The 35 Best Xbox 360 Games of All Time
Last Updated on November 13, 2022 by Sam
What are the best games ever made for the Xbox 360?
The Xbox 360 came out in 2005 as the follow-up to the original Xbox. It quickly became the most popular console ever made by an American company.
Even though it was replaced by the Xbox One in 2013, the Xbox 360 was the most popular console for almost a decade. During that time, some of the best games ever made were made for it.
The Best Xbox 360 Games of All Time
There were a lot of great games for the Xbox 360, but we’ve narrowed our list down to the ones that fans still can’t stop playing.
Here are the 35 best Xbox 360 games of all time, according to our list:
36. XCOM: Enemy Unknown
Here’s a free tip: in XCOM: Enemy Unknown, don’t name any of your soldiers after people you care about. Even though that might be your first thought when you find out you can name them, it’s a bad idea that will almost certainly end in tears as you watch your friends and family get torn to pieces by aliens. And yes, it will always feel like you did something wrong. This is because the amazing, strategic gameplay in Enemy Unknown is always fair, even though it is relentless and brutal. If everyone in your squad dies, it’s because you gave them bad orders. If your soldiers don’t do any damage, it’s because you didn’t give them enough upgrades. If the world falls apart, it will be because of you, which is a very satisfying feeling.
35. Trials Evolution
Motorcycles are the main focus of the racing game Trials Evolution.
To get to the end as quickly as possible, players have to race their bikes through different obstacle courses.
Players can choose from more than 50 single-player tracks and then compare their stats with those of their friends via Xbox Live to see who is the best.
34. Braid
Now, let’s talk again about the best games on Xbox Live Arcade. This one in particular moved the platforming genre forward because of its unique art style and mind-bending way of telling a story. Braid’s simple charm comes from the fact that you have to solve puzzles and hop around gorgeously animated worlds. But the ability to change time and the jaw-dropping ending are what make this game a legend. Braid is one of the GOATs when it comes to indie games that set the standard for the whole subgenre.
33. Super Meat Boy
This platformer was a self-published follow-up to the flash game Meat Boy, which came out in 2008. Its art and gameplay were praised by critics.
The goal of Super Meat Boy is for players to take control of Meat Boy, a cube-shaped character, and save his girlfriend from Dr. Fetus.
This game has 300 levels, so you’ll have a hard time running out of things to do.
32. BioShock
The very first BioShock is one of the best first-person shooters and Xbox 360 games of all time. This dark journey into Rapture, a place that used to be a safe haven but is now a tomb, is an interesting experience that people are still talking about. Mixing gunplay with the use of elemental “Plasmid” powers adds a lot to the way the game is played. And BioShock’s story hits hard with its reveals about Andrew Ryan and the true purpose of the main character (“Would you kindly?”). Part of this amazing FPS that never gets old is going to war with those damn Big Daddies.
31. Mark of The Ninja
This action game with a side-scrolling view is the perfect mix of adventure and stealth. It was released in the Xbox Live arcade in 2012.
Following the story of an unnamed ninja, players must find their way through a modern world where ancient ninja ways and new technology are at odds with each other.
All of the cut scenes in this video game were done in the style of a Saturday morning cartoon, which made it both fun to play and beautiful to look at.
30. Telltale’s The Walking Dead
The Walking Dead’s gameplay may be inferior to Street Fighter and Arkham City. The action focuses on simple puzzles and average QTEs. Why do we feel so much when playing all five episodes of this simple game? The game’s story makes others seem childish.
The Walking Dead captures the comics’ heartrending choices brilliantly. You feel strained by life-or-death events because the writing makes you so concerned in your companions’ survival. The game’s constant conversations make you feel closer to the NPCs than to many real people, making it more painful to choose who dies next. If The Walking Dead can do that, who cares if the shooting’s bad or the puzzles are easy?
29. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
With this entry in the series, Activision’s classic first-person shooter became a common term. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare became one of the most important games of all time when it moved the action from World War II to a modern battlefield. Both the game’s smooth and quick movement and its intense firefights did a great job of making each battle one to remember. Modern Warfare has one of the best single-player campaigns, and its online multiplayer suite used to make everyone “sweat.” John “Soap” MacTavish is and will always be our hero.
28. Dark Souls II
Dark Souls II came out in 2014, making it the third game in the Souls series. Fans couldn’t get enough of it.
If you want to finish this game, you’ll have to get used to seeing “You Died” flash on your screen. This game is known for its difficulty, huge bosses, and harsh punishments for bad player performance.
Even though The Nameless King, one of the hardest bosses in video games ever, didn’t show up until Dark Souls III, the sheer number of bosses in this game made it hard to stay alive.
27. FIFA Soccer 12
This simulation of soccer was released in 2011, and it includes both a career mode as well as online modes that let players compete with or against other players from all over the world.
The artificial intelligence system has also been improved, making it so that playing through career mode has a much more natural feel, and is as similar as possible to playing against real professionals.
26. The Orange Box
Valve deserves every bit of praise in the world for compiling what is undoubtedly one of the best collections of video games ever produced. It unleashed The Orange Box on the world and created a box that was packed to the brim with things of value. Team Fortress 2’s multiplayer mode is one of the best first-person shooters (FPS) games available today, and it’s definitely worth playing again. Half-Life 2, along with its two episodic expansions, and a game called Portal, which turned out to be a surprise smash hit, are all included in the remainder of The Orange Box, which helps to ensure that the value of this collection has not diminished over time.
25. Dead Space 2
EA may make billions from Madden and FIFA, and that’s fine. The megapublisher occasionally adopts new IPs with great results. The electrifying sequel to 2008’s Dead Space proved Electronic Arts could make genre-pushing, all-time great games.
Dead Space 2 is a masterpiece. This survival horror game takes cues from Resident Evil 4 and Alien. Isaac Clarke’s sequel is perfectly paced, introducing terrifying new monsters and unforgettable setpieces. Legendary moment? Sprawl, a Nostromo-like space station. Who knows if The Creative Assembly would have made Alien Isolation without that setting and those horror sequences.
24. Rock Band
This music game was the first game in the Rock Band series and it was released on the Xbox 360 in 2007.
Offering multi-instrument gameplay, Rockband gives up to four players the chance to simulate rock star performances using unique controllers modeled to look like real instruments.
23. Red Dead Redemption
Red Dead Redemption, which was made by Rockstar Games and its studio in San Diego in 2010, was the perfect way to show the Wild, Wild West. John Marston’s trip through the Western United States and Northern Mexico was memorable because he got into a lot of violent shootouts and crazy situations. The open world of Red Dead Redemption is one of the best ever because there are so many things to do on the side. The online multiplayer suite and “zombified” expansion add to the game’s greatness. With the game’s signature “Dead Eye” feature, you can still kill a bunch of enemy gunslingers all at once.
22. Ultra Street Fighter 4
When it came out in early 2009, Street Fighter 4 brought 2D fighting back to the attention of most gamers. It mixed traditional moves with new ones like Focus Attacks and Ultras that let you come back, as well as a few strange additions to the roster. Fast forward to Ultra Street Fighter 4, and that group of characters has grown into a huge group with a lot of different fighting styles. Whether you like to rush down or turtle, play smart or play dumb, there’s someone in Arcade Edition who you can play to your heart’s content.
And the online play options that are run by the community are great. From endless battle and team battle to the replay channel, which lets you watch great fights again, there is a lot of content to keep you playing and getting better until the end of time. With the numerous improvements to Capcom’s formula, excellent netcode, and a truly solid foundation, Ultra Street Fighter 4 is the definitive version of the game.
21. Assassin’s Creed II
Assassin’s Creed II is one of the best Assassin’s Creed games ever made. It built on the success of the first game and was a huge hit.
Players follow Ezio’s journey through a made-up version of several Italian cities as he tries to end the fight between Assassins and Templars.
This amazing Assassin’s Creed game has great parkour mechanics and a huge open world to explore, so you won’t run out of things to do very quickly.
20. BioShock Infinite
It says a lot that the opening of the sequel to one of the best shooters of all time, which also has one of the best openings of all time, is even better. BioShock Infinite may have the coolest, scariest, and most unpredictable first 15 minutes of any game ever made. From launching Booker into the cloud-surfing city of Columbia via a lighthouse to a chilling baptism under the church-like chords of “Will the Circle be Unbroken,” it all makes for an amazing first impression. This thrill ride in the clouds is one of the best endings to a game trilogy ever. It has a great soundtrack and supernatural shootouts that are better than the first BioShock because they are bigger and more creative.
19. Forza Motorsport 4
This racing game from 2011 was the first in the series to work with both a controller and the Kinect.
Autovista is a new feature in this game. It is a mode where players can see specific details about their cars, like the parts of the engine and the gauges inside.
Some players didn’t like the Kinect features, but the improved physics, updated graphics, and amazing sound design made this one of the best racing games for Xbox 360 very quickly.
18. Mass Effect 2
When you talk about the best Xbox 360 games, you can’t leave out this epic action RPG. Many people think that Mass Effect 2 is the best game in the series of games made by Electronic Arts and BioWare to stop the Collectors. Everything about this game is so much better than its predecessor. The gunplay is so much better, the interactive story is so much better, and the fact that players can bring over their version of Commander Shepard from the first game makes the whole experience even better. Most people agree that Mass Effect 2 is the best game in the series and one of the best open-world action RPGs for Xbox 360.
17. Limbo
This puzzle game came out in 2010, and the goal is to help a young boy find his missing sister by guiding him through dangerous environments and traps.
The eerie atmosphere of this game is really unique and unsettling, and it gives Limbo a horror game feeling.
Often considered a great example of video games as an art form, this is one of the best Xbox 360 games for fans of horror themes and puzzles.
16. Mortal Kombat
Mortal Kombat is one of the best fighting games of all time. It came out for the Xbox 360 in 2011 and got a bigger version in 2012.
This game had everything fans of the series could want, including a story about Raiden trying to change what happened after Armageddon by talking to his past self right before he lost to Shao Kahn.
15. Portal 2
The first Portal game came out in 2007 and was a surprise hit. This made Valve want to try it again. Portal 2 upped the ante by adding not only a mind-bending single-player campaign but also a co-op campaign with two of the cutest bots in all of gaming. The Aperture Science Laboratory has a lot of tests that mess with how players see things and force them to rely on portals to get around and stay safe. When this sequel came out, fans of the first Portal game were glad to see that the game’s charm had been amplified and that the puzzles had become even harder. Because of all of these things, it’s clear that Portal 2 is one of the best Xbox 360 games.
14. Guitar Hero II
This rhythm game first came out for the PS2 in 2006. In 2007, it came out for the Xbox 360.
But even though the Xbox 360 version came out a year after the PS2 version, it had more content that made it worth buying.
Like the first Guitar Hero game, this one has a unique controller in the shape of a guitar, and it lets players play over 40 popular songs from the last 50 years.
13. Batman: Arkham City
When Batman: Arkham Asylum came out, Rocksteady Studios proved that it was one of the best development studios in the business. Its long-awaited sequel sent the “Dark Knight” into the dank slums of Gotham City, which became a safe place for criminals. Back in the day, everyone was blown away by the fact that Batman could spread his wings and fly around an even bigger outdoor area while fighting random bad guys and solving puzzles. Hugo Strange, Mr. Freeze, and even Azrael were there, and as a longtime Batman fan, it was awesome to get to play with them. Arkham City is one of the best Xbox 360 games we’ve ever played, and it’s perfect for comic book fans.
12. Dead or Alive 4
This fighting video game from 2005 kept the series’ focus on the war between the DOATEC and the Mugen Tenshin Ninja Clan, introducing a lot of new characters through fights.
Even though the gameplay is mostly the same as in the previous games, stages can now have things that can be knocked over, move lists have been changed, and four new characters have been added.
11. Shadow Complex
The Metroid series was a big influence on this platform adventure game for the Xbox 360, which came out in 2009.
In the game, players take control of Jason, who needs to save his girlfriend after the two of them get lost in an underground complex while exploring caves.
In this epic platformer, you have to defeat a lot of enemies, find a lot of power-ups, and find out a lot of secrets.
10. Mass Effect
People have said that the whole Mass Effect series is some of the best science fiction ever made, and this first game is what made that possible.
In this game, players meet Commander Shepard and a lot of other memorable characters who make the game world feel very rich and full.
Mass Effect is one of the best action RPGs to come out on the Xbox 360, and you should play it if you like games with a lot of action and a lot of unique storylines.
9. Rise of the Tomb Raider
The best Lara Croft game exists only because Crystal Dynamics copied Naughty Dog in class. But hey, if you’re going to try to be Nathan Drake, why not make the best copy of Uncharted ever? And Rise of the Tomb Raider is exactly that: the best Uncharted game Naughty Dog never made. In some ways, the second part of Croft’s rebooted trilogy is better than Nate’s best work. Rise has better shooting than Uncharted 4, and its hub areas and optional, always interesting Challenge Tombs give you more freedom than in any of Nathan Drake’s games. This is the best game in which Lara Croft has ever been a character… and it isn’t even close.
8. Halo Reach
Bungie’s last Halo game is the best in terms of single-player campaigns. Nothing beats a six-player team deathmatch on Halo 3’s Guardian, but no Bungie game beats Halo Reach’s story mode. Reach has perfect pacing, a cast of Spartans who experience more emotional growth in ten hours than Master Chief has in a decade, and a brilliant dogfighting mission involving spaceships.
Also, it’s Bungie’s most focused first-person shooter. Reach removes the most annoying parts of Halo 2 and 3, the Flood levels, and focuses on Covenant shootouts. Add power-ups that enhance Halo’s combat rather than detract from it – that jetpack is awesome – and this is the best single-player Halo ever… that you can co-op.
7. Fable II
Fable II was built on the success of the first game. It takes place 500 years later in an Albion where an industrial revolution is just starting.
You can play this game as either a male or female hero who has to stop a bad ruler from destroying the world by rebuilding an old spire.
The world is bigger than in the first game, and there are a lot more ways to customize it. Overall, it stays true to the first game while making changes that fans will appreciate.
6. Grand Theft Auto V
Grand Theft Auto V is a game with a big open world and a lot of interesting characters.
The main story is told from the points of view of three very interesting people: a retired bank robber, a street gangster, and a gunrunner who sells drugs.
This game has so much to do that you could play it for hours and hours and still not be done.
5. Mass Effect 2
Mass Effect 2, which came out in 2010, is arguably the best game in the series. It puts players in a race against time to plan a suicide mission to stop a shy race of aliens from taking human colonists for the Reapers.
In this game, a lot of old characters came back, but even more new ones were added. Many of these new characters have become some of the most popular in the series.
The game is easy to play and has a great story. We hope that Mass Effect 4 can capture some of what makes this game so good.
4. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Fans often think that Oblivion is much more in-depth than The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, even though Skyrim has one of the largest open-world maps in the history of video games.
The story takes place in the province of Cyrodiil, and the player has to stop the Mythic Dawn cult from opening gates to the realm of Oblivion, where Mehrunes Dagon, the Daedric Prince of Destruction, is waiting to wreck the world.
Even though the story was great, what really made Oblivion a fan favorite was how big the world was, how much you could change your character, and how many interesting side quests there were.
3. The Orange Box
The Orange Box was a set of some of the best games that Valve has ever made.
This included Half-Life 2, Episodes 1 and 2 of Half-Life 2, Portal, and Team Fortress 2.
Fans of these games couldn’t pass up this collection, which is still one of the best for the Xbox 360.
2. Dark Souls
This action role-playing game came out in 2001 and was the second in the Souls series.
It was hard to put down because of how complicated the levels were, how hard the bosses were, and how deep the combat was. However, some critics felt that the game was too hard and unforgiving overall.
Dark Souls does have one of the hardest video game levels ever. Players have to fight Ornstein and Smough, two bosses who have made many players want to quit the game in a rage.
1. Fallout 3
Fallout 3 is higher on our list than New Vegas because it was the first 3D first-person Fallout game and was the one that got a lot of people interested in the series.
Bethesda Game Studios did a great job of changing the top-down, turn-based games they had made before into a real-time, open-world adventure game that came out in 2008.
There are a lot of cool places and side quests to find in the D.C. ruins, and the fact that Liam Neeson is your dad makes everything 10 times better.
