Best Xbox Exclusives

Didn't know insomniac did sunset overdrive, may have to give it a try at some point this weekend

Apart from FH5 the only top end AAA new exclusive in 2021 for Series consoles, you might as be living in the past.
No where’s my Tardis 😂

@UltimateOtaku91
Good game sunset overdrive, a bit different but great.

Genuinely had to open the article to see how the list was going to be padded.
And it's not hate, I'm an Xbox owner just as everybody else. But man, would it have been a short list without backward compatibility

cough*Recore*cough

does Gears 5 not have series X/S version?

I would love to play Fable 2 GOTY but it looks terrible on a 75” TV. That release needs some love!

yes, it sucks to be a Xbox player

When it comes down to it, it's a personal choice. Sure Xbox has games. With GamePass, literally too many (good thing).

That said, all things being equal, personally, I would rather have the exclusives on the PlayStation, then what's on the Xbox as it sits right now. I say this as an Xbox owner.

Maybe a fun article/poll to have? Which exclusives would you rather want.

@Savage_Joe Yeah I never understood the "no games" thing, like exclusives should be the only games I should ever have any interest in playing at all times. In fact my problem has always been the opposite, I got way too many games to play and it can be hard to decide sometimes. Especially considering the massive back catalog of games you have access to on Xbox thanks to the unrivaled backwards compatibility support.

@UltimateOtaku91 sunset overdrive can be played on the PS5 since insomniac is owned by Sony

@Arcnail i would prefer the higher quality exclusive on the PS5 personally

@phoenix1 Looking for Sunset Overdrive on PS5. I don't see it.

@Arcnail PS5 console and Xbox games on PC. Best of both worlds!

My plan is i will play xbox this generation with gamepass as most stuff will come out on that. Rewards paid for the console and continues to pay for gamepass.

and i wont miss out on PlayStation exclusives as at the end of the generation i will buy a ps5 and play them all then when they are cheap or on their own sub service. Im not paying £70 for a game

Ain’t no way you put Sunset Overtrash on this list 🤣🤣

@JayJ Thanks to Backwards Compat ? So Xbox gamers just get rid of the old systems ? PlayStation gamers keep their systems so we don’t need it as much as you lot go on about it

Im sorry, but new consoles need new games and pointing out games from bygone years is hardly cattering for thise who crave top new experiences.
As a repository of excellent titles from the past, xbox and gp nail it, and they have big enough pockets to supply some excellent 3rd party titles too. But theres so little new stuff you cant experience elsewhere and it IS an issue.

@NattyKing Well why are you on an Xbox site promoting the Sony Playstation? What makes you think everyone on a site called Pure Xbox would be all about the PS5?

@electrolite77 Yeah funny enough the people who seem to be extremely motivated by a mediocre list of exclusives are people who go to an Xbox website to promote the PS5. Says everything really.

This kind of behavior is why Sony Playstation fans are notorious for being by far the worst and most invasive fanboys. Nobody else does this, going to websites specifically for a different platform just to fanboy for Playstation. Like I don't see Nintendo or PC fans doing this.

I guess when all you got for why you promote something is a small list of games and an exclusivity status that nobody really cares about, you gotta really double down on reassurance. You would think these people would just stick to Sony Playstation websites if they want to be surrounded by people praising the PS5 and promoting it.

It’s a bit much wen the console’s been out 2 years and the best exclusives are games that are years old!! Apart from FORZA Horizon 5 there’s been nothing. I said months ago Starfield would not release in 2022. And they can’t blame the pandemic! Sony also had a pandemic yet Playstation has numerous new games! MS are dropping the ball again like they did with the Xbox One. Great console but wat use is it with no games!!?

@sjbsixpack You didn't really answer my question. Why are you in the comments section for an article about Xbox exclusives if you are only interested in promoting and talking about Playstation exclusives?

@Savage_Joe clearly

I tried Quantum Break and just couldn’t get on with it. Not my style with the FMV scenes in it.
Rest of the list is pretty solid, but their are a ton of third party games to play too.

@sjbsixpack It is also a bonafide ‘fact’ that Sony delay's games too… so what’s your point?

@trev666 Yes it does, plus the next gen DLC free to Game Pass members.

@sjbsixpack Sony delayed games due to the pandemic too. Doesn’t matter if they have released as they were delayed.

People seem to be singling Xbox out here, yes it sucks games have been delayed, but Sony has delayed games just as much. I look at the third party titles still coming to Game Pass and am excited still, Atomic Heart? Yes please, plus a ton of other games I haven’t played.

@sjbsixpack It is a direct comparison, it is a bit ignorant to claim otherwise. God Of War Ragnarock will probably be delayed till next year too as no gameplay, not even a screenshot or CGI has been shown for the game. It’s very comparable.

@sjbsixpack Forza Horizon 5, Halo Infinite, The Gunk, Phsyconauts 2, MS Flight Simulator, Gears. 5 Hivebusters, The Ascent was a timed exclusive, The Medium was too.

These are only just the ones I’ve played or can remember. Good lost here of what has and is coming http://news.xbox.com/en-us/2021/01/15/2021-xbox-exclusive-games/

So yeah just a few more then ‘one’… stop making things up, plenty has and is coming to the platform.

@sjbsixpack So if a game is on PC it's not exclusive? Well only Nintendo have exclusive games then. Because Sonys games are on PC too... no, I am 100% sure of everything I said, all those games were exclusive or times exclusive but they weren't or aren't on Sony and Nintendo consoles. I've been enjoying all those Xbox exclusives over the last couple of years. Not sure why you think any different?

@sjbsixpack @sjbsixpack Didn't know they had made a CGI trailer for it, hmm 8 months ago and no release date. Is that all they've shown in 8 months? Yeah I think it could be delayed.

@sjbsixpack Good for them, I'm not watching a click bait video, I'm pretty certain I could link to one setting the total opposite, I have my own opinion and appreciate the facts the Xbox has had plenty of 'exclusive' games despite the impression you are trying to give. I await the other exclusives coming this year and what is announced at the E3 event.

@S1ayeR74 your acting as tho i’m hating on Xbox, i’m not. I have a Series X, my kids av Series S. It’s a fact tho MS av dropped the ball. Again. I’m not saying Flight Sim isn’t exclusive, i’m saying it isn’t a Series X exclusive, it’s an old game that was originally made for PC. Like i wouldn’t say Knights of the Old republic is a PS5 exclusive. Also some PS games come to PC, not all and they come out up to 4 years after release. God of War recently landed, Ragnorok is out in a few months.

@electrolite77 I totally get what u r saying. I think some people almost make their console of choice part of their identity. That said, I think at least to a degree, you buy a console to play their exclusives. Granted, to some this might not matter as much, especially those who just buy one or two games a year like COD and Madden…..

recore is quite good xbox exclusive.. very underrated

@Arcnail for me Playstation exclusives are on another level. They’re more than just good games, the story, the acting, the immersion, the emotion, they really are incredible!! I own an love both the PS5 an XSX but like i said, PS exclusives are mind blowing. Like AAA Netflix series where you control an make decisions for the lead character.

@S1ayeR74 you were saying bout GoW Ragnarok??? 😆😆😆

Ouch, that hurts. Why remind us how limited they are? There's only a few worth playing to top it off.

For Fable 2, you write "the fictional land of Albion".

Albion is an antiquated name for Britain.

Thanks for all the recommendations!

Yikes... not a very compelling round-up

lost odyssey & blue dragon should have been put here
those two games are very underrated

@FraserG Any chance of adding Recore?

@themightyant For the most part that's all true - I still need to go back and finish it myself! But with it being one of the few Xbox one exclusives, I thought it deserved a mention at least!

@themightyant that's possibly a little harsh - and by that logic you could already prune a few titles off (like State of Decay for starters), I just think it deserves a mention - especially since the definitive edition fixed several of the complaints from the launch version.

@Jay J ???

This is actually a very decent list albeit with some previous gen exclusives but I skipped Xbox One completely so this current gen on Gamepass has been incredible value thus far. I'd argue Xbox has had more or at least better overall exclusives than Nintendo. The Switch has a handful of genre defining games which almost every owner erm, owns. Xbox is pretty solid though. PlayStation is consistently strong from generation to generation with a few hiccups here and there. It's a good time to be a gamer.

Ok list. Xbox One is my Forza 5-7 (don't like them as much as 1-4, 6 does not exist to me personally it's how I feel about GT7 just less terrible as GT7 is of GT5 fair design but so disgustingly tone deaf and wasted potential with a GT4 menu lying to players in marketing).

Sunset Overdrive (I know on PC but hey it's my 1 of 2 favourite open worlds beside Gravity Rush 1, a thing I don't like is open worlds so they are rare exceptions), ReCore and Rare Replay machine. All 3rd parties sand 1st parties are a bonus.

Gears is good yes. Halo 5 is fine not great. Quantum Break, Lucky's Tale are fair games. The other IPs I haven't experienced (Crackdown 3, State of Decay 1 or 2, the Ninja Theory multiplayer game I forget exists and saw for $2 one day and photographed) so not commenting on them really.

Even then OG/360 are more exciting to me (old entries especially and those left behind) first party western and Japanese games on those consoles.

One/Series are fine but eh.

Forza Horizon 5 on this list I don't know what to believe of fans or critics or fans ok with the game then those not.

NFS/Horizon/The Crew have some fine ideas/execution but I still even if I don't play open world racers do things their going weird directions business model, appeal to audiences outside the norm and otherwise.

While I stick to particular arcade/sim/futuristic/whatever else appeals of mostly old and very very few 'new' gen games in racing.

I grew up playing HALO as one of my favorite games and I bought XSX because I miss my childhood.

Valhiem is the only game I like from this list

@FraserG The above comments are confusing as they no longer represent the article.
Why weren't new articles made per year, while linking back to previous articles?
For instance, comment #1 is about Sunset Overdrive, which is no longer listed within the article.

@FraserG I apologize. I did not see that there were pages to this article. I see them now.

Planet of Lana will be released on PS4/5 in Spring 2024

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64wBNm_rIgQ

this list has highlighted some of the things that piss me of with xbox because they don't provide a choice,

grounded and hi-fi rush are both games i would buy and play if they had physical releases.

i enjoyed vermitide 2 solo offline and was hoping to have a go with Warhammer 40,000: Darktide but you need XBOXgold/live to use the game at all.

they want you to be subscribed to these services but not providing the options to play offline or buy discs makes it feel like blackmail and just sours the brand for me.

Does anyone else see the irony in the timing of this article being republished now...? 🤣

@Fiendish-Beaver bumping this thread now is mad 😂😂😂

Time to bookmark this page...

Just rubbing it in I see…. Nice one @fraserg

Of course not, @FraserG. I wouldn't suggest otherwise... 🤣

Glad to see Halo Infinite getting some love as I've always routed against the general negative narrative on this one. I loved every second of its campaign and enjoyed quite a lot of multiplayer games (a thing I usually never do).

It still remains one of my go-to games, and I suspect it will stay that way for a long time.

Great list, by the way !

@Bobobiwan Halo Infinite's campaign is the best of any modern shooter along with Doom Eternal. Halo Infinite also has one of the best multiplayer in this genre. Too bad some... people disregard Xbox exclusives just because they're Xbox exclusives.

@Banjo- Yeah, the way this game is generally considered (as a semi-failure) is beyond me. The only grip I can genuinely make about it is the promise of multiplayer campaign in split-screen, which never happened an became, well... a lie. Sure, this function seems almost irrelevant nowadays, but they should not have promised that in the first place.

Outside of this question, Halo Infinite remains for me one of the true jewels of the Series X.

@Bobobiwan I completely agree. They likely intended to make it, but I guess they were overwhelmed by development and eventually didn't keep their promise and disappointed people that were looking forward to the split-screen campaign.

redfall forever!

🤣 the state of the comment section from those early commenters! Thank god it seems to have calmed down the last couple of years!

Lots of good games here. Had Halo Wars on my list for ages. This is yet another reminder to actually get on and play it.

And another shout out for Halo Infinite. Fantastic campaign (not a multiplayer gamer personally). The less than favourable reputation is baffling.

@LX_FENIX Genuinely curious about a fans take on this game. What do you love about it and how does it rank in your all time greats?

@TheBeardiest It has some of the best platforming of any game I've played, and the combat is unique in that you're more supporting from range and issuing commands while your companions do the bulk of the fighting, along with the concept of being able to defeat an enemy by removing its core. I enjoyed the main character as well.

It's no masterpiece and it's not anywhere near my list of all time great games, but i had fun with it and it's much more unique than most open world games that have come out since.

After all those years in development how crap was hellblade 2 though, it's a massive snore fest.

The frustrating thing about Hellblade as a franchise is that if they would just work on the gameplay, give it just a little actual combat beyond the barebones system it has now, something more fleshed out, Xbox would have God of War with a better story. I loved it anyway, but better gameplay and replace those annoying puzzles.

We should all hold a sweepstake: we each randomly choose one of these games out of a hat, and whoever has the game that comes to another platform first wins.

@armondo36 @Shalooda I think you are missing the point about Hellblade. It isn't about the combat or the puzzles, its about how those impact on Senua and her Psychosis. That's why it's important to play with headphones and the Voices.

It's not about how difficult or Complex the Combat, its more about how that is impacting on Senua and the voices. The more you get 'hit', the more negativity or doubt comes in - the longer it takes to solve puzzles, the more the voices speak...

The whole purpose of both Hellblade and Hellblade 2 was to give players a taste of what living with a Mental Health condition is like. You can't turn off or shut the voices up and 'difficult' situations are often triggers for those voices. At the end of the game, you should have a better understanding of what people with Psychosis are likely to be experiencing in their everyday life.

If you are focusing in on the Combat or Puzzles, want them to be more 'gamified' and/or more challenging/difficult - apart from the fact its not Dark Souls/God of War, that is why many may have started Hellblade, but then gave up because the puzzle or Combat stopped them from progressing and experiencing what living with Psychosis is like.

Anyway - I would prefer it if they did make a more Action orientated game - with a good Story too, but I think they really wanted to make an 'experience' in a way that 'movies' just can't - that interactive element that immerses you in and its your 'actions' that trigger the voices inside 'your' head (hence Headphones are essential). It's less a 'game' and more a way to experience what living with Psychosis and voices in your head can be like as many don' or won't ever experience or understand that...

@BAMozzy yeah I just thought they would make the sequel less boring than the original , and they made it worse , it gave me a stomach ache it was that monotonous, the only other game that's done that is everybody's gone to the rapture.

@sjbsixpack Dosen't matter how long it takes for a Sony game to go to PC the fact is they do which makes all Sonys games temporary exclusives.
Sony were even talking about how they want them on the PC much sooner, especially as most of their big AAA single player First Party titles they used to make are hardly making any profit over time due to ever increasing development costs.
Concord certainly hasn't helped.

@Shalooda Hellblade 2 only started development in 2020 what years are you talking about.?

Maybe you mean Concord which started development 8 years ago and lasted all of 2 weeks before being cancelled.

@BAMozzy the story is great, the gameplay isn't particularly enjoyable and puzzles are repeated too often. Variety in gameplay is good.

If down bad was an article

This list is a joke, most games here are niche and unpopular and some are outright bad games, just because a game isn't released on ps5 doesn't make it a must have xbox exclusive..

@Scirius Yeah, it's an odd list. And I can play most of the games on my PC for a better experience too. This list isn't exactly helping the "Xbox has no games" argument.

@Rog-X Sony only do that with certain games, and like 1-2 years later. Practically all the Xbox games come to PC on the same day. I only ever fire up my Series X for some old back compat 360 stuff. Everything else is on PC and looks and runs better on my PC than my Xbox so... meh.

Apart from the graphics, Ryse is very mediocre (at best).

After all these years (almost 2 generations) just like ~15 exclusives. I really hate to say this but Xbox is just a island PC in a console box.

Without some big incentive to get an Xbox console next gen the console space for Microsoft is a total loss moving forward. I need more than GamePass and more than just some games being PlayAnywhere. If we are going fully digital we need all new Xbox games to work on the new console and PC, no exceptions. We need digitally 'owned' OG Xbox, 360, One, Series games to be playable on PC as well. Without exclusives you need other big reasons to keep spending money on this ecosystem.

Been here since almost the start of the Xbox brand and beta tested Xbox Live this is feeling like they are wanting to become a 3rd party company without a dedicated console.

I wonder how many of these will still be exclusives by the end of 2025. Indy’s out, Stalker 2 will likely be out, probably Hellblade 2 too. Those are the obvious/known ones, let alone whatever else may be lost if the brilliant geniuses at the helm decide to turbo charge Project Destroy Xbox. Oh sorry, I meant Project Latitude.

Damn Nintendo put out more exclusives the past 18 months. I hope Xbox focuses more on their game output than their branding. Rare Replay is a great example of a ton of games they can license out to smaller developers to have a go at without doing all these multi year development releases.

You got some nerve reposting this at these times…

@Dezzy70 Whovians everywhere

In a few months, Forza Horizon 5 needs to be removed from this list.