20 years later, we're four console generations deep into Xbox's lifespan. Each has one-upped the last with new graphics, bigger games and a wealth of new features. It's been a rollercoaster ride, and Xbox is now perhaps in the best position it's ever been in.
That being said, everyone has their era they gravitate more towards. Whether it's the nostalgic multiplayer days of the Xbox 360 or the current glory of Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Series X|S - there's a generation for everyone. What's yours?
Let's take a look back at the four Xbox consoles we're dealing with:
Xbox
It all began back in 2001 with Microsoft's first stab at the Xbox brand. Competing against heavy hitters such as the goliath that was the PlayStation 2, and the smaller but still beloved GameCube, a lot was going against it. Thankfully, it managed to find a strong and loyal fanbase, which committed to the brand and nurtured the early days of Xbox Live.
It was also home to some pretty incredible exclusives, kickstarting franchises we still see today. Halo is the biggest one, but the original Xbox also introduced us to Fable, Project Gotham Racing and Fuzion Frenzy.
Alongside these great titles, third-party exclusive support was also fairly substantial. Games such as Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind and Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath ushered in a varied and excited audience of players. It was an incredible start to the brand and one that would only get better.
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 era is when things truly kicked in, with online multiplayer and communication becoming a staple of the gaming world. Xbox nailed it over the years, and many of us hold nostalgic memories towards the console, such as coming home after school to boot up Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.
It was a generation that also built upon everything found in the original Xbox's lifespan. Halo made huge waves with Halo 3 - a title that is often cited as the best in the franchise and a huge milestone for multiplayer gaming. Others, such as Fable 2, continued their respective franchises in amazing new ways.
But it wasn't all just more of the same. The Xbox 360 ushered in major new franchises, which again, have become staples of Xbox's library. Gears of War, Forza Horizon, Crackdown - the list goes on. There were even franchises that stayed within the generation but have become classics in their own right, much like Viva Pinata and its sequel. If that wasn't enough, Xbox 360 players also had huge JRPGs grace the system, for example, the incredible Blue Dragon and Eternal Sonata. It was a golden age for Xbox players and as such, made a huge impact in many gamers' lives.
Xbox One
Moving into the Xbox One era, this is where things started getting a bit rocky. After a pretty disastrous launch that tarnished the brand for a long time, Microsoft slowly brought the momentum back thanks to the leadership of Phil Spencer. It was a dark time for Xbox, but luckily one that we can push into the past.
It wasn't all bad. In fact, despite the early negative press, there's a ton to celebrate. Throughout the generation, we saw the introduction of backwards compatibility and of course, Xbox Game Pass. Two fantastic additions to the Xbox ecosystem and features that separated the Xbox One from the competition.
There's also the argument that the Xbox One had "no exclusives", but we beg to differ. Throughout the entire generation, we saw incredible titles added. Sunset Overdrive, Sea of Thieves, Ori and the Blind Forest, Quantum Break, Forza Horizon 4, Gears 5 - the list goes on. It's an incredible achievement and a fantastic comeback story. The journey has paved a way for Xbox to shine, and with the next generation, it seems that may be the case.
Xbox Series X|S
Last, but certainly not least, is the Xbox Series X|S - the current-gen goliaths. While the consoles launched with no real exclusives, this has been the least of Microsoft's worries. 2021 has been incredible for Xbox, introducing an array of fantastic Xbox Game Pass titles and FPS Boosts to many beloved games.
The transition into this gen has been seamless, with additions such as Smart Delivery bringing ease of access to games and much more. Combined with the incredible graphics, super-fast SSD and lovely tweaks to the controller, this is probably the best Xbox has ever been.
Even the first year of titles has been fairly exceptional, despite being mainly third-party. Opening with incredible games such as Assassin's Creed Valhalla and Yakuza: Like A Dragon, it's only gotten better with first-party titles such as Psychonauts 2 arriving day one into Xbox Game Pass. Now, with the launch of the superb Forza Horizon 5, and Halo Infinite just around the corner, the fun is only just getting started...
Which generation of Xbox is your favourite? Let us know in the comments below.
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Comments 39
360 by far, nothing else is close.
Series X has been very impressive so far but it’s too early to judge as an entire generation. So 360 for me (for now).
Hard to vote when you can't really vote for this generation yet. Not criticizing the idea since we're about to have the anniversary show, but this generation is too new. Between it just passing a year old and the virus delaying/messing with things, nobody can vote for this generation yet with a straight face.
With that said, if I had to vote, it would be for the 360. RROD or not, it was still by far the best overall generation for Xbox. Until near the end of it when it was clear they didn't care about having enough good exclusives after relying too much on Gears, Halo, and Forza. Even with that, I would still put it ahead of the original Xbox as the majority of it was still great.
Series X. It's already the best console out there equipped with gamepass and home to Bethesda.
As a newcomer to the Xbox ecosystem I couldn't reasonably vote for anything other than the Xbox Series X|S... but there are a lot of Xbox 360 games I'm interested in (some of which are not available through the backwards-compatability program).
I'm really impressed with Xbox for making games more affordable (Game Pass), making sure new Series X games are X1 compatible, letting PC players join-in day one, letting you game anywhere with XCloud, and being the front-runner in accessibility for disabled players (just to name a few). No one gets left out, period. So cool.
@stinkyx agree with this. A complete reverse on the Xbox One launch where they were all over the place with their message. This gen is very much with the player in mind.
Xbox 360 for me was the best.
The Xbox one had one good year for me it was the tomb raider Christmas year.
The series x has a very good chance of beating the Xbox 360 long term maybe, but it will take some doing game wise to achieve this.
Also we have moved on from the Xbox360 days and games take longer to develop, so maybe that’s not fair in that regards on the current generation.
@Zag_Man I agree, this generation has the greatest potential with the awesome hardware and new studios but we have seen nothing yet.
Whilst I would happily argue that the Xbox 360 is probably the greatest console ever made, I reckon the Series X will be the best simply because it also works with all the previous ones.
I have so many fond memories of the original Xbox but yeah, I'm a vote for the 360 era too.
That console was absolutely superb and the raft of games was just incredible.
It was such an exciting time which is being echoed now with the Series consoles ☺️
Well gaming wise the 360 generation was the best but hardware wise it was poor. My own console got the red ring of death. The original xbox was good and had some really decent games for its time. The xbox one generation was a disaster. This generation has the most potential, its on the right track XGS and XGS Publishing has 40 known games in development which are exclusive. Basically the sky is the limit this generation. I think this is the time we will see what the xbox brand is truly capable of.
360 by a long way.
It's like trying to pick your favourite child.
Series consoles for me. I had the OG Xbox but don't remember much about it other than Mech Warrior. Current gen got me back into gaming, best thing since the N64 in my youth.
I would have said 360 but XSX has been so solid in this first year. The in detractor has been the supply issues.
360 had so many top games Far cry2, Prince of Persia, Forza, fable, halo, gears ando many to mention - what a console.
360 was great. This generation with game pass and all the backwards comparability and fps boosts and quick resume and load times. This is the future of gaming and it’s been amazing.
My vote would be between 360 and Series X. The 360 would be the winner at the moment, but if the Series X lives up to its potential it will surpass it. These two generations are the Xbox generations I got in to at launch and both moved me away from PC, the other two were additional to PC.
I bought an original Xbox as my 2nd system alongside my GameCube and it blew me away. It was such an absolute game changer.
I'd say this current one by default because you get the best of all the previous plus more.
Current is the best because I bought a Series S and was able to buy games from all of the Xboxs.
Hard to say for me really, as I had the 360 for two years, the xbox one for two months and the series S for 8 months, so with that I'm going to have to go with the 360 with games like eternal sonata, blue dragon and lost odyssey
For me, I'd say the Xbox 360 generation.
360 of course. I can’t wait to see what this gen holds though. But the 360 and that era of gaming was just so memorable.
Xbox 360 was magnificent. However, I voted for Series X/S, since I have high hopes for it.
Series X will probably end up being the best overall for me once I've had more time with it (and it does play games very well, btw), but in terms of just feeling more like a traditional console I'd say 360 wins for me. Such a great system.
360 era it just seemed that they were firing on all cylinders during that time.
I mean it’s obviously 360 but Series X has a chance to take it. Time will tell!
On paper it's the 360 (if nothing else, by sheer weight of sales). However, I voted for Series SX as, despite the lack of 1st year exclusives and supply issues, I've really enjoyed the console this year... and it owes a great debt to the One series! Yes, MS really messed up some aspects of the ONE hardware and it really never recovered from the launch fiasco sales wise... but to their credit, they took it on the chin and put in place a LONG term strategy to fix things... all the things that I like about Series X stem from that strategy - the improved hardware specs at sensible prices, gamepass, BC, performance patches for older games and the studio acquisitions all started years ago as they tried (and IMHO succeeded) in repairing the reputational damage with companies and gamers. Even the understated series console case designs are direct evolutions of the One S and One X.
Clearly it is Xbox 360 but Series X and Series S are also becoming the best Xbox generation soon and will be better than the 360
I think it’s hard to judge this gen into this survey because we barely starting. I can se this gen ending as the best but at this point it has not surpassed the 360 gen. It can do so easily if it simply start delivering next year on all those games that have been announced.
I would have to say 360. I love the Xbox One, but overall that was kind of a weak generation, Forza games were probably the best thing it had going for it. The 360 generation was just a great time to be on Xbox Live, the community was really fun and alive back then, people were a lot more social and the entire atmosphere was more easy going. The PS4/One generation really ushered in this competitive gaming atmosphere and it totally changed the online gaming experience. Looking back that whole 360 era was the most I enjoyed online gaming. Maybe I was just at the perfect age for it back then, but I remember meeting a lot of people on Xbox Live back then. After that, it seems like everyone just became some random voiceless player that comes and goes with every match. The games we got during the 360 era were also among my favorite.
I think that's why I loved the Xbox One X, it gave me enhanced versions of all these great 360 games that I loved, and it gave me a great way to play my original Xbox games as well. The Series X is easily the best hardware though, it's like every Xbox was just an evolution of the original until we got to the Series consoles which feel so blazing fast that it's like a whole new thing.
This generation has the potential to be number one but it's too early to make that call. I ended up voting for the original X-Box, so many great games on that machine. Pretty close call with the 360 though.
Hi there fellow gamers.
Best Xbox gen? In my opinion, it has to be Xbox 360.
So many bangers came out on that system, and to this day, are still very much acclaimed, even if not by many people.
Games like the Mass Effect trilogy, the Gears of War games, Lost Odissey, Alan Wake, Dead or Alive 4, Magna Carta 2, Lost Planet, Forza Motorsport (in my case FM4, fantastic game), Ninja Gaiden 2, Test Drive Unlimited, Project Gotham Racing 3 and 4, just to name some of my personal favourites.
It was also backwards compatible with certain OG Xbox games, like Blinx and Ninja Gaiden, both I played way to many times.
A truly great gaming gen for Xbox.
Cheers, stay safe everyone and happy gaming to us all
No Xbox will ever come close to the 360. It was the ONLY time that I stuck with Microsoft as my main console for almost a whole generation. Before that, it was the NES, Genesis, Playstation, and Gamecube. After that, it was the PS4 and now the Switch. Even though yes I have all three consoles, it's my Switch that gets the most play.
Obviously the 360 is a juggernaut of a console. That whole generation was still the best ever in my opinion. However, my vote went to the OG Xbox. I went from PS1 to Dreamcast and then chose the Xbox over PS2. I’m so glad I did! It had all the right kind of exclusives for me at the time. Especially KOTOR 1and 2 Halo. And also 16 player Halo 2 LAN parties! After that generation my main console has been PlayStation but I’ve always gotten an Xbox a few years after to have both. This time around. I think I’m going to go with Xbox Series X as my main and pick up a PS5 later down the road. Xbox just seams like the more fun party to be at right now. I love you OG Xbox!
The original was most memorable for me, partly because of the impressive hardware. Nothing on PC could touch it except for maybe RTCW and MOHAA. PS2 couldn't even come close to games like Chaos Theory, Halo CE, Brute Force, Tao Feng, etc.. It almost seemed like a generation, or at least half a gen ahead compared to the PS2 and that has stuck in my mind since then. We'll never see that kind of gap again unfortunately, but I truly felt special owning an Xbox back then. Everyone had a PS2 and were shocked when I kept making claims that 'my version is better than your version' of games like Chaos Theory and proved it when they came over to check it out. I didn't care that the PS2 had a lot more games. After gaming on the Xbox everything I saw on the PS2 looked like utter garbage and I never even bothered buying one because of it.
reflecting back on it all i will have to say and this is probably gonna be a unpopular opinion but i would say the Xbox One was my favorite..
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