The first Xbox was released in the early 2000s, meaning we’ve enjoyed over 20 years of incredible console gaming from Microsoft. As good as this original console was, most people’s first Xbox experiences came when the 360 launched in 2005. It quickly became the games console of its generation and spawned a host of iconic and legendary games.
From then on, we witness a massive storm of awesome games across the next few Xbox consoles – leading to the Xbox Series X. Hundreds of insane games have been released since then, but which ones stand out the most? We’ve dug around and come up with our list of the top 10 most iconic Xbox games of all time.
#10 Tomb Raider Legend
The Tomb Raider franchise wasn’t exclusive to Xbox and its game had been released many years before Tomb Raider Legend made it to the 360. However, this was many gamer’s first experience of the franchise and this particular game was awesome. The graphics looked incredible at the time, the mechanics were stunning and it spawned loads of different spin-offs across numerous genres. Click on any of the UK casinos not on GamStop displayed at CasinoGam.uk and you’ll find all of them with Tomb Raider Legend slots. This game truly transcended the Xbox 360 and became known all over the world in different gaming industries. That’s why it’s on this list – as well as the fact it’s probably still the best temple/explorer-shooter on Xbox.
#9 Star Wars: Knights of The Old Republic
This is one of the only games on our list to be released on the original Xbox back in 2003. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic was an immediate hit and one of the earliest Xbox exclusives we can remember. It’s still played today on PC and Xbox Series X as fans love the way it extends the Star Wars universe. Some believe the storylines in it are better than a lot of the movies and there have been shouts for TV series to be made around the game for decades. It’s an insanely addictive MMORPG that’s earned an outstanding 94 from Metacritic, making it one of the highest-rated games of all time. A must-play if you haven’t already and enjoy games like Baldur’s Gate but with a Star Wars twist.
#8 Quantum Break
In 2016, Remedy Entertainment launched the Xbox One exclusive Quantum Break. This is the development study responsible for the Max Payne franchise, Alan Wake and many other classic titles. Quantum Break is something of a sleeper hit – it didn’t get widespread acknowledgement from Xbox fans, but those who did play it accept it as one of the best third-person shooters of its generation. The storytelling is mesmeric and the voice acting matches it. You feel like you’re part of an epic time-travelling movie; especially as the game has “junction points” where your decisions affect the outcome. There are also some live-action elements blended into it to create a truly unique experience. Again, if you’ve not tried this already and enjoy third-person shooters, add it to your wishlist today.
#7 Oblivion
We now come to a double-header of games from Bethesda – starting with The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. This wasn’t exclusively launched on the Xbox 360 but if you were in school in the early 2000s, this was likely your first taste of an action RPG. It featured an expansive map the likes of which we’ve never seen before, great combat mechanics and best-in-class player customisation. The way you could control what skills to develop and storylines to explore was remarkable at the time and spawned a wave of action RPGs that we still see to this day. But, many fans believe this was merely a taster of what came next.
#6 Skyrim
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim hit the Xbox 360 in 2011 and never looked back. Some hardcore fans will say Oblivion is better, but we’ve given Skyrim the nod in 6th place because, well, it’s simply iconic. The memes that spawned from this game were incredible and it was one of the first games to truly transcend digital culture and be referenced for years after. Also, it refined the combat from Oblivion and made it a lot better while adding a larger map and some new game mechanics – like having your own companions. Skyrim came out as a remastered version for the Xbox One in 2016 with improved graphics and it’s honestly a game you can pour hundreds of hours in right now without getting bored.
#5 Fable
Fable is a stunning series of RPG games featuring amazing landscapes and revolutionary game mechanics. When the first game came out in 2004, the original Xbox and PS2 had never seen anything like it. It transformed the action RPG genre with spellcasting, meaningful choices that decide the plot and absurd features like being able to buy houses and get married. Fable 2 came out in 2008 with Fable 3 following a couple of years later. The second instalment is many fans’ favourite BUT this could change as a newly remastered Fable game is due for release in 2025. It’s one of the most hotly anticipated Xbox games of all time by quite some distance.
#4 Call of Duty 4
We could’ve picked the entire Call of Duty franchise here but we decided to zero in on COD4 instead. It’s comfortably the most iconic Call of Duty game in Xbox’s history. The only thing close to it is Modern Warfare 2 but we had to talk about the original Modern Warfare in this list. It rewrote the script of FPS multiplayer games with a fantastic single-player storyline and probably the best online multiplayer we’ve still ever seen. It sometimes feels as though the franchise went downhill ever since – with a few acceptions here and there. What made it so iconic for Xbox 360 users was that this console undeniably had the best multiplayer experience at the time. The way you could hop into party chat with friends and spend many an evening owning noobs was something you remember forever.
#3 Forza
We’re nearing the end of our top 10 and we’ll round it off with three of the biggest and best Xbox franchises of all time. Forza came out as a direct rival to Gran Turismo – which, until the original Forza released, was kind of the biggest pull Sony had by way of exclusives. Microsoft needed an exclusive racing simulator to rival this and they succeeded. Forza has always had graphics that exceed expectations and bring fun driving mechanics with loads of car options to the table. Maybe I’m biased but it’s way more enjoyable than Gran Turismo and Forza Horizon 5 is the best racing game of the Xbox Series X/Playstation 5 generation by FAR.
#2 Gears of War
No game in the co-op shooter genre has ever come close to the Gears of War titles. It completely revamped the genre and made cover shooting extremely enjoyable. The fact you could play the storyline alone or with friends made Gears of War unique at the time too. Its jaw-dropping graphics and characters made the whole series addictive and forced a lot of gamers to switch over to the Xbox 360 when the franchise first launched. Along with Forza (and our final franchise), it formed the strong 3 pillars of what made Xbox 360 such a more desirable console at the time.
#1 Halo
Let’s be real, we couldn’t make a list of iconic Xbox games without listing Halo as number one. The newer versions may not be as good, but the older games on the 360 were legendary. It was such a unique approach to a game at the time; an FPS set in space with huge jump mechanics, amazing multiplayer gameplay, the ability to drive vehicles and much more. People love these games and we can see why. Sony tried to compete with Killzone and the amazingly floppy Haze but could never come close to replicating what was so good about the Halo franchise.
This is our top 10, but what’s yours? Seeing different Xbox fan’s opinions on this is always exciting as we’ve all got varying views depending on when we got into gaming. Some of the younger generations may have never played these iconic titles/franchises – if you haven’t, check them out today and you won’t be disappointed.
