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Over the past two decades, Microsoft has turned the Xbox brand into a veritable juggernaut in the console gaming world. The Xbox Series X and Series S, the combined fourth generation of the Xbox, have sold over 21 million units. The Xbox One, which was still supported until 2023, sold over 58 million units worldwide.
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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 intellectual properties like Scorn and Pentiment become just as important as fan-favorite franchises such as Halo and Gears of War. If more future Xbox exclusives follow in the footsteps of 2025 releases like The Outer Worlds 2 and South of Midnight, that future is sure to be bright.
CNET curated this list of the best games you can buy right now, including entries for Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S, and PC Game Pass. For more stellar video games released this year, check out CNET's 10 Favorite Games of 2025.
Best Xbox Series X and S games of December 2025
Obsidian Entertainment/Screenshot by CNET Photo Gallery 1/1 The Outer Worlds 2 is the first $80 Xbox game, but it won't be the last. Obsidian Entertainment/Screenshot by CNET The Outer Worlds 2 Humans have taken to the stars and colonized planets in developer Obsidian Entertainment's big sci-fi RPG, The Outer Worlds 2, but that doesn't mean we've broken the chains that bind us. Unregulated intergalactic capitalists rule with an iron fist, and they don't care about what happens to common people as they chase infinite growth. In this sequel to 2019's The Outer Worlds, players are commanders of the Earth Directorate -- a law enforcement agency in charge of maintaining connections between the home planet and space colonies. Unusual rifts have opened up that have prevented commercial travel to the Arcadia star system, so the player is dispatched to the area to find a solution. But stepping foot in the region puts a target on anyone's back, as the totalitarian Protectorate, megacorporation Auntie's Choice and cultish scientists in the Order of the Ascendant wage a three-way war to exert their own influence over the surrounding planets. Obsidian Entertainment has always written compelling, faction-based tug-of-war narratives in games like Fallout: New Vegas and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2, and The Outer Worlds 2 excels when players take stances that make firm allies and enemies. The series' gameplay is stronger than ever, as new and returning sci-fi technology (like the infamous shrink ray) completely changes how players can approach combat encounters, stealthy infiltrations or diplomatic meetings. The Outer Worlds 2 is a very good RPG and a more than competent first-person shooter. The game irons out many of the flaws of its predecessor while adding more questing to enjoy. There's no homework here either: You can skip the first game and jump into this sequel to enjoy an enthralling new universe right now. Release date: Oct. 29, 2025
Genre: Story-based sci-fi RPG with stealth and shooter action
Platforms: Xbox Series X and S, PlayStation 5, PC
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