The twenty five Xbox One games that every collection needs
Whether you have the original Xbox One or the upgraded Xbox One S, 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 newly-updated list of the twenty five 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 inbetween.
And, while our list does tend towards newer releases, since we refresh the selection regularly and tend to substitute older picks with comparable latest selections, you’ll also find some older Xbox One favorites you might’ve missed the very first time around.
Forza Horizon Three
Loved zipping around the Franco-Italian countryside in Forza Horizon Two? Well, you’ll find slew to love in Horizon Trio, most notably a brand fresh 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 treatment is delivering more of the same for the series, the sheer quantity of events and objectives is massive, and it’s an absolute blast across. Truly dazzling stuff, plus there’s some brilliant Hot Wheels DLC to snag if you ever run out of things to do.
Overwatch
Overwatch is the current breakout, must-play multiplayer smash – and Blizzard’s shooter shows no signs of slowing down.
With continual tweaks, gradual fresh hero additions and big eSports plans on the horizon, now’s the time to climb aboard.
Even with a colourful and cartoonish look, Overwatch produces some of the most satisfyingly intense combat available today, with the team-based battles finding the sweet spot inbetween frantic blasting and clever, strategic team play.
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 act practices. That’s very much the case again with Quantum Break, a game built around the lead’s capability 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 scenes intermingled within the campaign give it a totally unique feel and flow.
Gears of War Four
Halo Five: Guardians might not have been the most rousing Xbox One come back for one of Microsoft’s flagship shooter series, but that’s not a problem with Gears of War Four. It’s the same old song and dance, for the most part, albeit with an incredible level of grind and unspoiled, dumb joy.
Gears four picks up twenty five years after the last numbered entry, as fresh hero JD Fenix resumes where dad Marcus left off, wielding the chainsaw-bladed Lancer for the future of mankind.
Frantic stop-and-pop shooting paired with dazzling graphics help this old favourite feel fresh again.
We’ve got a lot of games with guns on this list, which isn’t surprising given Microsoft’s own FPS-led lineup, but Prey isn’t your average first-person affair – it’s more akin to BioShock, trickling with atmosphere and fear as you wander the hallways of a decrepit, personality-packed space station.
And then things get weird. The Mimic aliens can convert into ordinary-looking objects, providing you a nasty surprise when you treatment, and your hero can tap into some of those abilities himself. If you loved the classic System Shock games, or just appreciate a taut and permanently tense sci-fi game, then Prey produces big.