The 25 Xbox One games that every collection needs

The 25 Xbox One games that every collection needs

Whether you have the ultra-powerful Xbox One X, the updated Xbox One S, or the original Xbox One, one thing is for sure: you’ll want to play the best of the best games around right now. Right? Of course. And we’re here to help with that endeavour, with our list of the 25 best Xbox One games to play today. You’ll find a broad selection of titles within, from big-budget shooters to mesmerising indie charmers – and everything in between.

FORZA MOTORSPORT 7

It looks more beautiful than the Mona Lisa in motion on an Xbox One X, but the seventh main entry in the Forza series is so much more than a 4K tech demo. With a garage filled to bursting point with 700 of the most iconic cars ever driven, and an all-new dynamic weather system that can see bright sunshine one lap and torrential rain the next, there’s a huge amount of variety to keep you racking up those laps.

DRAGON BALL FIGHTERZ

Easily the best game to ever bear the name of the beloved anime franchise, FighterZ keeps all of the show’s wild kinetic energy – from the big spiky hair to the enormous fireballs – and presents it with some of the most incredible animation we’ve ever seen. But the game’s real feat is keeping things approachable and fun: you don’t have to be an arcade stick-wielding guru to enjoy and excel in this team battler. It’s better than we ever expected.

OVERWATCH

Overwatch is the current breakout, must-play multiplayer smash – and Blizzard’s shooter shows no signs of slowing down. With continual tweaks, gradual new hero additions and big esports plans unfolding at the moment, now’s the time to climb aboard. Even with a colourful and cartoonish look, Overwatch delivers some of the most satisfyingly intense combat available today, with the team-based battles finding the sweet spot between frantic blasting and smart, strategic team play.

ASSASSIN’S CREED ORIGINS

As the title suggests, Origins winds back the clock further than previous Creed entries, taking place in Ancient Egypt and telling the story of the first Assassins. But it’s also a strong descriptor for this game being essentially a fresh start for the franchise, since it overhauls some of the rougher elements of the past games (like combat) while delivering a compelling new environment and hugely impressive graphics. It’s definitely an Xbox One X showcase, but you ought to be impressed with it on any version.

CUPHEAD

Brilliantly, infuriatingly, delightfully difficult – not a combination you’d normally expect, but this fantastic retro throwback manages it. Cuphead is part boss rush, part run-and-gun side scrolling shooter, a love letter to both 16-bit classics like Gunstar Heroes, and the hand-drawn animation style of the 1930s. Think Steamboat Mickey meets Dynamite Heddy, where every creature has wide eyes and can’t stay in one place without bopping along to a vaudeville tune – anthropomorphic dinner sets included.

MONSTER HUNTER WORLD

Monster Hunter fans are a hardcore collective of sorts, and the series never really found a wide following outside of Japan – until now, that is. Capcom took all the fun things about the old games, chiseled away the rough exterior, and made a game that’s much more accessible and inviting than ever before. Of course, it’s still all about teaming up to battle enormous monsters with outsized weapons, and that’s still a blast. But compared to the past games, Monster Hunter World feels much less obtuse, plus it’s significantly larger and dramatically prettier thanks to current-gen consoles. If you’ve ever been curious, now’s the time to jump on.

GEARS OF WAR 4

Halo 5: Guardians might not have been the most rousing Xbox One return for one of Microsoft’s flagship shooter series, but that’s not a problem with Gears of War 4. It’s the same old song and dance, for the most part, albeit with an incredible level of polish and pure, dumb fun.

TITANFALL 2

The original Titanfall set the template for an amazing first-person shooter, dropping in massive mech suits amidst the parkour-laced gunplay – and, now, Titanfall 2 has fully realised that vision with a meaty and even more impactful experience. Including a fully-fledged single-player mode is a big part of the allure this time around, and it’s one of the best shooter campaigns in ages. What’s more, the online modes will keep the infantry-and-bots action running strong for some time to come.

BATTLEFIELD 1

With the brutal skirmishes of World War I as its setting, Battlefield 1 delivers a stirring and thankfully respectful campaign, while the 64-player online blowouts are unsurprisingly spectacular and sure to keep us playing for ages. Grab your steed (or zeppelin) and get out there, soldier.

INSIDE

Playdead’s Limbo is one of the most distinctive games of the last decade, sowing strong emotions in players despite the mute hero and entirely monochromatic look – and now Inside takes that premise and really kicks things up a notch. This side-scrolling, puzzle-infused platform game keeps the shadowy aesthetic and general premise, but delivers bigger environmental conundrums, richer gameplay amidst the levels, and a campaign that can be incredibly disturbing in turns.

PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS

It’s the biggest game in the world right now, racking up more than 30 million paying customers in less than a year – and now PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is on Xbox One. What’s the big deal? Well, it’s basically Battle Royale brought to life as an online shootout. You’ll drop onto an island with 99 of your closest enemies and then gradually pick each other off until one person remains. It’s methodical but intense, and has become the obsession of choice for millions of players.

FALLOUT 4

Building upon the beloved foundation of Fallout 3, the latest entry drops you into a post-apocalyptic Boston as you explore the wasteland, take on exciting and varied quests, and pour hours into building your own weapons and fortresses. The scale is incredible, and so, too, is the fun.

ROCKET LEAGUE

Imagine FIFA, only, instead of human players, each team is made up of jet-powered cars that flip, fly and somersault the ball into a goal. You’ll zip around the stadium with your teammates, bumping the ball, performing headers and working together to score epic goals and launch incredible saves. The result feels inspired and deeply competitive – and it even has basketball and hockey modes, too. Utterly delightful.

THE WITCHER III: WILD HUNT

We enjoyed 2014’s Dragon Age: Inquisition, but it’s The Witcher III: Wild Hunt that easily takes the crown for the most stunning and enthralling fantasy adventure today. It’s a vast and memorable quest across a compelling land, filled with interesting characters, quests, and combat. Even the add-on content is brilliant. Wild Hunt requires a big commitment, for sure, but this fantastic role-player can easily eat up all your time if you let it.

INJUSTICE 2

Whether or not you played the last-gen original, prepare to be impressed by Injustice 2. It’s a better vision of the DC Comics world than the recent movies have mustered (aside from Wonder Woman, of course), with an intriguing single-player story mode and a beefy cast of characters, and the combat fundamentals are completely on point. Every hero and villain feels nicely distinct, but they’re all amazingly powerful and astounding to see/play in action.

RISE OF THE TOMB RAIDER

Building on the brilliant 2013 reboot, Rise of the Tomb Raider delivers another captivating Lara Croft adventure – and it was exclusive for Xbox and PC players for a stretch. Like the last game, it’s more of a gung-ho action affair than the earlier entries, smartly taking Uncharted as an obvious role model.

ORI AND THE BLIND FOREST

Has a game ever been so emotionally crushing in its opening minutes? Ori and the Blind Forest is content to punch you in the heart immediately, but stick around and you’ll find an amazing side-scrolling platform adventure. It has familiar Metroid-like underpinnings, letting you unlock more of the world as your nimble creature gains more abilities, but the fluid movement gives it a unique feel.

DESTINY 2

Bungie’s second stab at a sprawling space shooter has learned a lot of lessons from the first Destiny. Gone are the complex, intertwined story threads, replaced with a single, overarching story that both returning Guardians and new players can get behind. The monotonous end-game grind has been streamlined and made a lot more fun, too.

FIFA 18

What makes the latest FIFA the best edition to date? Well, it’s absolutely gorgeous, particularly if you’re lucky enough to wield the souped-up Xbox One X. It also brings a raft of small, but meaningful enhancements to the on-the-pitch play, brings back last year’s story mode with a new chapter, and has enough modes to keep you busy ’til FIFA 19 inevitably releases. And that’s the point, isn’t it?

FORZA HORIZON 3

Enjoyed zipping around the Franco-Italian countryside in Forza Horizon 2? Well, you’ll find plenty to love in Horizon 3, most notably a brand new location: the diverse terrain of Australia, spanning mud, sand, streets, and fields alike. Everything looks spectacular, and even more so with HDR support on the Xbox One S – but, while the basic approach is delivering more of the same for the series, the sheer quantity of events and objectives is massive, and it’s an absolute blast throughout.

XCOM 2

XCOM 2 takes everything that worked so well in the brilliant XCOM: Enemy Unknown and kicks it up a notch, whether it’s the increased variety of missions and battlefields or the added tactics for bashing alien occupiers to bits. It’s also incredibly hard – but you didn’t expect a fight against oppressive extraterrestrials to be easy, did you?

RESIDENT EVIL 7: BIOHAZARD

The Xbox One version of Resident Evil 7 may lack the VR support of the PS4 edition, but even limited to a TV, it’s no less effective at scaring the life out of players. Capcom’s fresh start is a welcome step away from the action-centric approach of the last few hit-or-miss entries. What’s the secret? Well, the new first-person perspective really puts you in the middle of the horror, and there’s a constant level of unsettling tension as you explore the house and come face to face with its freakish inhabitants.

DARK SOULS III

If there’s one thing we’ve learned over the past two entries, it’s that Dark Souls isn’t for everyone. The game is defined by its brutal difficulty and unrelenting nature, and that won’t sit right with everyone. We understand. But if it is for you, rejoice: Dark Souls III certainly doesn’t diminish what was already an empowering and addictive action experience.

GRAND THEFT AUTO V

Yes, we know, you already played Grand Theft Auto V on Xbox 360. Well, don’t let that put you off playing it again. Here are some reasons why you should give it a second twirl: 1) It’s one of the greatest games of all time. 2) It looks even better than before (and it was already pretty darn good). 3) It has a new FPS mode – and it’s genius. 4) It’s one of the greatest games of all time.

QUANTUM BREAK

Remedy made Max Payne and then Alan Wake, so it’s fair to say the Finnish studio knows something about creating one-of-a-kind action experiences. That’s very much the case again with Quantum Break, a game built around the lead’s ability to manipulate time. While the quest is pretty linear, Jack’s powerful abilities feel fantastic in use, and it’s a superb-looking affair – plus, the live-action TV episodes intermingled within the campaign give it a totally unique feel and flow.