Guide: Best Xbox Exclusives

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

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.

Don't forget that Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 will be with us in November as well!

• 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

Senua's Saga: Hellblade II (Xbox Series X|S)

The sequel to 2017's Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice was not only highly-anticipated because the first game was so good, but it was also the game Xbox chose to highlight alongside the unveiling of the Series X in 2019.

Unfortunately, it took five long years for Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 to arrive on Xbox (and PC), but the result was an absolutely breathtaking adventure that offered up some of the best visuals and audio ever seen on the Series X in particular. We didn't love the gameplay as much, but this is still an Xbox exclusive you need to check out.

• 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? No

Quantum Break (Xbox One)

Quantum Break is one of the most sophisticated cinematic experiences on Xbox, with lavish production values, convincing performances, and a riveting sci-fi plot.

Remedy delivered up a third-person action-adventure game with the spectacle of a summer blockbuster and structure of a TV series here and, although the commitment to delivering a rich, layered narrative isn't always conducive to top-notch gameplay, it doesn't diminish how engrossing this is as an entertainment experience overall. The combination of intense time-bending action, gripping story, and cutting-edge presentation make this the kind of game that sucks you in and doesn't let go until the credits roll. While it's not quite as inventive as it thinks it is, Quantum Break is fresh, ambitious, and a heck of a lot of fun.

• Xbox Game Pass? Yes

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 three 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