Best Xbox Exclusives

What are the best Xbox exclusives you can play as of March 2024?

The Xbox ecosystem has been home to some truly stellar Xbox exclusives over the years, top-notch titles that you'll only find on Microsoft's family of consoles and PC. What's more, the vast majority of these titles are now available via Xbox and PC Game Pass, making it easier than ever for you to dive into some of the best gaming experiences currently available.

In order to help you choose which Xbox exclusives to get stuck into next, we've gone ahead and put together a list of our absolute favourites, games from across several generations that encompass a wide range of genres - there really is something for everyone to enjoy here. For your convenience, we've also highlighted whether or not each and every listing below is currently available on Xbox Game Pass in 2024.

We've primarily stuck to Xbox One and Xbox Series exclusives for this list, although you'll also find some Xbox 360 exclusives in the mix. Regardless, everything listed here works on modern Xbox consoles like the Series X and Series S.

If you're interested in more than just the best Xbox exclusives, don't forget that we've also got other guides such as the best Xbox RPGs and all 120FPS supported Xbox games. We've also got a full list of everything announced for Xbox Game Pass in 2024 so far, so be sure to check that out for a full roundup of what's coming to the service soon.

Let's jump in!

Best Xbox Exclusives (As Of March 2024)

Sea Of Thieves (Xbox One)

Arrrrrr! Rare’s colourful pirate hijinks have come a long, long way since they first arrived on the scene back in 2018. What was once a rather threadbare and often aimless experience has been utterly transformed into a rich and vibrant world full of adventure and intrigue through constant updates, improvements and tasty content additions.

Yes, getting into great big sea battles against other players, fighting all manner of fantastical creatures and searching for treasure may be the main draw, but even the simple act of working together to successfully manoeuvre your ship here is a joy, such is the craftsmanship and attention to detail with which Rare has put this world together. With the best water we’ve ever seen in a video game - the sea here really is a character in and of itself - Sea of Thieves is a highly atmospheric adventure playground that provides an absolute timesink for groups of friends and solo players alike. This is one of our absolute favourite Xbox exclusives thus far!

Note: Will remain an Xbox exclusive until April 30th, 2024

  • Xbox Game Pass? Yes

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Planet of Lana (Xbox Series X|S)

There was a lot of hype behind Planet of Lana before it arrived on Xbox Game Pass in May of 2023, and fortunately it managed to live up to that hype, delivering a stunning puzzle-adventure experience that lives long in the memory. We gave it a "Great 8/10" score here at Pure Xbox, praising it as a "gorgeous" addition to the Game Pass service.

In fact, Pure Xbox users actually voted Planet of Lana as their favourite Xbox Game Pass addition in May 2023 by a significant margin, with the game receiving 35% of all votes and beating the likes of Redfall, FIFA 23 and Ravenlok. For that reason alone, we highly suggest checking it out right now!

Note: Will remain an Xbox exclusive until April 16th, 2024

  • Xbox Game Pass? Yes

Forza Horizon 5 (Xbox Series X|S)

One of the most exquisite looking games currently available on any gaming platform, that also happens to be just about as good as arcade racing games get? Yeah, that'll be Forza Horizon 5.

Playground Games' latest may not do anything particularly new for the franchise, but it doesn't really need to, as this is the open world racer's exquisite gameplay loops honed to absolute perfection and plonked down in the very best setting the series has seen to date. An endless array of wonderfully flashy sports cars, tons of events, seamless online functionality and constant, almost overwhelming, bells, whistles and unlockables see every moment you spend with this game feel like some sort of crazy, car-based sugar rush. Forza Horizon 5 is as good as arcade racing gets in the year of 2024.

  • Xbox Game Pass? Yes

Palworld (Xbox Series X|S)

Who'd have thought Palworld would be the next big Xbox console exclusive everyone would talk about? The January 2024 launch was a smash hit, racking up ridiculous player numbers on Steam in its first day, and certifying itself as one the most popular Xbox Game Pass titles in the process. A huge success for the devs of Craftopia!

You've probably heard about this being a Pokémon-like experience, and that's definitely true to an extent, but it also shares similarities with the likes of Ark: Survival Ascended, Valheim and even Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The game launched in early access so there's plenty of development to go, but it's got off to an absolutely fantastic start.

  • Xbox Game Pass? Yes

Microsoft Flight Simulator (Xbox Series X|S)

Microsoft Flight Simulator is an extraordinary experience, a truly jaw-dropping game that gives you the freedom to hop into one of its stunningly recreated planes and take to the skies to explore the world - yes, the entire world - in an almost unbelievable level of detail. Of all the Xbox exclusives on this list, we feel like Flight Sim is truly special, a one-of-a-kind game that it's quite hard to believe has actually made its way to consoles playing and looking quite as well as it does.

This one's an Xbox Series exclusive for obvious reasons (although it works via the cloud on Xbox One), and it'll take you some time to get used to all the various controls, but once it all clicks into place, there's nothing like it. We've sank hours and hours into discovering and exploring here and still get the same level of thrill every time we run through our pre-flight checks and take off for another journey, even if that journey consists of nothing more than circling our own houses for the umpteenth time.

  • Xbox Game Pass? Yes

Rare Replay (Xbox One)

Released back in 2015 to celebrate Rare's 30th anniversary, Rare Replay is a splendid compilation that spans the developer's work across multiple genres and console generations. From the ZX Spectrum right up to the Xbox 360, there's a treasure trove to explore here and it's enhanced by behind-the-scenes footage, interviews, snapshot and rewind functions, built in cheats and more besides.

There's so much to dig into here, and GoldenEye 007 recently joined the lineup as well! With the likes of Sabre Wulf, R.C. Pro-AM 2, Blast Corps, Battletoads, two Perfect Dark titles, Jet Force Gemini, Killer Instinct, Banjo Kazooie and a whole heap more, this is a fascinating history lesson and boatload of fun-times all rolled into one.

  • Xbox Game Pass? Yes

Forza Motorsport (Xbox Series X|S)

There's something for everyone with the Forza series! While Forza Horizon is based on exploring big open world maps and racing in slightly more arcade-like conditions, Forza Motorsport is all about replicating the hardcore simulation aspects of the sport. Just like previous entries in the series, that's exactly what the reboot sets out to achieve.

Instead of going to Forza Motorsport 8, the team over at Turn 10 decided to give the franchise a refresh with its Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S debut, suggesting we could be looking at many years' worth of content for the new Forza Motorsport in the future. If you're intrigued by this one, it's definitely something to add to your download list.

  • Xbox Game Pass? Yes

Halo Wars 2 (Xbox One)

2017's Halo Wars 2 is a fantastic RTS-spin on Halo and still has us yearning for a sequel almost seven years on. Creative Assembly worked with 343 to deliver a great console-catered RTS experience here, and the game's Xbox One X enhancements mean this one still looks and plays great on Xbox Series X in 2024.

Halo Wars 2 lets you control entire armies of Marines, Warthogs, Scorpion tanks and Spartans on the battlefield, and its narrative slots nicely into the overall Halo storyline as well. We'd love to see more of this sort of thing arrive for other Xbox franchises, and years later we still treasure our time with both Halo Wars franchise spinoffs. HW2 definitely deserves a spot on this list!

  • Xbox Game Pass? Yes

Gears 5 (Xbox One)

Gears 5 is an absolutely essential entry in the long-running Xbox exclusive franchise that sees the Gears right back at the top of their game in an action-packed adventure that's fully playable in co-op either locally or online. There’s a strong campaign here, surprisingly character-driven stuff for a series that’s known chiefly for its brutal battles, it manages to pack an emotional punch while serving up all the carnage fans have come to expect and more besides.

With the Ultimate Edition of this sprawling adventure available on Game Pass, alongside the truly excellent Hivebusters expansion, there’s no excuse not to grab some friends, ready your Lancers and get blasting some Locust scum across the main campaign, Escape and Horde modes! Gears 5 is a massive package of brutal, bloody good times.

  • Xbox Game Pass? Yes

Valheim (Xbox Series X|S)

The outstanding PC game Valheim became an Xbox console exclusive when it arrived on Xbox Game Pass in March 2023, and although the graphics might not be up to much, you definitely don't want to miss out on this one!

Valheim is a "brutal" survival and exploration game which you can either play solo or with friends online, with extensive building mechanics, a massive procedurally-generated world to explore, bosses to conquer and much more. It might take you an hour or two to get into the rhythm of Valheim, but once you're there, this is a game that's extremely difficult to put down. There's a reason it has an "Overwhelmingly Positive" rating on Steam based on hundreds of thousands of user reviews!

  • Xbox Game Pass? Yes