The Xbox ecosystem has been home to some truly stellar Xbox exclusives over the years, top-notch titles that you’ll only find on Microsoft’s family of consoles and PC. What’s more, the vast majority of these titles are now available via Xbox and PC Game Pass, making it easier than ever for you to dive into some of the best gaming experiences currently available.
In order to help you choose which Xbox exclusives to get stuck into next, we’ve gone ahead and put together a list of our absolute favourites, games from across several generations that encompass a wide range of genres – there really is something for everyone to enjoy here. For your convenience, we’ve also gone ahead and highlighted whether or not each and every listing below is currently available on Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass service.
We’ve primarily stuck to Xbox One and Xbox Series exclusives for this list, although you’ll also find some Xbox 360 exclusives in the mix. Regardless, everything listed here works on modern Xbox consoles like the Series X and Series S.
Sea Of Thieves (Xbox One)
Publisher: Microsoft / Developer: Rare
Arrrrrr! Rare’s colourful pirate hijinks have come a long, long way since they first arrived on the scene back in 2018. What was once a rather threadbare and often aimless experience has been utterly transformed into a rich and vibrant world full of adventure and intrigue through constant updates, improvements and tasty content additions.
Yes, getting into great big sea battles against other players, fighting all manner of fantastical creatures and searching for treasure may be the main draw, but even the simple act of working together to successfully manoeuvre your ship here is a joy, such is the craftsmanship and attention to detail with which Rare has put this world together. With the best water we’ve ever seen in a video game – the sea here really is a character in and of itself – Sea of Thieves is a highly atmospheric adventure playground that provides an absolute timesink for groups of friends and solo players alike. This is one of our absolute favourite Xbox exclusives thus far!
Please note that some external links on this page are affiliate links, which means if you click them and make a purchase we may receive a small percentage of the sale. Please read our FTC Disclosure for more information.
Forza Horizon 5 (Xbox Series X|S)
Publisher: Xbox Game Studios / Developer: Playground Games
One of the most exquisite looking games currently available on any gaming platform, that also happens to be just about as good as arcade racing games get? Yeah, that’ll be Forza Horizon 5.
Playground Games’ latest may not do anything particularly new for the franchise, but it doesn’t really need to, as this is the open world racer’s exquisite gameplay loops honed to absolute perfection and plonked down in the very best setting the series has seen to date. An endless array of wonderfully flashy sports cars, tons of events, seamless online functionality and constant, almost overwhelming, bells, whistles and unlockables see every moment you spend with this game feel like some sort of crazy, car-based sugar rush. Forza Horizon 5 is as good as arcade racing gets in the year of our lord 2022.
Quantum Break (Xbox One)
Publisher: Microsoft Studios / Developer: Remedy
Quantum Break is one of the most sophisticated cinematic experiences on Xbox, with lavish production values, convincing performances, and a riveting sci-fi plot.
Remedy delivered up a third-person action-adventure game with the spectacle of a summer blockbuster and structure of a TV series here and, although the commitment to delivering a rich, layered narrative isn’t always conducive to top-notch gameplay, it doesn’t diminish how engrossing this is as an entertainment experience overall. The combination of intense time-bending action, gripping story, and cutting-edge presentation make this the kind of game that sucks you in and doesn’t let go until the credits roll. While it’s not quite as inventive as it thinks it is, Quantum Break is fresh, ambitious, and a heck of a lot of fun.
Microsoft Flight Simulator (Xbox Series X|S)
Publisher: Xbox Game Studios / Developer: Asobo Studio
Microsoft Flight Simulator is an extraordinary experience, a truly jaw-dropping game that gives you the freedom to hop into one of its stunningly recreated planes and take to the skies to explore the world – yes, the entire world – in an almost unbelievable level of detail. Of all the Xbox exclusives on this list, we feel like Flight Sim is truly special, a one-of-a-kind game that it’s quite hard to believe has actually made its way to consoles playing and looking quite as well as it does.
This one’s an Xbox Series exclusive for obvious reasons (although it works via the cloud on Xbox One), and it’ll take you some time to get used to all the various controls, but once it all clicks into place, there’s nothing like it. We’ve sank hours and hours into discovering and exploring here and still get the same level of thrill every time we run through our pre-flight checks and take off for another journey, even if that journey consists of nothing more than circling our own houses for the umpteenth time.
Rare Replay (Xbox One)
Publisher: Microsoft Studios / Developer: Rare
Released back in 2015 to celebrate Rare’s 30th anniversary, Rare Replay is a splendid compilation that spans the developer’s work across multiple genres and console generations. From the ZX Spectrum right up to the Xbox 360, there’s a treasure trove to explore here and it’s enhanced by behind the scenes footage, interviews, snapshot and rewind functions, built in cheats and more besides.
Yes, we’re missing a couple of biggies (we’re sure everyone expects to see Goldeneye when they boot this one up) but there’s so much more to dig into here that it’s genuinely not that big of a deal in the end. With the likes of Sabre Wulf, R.C. Pro-AM 2, Blast Corps, Battletoads, two Perfect Dark titles, Jet Force Gemini, Killer Instinct, Banjo Kazooie and a whole heap more, this is a fascinating history lesson and boatload of fun-times all rolled into one.
Sunset Overdrive (Xbox One)
Publisher: Microsoft Studios / Developer: Insomniac Games
Sunset Overdrive was released at a time when morale and belief in the Xbox brand was arguably at its lowest and, being an Xbox One exclusive, it somewhat slipped under the radar as a result. It’s become a cult classic in recent years though, thanks to its fast-paced gameplay and traversal, over-the-top story and colourful visuals.
This is the Xbox game that was developed by Insomniac Games before they went off to join PlayStation Studios and create Marvel’s Spider-Man, so it’s really no surprise it’s so good. It’s never received a proper next-gen touch-up, which is a shame, but play it on Xbox Series X and Series S and it still benefits from the Auto HDR feature. This is one game you owe it to yourself to try out, as we’re pretty sure you’ll find yourself surprised and delighted by just how excellent and addictive it is.
Gears 5 (Xbox One)
Publisher: Xbox Game Studios / Developer: The Coalition
Gears 5 is an absolutely essential entry in the long-running Xbox exclusive franchise that sees the Gears right back at the top of their game in an action-packed adventure that’s fully playable in co-op either locally or online. There’s a strong campaign here, surprisingly character-driven stuff for a series that’s known chiefly for its brutal battles, it manages to pack an emotional punch while serving up all the carnage fans have come to expect and more besides.
With the Ultimate Edition of this sprawling adventure available on Game Pass, alongside the truly excellent Hivebusters expansion, there’s no excuse not to grab some friends, ready your Lancers and get blasting some Locust scum across the main campaign, Escape and Horde modes! Gears 5 is a massive package of brutal, bloody good times.
State of Decay 2 (Xbox One)
Publisher: Microsoft Studios
The first State of Decay was an excellent Xbox 360 exclusive, but there’s no doubt that its follow-up, State of Decay 2, takes things to an entirely level.
Introducing way more depth to the game’s core mechanics along with the addition of online co-operative play for the first time, it may have received mixed reviews back at launch for a variety of reasons, but developer Undead Labs has been hard at work, fixing and improving and adding to the mix for well over three years now with a ton extra features, many of them available for free and/or included with Xbox Game Pass. If you like zombie games, if you’re a fan of all things survival, this is a perfect blend of the two that serves up an almost endless amount of zombie-slaying action.
Forza Horizon 4 (Xbox One)
Publisher: Microsoft / Developer: Turn 10 Studios
Yes, we’ve already got Forza 5 on our list here but we felt compelled to stick its predecessor on too as its excellent DLC additions, in particular the fantastic LEGO Speed Champions, makes it a game that many won’t just throw down because a newer, shinier version has now arrived.
Indeed, ask around and you may find there are many petrolheads out there who still prefer Forza Horizon 4 over Playground’s latest effort. This is a great big blast of anarchic arcade racing goodness that stands tall as the perhaps the best entry in the franchise to date. Vroom, vroom indeed.
Ryse: Son of Rome (Xbox One)
Publisher: Microsoft Studios / Developer: Crytek
Ryse: Son of Rome feels a lot like a Call of Duty styled Xbox exclusive in Roman clothing. The bloodthirsty combat and fast pace at the heart of this game gets the adrenaline pumping, and it’s packed full of set pieces that are undeniably bombastic and spectacular across the board.
There’s an impressive amount of intensity and attention to detail in this one, and it’s intensity that’s maintained for the duration of the roughly seven hour campaign. Yes, there are some issues with clunky controls and repetition here and there, and the whole thing falls just short of what we’d hoped it would be, but the narrative is well put together and expertly delivered and there’s still plenty to enjoy overall. It’s also, in hindsight, a bit of a treat to have such a spectacular adventure not take weeks of our lives to complete, with the brevity of the adventure here a plus point in this age of enormous, bloated AAA titles.
Fable 2 (Xbox 360)
Publisher: Microsoft / Developer: Lionhead Studios
Release Date: TBA
Yes, we’re all impatiently waiting on the revival of Fable being developed by Forza Horizon studio Playground Games, but until that time, we’re just going to have to make-do with the original three Xbox titles — Fable Anniversary, Fable 2 and Fable 3. We could have included any of them here, but we’re going to highlight the second game in particular on this list.
If Fable is new to you, it’s a very British-style action RPG taking place within the fictional land of Albion, where you take the role of a young hero who needs to save the world. In addition to the main campaign, you can get married and have children (big mistake) build a property empire, take part in various jobs and more. It may not live up to its creator’s ridiculous levels of pre-release hyperbole, but Fable 2 is still an absolute gem that you should definitely get stuck into ASAP.