gears Tactics is another game in the same setting. However, it is very different from what long-time Gears fans might expect. This is because Gears Tactics is a turn-based tactics game in the style of new Xcom rather than its third-person shooter predecessors. Still, even though it is new, it is surprisingly well-made. Moreover, Gears Tactics has enough quirks of its own to stand out from all of the other turn-based tactics games that have been released in recent years.

16. Ori and the Will of the Wisps

Metroidvanias have seen a revival in recent years. As a result, a lot of excellent Metroidvanias have come out. In fact, some of those titles now have sequels, with an excellent example being Ori and the Will of the Wisps. Said game is much the same as its predecessor. However, it contains plenty of refinements upon an already successful formula, with an excellent example being the addition of melee combat.

15. It Takes Two

It Takes Two is one of the more unusual platformers to have been released in recent times. This is because it puts a strong emphasis on the need for two players to cooperate with one another, so much so that it can’t be played by interested individuals on their own. On the plus side, this makes for a very memorable experience because teamwork is so critical for enabling progress in it.

14. Psychonauts 2

The original Psychonauts was much praised but not very successful in a commercial sense. As a result, it became a cult classic, so much so that the ensuing fan base managed to get a Psychonauts 2 off of the ground. That might sound like a recipe for disaster. However, Psychonauts 2 is one of those rare projects that manage to live up to expectations by being a very solid platformer. Something that is particularly impressive because the production process ran into some serious problems along the way.

13. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2

Skateboarding isn’t as big in the present as it was in the past. However, it seems that there is still some interest in skateboarding games. For proof, look no further than the fact that Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 became the single best-selling installment in the series with more than one million copies sold in the first two weeks even though it is just a remaster of the first two games. One could say that the remastered games were wisely chosen. However, the studio responsible for the remastering also did a great job, without which this title could have been a major disappointment rather than a major success.

12. Forza Horizon 5

Speaking of which, if someone wants a racing game with an open world setting, they might want to check out Forza Horizon 5. Simply put, it is both bigger and better than its predecessors, meaning that interested individuals can expect plenty of pulse-pounding racing action in a fictional version of Mexico.

11. Halo Infinite

Halo Infinite is the latest installment in another legendary shooter series. It would be the sixth main installment, though it isn’t named as such for the simple reason that the developers feared that it would scare off potential players. In any case, Halo Infinite continues the story of Master Chief by picking off where Halo 5: Guardians. As such, there is a fair amount of emphasis on story. However, if people are more curious about the game-play, well, it might interest them to learn that the multiplayer mode is available on a free-to-play basis.

10. Halo: The Master Chief Collection

On a related note, if people are either curious or nostalgic about earlier titles in the Halo series, it is a good idea to check out Halo: The Master Chief Collection. This would be a compilation of everything from Halo: Combat Evolved to Halo 4, meaning that they can catch up with everything that they want to know about the story. On top of that, its content has been remastered, thus making it that much more palatable to modern tastes.

9. Yakuza: Like a Dragon

Generally speaking, the Yakuza series is famous for featuring a mix of action-adventure, action RPG, and beat ’em up games. However, Yakuza: Like a Dragon is a much more unusual animal, not least because it is a turn-based RPG of all things. This is surprisingly appropriate because it is a new start for the Yakuza series with a new protagonist, seeing as how its predecessor wrapped up the story arc centered upon Kiryu Kazuma. Still, it is situated in the same setting, meaning that it retains the same sense of humor plus other elements that long-time fans will presumably enjoy.

8. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is the latest title in the long-running Assassin’s Creed series. As such, it should come as no surprise to learn that it is an action-adventure game in an open world setting based on the Viking Age. It has its issues. For instance, it puts the Norse in a heroic role even though the Norse were invading the Anglo-Saxons at the time of the Great Heathen Army, which is particularly irritating because that would’ve been much more justifiable after the St. Brice’s Day Massacre. However, the Assassin’s Creed series has never had more than a passing acquaintance with history. On the whole, if people enjoy Ubisoft’s style of action-adventure games in open-world setting, they could do much worse than this one.

7. Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition

Capcom has been having a very successful run in recent times. To name an example, consider Devil May Cry 5, which was the follow-up to a title that had come out more than a decade before it. Despite this, it was extremely successful, as shown by how it managed to sell more than three million copies in a year’s time. In any case, if people don’t know what to expect, the Devil May Cry series is famous for expecting players to fight off demons with various abilities and weapons in the most stylish manner possible.

6. Control: Ultimate Edition

Control was one of the great unexpected pleasures of 2019. For those who are unfamiliar, interested individuals take the role of Jesse Faden, the new director of a secret government agency who needs to deal with a paranormal threat called the Hiss that has overrun the agency’s headquarters. As such, while gun-play has an important role, Control tends to be much better-known for the various paranormal capabilities that interested individuals can pick up. The Ultimate Edition is exactly what it sounds like, which is to say, the base game plus both the expansions and the updates. Thanks to that, it is by far the best way to experience Control.

5. Hades

Hades is a roguelike in which the player takes on the role of Zagreus, the son of Hades who is seeking to escape his underworld home. The overwhelming majority of people won’t succeed on the first run. However, there are some things that carry over from run to run, thus providing them with a better hand on each subsequent occasion. Hades is a decent enough game from a mechanical perspective, but what makes Hades truly special is its presentation, which draws from Greek mythology but presents it in a very refreshing manner.

4. Sea of Thieves

Based on the name, it should come as no surprise to learn that Sea of Thieves is a pirate game. To be exact, it is an action-adventure pirate game with a first-person perspective. Said formula might not sound very interesting until one learns that Sea of Thieves is also a multiplayer-focused game in which interested individuals are expected to work with one another in order to get the job done. Something that puts everything in a very different light to say the least. There is a decent single-player experience in Sea of Thieves, but it is the multiplayer mode that makes it one of the best pirate games that can be found out there on the modern market.

3. Microsoft Flight Simulator

Microsoft Flight Simulator can refer to the series as a whole. As a result, this particular title is sometimes called Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 for the sake of distinguishing it from its predecessors. The title is huge and comprehensive, thus making it a must-have for flight simulation enthusiasts.

2. Hitman 3

Hitman 3 is the third in the World of Assassination trilogy, which are situated within the wider Hitman series. It has guns. However, it isn’t exactly what most people would think of when they think of shooters. After all, Hitman 3 is a stealth game, meaning that going in with guns blazing tends to be a less than optimal solution for the opposition that can be found in each stage. For those who enjoy stealth, this is an excellent choice, particularly since it is famous for the many, many ways by which interested individuals can achieve their goals.

1. Resident Evil Village

Interested individuals might have seen the Resident Evil Village logo with a capital “I” and a pair of lower-case “l.” That is no coincidence because “VIII” is an easy way of indicating that this is the eighth main installment in the series. Like its predecessors, Resident Evil Village is a survival horror. However, it is one of the Resident Evil titles that put more emphasis on action. Setting-wise, it is also very unusual in that it is often more reminiscent of Victorian horror monsters than zombie breakouts, thus further enabling it to stand out. Regardless, Resident Evil Village was well-received for the most part, so interested individuals might find it worth checking out.