After six years, there’s now plenty to play

09/23/2019

Can you believe it's been six years since the start of this console generation? Microsoft's third console may have stumbled out of the gate, but the company has been trying it's hardest to undo those errors – leading to some great pro-consumer decisions like backwards compatibility and Xbox Game Pass.

But what of the games? While Xbox One's first-party lineup pales in comparison to Sony's stack of blockbuster exclusives, it's often the best place to play third-party titles – at least on Xbox One X.

Whichever Xbox you own or are thinking of buying, these are our picks for some of the greatest games around.

Apex Legends

What happens when you take the universe of Titanfall and build a unique team-based Battle Royale around it? You get Apex Legends, a fast-paced and tactical shooter where each character's skills and abilities can turn the tide of battle.

Better yet, the game is free – so you can try it out at no cost. If you do prefer a boxed copy, you can grab the Bloodhound or Lifeline editions from GAME when they launch next month, with each packing digital goodies.

Apex Legends: Lifeline Edition – £17.99

Apex Legends: Bloodhound Edition – £17.99

Assassin's Creed: Odyssey

If you thought Assassin's Creed was all about clumsily tumbling from rooftops and failing to stealthily infiltrate enemy fortifications, think again.

While 2017's Origins converted the action-adventure franchise into somewhat of an RPG, Odyssey takes that template and builds on it with interesting skill trees, an even bigger open-world, and more content than you can shake a hidden blade at. Simply put, Odyssey is huge, and well worth investing the time into.

While Amazon currently has the best price for the standard edition, the retailer is also offering the incredible Medusa Edition, which includes a stunning statue, art book, map, digital content and more.

Assassin's Creed: Standard Edition – £24.99

Assassin's Creed: Odyssey Medusa Edition – £79.99

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4

With Modern Warfare on the horizon, sharpen your "quick scope" skills with last year's multiplayer-focused Call of Duty title. There's no single-player component, but there's still plenty of content.

Battle friends in adversarial multiplayer, battle a horde of zombies together in co-op, or try and be the last man, woman or team standing in the franchise's first Battle Royale mode, Blackout.

At the time of writing, the cheapest way to play Black Ops 4 is via ShopTo – so get marching, soldier!

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 – £19.85

FIFA 20

We're almost entirely sure you know what FIFA is, but this long-running franchise still has a few tricks up its sleeve. For one, there's a new street football mode called Volta, alongside a new set-piece system.

There's also the usual roster updates, and the endlessly compulsive Ultimate Team mode which will swallow months of your life.

You can shave a fiver off of the usual retail price by picking the game up from TheGameCollection, who also have the Champions Edition (which offers extra Ultimate Team packs) for £64.95.

FIFA 20 Standard Edition – £44.95

FIFA 20 Champions Edition – £64.95

Forza Horizon 4

Quite likely the best racing game of this generation, Forza Horizon 4 is exclusive to Xbox. Offering a huge open world and an incredible array of vehicles, it's a gear head's dream.

This isn't a simulator, though, so expect to trade paint and powerslide in your pursuit of a podium finish. Oh, did we mention that the map changes season to season?

As a game from Microsoft Game Studios, you can get Forza Horizon 4 as part of an Xbox Game Pass subscription. If you'd prefer to buy it, ShopTo's price is the best we've found.

Forza Horizon 4 – £39.85

Gears 5

One of 2019's biggest and best games, Gears has dropped the "of War" part of its title – and that's not all that's new. Switching to new protagonist Kait Diaz for a look at her family ties to the fearsome Locust horde, Gears 5 pulls no punches.

Add to that campaign a huge suite of multiplayer modes both competitive and co-operative and you've got a game to keep you busy for a while. Gears 5 is currently just £34.85 at ShopTo.

Don't forget, as a game from Microsoft Game Studios, you can get Gears 5 as part of an Xbox Game Pass subscription.

Gears 5 – £34.85

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Grand Theft Auto 5

We aren't sure what more can be said about Grand Theft Auto 5, but there are still people that haven't taken their first steps into Rockstar Games' open-world smorgasbord of chaos.

While GTA5 has a campaign spanning three different characters and the whole of Los Santos county, it's the Online mode that the game will likely be remembered for – offering a criminal playground for players to team up or betray each other in.

Amazon has the standard edition of the game for £19.99, but for even less you can grab the Premium Edition from ShopTo, which gives you $1.25 million to play with – that's in GTA Online of course.

Grand Theft Auto 5 – £18.85

Monster Hunter: World

The biggest selling title in Capcom's history, Monster Hunter: World is an intense action RPG that offers plenty of challenge for even the most accomplished gamer – so it's a good job you can take its huge beasts on as a group.

What was already a huge game has gotten even bigger with the recent release of the Iceborne expansion, essentially doubling the size of the game. We've found the best prices for the base game and the version that comes with Iceborne are both at TheGameCollection.

Monster Hunter: World – £14.95

Monster Hunter World: Iceborne Master Edition – £35.95

NBA 2K20

Another year, another NBA 2K, and while the series's obsession with microtransactions seems to have reached its zenith with the inclusion of an actual casino, the on-the-court gameplay is better than ever.

Subtle tweaks to the stamina system mean that players no longer blow past defences as if they aren't there, while new dribbling mechanics mean that the ball isn't glued to a player's fingertips anymore.

ShopTo slam dunk the competition on price with this one.

NBA 2K20 – £44.85

Red Dead Redemption 2

Rockstar Games' second appearance on this list, Red Dead Redemption 2 is all about the details. From the animations to the use of colour, to the incredible dialogue, it's one of the greatest games of all time.

And that doesn't take into account the seemingly endless Red Dead Online, where players can start their own gang and blaze a trail of chaos across the Wild West.

Lasso yourself a great deal over at Amazon.

Red Dead Redemption 2 – £29.99