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 -- 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 intellectual properties like Scorn and Pentiment become just as important as fan-favorite franchises such as Halo and Gears of War. If more Xbox exclusives follow in the footsteps of 2024 releases like Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, 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.
Best Xbox Series X/S Games - July 2025
Bethesda Game Studios Starfield Starfield had a lot of gamers waiting with bated breath: This was Bethesda Game Studios' first new game world 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. Starfield isn't the most revolutionary RPG, but it's comfort food for anyone familiar with Bethesda's typical game design. There are many disparate side quest lines 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 $19 at Amazon $25 at Best Buy $70 at Target
Undead Labs State of Decay 2: Juggernaut Edition State of Decay 2 may have looked like just another zombie survival game when it was released in May 2018. Instead, players were treated to an immersive roleplaying 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. 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 $40 at Walmart
343 Industries Halo Infinite 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. 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 $40 at Amazon $45 at Walmart $48 at Best Buy
Bethesda Game Studios Fallout 76 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. 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; 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 $60 at Target $7 at Amazon
Ninja Theory Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 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. Players will engage in cleaving through enemies in weighty third-person sword combat, but 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 $50 at Amazon
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