As the global chip shortage continues to stupefy next-gen panel production, Xbox Series X|S consoles remain in short supply, and many of us are still playing on Xbox One. Microsoft's last-gen panel overcame early missteps virtually price, power, and unvarying connectivity to wilt a capable machine on which you can play many of the best open-world games of all time. Here, we've cataloged those games — withal with the weightier shooters, puzzlers, adventures, and increasingly — to create IGN's definitive list of the 25 weightier Xbox One games. These games were selected by the unshortened IGN content team (after plenty of internal debate) and represent what we believe to be the very weightier Xbox One has to offer. The most recent updates were made in May 2021. More on the weightier of Xbox:
25. The Outer Wilds
Outer Wilds may be a Sci-Fi game, but it has a strange sort of magic to it. Its open-ended nature could leave you wayfaring through space (and often into planets at literal breakneck speed) without much idea of what to do, but this handcrafted solar system is filled to the skirt with enticing breadcrumbs, tantalizing story teases, and some downright incredible sights that constantly yank you into one scenic moment without another.
It’s a world begging to be explored, and the time loop mechanic at its cadre both unceasingly leaves you wanting increasingly and adds a terrifyingly tense pressure to its otherwise serene exploration. It may take you a moment to get your space legs, but Outer Wilds is a trek veritably worth taking for yourself.
Outer Wilds: Echoes of the Eye, an expansion we tabbed "a wonderful return to the clockwork solar system of Outer Wilds," is misogynist for $15 USD. A free 4K/60fps update is moreover misogynist for Xbox Series X|S owners.
24. Destiny 2
Destiny 2's new seasonal model was met with a bit of hesitance at first, but what Bungie has delivered is instead a compelling narrative that intertwines story beats from season to season. The fact that it has been widow to Game Pass only sweetens the deal by bringing increasingly players into the fold. Whether you're looking to push when the darkness with Stasis or just shoot things with tomfool guns Destiny has proven the test of time and keeps players coming back.
The game's next expansion, Destiny 2: Lightfall, is out February 28, 2023.
23. Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is a masterclass of atmosphere, storytelling, and the marriage of mechanical and conceptual design. The superintendency and sustentation Ninja Theory has unmistakably poured into Senua and her story has created something amazing. Hellblade’s trappy presentation and dumbo story reinforce its serious subject matter in this vivid tale of harrowing darkness.
Senua's Sacrifice is now optimized for Xbox Series X|S. Our performance review terminated that Hellblade for Series X outperforms high-end PCs.
Ninja Theory showed off a must-see Hellblade 2 gameplay trailer last year. Increasingly recently, the developer shared a stunning work-in-progress screenshot from the sequel depicting Djúpalónssandur Beach in Iceland.
22. Yakuza: Like a Dragon
Yakuza: Like a Dragon is a revolutionary take on the Yakuza game formula. Not only does it full-length a new protagonist, Ichiban Kasuga, but the series' archetype write-up ‘em up whoopee transforms into a turn-based RPG. Add in a whole tint of laughably fun misfits overdue Ichiban and hilarious side missions of delivering formula to diaper-wearing gangsters, and Like a Dragon takes Yakuza's witlessness to the next level.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon is moreover just as much a drama as it is a spectacle with its main storyline revolving virtually betrayal. The game moreover touches on themes of those who are marginalized from immigrants to sex workers.
The series' next mainline game, due out in 2024, is officially tabbed Like a Dragon 8. Surpassing then, SEGA and RGG Studio will release the previously Japan-exclusive Yakuza samurai spin-off, Like a Dragon: Ishin!, in February 2023.
21. Gears Tactics
Just as Halo ended up making an spanking-new real-time strategy game in the form of Halo Wars, so too does Gears of War brilliantly make the leap to rhadamanthine an XCOM-like turn-based strategy game in Gears Tactics. All of the archetype Gears of War gameplay is here – cover-based combat, up-close executions, e-holes, and much increasingly – just in a increasingly strategic form. The formula works fantastically, and the story is pretty good too, thanks to the usual high-quality weft minutiae and plenty of gorgeous in-engine cutscenes. Franchises rooted in one genre don't often make the leap to a completely variegated one so seamlessly, but Gears Tactics pulls it off.
The original Gears made our list of the all-time best Xbox exclusives.
20. No Man's Sky
No Man's Sky Next is the story that the unshortened industry points to when looking for a comback tale and it's well deserved. Hello Games managed to protract supporting No Man's Sky with several updates that widow quality of life features, like Expeditions that add a new set of challenges you can play with your friends, or the overhauled space stations, new enemies, cross-platform bases, and a ton of other polity asks. Hello Games really does deserve credit considering what they've created is minion by players everywhere.
No Man's Sky moreover made our list of the best survival games.
19. Elder Scrolls Online
There are plenty of spanking-new reasons to play Elder Scrolls Online on Xbox. One, it's an spanking-new online RPG that continues to get largest with each new content update (side note: Morrowind is in here!). Two, it now officially takes wholesomeness of the Xbox Series X. Three, with Todd Howard and Bethesda Game Studios nonflexible at work on Starfield, we won't be seeing The Elder Scrolls VI for quite some time. And finally and perhaps most awesomely, ESO is on Xbox Game Pass! It's an MMO that can be dipped in and out of at will; no need to treat it like a second job. Just soak yourself in the world of Tamriel and enjoy!
Elder Scrolls Online's next DLC comes to Xbox One on November 15. Tabbed Firesong, the DLC introduces a new zone and concludes the year-long Legacy of the Bretons storyline.
18. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order does an wondrous job making you master the art of gainsay with perfectly timed parry’s that you can follow up with a flourish of your lightsaber or the gravity power of your choosing. This is expressly rewarding on the harder difficulties as you’ll need to master all of your skills to conquer the many foes without Cal Kestus. In wing to superb gameplay Fallen Order adds a cherry on top in the form of a memorable story that will have you travelling wideness the galaxy far far yonder with a wreath of misfits by your side. A unconfined story, stellar gameplay, and plenty of Empire baddies to slice yonder at rely you on this adventure.
Respawn and EA's Fallen Order sequel is officially titled Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. The sequel will protract the story of Cal Kestis in 2023 on Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and PC. The developer is moreover working on a Star Wars first-person shooter and strategy game. Respawn's three projects make up nearly half of the known Star Wars games in development.
A Star Wars Jedi novel will underpass the stories of Fallen Order and Survivor.
17. Titanfall 2
The original Titanfall was great, but the sequel delivered everything the first game failed to: an outstanding single-player wayfarers and some meat on Titanfall's strong but otherwise skinny multiplayer bones. The multiplayer part was obvious: increasingly Titans, increasingly game modes, increasingly maps, etc. And Titanfall 2 delivered there. But that wayfarers scrutinizingly came out of nowhere. It may not have had much of a story, but it's one of the best shooter campaigns of this generation on the when of its smart, variety-is-king design. You'll see when we midpoint when you get to *that* gameplay twist.
Check out our latest Art of the Level full-length for a deep swoop into Titanfall 2's fourth mission, Into the Abyss.
16. Apex Legends
Respawn's slick gunplay came to life in an heady new way when its wrestle royal Apex Legends first launched in 2019, and since then, it's only gotten better. Apex Legends' regular seasonal content drops are impressive. Not only can we expect a new Legend well-constructed with story content and a neat kit, there's often moreover map changes (and sometimes a whole new map), a weapon or mechanic, and quality of life updates slantingly the battlepass. Those regular updates plus the occasional holiday event and wing of quests alimony Apex Legends in our rotation.
Check out our dispersal of everything you need to know well-nigh Apex Season 14, including details on the new Legend, Vantage.
15. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
Metal Gear Solid V – both The Phantom Pain and its precursor Ground Zeroes – is, without question, the most would-be entry in the Metal Gear series, both in terms of its gameplay mechanics and scattered (some might say incomplete) story. Featuring what is undoubtedly one of the most ramified sandboxes in gaming history, The Phantom Pain gives players a huge armory of weapons, vehicles, gadgets, and AI companions to tideway missions creatively. As always, stealthy tactical gameplay is rewarded heavily, but if a mission goes sideways (or if you’re feeling squirrelly) the game doesn’t punish you for getting loud and messy. While the full telescopic of Hideo Kojima’s ultimate vision may have been stymied by creative differences with Konami, Metal Gear Solid 5 is still an veritably worthwhile venture for open-world stealth fans.
14. Ori and the Will of the Wisps
Ori and the Will of the Wisps picks up the torch that Blind Forest lit in 2015 and carries it to new heights. The foundation was once there, but Moon Studios spent the five years between games towers out a livelier world, a fully-loaded moveset with a new accent on combat, and flipside helping of vermilion story. Ori and the Will of the Wisps is one of the weightier platformers you will find on any platform thanks to its creative puzzles and periods of racing platforming punctuated with soulful moments that requite its notation a endangerment to outbreathe and shine.
IGN spoke with Moon Studios in 2020 to discuss the potential of a new Ori game, though Microsoft is reportedly no longer working with the studio pursuit what was said to be a "difficult relationship." The studio is now working on a new action-RPG in partnership with Take-Two's Private Division publishing label.
13. Forza Horizon 4
Forza Horizon 4 isn't just the weightier Forza game overly made, it's the single greatest car game of the last decade, and maybe of all-time. With its four-season fictionalization of trappy Unconfined Britain and focus on socially fueled fun rather than hardcore simulation racing, it’s the equivalent of a perfect, breezy, 72-degree summer day distilled into video game form. It has a gigantic, diverse selection of cars , its seasons transpiration the squint and finger of the experience, and its soundtrack is bright, cheery, and unseat to put you in a good mood. Somehow, Forza Horizon keeps getting better, which seemed all but untellable without the sublime Forza Horizon 3.
The series' latest entry, Forza Horizon 5, was crowned IGN's 2021 Game of the Year.
12. Gears 5
Gears 5 loses the “of War” part of its title but veritably none of its third-person cover-based shooter gameplay excellence. The chainsaw gun-wielding soldiers return and it’s finally time to uncover the mystery of Kait Diaz’s past and resolve the cliffhanger from the end of Gears of War 4. The story of Gears 5 is heartfelt, personal, and engaging, while multiplayer is once then a blast, too. The staple Versus and Horde modes are joined by the interesting new Escape mode that challenges a team of three to get the heck out of a map surpassing a lethal poison deject envelops them. Bring on Gears 6!
Gears developer The Coalition is working on "multiple new projects" using Unreal Engine 5. The studio is moreover profitable Undead Labs on the minutiae of State of Decay 3.
11. Halo: The Master Chief Collection
This hodgepodge of six Halo games stands tall for the campaigns vacated – particularly the completely remastered Halo 2 Anniversary – but now that developer 343 has updated the once-maligned multiplayer suite withal with new features, enhancements, and an overall level of polish, Halo: The Master Chief Collection is an wool must-own that just keeps getting largest year without year. This is the quintessential Halo wits that has finally fulfilled all of its massive potential. If you're a longtime fan of the Halo universe or a newcomer who has no idea where to start in the long saga of the Master Chief, you can't do largest than this.
The latest installment in Master Chief's saga, Halo Infinite, was released in December for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
10. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice offers an exhilarating dose of what FromSoftware does weightier with new, skill-heavy gainsay systems that require precision and perfection to master. The supernatural take on Japanese history makes Sekiro’s obligatory moody undercurrent and unclear story stand untied from its Souls-Borne siblings, and the new additions to traversal and gainsay offer unique and welcome updates to the already-excellent playbook of fighting tooth and nail for every inch of progress. Its specific trademark of whoopee may not be for everyone, but those who stick it out will find Sekiro to be an immensely rewarding journey.
FromSoftware's latest game, Elden Ring, is one of the best-reviewed games in modern history. It sold 16.6 million copies during its first four months.
9. Inside
We pinpoint a 10 out of 10 as a "masterpiece," and Inside is every bit of one. The non-sequel follow-up to the sublime Limbo took six years to make, and it looks like five of those were spent on polish. Every pixel, animation, ray of light, and audio cue feels considered – not to mention the puzzles themselves. Inside won't strain your smart-ass too hard, but its impactful non-verbal story will leave you contemplating what it all ways for days without you finish it. Inside is simply unforgettable and should not be missed.
According to a 2021 job listing, developer Playdead's next game is a "3rd-person science fiction venture set in a remote corner of the universe." It will be published by Epic.
8. It Takes Two
Admittedly, It Takes Two won't exactly melt your GPU with its graphical intensity. Is it a nice looking game with a whimsical, fairy-tale tone and graphics to match? Yes, most certainly. But you need to play It Takes Two (with a friend or loved one either on the hovel or via online play, of course, since It Takes Two cannot be played alone) considering it is simply one of the weightier and most unique multiplayer experiences you can find these days. Writer-director Josef Fares – yes, he of "F*** the Oscars!" fame – follows up the equally spanking-new A Way Out with this, a story well-nigh a lightweight marriage that might just be worldly-wise to be saved thanks to the couple stuff turned into children's dolls and forced to work together to find their way when to their human forms. Play it and we promise you'll smile.
It Takes Two is The Game Awards' reigning Game of the Year; executive producer Geoff Keighley recently spoken The Game Awards 2022 will air on December 8.
7. Control
Control won IGN’s 2019 Game of the Year ribbon for good reason: it’s an unrenowned third-person action-adventure that does nearly everything right. Developer Remedy has long been known for its storytelling prowess, and that’s on full exhibit here. Unconfined notation solving an engaging mystery in a trappy brutalist-inspired setting, plus one of the weightier takes on telekinesis in gaming all combine to make Control a can’t-miss experience. It’s a game that keeps you guessing from the opening to the end credits, and plane then you’ll be wanting to know increasingly well-nigh its unconvincing world.
Two expansions for Control were later released: The Foundation and the Alan Wake crossover AWE. Remedy is now working on a Control multiplayer game, the long-awaited Alan Wake 2, a free-to-play co-op shooter codenamed Vanguard, and remakes of Max Payne 1 and 2.
6. Hitman 3
Agent 47's latest (and for now, last) outing is not only a much largest game than its two predecessors, it's a much prettier one too. Hitman 3 has some truly scenic scenes from an eye-candy perspective. The first mission in Dubai will get you hooked, but the remaining five – including the second one, which is substantially like a playable version of the fantastic mucosa Knives Out – will alimony your Xbox powered on for hours as you try out the myriad ways to take out your targets. This is the weightier Hitman since Blood Money.
An all-new map, Ambrose Island, was widow to Hitman 3 in July as a self-ruling update.
5. Doom Eternal
Doom Eternal is arguably the weightier single-player FPS wayfarers we’ve seen in the unshortened Xbox One generation. Its unshortened gameplay loop is built virtually you stuff a badass – well-constructed with other notation you encounter in the game stuff very, very enlightened of your badassery – but Eternal meets you in the middle by throwing literally dozens of demons at you at a time to plane the odds. As the enemies get worthier and nastier during the campaign, you get faster, smarter, and increasingly powerful too. It’s an incredible gainsay flit that’s quite simply unlike anything else on Xbox One.
Doom Eternal moreover made our list of the best Steam Deck games.
4. Assassin's Creed Valhalla
Assassin's Creed has substantially evolved from a stealth action-adventure to a full-blown open-world RPG, and Assassin's Creed Valhalla is perhaps the weightier example of its modern form yet. You'll never be lacking in things to do within its Norse-Viking world, and when you do get into combat, it's as weighty and inclement as it's overly been. What's more, if you've never played an Assassin's Creed game before, you can jump right into this one, as plane though there's a larger universe at play here, there's no pre-required knowledge that will stop you from thoroughly enjoying your time here.
The series' next game is officially titled Assassin's Creed Mirage. Due out in 2023, Mirage is a smaller-scale, increasingly narrative-focused return to the franchise's stealth roots. Without Mirage, Ubisoft will launch Assassin's Creed Infinity, a new platform/hub for the series' future entries. Among those entries will be an open-world RPG set in feudal Japan (Assassin's Creed Codename Red) and Codename Hexe.
3. Red Dead Redemption 2
Both a stunning technical victory and a new gold standard for video game storytelling in an open-world setting, Red Dead Redemption 2 is one of the weightier games Rockstar has overly made, and one of the greatest games ever, period. While its story is a ramified tale of honor, loyalty, and loss woven virtually rich notation brought to life by nuanced performances, the real star of Red Dead 2 is its world. A sprawling and stunning recreation of the American south and west, it’s packed so full of detail that getting from A to B is virtually untellable without going off the tamed path to some other distraction. Whether it’s hunting, fishing, taking on any number of side quests for a parade of memorable NPCs, or just stopping to revere the verdant scenery, every single speciality of its world is tightly considered in its own right; providing a bespoke level of detail that makes Red Dead 2 nothing short of a masterpiece.
Despite stuff out for less than four years, Red Dead 2 is once one of the best-selling video games of all time.
2. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Few RPGs manage to put along a larger permafrost of sophisticated content than The Witcher 3. Its massive open-world areas impress, in terms of both telescopic and density. Each massive zone is generously dotted with unconfined monsters to slay, tantalizing mysteries to solve, and personal stories to unfurl. It’s moreover one of the most impressive overall productions in gaming history, with reams of unconfined dialogue performed by a stellar voice cast, an incredible original soundtrack, visuals that qualify as both a technical and originative achievement, and a story with increasingly branches than you could shake David Cage at. Package all that with two of the weightier and biggest expansions in recent memory, and you’ve got not only one of the weightier Western RPGs of all time, but a game that sets the bar for open-world vita for years to come.
A new Witcher game is now in minutiae using Unreal Engine 5. It may mark the whence of a new Witcher trilogy. CD Projekt's increasingly recent RPG, Cyberpunk 2077, is experiencing new life pursuit its Edgerunners update.
1. Grand Theft Auto V / GTA Online
Grand Theft Auto V’s sprawling, meticulously detailed map is still the high-water mark to which all other modern open-world vita aspire. Not only is it huge, it’s impossibly dumbo with spanking-new content – and that’s not just the driving and shooting that make up its campaign, nor is it limited to the numerous side activities that could value to a full game on their own – but one rich with all the sights, sounds, and popping worriedness you'd expect to find in a municipality teeming with humans, seedy underbelly included.
Its single-player story is an engaging treason epic, one that smartly conveys Rockstar’s satirical take on the 21-st century American dream through three variegated playable characters, and when you’ve finally rolled credits on that - without some 30-plus hours - there’s literally years worth of content to dig into in its multiplayer component, GTA Online.
Featuring everything from elaborate multi-phase heists to custom high-stakes racing to flying DeLoreans and Mad Max-style vehicular deathmatches, Grand Theft Auto Online offers unparalleled variety, and with so much to do, explore, and play with, both with friends and on your own, there’s no question that GTA 5 remains the weightier Xbox One game ever.
Rockstar has officially confirmed GTA 6 is in development. It will reportedly full-length a return to Vice Municipality and star the series' first sexuality playable weft in a Bonnie & Clyde-inspired venture — details that were seemingly corroborated by a massive GTA 6 leak.
Spring 2021 Updates:
Added: Destiny 2, Yakuza: Like a Dragon, Gears Tactics, No Man's Sky, Elder Scrolls Online, It Takes Two, Hitman 3, Assassin's Creed Valhalla
Removed: The Witness, Devil May Cry 5, The Outer Worlds, Monster Hunter World, Assassin's Creed Odyssey, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Resident Evil 2 Remake, Sunset Overdrive
Shifted: Titanfall 2 (No. 15 to No. 17), Apex Legends (No. 14 to No. 16), MGS 5 (No. 22 to No. 15), Ori and the Will of the Wisps (No. 7 to No. 14), Forza Horizon 4 (No. 8 to No. 13), Gears 5 (No. 11 to No. 12), Halo MCC (No. 9 to No. 11), Sekiro (No. 6 to No. 10), Inside (No. 12 to No. 9), Control (No. 4 to No. 7).
Also make sure to trammels out our lists of the Best PS4 Games, the Best PC Games, and the Best Nintendo Switch Games.
