Xbox exclusives — 10 best Xbox-only games (February 2025)

From Gears Tactics to Halo: The Master Chief Collection, here are the best Xbox exclusives you can play on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One consoles.

Xbox exclusives — 10 best Xbox-only games (February 2025)
Sean Carey

Sean Carey

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Console exclusives are where you'll find some of the best and most memorable gaming experiences around, and our list of the best Xbox exclusives will help you explore everything the platform has to offer. Whether you're looking to explore the vast expanse of space in Starfield or drive off into the sunset in Forza Horizon 5, these are the best exclusives you'll find for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and Xbox Game Pass.

From Halo to Hellblade, here are the best Xbox exclusives

Over the years, Microsoft has produced some stellar exclusive games that you can only play on Xbox consoles or PC. By using a combination of our experience with the Xbox brand, site review scores, and community ratings, we've produced a list of the best Xbox exclusives for you to play. Here are 10 of the best Xbox exclusives, ranked.

10. Sunset Overdrive

Sunset Overdrive is one of the best games of the Xbox One generation, and it still holds up today (though an Xbox Series X|S upgrade wouldn't go amiss). After a contaminated energy drink turns everyone in Sunset City into grotesque mutants, you team up with other survivors to escape the city and expose the corporation behind the drink. In all honesty, the story isn't the best, but the gameplay absolutely excels. The movement mechanics are some of the best ever made, and traversing the bright and colorful world of Sunset City by wall-running, zip-lining, and grinding rails never gets old, especially when combat is thrown into the mix and explosions are happening all around you.

9. Senua's Saga: Hellblade II

A sequel to Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, the excellent Senua's Saga: Hellblade II builds upon everything great from the first game and turns it up to eleven. In the follow-up, Senua allows herself to be captured by Northmen slavers and taken to Iceland, where she hopes to free her people. What follows is a grueling journey across a rugged landscape filled with gruesome mythical beings and brutal combat.

Senua's Saga: Hellblade II is pretty short, probably the shortest game on our list here, but it is absolutely packed with atmosphere and looks fantastic on an Xbox Series X. It also has some superb acting by Melina Juergens who really sells you on Senua's plight. If you're after an intense, bite-sized narrative experience, definitely give Hellblade II a go.

8. Gears Tactics

Mashing together the mechanics of XCOM with the violence and unique visual style of the Gears franchise made for one of 2020's biggest surprises: Gears Tactics. While the genre may not appeal to all Gears fans out there, Gears Tactics still manages to feel remarkably Gears-like with its fast-paced and aggressive gameplay. The smart mechanics, exciting boss battles, excellent visuals, and decent storytelling make Gears Tactics a must-play both on Xbox Series X and PC.

7. Microsoft Flight Simulator

Microsoft Flight Simulator is a technical marvel. What other game features the entire world accurately recreate using satellite data as a map? Asobo Studio has pulled off an incredible feat with Microsoft Flight Simulator by creating something truly special that both hardcore sim fans and more casual players can enjoy. The world (the handcrafted places especially) looks excellent, and so do the variety of planes and huge number of airports that are on offer. Microsoft Flight Simulator is absolutely worth checking out and tinkering around with, even if it is just to fly around your hometown and eventually crash into your house.

Although Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is out now, players are still battling against frequent crashes and numerous bugs. At this stage, we think it's better to recommend the 2020 release over MSFS 2024.

6. Starfield

Bethesda's latest RPG puts you in the shoes of a simple space miner who, after coming across a strange artifact, is tasked with uncovering the secrets of the universe. Starfield will take you on a journey through the cosmos where you can build your own spaceship, become a space pirate, explore hundreds of planets, meet a wide variety of strange and interesting characters that each have their own story to tell, and much, much more. Starfield is a huge game, and while it does fall down in a few areas, all Xbox owners need to at least check it out, as there really is something for everyone here.

5. Halo Infinite

Following a bumpy launch, and an even bumpier first few seasons, Halo Infinite is finally in a good place. The campaign moves away from the more linear combat scenarios found in previous games and gives you a high-degree of freedom to approach a situation in how you want. While this might feel like sacrilege to some, Zeta Halo's open world is a joy to mess around in, especially with the excellent Grappleshot that adds a new dimension to combat.

As for Halo Infinite's multiplayer, it may have taken 343 a while to get it right, but it now seems to be in a really good place, with plenty of game modes, maps, and an excellent Forge mode that is seeing loads of players dive in and making player-generated content.

4. Gears 5

You won't find better third-person cover-based shooting outside of the Gears series, and Gears 5 offers the best of the best. Following on directly after the events of Gears of War 4, Gears 5 follows Kait Diaz as she tries to uncover her mysterious connection to the Swarm, and what comes next is an explosive and bloody 12-hour campaign that's filled with action and great character arcs. The PvP multiplayer is as compelling as ever (just don't look at the achievement list), but it's always in co-op where Gears shines, and playing Gears 5 with pals is always a treat. Gears 5 is also still one of the best-looking games on the Xbox Series X|S, thanks to an excellent Xbox Series X|S upgrade.

3. Forza Horizon 5

With hundreds of vehicles, a wide range of races and activities, and a huge map that's filled with interesting points of interest, Forza Horizon 5 has something for everyone. While not much has changed in terms of the winning formula Playground Games found with Forza Horizon 4, the colorful and vibrant Mexico-inspired map and new accolades system are more than enough to keep players busy, and that's on top of the hundreds of races, story missions, and various PR stunts found throughout. Playground has also released two hefty expansions — Hot Wheels and Rally Adventure — which add new gameplay experiences into the mix. Hot Wheels has you screaming a car through gravity-defying loops at 180mph, while Rally Adventure has you join a rally team to attack rugged off-road tracks on a new map.

2. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

  • Here are the
  • Release date: December 9, 2024
  • On Game Pass? Yes
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is Microsoft's finest Xbox game in years, and until it eventually launches on PlayStation, it is an Xbox exclusive, so here it is! Indiana Jones and the Great Circle sees you don the world-famous archaeologist's fedora and set out on a globetrotting adventure to stop sinister forces from uncovering a secret to an ancient power linked to the Great Circle.

With its exceptional level design that will have you looking in every single nook and cranny for collectibles, clever puzzles, and excellent stealth and combat, MachineGames has delivered a truly authentic Indy experience that is not only a must-play for fans of the franchise but for also for all Xbox players.

1. Halo: The Master Chief Collection

There probably wouldn't be an Xbox today if it wasn't for the Halo series, which makes Halo: The Master Chief Collection an essential for any Xbox owner out there. Halo: MCC bundles six superb Halo games (Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST, Halo 4, and Halo: Reach) into one neat package. While 343 Industries could have just left it there and called it a day, it's gone one step further by also remastering the first two games, so you can play them with updated visuals and better framerates, if you prefer. Multiplayer for these is also intact, and there is still a healthy player base there if you're looking to relive your Halo 2 multiplayer glory days.

What do you make of our list of the best Xbox exclusives? Is there anything you'd add? Let us know down in the comments. If you're a Game Pass subscriber, check out our list of the best Xbox Game Pass games for even more great games to play.
Written by Sean Carey
A big fan of Xbox achievements, Sean has committed to playing as many of the best RPGs, racing games, and first-person shooters on and off Xbox Game Pass as possible. Before joining TrueAchievements, Sean earned a degree in journalism from Solent University.
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