The Xbox One may not have the momentum of the Switch or the buzz surrounding the upcoming PlayStation 5, but that’s just fine. It’s been around the block a few times and has a massive catalog of amazing titles to play.
Between the powerful Xbox One X and its surprisingly robust Game Pass subscription that gives you access to 100+ games (including a good number of games on this list), Microsoft has managed to carve out its own path in the past half decade. And it’s got bigger plans for the near future. Below are some of the best Xbox One games we’ve played. There are plenty of fantastic titles not listed here, but these are the games that have stuck with us.
Be sure to also check out our favorite online co-op games, PS4 games, and Switch games.
Updated for Late 2019 to include Gears 5, Felix the Reaper, and The Outer Worlds.
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Courtesy of Microsoft
Explosive Action
Sunset Overdrive
Wild, fast, and kind of stupid, Sunset Overdrive is Insomniac Games’ love letter to pop punk nonsense and shallow teen rebellion. Which, OK, doesn’t sound that great as a subject matter for a videogame, but believe me: Sunset Overdrive rules. Its movement system and creative combat options, combined with its bright color palette, anoint it as an unlikely child of Jet Set Radio, while its engine and creative energy became the bedrock for Insomniac’s later take on acrobatic open-world action in Spider-Man.
If you like open worlds, goofy aesthetics, and acrobatic movement, Sunset Overdrive is the cult classic you’ve been waiting for. It’s included with Xbox Game Pass.
Microsoft Store
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Courtesy of Microsoft
The Final Frontier
Outer Worlds
If you’ve ever asked yourself “What if Fallout: New Vegas had spaceships?” then Outer Worlds is your game. It’s a sci-fi RPG set in colorful and creative open world(s), with memorable characters, tough choices, and adorable alien lizard-fish.
You play the role of a colonist left adrift by one of many greedy corporations that rule the outer reaches of space. You can band together with dissidents seeking a life outside corporate chains, stick with the companies seeking to tame and colonize the wilds of space, or forge your own path. It’s included with Xbox Game Pass and Game Pass Ultimate.
Microsoft Store
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Courtesy of Microsoft
A Not-Very-Grim Reaper
Felix the Reaper
This game is as charming as it is gruesome. You take on the role of a gleeful, always-dancing Grim Reaper named Felix. Your job is to arrange circumstances to end the lives of poor mortals, and this plays out against a background of funky beats and thoughtful puzzles. While you dance around the environment, positioning everything just so, you have to avoid the sun and stay in the shadows.
Also, Patrick Stewart is in it? It’s hard to describe, but well worth checking out for purchase—or you can get it with Xbox Game Pass and Game Pass Ultimate.
Microsoft Store
