The best Xbox Series X games combine incredibly fun content, immersive storytelling, and unforgettable gaming experiences on one of the most capable current-gen gaming consoles, but it's not always easy to identify which games on the platform are worth sinking your time into given just how many there are to sift through.
To make your selection process easier, we've pulled together a curated list of what we consider to be the best Xbox Series X games. If you own an Xbox Series X or the more budget-friendly Xbox Series S console, then the following list of games are what we consider to be essential, and you can safely consider any of them for your next playthrough.
We've tried to include titles that span a variety of genres in an attempt to appeal to all preferences you might have. And while you're at it, you might want to give our best Xbox controllers guide a browse, too. Especially if you're in need of a high-quality gamepad or simply a spare for friends and family.
My top three Xbox Series X games in 2026
"Gears of War: E-Day is a beautiful game that delivers enjoyable old-school third-person shooting action across its campaign and multiplayer modes." - Dashiell Wood, Gaming Editor
"Forza Horizon 6 is the win that Xbox desperately needed. Playground Games has clearly looked at the shortcomings of the previous entry — an uninteresting map, samey events, and a general feeling of the series spinning its wheels — and set about improving on almost all of them."
"Ace Combat 8 is a phenomenal arcade flight sim. You'll feel like Maverick every single time you dodge an enemy missile or manage to take down a rival ace." - Joe Chivers, TechRadar Contributor
Best Xbox Series X games 2026
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"Star Wars: Galactic Racer is the Star Wars racing game I've always wanted and has sparked a competitiveness I never knew I had." - Demi Williams, TechRadar Contributor
"Dynasty Warriors 3: Complete Edition Remastered is one of the most thoughtful and forward-thinking remasters I’ve played in some time. The original game, warts and all, is intact, but some light quality-of-life touches freshen up the experience without detracting from its intended feel." - Rhys Wood, Buying Guides Editor
"Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter is a spectacular remake that mirrors a lot of the merits that its predecessor brought to the table. It supplies stellar performance and visuals, a great story and soundtrack, and an addictive, depth-filled combat system that keeps you engaged from start to finish." - Harry Padoan, Senior Reviews Writer
"Referring to this latest iteration of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt as merely a remaster really doesn't do it justice, as CD Projekt Red has gone far above and way beyond the usual coat of graphical polish and performance boosts that typically define the category." - Matt Cabral, TechRadar Contributor
"Silent Hill: Townfall is a competent blend of stealth, exploration, puzzle-solving, and the occasional combat encounter. The art direction is superb, barring the forgettable monster designs and stiff facial animations." - Lewis Maddison, Reviews Writer
"Onimusha: Way of the Sword is easily the best entry in the samurai demon-hunting franchise, delivering an immersive, cinematic, and epic experience in both its highly detailed cutscenes and combat encounters." - Isaiah Williams, Staff Writer
"Control Resonant expands on the mystifying and gravity-defying world of the series by introducing an interesting open world that’s fun to explore, along with a solid story to match." - George Yang, TechRadar Contributor
"Star Wars Zero Company excels by seamlessly melding isometric warfare and a stunning cinematic experience with lovable characters, a rich atmosphere, and immensely fun turn-based tactics gameplay, resulting in an excellent companion story to an era of Star Wars that has been explored countless times before."
"Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol.2 finally frees Metal Gear Solid 4 from PS3 prison, and being able to re-experience that brilliant-but-flawed game again is worth the price of admission alone. Packaged with the fantastic Peace Walker and overlooked spinoff Ghost Babel, this is a phenomenal collection." - Scott McCrae, TechRadar Contributor
"Beast of Reincarnation left me surprised in several ways and expertly blends several aspects from popular titles like From Software's Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice to Square Enix's Final Fantasy 16." - Isaiah Williams, Staff Writer
"Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced is a great remake of a classic game and does a great job of walking the tightrope between respecting the original source material and introducing new content and modernizing aged features." - Rob Dwiar, Managing Editor, TechRadar Gaming and Streaming
"007 First Light is perhaps the closest a game has ever come to making me feel like I’m starring in a Bond film. IO Interactive takes the stealth sandbox of Hitman, the intense thrills of Uncharted, and experimental spycraft of Batman: Arkham, and reshapes them into a globe-trotting cinematic spy thriller filled with covert missions, explosive action, and cool gadgets." - Amelia Schwanke, Senior Editor UK, Home Entertainment
"Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is a triumph, weaving complex systems together in an incredibly immersive medieval world that remains a joy to explore even after countless hours. The story is thoroughly entertaining, despite some iffy voice acting, and the challenging combat is a blast to master, making for one of the best RPGs in years." - Dashiell Wood, Gaming Editor
"Channeling true JRPG excellence while putting its own western twist on the genre and turn-based combat, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is an absolutely belting game. It has exquisite writing and story craft, wonderfully stylish and multifaceted combat, and is a blisteringly beautiful assault on all the senses from top-notch voice acting and audio to some of the most beautiful environments I’ve seen in years." - Rob Dwiar, TechRadar Gaming and Streaming Managing Editor
"Monster Hunter Wilds is a bold and bustling continuation of its predecessor’s approach to streamlining the once-niche series. By stripping away some of the more frustrating elements of the past, and focusing on getting players into hunts as quickly as possible, Monster Hunter Wilds has the potential to launch the series to new heights." - Jake Green, TechRadar Gaming reviewer
"Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has all the components of a thrilling adventure ripped straight from the silver screen. Its global locations are intricately detailed and a joy to explore with secrets hidden around every corner while the combat system is developer MachineGames at its best." - Dashiell Wood, TechRadar Gaming reviewer.
"Dragon’s Dogma 2 leverages emergent gameplay to put forward an action-adventure that’s challenging, thrilling, and constantly unpredictable. Rich in well-thought-out systems and mechanics that feed into one another seamlessly, it’s a game that sinks its claws into you and doesn’t let go." - Rhys Wood, Buying Guides Editor
"Hugh and Diana’s trek through an AI-powered moonbase gone bad in Pragmata is full of satisfying combat encounters and puzzles in some exceptionally cool environments, with only a few wrinkles." - Rob Dwiar, TechRadar Gaming and Streaming Managing Editor
"Elden Ring shines as an absorbing, challenging adventure that allows FromSoftware to showcase its creativity like never before. All while telling a captivating story." - Sam Greer, TechRadar Contributor
"Crimson Desert manages to capture the essence of pure open-world exploration and delivers incredible combat that is unlike anything you've played previously, while offering an engaging story that keeps you engaged as you progress through its massive map." - Isaiah Williams, TechRadar Staff Writer
"Microsoft Flight Simulator is clearly a labor of love, with a realism and attention to detail that will make this an essential purchase for flight sim fans. Using cutting edge technology and graphics for the ultimate immersive experience, this isn’t a game that’s going to be for everyone, but if you’re its core demographic, you’re going to love it." - Matt Hanson, TechRadar Managing Editor, Computing
How we made our best Xbox Series X games list
The TechRadar Gaming team is gaming and tech experts. We've played hundreds and hundreds of hours across loads of Xbox Series X games, and so are fully qualified to give you some key recommendations for the console.
As a team made up of different folks with different areas of interest, expertise, and experience, we have the balance to present to you a solid best list, but one that we constantly scrutinise with each new release - but also more generally, arguing over titles that might make it into our best Xbox Series X game list, or those that are in danger of being replaced. As a result of this experience, you can trust us and our picks.
