Grounded 2 (Xbox Series X|S)

For now at least, the latest entry in Obsidian's popular Grounded series is officially exclusive to Xbox consoles and PC. This is perhaps because it's locked to early access for now, meaning a PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch 1/2 version is likely after it's released in full - probably at some point in 2026.

Grounded 2 has been getting some great impressions from players so far, and it's safe to say that if you liked the first game, you're going to get plenty of fun out of this one as well. Plus, it's obviously on Xbox Game Pass too!

  • 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? No

State of Decay 2 (Xbox One)

The first State of Decay was an excellent Xbox 360 exclusive, but there's no doubt that its follow-up, State of Decay 2, takes things to an entirely level.

Introducing way more depth to the game's core mechanics along with the addition of online co-operative play for the first time, it may have received mixed reviews back at launch for a variety of reasons, but developer Undead Labs has been hard at work, fixing and improving and adding to the mix for well over six years now with a ton of extra features, many of them available for free and/or included with Xbox Game Pass. If you like zombie games, if you're a fan of all things survival, this is a perfect blend of the two that serves up an almost endless amount of zombie-slaying action.

  • Xbox Game Pass? Yes

Forza Horizon 4 (Xbox One)

Yes, we've already got Forza 5 on our list here but we felt compelled to stick its predecessor on too as its excellent DLC additions, in particular the fantastic LEGO Speed Champions, makes it a game that many won't just throw down because a newer, shinier version has now arrived.

Indeed, ask around and you may find there are many petrolheads out there who still prefer Forza Horizon 4 over Playground's latest effort. This is a great big blast of anarchic arcade racing goodness that stands tall as the perhaps the best entry in the franchise to date. Vroom, vroom indeed.

  • Xbox Game Pass? No

Sunset Overdrive (Xbox One)

Sunset Overdrive was released at a time when morale and belief in the Xbox brand was arguably at its lowest and, being an Xbox One exclusive, it somewhat slipped under the radar as a result. It's become a cult classic in recent years though, thanks to its fast-paced gameplay and traversal, over-the-top story and colourful visuals.

This is the Xbox game that was developed by Insomniac Games before they went off to join PlayStation Studios and create Marvel's Spider-Man, so it's really no surprise it's so good. It's never received a proper next-gen touch-up, which is a shame, but play it on Xbox Series X and Series S and it still benefits from the Auto HDR feature. This is one game you owe it to yourself to try out, as we're pretty sure you'll find yourself surprised and delighted by just how excellent and addictive it is.

  • Xbox Game Pass? Yes

Fable 2 (Xbox 360)

Yes, we're all impatiently waiting on the revival of Fable being developed by Forza Horizon studio Playground Games, but until that time, we're just going to have to make-do with the original three Xbox titles — Fable Anniversary, Fable 2 and Fable 3. We could have included any of them here, but we're going to highlight the second game in particular on this list.

If Fable is new to you, it's a very British-style action RPG taking place within the fictional land of Albion, where you take the role of a young hero who needs to save the world. In addition to the main campaign, you can get married and have children (big mistake) build a property empire, take part in various jobs and more. It may not live up to its creator's ridiculous levels of pre-release hyperbole, but Fable 2 is still an absolute gem that you should definitely get stuck into ASAP.

  • Xbox Game Pass? Yes

Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 (Xbox 360)

The first Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved was an important title for Xbox Live Arcade back in the day, giving hardcore gamers something a little more intense to sink their teeth into on a service that had little in the way of properly challenging, fast-paced experiences to offer at the time. However, Bizarre Creations' twin-stick beauty was also a hugely approachable game for casuals, serving up hugely addictive arcade action, and Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 only improved upon the formula by offering up new modes and offline multiplayer to boot.

The gameplay here is wonderfully slick stuff and blasting around tiny rectangular levels as you rack up huge combos in spectacular neon rushes of action is just as terrifyingly addictive now as it was all the way back in 2008! A classic Xbox 360 exclusive for the ages then, and a game we like to keep tucked away on our console storage for quick blasts here and there.

  • Xbox Game Pass? No

Halo Infinite (Xbox Series X|S)

Halo Infinite was the big Xbox exclusive we'd all been waiting impatiently for, and 343 Industries sure didn't let us down at launch, taking the series' spectacular combat and honing it to perfection - successfully fusing the narrative-driven gameplay we knew and loved with a brand-new open world setting that gave players a great big playground in which to indulge their Halo fantasies. As we said in our review:

"Halo Infinite feels like a big step forward for the franchise, a slick shift into the open world arena that manages to strike a fine balance between the traditional narrative-driven Halo of old and all-new levels of freedom and emergent gameplay."

The multiplayer side of things got off to a difficult start initially, but has vastly improved in recent years with the addition of Forge, Firefight and various other features, making Halo Infinite a great experience across the board in 2026.

  • Xbox Game Pass? Yes

Gears Tactics (Xbox Series X|S)

Gears Tactics takes the series' trademark high-intensity action and successfully transplants it to a turn-based tactical format. By stripping out a lot of the expected resource management and downtime inherent in the tactics genre - focusing instead on keeping you on the ground and in the face of the Locust as much as possible - it gives itself a uniquely high-tempo flavour whilst managing to imbue encounters with much of the non-stop brutal and bloody action fans of the franchise know and love.

It may bog itself down here and there with mandatory side missions and the Locust are a generally straightforward enemy with which to mix things up but, overall, this is a supremely confident, highly polished effort that successfully remoulds Gears of War into a thrilling and engaging new format.

  • Xbox Game Pass? Yes

Killer Instinct (Xbox One)

Killer Instinct is an incredibly fast paced and technical fighter that's ideal for those looking for a combo-centric challenge to master whilst remaining accessible enough for those of us who just want to batter stuff.

It may have launched in a bit of a lacklustre mess back in 2013 but now, in its Definitive Edition form, it's a great big feature-packed beast of a fighter that's jam-packed full of content. Killer Instinct's still got it where it counts.

  • Xbox Game Pass? Yes