Best Xbox Series X|S Games — And When They Are Actually Worth Buying
Thirteen games worth owning on Series X|S — with the part most lists skip: which discount deeply, which almost never do, and which are permanently in Game Pass.
Short answer: the games below are the ones we would point almost anyone at on Xbox Series X|S. What makes this list different from most is the second half of each entry — when to buy it, because on Xbox the same game can cost wildly different amounts depending on whether it discounts often, sits in Game Pass, or almost never moves.
Every title links to its live page, where you can see the current price, the lowest price ever recorded, and the full history. We do not print prices here because they change daily and a stale number in an article is worse than none.
The Short List
| Game | Why it is here | Buying pattern |
|---|---|---|
| ELDEN RING | The defining open-world RPG of the generation | Discounts steadily; rarely deep |
| Forza Horizon 5 | Best-in-class arcade racer, gorgeous on Series X | Frequent deep sales; often in Game Pass |
| Halo Infinite | The flagship shooter; free-to-play multiplayer | Campaign discounts often |
| Hi-Fi RUSH | Rhythm-action, one of the most purely enjoyable games on the platform | Cheap quickly; frequent sales |
| Psychonauts 2 | Superb 3D platformer with real writing | Regular deep discounts |
| Hades | The roguelike everyone finishes | Discounts often; small download |
| DOOM Eternal | The best-feeling shooter of its era | Very deep sales; often under $10 |
| Gears 5 | Best-looking Gears, strong campaign and co-op | Heavily discounted; long-time Game Pass staple |
| Ori and the Will of the Wisps | Beautiful, tight metroidvania | Cheap in most sales |
| Pentiment | A genuinely unusual historical narrative game | Low base price; discounts often |
| Starfield | Bethesda's space RPG; enormous | Discounts steadily since launch |
| Grounded | Survival crafting that works brilliantly in co-op | Frequent sales |
| Sea of Thieves | The best shared-world game on the platform | Rarely discounts deeply |
If You Want One Game
ELDEN RING, if you have the patience for it. It is the largest and most influential game on this list, and the one most likely to occupy you for a hundred hours. It discounts regularly but rarely dramatically — check the price history and buy when it reaches its recurring low rather than waiting for a collapse that does not come.
If difficulty is not what you want, Forza Horizon 5 is the easiest recommendation on Xbox: technically stunning, endlessly approachable, and it discounts deeply and often.
The Ones That Are Cheap Almost Always
If budget is the constraint, four titles here regularly fall very low and are worth buying on sight at those prices: DOOM Eternal, Hi-Fi RUSH, Ori and the Will of the Wisps and Psychonauts 2. None is a lesser game for being cheap — they are simply older or from publishers who discount aggressively.
Our games under $10 list and extreme deals page show what is at that level right now.
The Ones That Almost Never Discount
Sea of Thieves is the clearest example. Live-service games with active player bases have little reason to cut price, and waiting for a deep sale can cost you a year for nothing. If you want it, check whether it is currently in Game Pass — for this category that is usually the cheapest route by a wide margin.
Check Game Pass Before You Buy Anything Here
Several of these rotate through the Game Pass catalogue, and Xbox-published titles — Halo, Forza, Gears, Hi-Fi RUSH, Psychonauts 2, Pentiment, Starfield, Grounded, Sea of Thieves — are first-party and do not leave. If you are subscribed, a large part of this list is already included.
That changes the buying question. See the full Game Pass games list for what is in the catalogue now, and if you are weighing subscribing against owning, the Game Pass calculator does the comparison properly.
How to Actually Buy These Well
- Open the game's page and look at lowest ever, not the discount percentage. Why the percentage misleads.
- If it is at or near that low, buy. If not, and the chart shows it hitting that low regularly, wait.
- Check whether it is in Game Pass first — that may make the question moot.
- For games that rarely discount, do not wait on principle.
- If you are chasing completions, several of these have fair achievement lists — see easiest Xbox achievements.
More to browse: current discounts, new releases, by genre, or the full A-Z index.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best Xbox Series X game?
For most people, ELDEN RING — it is the largest and most influential game on the platform and will occupy you for a hundred hours or more. If you want something more approachable, Forza Horizon 5 is the easiest recommendation on Xbox and discounts far more often.
Are Xbox Series X games included with Game Pass?
Many are. Xbox-published titles such as Halo, Forza, Gears, Starfield, Sea of Thieves and Grounded are first-party and stay in the catalogue permanently, while third-party games rotate in and out. Check the current Game Pass games list before buying anything outright.
When is the best time to buy Xbox games?
It depends on the game rather than the calendar. Games that discount frequently reach a recurring low every few weeks, so buying at that low is enough — you do not need to wait for a seasonal sale. Games that rarely discount, particularly live-service titles, may never fall much, in which case waiting costs you time for nothing.
Do I need an Xbox Series X, or is a Series S enough?
Every game listed here runs on both. The Series S renders at a lower resolution and has less storage, which matters most for large games and for anyone playing on a 4K display. The library itself is identical.
Game links go to our live tracked pages, where current price, lowest-ever price and full price history are shown for your region. We deliberately do not print prices in this article because they change daily.
Never overpay again
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