The 20 best Xbox Series X/S games you should play right now

Despite the Xbox Series consoles not having quite as many exclusives as their rival platforms, there are still a lot of contenders for the best Xbox Series X games (and Series S, of course). Plus, thanks to Game Pass, plenty of them can be played as part of its monthly subscription. From console exclusives such as Forza Horizon 5 and Microsoft Flight Simulator to multi-platform greats such as Elden Ring and Cyberpunk 2077, we have played and reviewed each and every game on this list to determine the best games on Xbox Series X/S to play in 2024.

So if you're looking for the next game to invest your hard-earned time and money in but aren't sure what to immerse yourself in, we can help with this list of the best Xbox Series X games so far for Microsoft's latest console hardware.

Grounded

Ever wanted a video game adaptation of Honey, I Shrunk The Kids? This is Grounded in a nutshell, a survival game that turns the smallest of garden critters into fierce monsters as you explore a backyard full of mysteries at pint-sized proportions. But pursuing those mysteries is easier said than done, because as our Grounded review put it, "if you're not killing yourself in Grounded [through dehydration or starvation], something else will be instead".

It's a unique spin on the saturated survival genre, and the way Grounded utilises everyday objects as essential components for staying alive is admirable - and sort of adorable. This is also a survival game with a story running through it and plenty of quests to tackle, making it less aimless and open-ended as other games in the survival genre can sometimes be. This makes it an ideal survival game for consoles, as finding a purpose and drive in a game where your only goal is to, well, survive, is sometimes tricky.

Forza Horizon 5

Speaking of driving, the Forza Horizon series is the undisputed champion of open-world racing games and the fifth entry in this motorsport juggernaut is easily the best yet. As much as we loved booming about the British countryside in Forza Horizon 4, Forza Horizon 5 whisks us away to the sunny locales of Mexico, complete with Aztec temples, beaches, cities, and more. There is a lot to do in Forza Horizon 5, and you could almost say it's a light RPG in a racing game's clothing.

In addition to plenty of collectibles and hidden cars to root out, you'll also be competing in high-octane races, completing quests, earning money, and gradually unlocking bigger and better cars and vehicles, all while speeding through the gorgeous backdrops of lush waterfalls, craggy mountaintops and hotel beachfronts. All sorts of racing is offered too, from supercars and off-road to your everyday sedans, and every race has a fun, arcade-like feel to it where mistakes can simply be rewound and tried again. It's a racing game everyone can get into, which is why we called it "a dependable joy: comforting, personable, tailored to you, welcoming to all" in our Forza Horizon 5 review.

Hi-Fi Rush

Hi-Fi Rush is a game that came out of absolutely nowhere. Developed by The Evil Within studio Tango Gameworks, it was announced and released on the same day in January 2023, and this unexpected rhythm-based action game quickly became a front-runner for game of the year lists. Featuring licensed music from music artists such as The Prodigy, Nine Inch Nails and The Black Keys - as well as plenty of original ditties, too - you must fight in time with the beat to make your escape from the evil Vandelay Technologies robots who are out to get you and your iPod-powered heartbeat.

The best way to describe Hi-Fi Rush is that it's pure elation in video game form. "Everything fizzes and bops in time, enemies pop in a whiz and a bang, and the beat pulses through your fingertips," our Hi-Fi Rush review said. It's a game that oozes charm and style, and is so bright and colourful that you can't help but smile and tap your toes in time with the music.

Cyberpunk 2077

We all know the story of how Cyberpunk 2077 fared when it launched in 2020, with bugs and performance issues galore on consoles. Cyberpunk 2077 2.0, which launched in October 2023, is a different story altogether, however. This patch completely reworked a number of systems in the game, including skills and perks, to turn it into the cyberpunk RPG that players always dreamed it would be, making it a great time to jump back in.

You play as V, a mercenary who gets caught up in all sorts of corporate intrigue and backstabbery on the neon-drenched streets of Night City. It's a place that bristles with violence and corpo warfare around every street corner, and if the game launched in its current state today, it would probably be widely considered as one of the best action shooter RPGs of recent years. While our initial Cyberpunk 2077 review described it as having "intoxicating potential" that was only "half met", it's safe to say that potential has now been reached.

Pentiment

Obsidian Entertainment is known for its enchanting, finely-woven narratives, and Pentiment is the latest in a long list. A 2D adventure RPG, our Pentiment review called it "a 16th century mystery that blossoms with intrigue and human warmth" where "you wander about and talk to people and try to work out what's going on and what you might do about it". But that's simplifying what is a gorgeously stylistic illustrated book of a game, where the writing shines through as the standout aspect in a detective game of sheer brilliance.

Pentiment is a game all about conversation and relationships, and most importantly, how those two things evolve over time, whether it's days, months or even years at a time. Taking place across several decades, you play as Andreas Maler, a journeyman who must investigate a series of crimes in the rural town of Tassing. Just when you think you've solved the first case, however, time moves forward, and you've got to live with the effect of all the decisions you made. As a result, Pentiment is highly replayable, as it's unlikely you'll have enough time to question everyone on your first go, and you may discover more on your second and third attempts. It's a fairly slow game, but let the words reel you in and the story it tells is marvellous.

Microsoft Flight Simulator

Simulator games are an interesting bunch. On one hand, you have the wacky, comedic interpretations such as Surgeon Simulator, but on the other you'll find the hyper-realistic sims that practically double up as real-life, interactive training programs. The latter is where Microsoft Flight Simulator falls, but it might just also be the most accessible and easy to pick up and play of the bunch.

There are so much assists here that anyone can have a good time in Microsoft Flight Simulator - and you don't need a pilot's level of knowledge to fly an Airbus A380 and get from one airport to the next. The most impressive part of Microsoft Flight Sim, however, is the fact it uses the real world map data, along with up-to-date traffic and weather data. It may look a little askew or blurry, but you can absolutely visit your house. There's a reason we called it "a technical marvel, as well as an education and exploration of the joys of flight" in our Microsoft Flight Simulator review.

Sea of Thieves

Yarr, harr, fiddle di dee, being a pirate is alright to be! If that's what you choose to do, of course. While pirate-roleplay is often the focal point in viral Sea of Thieves clips, stealing the hard-earned loot from other players sailing the high seas, that isn't the only way of playing this multiplayer action game where your sole goal is to find and sell riches.

If you don't want to steal from other players, you can focus on completing various quests, known as Tall Tales, or defeating the various world bosses such as the Kraken or Megalodon. When we initially published our Sea of Thieves review in 2018 we said the game had "an abundance of character and a thrilling conviction in its own ideas", but that was several years ago now. In 2024, the game has come on leaps and bounds since then, making it one of the all-time great Xbox experiences, especially when playing with friends.

Deathloop

From the brilliant team at Arkane who brought us Dishonored and Prey comes Deathloop, a game that takes inspiration from both to create something truly special. Allegedly set in the same universe as Dishonored - albeit many years in the future - Deathloop sees you play as Colt, a bloke on a mission to stop an organisation from looping time, like an intentional Groundhog Day.

A first-person shooter with myriad weapons and abilities to choose from (many of which will feel familiar if you've played Arkane's earlier works), Colt must slowly gather enough intel until he can take down every last member of the mysterious Aeon Program to break the timeloop once and for all. We're being purposefully vague here as to not spoil too much, but as our Deathloop review put it, Deathloop is "Arkane's most straightforwardly enjoyable game yet".

Elden Ring

Taking the tried-and-tested (and beloved) Souls formula and moulding it to fit a tremendous open world was an ambitious prospect when Elden Ring was first announced, but the end result is arguably FromSoftware's finest work yet. While still an immensely challenging game, the open-endedness of where to go next means you will rarely find yourself up against an insurmountable foe or obstacle, and the world itself is breathtakingly gorgeous amidst the terrifying enemies.

While some existing fans may prefer the setting or boss fights of other Souls games, Elden Ring is perhaps the perfect game in the genre when it comes to onboarding new players thanks to additional tools, such as Spirit Summons, whereas veterans can continue to make the game as tough as possible. Our Elden Ring review said it was a game "that established fans are going to savour for some time to come", with its "sumptuous visual design, dark and detailed lore, and a vast-but-intricate open world".

OlliOlli World

OlliOlli World is a game about skateboarding, but it isn't just for people who like skateboarding. You don't need any knowledge of skateboarding to enjoy - or excel - at this stylish, cel-shaded, 2.5D indie game, and you can simply kick back and enjoy the grind over its utterly gorgeous environments. While previous games in the series have demanded a certain level of skill from the player to nail landings, jumps, grinds, and such, OlliOlli World dials back that requirement to ensure it's a little easier to pick up and play.

Despite this lower barrier for entry (and success), OlliOlli World will still have you feeling immensely proud when you pull off an impressive trick or landing. This is because the skill ceiling is still high - and as our OlliOlli World review explained, "some of the runs are heart-stopping, chaining grinds and barriers and wall-dashes together in proper Morse-code blasts of dexterity and panic".

Death's Door

Zelda meets Dark Souls is an apt description of Death's Door, but there's so much more to this isometric hack and slash than meets the eye. Your crow reaper protagonist feels wonderful in the hands as you go about slicing up and collecting the souls of the dead, but its mechanical complexity is complemented by a whimsical charm and sense of humour that makes this melancholy adventure a real joy to play through.

This is an oft-adorable action adventure that presents you with all sorts of ghoulish enemies to take down, and its monstrous boss fights are imaginative and real feats of endurance. The world is gloomy but beautiful to explore, and you'll do plenty of backtracking Metroidvania-style as you discover all the secrets it holds. As our Death's Door review marvelled: "What a beautifully concise, measured, exacting, deliberate thing Death's Door is. How warm and funny and sad. How textured. And how fun! It is absolutely unmissable."

Hitman: World of Assassination Trilogy

We need to clear one thing up here: Hitman's World of Assassination Trilogy isn't technically a game in and of itself. It's the name given to what was once Hitman 3, but is now the beautiful, stylish wrapper for the entire trilogy, with developers IO Interactive having gone back and updated every location from the first two games to meet the standards of the third. This is the most complete Hitman package available, and it's absolutely bloody brilliant.

You are Agent 47, a bald chap with a penchant for disguise and an eye for a headshot. It's the ultimate stealth game, even though most of the time you'll be hiding in plain sight, donning those aforementioned costumes to sneak past security guards to get up close and personal with your intended targets. It's also a game that offers near endless replayability as you revisit levels with new gadgets and tools and try and beat the times of your mates in its online leaderboards. As our Hitman 3 review said: "IO has refined the art of using story missions to introduce the areas and tantalise you with their possibilities. The meat of the game still lies in replaying with different targets and more challenging criteria, but it feels like the studio is having a bit more fun with these opening guided forays."

Tetris Effect: Connected

The original Tetris is one of the best puzzle games of all time. Tetris Effect took that concept and turned it into a visual and sensory epic, and became possibly the best single-player version of Tetris available today. Tetris Effect: Connected adds multiplayer to that potent mix, arguably making it the all-time interpretation of Tetris there is.

How does it work, we hear you ask? Well, it's quite simple. In Tetris Effect: Connected, you're not battling against other players, despite it being multiplayer. There's still the fantastic solo campaign mode to puzzle through, but the multiplayer side of things lets you team up with two other players to battle against a boss, with the three of you playing Tetris to whittle its health down, while the boss plays Tetris back to defeat your trio. Eventually, your three games will connect and you'll all be playing the same Tetris board. If you have any interest in Tetris, this is absolutely worth it. "It's almost unfair to take a game that was already so fearsome and find a bunch of ways to make it even more interesting and dynamic and maddening and beautiful," said our Tetris Effect: Connected review.

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2

The remade combo package of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 brought back waves upon waves of nostalgia for anyone who played the original series in the late 90s and early 00s, but not just because it was familiar. This is a shining example of how to do a remake while staying true to the source material, and a terrific way of onboarding new fans to the decades-old skateboarding series.

Much like OlliOlli World, you don't need to know too much about skateboarding other than maybe what an ollie or a grind is, but the focus is more on the actual skateboarding here. Perform tricks and string together combos with all manner of button presses to improve your score, while progressing through different levels and environments. It's the perfect pick up and play game, especially when played at 120fps on a high refresh rate display. As our friends at Digital Foundry wrote in their Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 tech review, "It's rare for a remake to nail the overall feeling of the original so well while improving on virtually every element of the original experience but that's exactly what we've got here."

Destiny 2

It's been several years since Destiny 2 first launched, but while it was a solid, if slightly uninspired successor to the divisive original at launch, numerous expansions and balance updates have transformed it. Destiny 2 is now the go-to first-person shooter of the generation, offering a vast and epic storyline set across multiple fantastical planets, on top of memorable raids and missions to play alongside your friends.

Destiny 2 has a lot of stuff to offer, from the story missions introducing each new planet and expansion, to raids that require coordination and communication with your squad, and PvP multiplayer. It's also absolutely stunning to boot - our Destiny 2 review from 2017 described it as a "virtual world that rekindles memories of the science fiction you imagined while reading books as a child".

Fortnite

It's safe to say Fortnite has gone through some serious transformations since it first launched. Seriously, go back and revisit that first teaser trailer from 2011. It's practically unrecognisable. What was once a zombie survival game is now one of the most popular battle royale metaverses around, offering a direct competitor to Roblox as it continues to host real-world concerts and events alongside its traditional video game mode.

So while the battle royale comes highly recommended - it's still arguably the best in a saturated genre thanks to its building mechanics and how accessible it is - there's so much more to Fortnite these days. You can play the Lego Fortnite survival mode which takes inspiration from Minecraft, or Rocket Racing (which is essentially a Rocket League-themed kart racer), or Fortnite Festival - the modern equivalent of Guitar Hero or Rock Band, as well as plenty more developed both by players and Epic themselves. We didn't review Fortnite on launch, but as our friends at Digital Foundry said in their Fortnite UE5 update analysis, Fortnite is one of the most technically accomplished games around, as it "really demonstrates what is possible with the new engine - even when retrofitting an existing title."

Rainbow Six Siege

If you're struggling to keep up with the onslaught of modern Call of Duty games, where slide cancelling and quickscoping feel like the only way to maintain a positive kill-streak, Rainbow Six Siege may be the answer to your problems. This is a first-person shooter that is far more tactical than anything else on the market, where strategy is the way to win and sharpshooting skills aren't quite as important - though still a useful skill to have.

This is another shooter that has been continuously supported since it launched in 2015, but our Rainbow Six Siege review still nailed the core experience. Described as "measured, tactical, and frequently surprising", Rainbow Six Siege is at its best when you're playing with friends and taking it seriously, because there is nothing quite as satisfying as when you sweep the opposing team thanks to your well-thought out approach.

Halo: The Master Chief Collection

Halo: The Master Chief Collection includes Halo Combat Evolved Anniversary, Halo 2 Anniversary, Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST, Halo: Reach, and Halo 4, and is - perhaps unsurprisingly - one of the best ways to play Halo today. Even the oldest games in this sci-fi FPS series are phenomenal in this remaster collection, both mechanically, visually, and narratively. If you've never played Halo before and you want to know where it all began, or you just fancy catching up on the older games you weren't around for, The Master Chief Collection is exactly what you need.

Every game in the series shines for one reason or another, and debates will rage on forever about which is the best. But aside from ODST (which takes a slightly different approach), Master Chief is the guns-blazing protagonist with little to say but plenty of alien foes to kill. Not to mention all the multiplayer modes for each game that are now flourishing once again, and our Halo: The Master Chief Collection review praised the "incongruously clear and high quality additions" in Halo 2 especially.

Alan Wake 2

It took 13 years, but the sequel to 2010's Alan Wake is finally here, and somehow the wait was more than worth it. Picking up some time after the events of the original, Alan Wake 2 is one of the best horror games of recent years, mixing jump scare thrills with a truly eerie and frightening depiction of a world turned upside down by Alan's pulpy detective novels.

Here, you alternate between Alan trapped inside The Dark Place, and FBI agent Saga Anderson, who's arrived in Bright Falls to investigate a series of ritualistic murders that inevitably lead her back to the events of the first game in 2010. Our Alan Wake 2 review said it was "great in its excellent synthesis of the original game concept with Control's incredible art direction and style", even if it wasn't such a fan of the game's writing.

Cocoon

The latest platforming puzzle game from one of the creators behind Limbo and Inside, Cocoon is notable not just for its full colour palette, but also its mind-bending interdimensional puzzles. Travelling to different worlds is a common occurence in Cocoon, where you play as an insect with superhuman capabilities as you carry each world upon your back as a little orb.

Cocoon isn't a long game, but it is one of the best puzzle games of the last few years. As our Cocoon review explained, this a game that's all about hopping in and out of different worlds to find the necessary tools you need to solve the next obstacle. And while it can be challenging, any door or world you no longer need anything from to progress is automatically closed off, which saves a lot of frustrations when you don't know exactly what you must do next. Cocoon is so effortlessly clever, we described it as having "an innate understanding of the way humans solve puzzles". So much so it's almost alien-like.