The 15 Best Xbox Games Right Now (2024)

Over the past two decades, Microsoft has turned the Xbox brand into a veritable juggernaut in the console gaming space. The Xbox Series X and Series S, the combined fourth generation of the Xbox, have sold over 21 million units -- and the Xbox One, which was still supported until 2023, sold over 58 million units worldwide.

As Microsoft shifts its focus toward supporting console and PC gamers alike with the Game Pass subscription service, there's never been a larger ecosystem of Xbox consoles to choose from. The future of the Xbox seems more than ever to rest in the hands of game developers, as original IPs like Scorn and Pentiment become just as important as fan-favorite franchises such as Halo and Gears of War.

As Xbox gamers have more access to games than ever before, CNET curated this list of the best games you can buy right now, including entries for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC Game Pass.

Starfield, released in September 2023, had a lot of gamers waiting with bated breath: This was Bethesda Game Studios first new IP in well over a decade. Depicting a gritty and industrial version of humanity's future amid the stars, the game sees the player booted from their simple mining job to join a planet-hopping adventure racing the mysterious Starborn to discover important artifacts scattered around the universe.

While Starfield isn't the most revolutionary RPG, it's comfort food for anyone familiar with Bethesda's typical game design. There are many disparate side questlines to find and complete for the universe's competing factions, and along the way you'll shoot, loot and spec skill points into different perks to make yourself a more efficient killer.

I loved being able to truly ally myself with the Crimson Fleet, an unrepentant gang of marauders who lie, cheat, steal and kill, without being railroaded into betraying them and dismantling the criminal organization. There are certainly some characters lacking in-depth and the planetside procedurally generated exploration wears thin fast, but anyone looking for a solid sci-fi first-person looter shooter will find themself at home in Starfield's galaxy.

Release Date: Sept. 6, 2023

Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, PC

Genre: Sci-fi RPG looter shooter

Developer: Bethesda Game Studios

State of Decay 2 may have looked like just another zombie survival game when it was released in May 2018. But instead, players were treated to an immersive role-playing game that let them define a community attempting to survive and thrive in a post-apocalyptic world ruled by the undead. Whether that success hinged upon establishing law and order, creating a burgeoning trade empire, or carving out a vicious empire was up to you.

In a way, State of Decay 2 has become something akin to zombie Sims: it's a forever game, one where players can build influence across a single save file for as long as they want. When that becomes boring, completing the Legacy Goal allows you to find your favorite (living) survivors in other save files, creating some sense of a living, breathing world and connective tissue between the smaller maps.

I enjoy stockpiling weapons and becoming the region's new sheriff, wiping out raider gangs and hacking away at the Plague Hearts spreading terrifying diseased undead across Drucker County. But you could just as easily oppress nearby settlements or build a strong isolationist fortress to keep strangers out. If you're interested in the logistics behind keeping a community standing, State of Decay 2 has that covered.

Release Date: May 18, 2018

Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC

Genre: Zombie third-person shooter and community management sim

Developer: Undead Labs

Halo 5: Guardians was a real downer, leaving our burly green space marine in a bit of a bind as he was forced to hunt down his longtime AI companion Cortana as she grew increasingly rampant. But Halo Infinite, released in December 2021, was an emotional reset. When Master Chief crash lands on a new Halo ring, he needs to make peace with his past as he moves quickly to save scattered squads of USMC marines trapped by the Banished war band of ex-Covenant fighters.

New tools and returning vehicles help players traverse the first open world Halo game, as Master Chief displays his mastery of hefty Choppers, glass cannon Wasps and more. The best addition to the game is the Grappleshot, a grappling hook that allows Chief to reach advantageous high ground, steal Banished vehicles, grab weapons off the ground and quickly close the gap between himself and his enemies.

Most importantly, Halo Infinite is a reminder that Master Chief isn't an emotionless rogue asset. He's a symbol of hope that will put his life on the line if it means saving even one more human being. Halo 5 may have done the hero dirty, but Halo Infinite is a reminder of what makes him so aspirational. Beyond the story, there's a decent range of multiplayer modes, and the community has embraced the Forge creative tools to construct evocative maps and wacky experiences.

Release Date: Dec. 8, 2021

Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC

Genre: Open world sci-fi FPS

Developer: 343 Industries

When it was released on the Xbox One in October 2018, Fallout 76 -- Bethesda's open world multiplayer entry in the franchise -- was a mess. There's no sugarcoating it: Post-apocalyptic Appalachia was broken and rife with game-breaking bugs. But like No Man's Sky and Cyberpunk 2077, this game proves that years of TLC can transform a dud into an all-time great.

Today, Fallout 76 is one of the best cooperative massively multiplayer looter shooters on the market. A consistent update cycle has reproduced locales that longtime Fallout fans will be thrilled to see, including a Nuka World-themed show operating out of the Ash Heap and a small slice of Fallout 3's cutthroat city of Pitt.

The game doesn't coast on nostalgia, though -- there's a chance to clean house in a post-war Atlantic City and become a ghoul in the heavily irradiated Skyline Valley, adding extra depth to the retro-futuristic Americana of the Fallout universe. Whether you want to create the strongest build to dominate public events, build your own settlement or drop a nuke on other players, Fallout 76 is the only way to explore this iconic world with your friends.

Release Date: Oct. 23, 2018

Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC

Genre: Multiplayer FPS looter shooter with RPG elements

Developer: Bethesda Game Studios, Battlecry Studios

Rally Senua's fighting spirit once more as she fights to free her people from vicious slavers in Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2, a psychological horror third-person action game released in May 2024. A protagonist fighting on three fronts, Senua takes on Norse legends, sees the worst of humanity and fights a war within as she grapples with psychosis.

Ninja Theory's careful attention to the mythologies borrowed for the game results in a bleak and harrowing world, where giants and draugr terrorize and massacre villages wherever they roam. There are no heroes in Hellblade, only broken people like Senua trying their best to heal their wounds and break toxic cycles perpetuated by their ancestors.

While players will engage in cleaving through enemies in weighty third-person sword combat, Senua can't solve her problems with violence: Monsters may need to be put down, but they aren't altogether unsympathetic once their origins are revealed. It's up to the player to guide Senua down a better path, for both her people and for herself.

Release Date: May 21, 2024

Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, PC

Genre: Psychological horror and third-person action adventure

Developer: Ninja Theory

Rare's March 2018 release invited players to weigh anchor and loot, pillage and treasure hunt to their heart's content. In Sea of Thieves, players are free to carve their own stories out of the open world, braving the seas and supernatural threats hiding throughout the game's many islands. And just when you've hit the mother lode, it's quite likely the game will become a disorienting moshpit of gunpowder and clashing steel as other opportunists converge on your location.

That player-versus-player-versus-enemy chaos is what Sea of Thieves was built on, but you're able to choose to play without other pirates sailing around looking to attack you, if that's not the type of experience you're looking for. There's a wealth of tailored story experiences that you can engage with, too, leading to climactic battles against ghost ships or krakens -- one crossover even has players working alongside Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean.

The Sea of Thieves is ever restless, and there's always something lurking beneath the surface looking to claim your life. But it's also a never-ending cartoonish caper for treasure and adventure that encourages you to get in touch with your inner swashbuckler.

Release Date: March 20, 2018

Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC

Genre: Open world pirate adventure

Developer: Rare

Ever since Microsoft acquired Mojang Studios in September 2014, Minecraft has been an ever-present staple of the Xbox ecosystem. A marvel in procedurally generated worldbuilding even by today's standards, Minecraft allows players to mine, build, trade and adventure to their heart's content before taking on epic bosses like the Enderdragon, the Wither or the Warden.

Continual support for Minecraft has added new items, biomes and mobs each year since its original release way back in 2009. Recent late game additions have given longtime players new goals to achieve, as they must now endeavor to craft netherite tools and armor to take on the deep dark strongholds that lay waiting in the caves beneath the overworld.

Budding creatives also have plenty of ways to decorate after hunting down different types of wood and stone, farming hay, uncovering archaeological finds and more. And when players grow tired of the normal Minecraft experience, texture packs and adventure maps ensure that your journey will continue long after they conquer their first world.

Release Date: Nov. 18, 2011

Genre: Creative block-based survival adventure

Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC

Developer: Mojang Studios

The most recent installment in Microsoft's premier racing franchise, Forza Horizon 5 took fans to a sunny, carefree Mexican playground in November 2021. Players are able to drive their favorite vehicles through a wealth of new exotic environments, including tropical jungles, arid deserts and winding canyons.

Each week, the map evolves as the map cycles through wild weather events, like dust or tropical storms. If you're an avid explorer, there are events, challenges, collectibles and rewards constantly rotating into the open world -- and you'll be able to engage in all of that content with your friends by your side.

If you're interested in a more linear racing experience, the Horizon Arcade offers new challenges that you can spin up without sitting through a loading screen or lobby -- on the Xbox Series X, Forza Horizon 5 offers a seamless driving experience for anyone who wants to hit the road.

Release Date: Nov. 1, 2021

Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC

Genre: Open world racing adventure

Developer: Playground Games

Get ready to step into the scariest possible version of Honey, I Shrunk the Kids surviving the horrors lurking in a suburban backyard in this September 2022 release. Up to four players can play as the amnesiac children Pete, Max, Willow and Hoops as they brave new dangers, collect vital resources and start to uncover the shady corporate plot behind sci-fi shrinking tech.

Grounded is a twist on the classic survival genre -- instead of chopping down trees, you're cleaving titanic blades of grass; instead of hunting and killing farm animals, you're grilling up some aphids. Creating an imminent sense of danger out of insects we wouldn't think twice about during our day-to-day routines is charming and alluring, placing the game a cut above the standard fare.

Obsidian Entertainment also made sure Grounded is as accessible to as many gamers as possible. Wolf spiders and mantids are some of the apex predators in these wilds, and they are absolutely horrific to run into. But an arachnophobia mode turns spiders into blobbish creatures that aren't nearly as terrifying to do battle with. It's easy for anybody to shrink down and take on the backyard, tailoring just how scary they want their insect opponents to be.

Release Date: Sept. 27, 2022

Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC

Genre: Campy sci-fi nature survival

Developer: Obsidian Entertainment

Treyarch's newest entry in the Call of Duty franchise is one of its best outings in recent years: It's a return to a more arcade-like, free-moving FPS fun that reveres previous entries in the series. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 follows Frank Woods and his fresh team of covert operatives as they go on the lam, framed by an enemy within the CIA. Trusting no one but themselves, everyone on the other side of the gun is a potential enemy -- whether they stand on foreign or domestic soil.

Outside of the spy thriller campaign, multiplayer gunplay feels like it hearkens back to the glory days of Black Ops and Black Ops 2, while the new Modern Warfare weapon attachment system and innovative "omnimovement" modernizes the formula. The zombies experience is more akin to how it was in Cold War than World at War, but Treyarch's trademark long easter eggs have returned to further the Dark Aether storyline.

Whether you're a PvE, PvP or co-op gamer, one of the three distinct game modes bundled up in the Black Ops 6 experience will probably appeal to you. The Call of Duty franchise is tightly tuned to welcome FPS first timers and veterans alike, and the newest entry is still the go-to way to squeeze in a few 10-minute matches of fast-paced run-and-gun action.

Release Date: Oct. 25, 2024

Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC

Genre: Arcade FPS with conspiracy thriller narrative

Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software

Released in January 2023, Hi-Fi Rush is a rhythmic hack-and-slash adventure marching to the beat of its own drum. Players step into the shoes of Chai, whose cybernetic limb replacement procedure goes wrong when his music player is embedded in his chest -- unlocking a musical connection with the world. When the Vandelay Technologies corporation labels Chai a defect, he has to fight for his life and uncover a deeper conspiracy unfolding behind the scenes.

In order to succeed, players need to play to the beat, as every action taken in combat is performed alongside the game's OST. Correctly timed button presses increase the damage of Chai's attacks, and enemies can be parried if they're blocked just right: Instead of button mashing, fights become a carefully practiced dance with the AI opponents.

Fast-paced platforming sections and challenging boss battles round out the normal gameplay loop. Each level -- a separate division of Vandelay Technologies -- features songs based on distinct musical genres, giving them a distinctive and refreshing identity. Hi-Fi Rush never overstays its welcome, packing interesting content into a tight 10-ish-hour narrative.

Release Date: Jan. 25, 2023

Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, PC

Genre: Rhythmic hack-and-slash game with platforming sections

Developer: Tango Gameworks

Inspired by the works of H.R. Giger and Zdzislaw Beksinski, Scorn, released in October 2022, is a survival horror adventure spanning a vast biomechanical nightmare. Following in the narrative footsteps of FromSoftware, players are given only vague insights into the story and world around them. In the aftermath of a devastating war, only wastelands like the Crater and automated superstructures like the Assembly are left behind.

The unnamed protagonist is infected by a parasite -- which is a blessing and a curse, as it provides weapons and tools even as it roots deeper into the body. A long, arduous journey to the temple Polis is the only way to have a chance to remove the parasite, but there are many other denizens of the planet who will stand in your way.

Scorn features one of the most interesting inventory-management systems of any survival horror game. While most games in the genre expect the player to carefully manage their ammunition, Scorn demands that you manage your healing, even between deaths. Dropped into a completely alien world with little in the way of supplies, navigating the world of Scorn can become a truly nail-biting experience.

Release Date: Oct. 14, 2022

Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, PC

Genre: Atmospheric alien world explorer and survival horror

Developer: Ebb Software

Locust-killing action made a triumphant return with Gears 5, released in September 2019. The latest entry in the Gears of War franchise shifted the focus from JD Fenix to Kait Diaz, promising answers to longstanding questions regarding the Locusts' origins. With the Swarm united under a new leader, it's time to reactivate the Hammer of Dawn superweapon to defend humanity once more.

And while the narrative was front and center this time around, there was certainly no lack of brutal shoot-and-slash action. After the campaign is finished, players can keep blasting away at the Locust threat in the Horde mode and the new Escape game mode, facing wave after wave of enemies with up to two friends.

Competitive multiplayer also returns, including modes such as team deathmatch and king of the hill. Gears veterans stomp out player-versus-player lobbies, but the new arcade mode, described as a "hero-shooter lite," is a great starting point for new or casual gamers. No matter how familiar you are with the Gears of War franchise, Gears 5 has a multiplayer experience tailored for you.

Release Date: Sept. 6, 2019

Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC

Genre: Action-packed third-person horde shooter

Developer: The Coalition

Initially released in February 2021 for PC gamers, Xbox One and Xbox Series X players first got their chance to step into the 10th realm back in March 2023. In Valheim, you play as a mighty viking, but there's a catch -- you're dead right off the rip. Instead of drinking mead in Valhalla, you find yourself in Valheim, the Norse purgatory.

Now, you and up to nine other vikings have to work together to build a stronghold to survive this strange realm and ultimately defeat seven boss enemies to earn Odin's favor. The odds might seem stacked against you, but there's a rich crafting system to create buildings, tools, weapons and boats to traverse the different biomes found across the procedurally generated map.

With time, teamwork and a little elbow grease, you'll find that a small team of vikings is prepared enough to challenge even the likes of giants. Valheim has an addictive gameplay loop consisting of amassing strength through gathering materials, leveling skills through satisfying melee and ranged combat and then taking on the main challenges when you're ready -- just when you think you're ready to step away, the cycle drags you back in.

Release Date: Feb. 2, 2021

Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC

Genre: Multiplayer viking survival adventure

Developer: Iron Gate Studio

While Remedy might be better known for Alan Wake and Control, its April 2016 release was an altogether different experiment in pushing the boundaries of video game storytelling. Players take on the role of Jack Joyce, a man with time-manipulation powers who is trying to stop the coming of the End of Time. But the catch is that his ex-best friend Paul Serene is standing in his way -- with superpowers of his own and an entire private military at his beck and call.

Quantum Break mixes bog-standard third-person cover shooter gameplay with time-manipulation abilities, allowing the player to close the distance against enemies, stop bullets and more. Outside of combat, these powers are utilized to solve puzzles and find extra scraps of story, remaining a key system to engage with for anyone looking to hunt down all of the extra lore.

But the thing that sets Quantum Break apart from any other video game is the television tie-in: At the end of every act, an interactive TV episode would play before you got back to running and gunning in Joyce's shoes, and it changed depending on which choices you made in-game. A completely novel concept (even predating Black Mirror's Bandersnatch), the Quantum Break show featured electric performances from the likes of Shawn Ashmore, Aidan Gillen and the late, great Lance Reddick.

The mix of mediums was released to mixed critical results, but there's no other game that has tried to do what this one has in the years following its release.

Release Date: April 5, 2016

Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC

Genre: Superpowered third-person shooter

Developer: Remedy Entertainment

Xbox game FAQs

Which Xbox games are coming out?

Microsoft has a slate of new and returning IPs returning in 2025, with Avowed, Gears of War E-Day, Perfect Dark and State of Decay 3 set to release for the Xbox console ecosystem. There are also big new third-party games releasing, including Civilization VII and Assassin's Creed Shadows.

Are they still releasing Xbox One games?

No. Microsoft announced in June 2023 that there will be no new first-party releases for the Xbox One, though there are still many games that made this list that are available to play on the console.

Do Xbox One games play better on Xbox Series X?

The Xbox Series X is backward compatible with many Xbox One games. These games often have a higher frame rate, auto HDR and improved screen resolution when played on the Xbox Series X.

What is the bestselling Xbox game in 2024?

According to the research group Circana, the bestselling Xbox game year to date is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.

What is the best Xbox game?

Picking out the best Xbox Series X/S game is subjective and answers will vary according to each gamer's preferences. The author of this article, however, decided that Halo Infinite was the best game on the Xbox overall. The game shows the utmost respect for Xbox's unofficial mascot, Master Chief, sending him on an adventure in an action-packed open world filled with more weapons, tools and vehicles than any previous entry in the Halo franchise.

How we determined CNET's best Xbox games

When creating this list of best Xbox games, we factored in how unique and enjoyable these games are for most players -- we evaluated criteria including graphical quality, innovative gameplay mechanics and compelling narratives. The picks we made cover a variety of genres from fantasy to retro platformers to shooters to racing games, and while we favored console-exclusive games you won't find on PlayStation, Switch or PC we also included some can't-miss games that appear on multiple platforms. If you're looking for help choosing your next game, CNET's top Xbox list is a good place to start narrowing your choices.

The 15 Best Xbox Games Right Now (2024)
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