20. Monster Hunter World
If you've never played a Monster Hunter game before then ignore all that 'most accessible yet' stuff. If this is your first time with Capcom's creature killer then you'll find a weirdly obtuse and alien game. Stick with Monster Hunter World though and you'll see what the fuss is about as you track monsters, kill them and harvest the parts to make the gear to take on bigger challenges. That core loop is everything here as you dive into stat boosts, attack types and try to master a range of fantastically over the top and excessively styled weapons. What really brings it alive is playing it with friends as you coordinate classes, weapons and tactics. Battles are long tests of skill and cooperation but the hunt is everything, and when a monster finally falls it's an amazing feeling.
19. A Way Out
Most co-op games revolve around boosting a friend over a wall and doors that can only be opened by two people at once. A Way Out has some of that, but overall makes so much more of it's two character ideas. Both players are routinely given divergent but related objectives that keep you working together without feeling like you're joined at the hip. From jail breaks to fixing cars it uses both players' time beautifully while still fitting in great set pieces, emotional character moments, lighter moments, and a truly memorable ending.
18. Fallout 4
We sort of knew what we were getting. It's big, it's buggy, it's Bethesda. Fallout 4 is a natural evolution, bringing with it the often aimless exploration, gentle humour and moral greyitude of the last two instalments, while propping it all up with a new-gen veneer. They might not be enormous shifts, but main character voice acting, better gunplay and (shock) not having to look inside crates to loot them all make this a streamlined version of a now-classic formula. Frame rate dips and occasionally horrifying glitches rear their heads as usual, but it's difficult to feel too bad when there's simply so much going on. Once again, Bethesda has crammed several games' worth of joyously inconsequential stuff in here, resulting in one of the most compulsive, moreish games of this generation. Get stuck in, and you won't emerge for weeks.
17. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
Let's face it. Resident Evil had gone a bit like a foot left out of the fridge too long. A bit, well, off. After the glorious heady heights of Resi 4 defining the third person shooter as we know it, it all got a bit mediocre. Well 2017 is the year Resi got its groove back and you should be very afraid. Turning the franchise on its head, Resident Evil 7 is a first person survival terror-fest that sees you sneaking through a decrepit Louisiana mansion hunting for your missing wife. Texas Chainsaw Massacre style fiends? Check. Horrific body horror? Check that too. Add in a story that'll leave you forgetting to breathe for a little too long and Resident Evil 7 manages to be an exhilarating rollercoaster ride that reinvents the franchise. Sure you'll recognise those green herbs but this is a new brand of horror that just demands you creep through its hallways even if it feels like you should run in the opposite direction.
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16. Titanfall 2
Any FPS that lets you run along walls and then double jump into a giant mechanical Titan instantly has our attention. Titanfall 2 does that and so much more. “But where's our single-player?” we moaned, when the first Titanfall came to Xbox in 2014. “Fine!” retorted Respawn. “How about for this sequel, we tell the story of a pilot and his Titan? One where you steadily unlock Titan weapons that look powerful enough to burn the universe in half? How about a stage wherein you can travel through time at the touch of a button? How about several hours of dizzyingly paced, ideas-stuffed action that makes every shooter since we made Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare look lazy?” Well that certainly shut us up. Throw in Bounty Hunt, a capitalist nightmare of an essential multiplayer mode, and we promise never to accuse Respawn of laziness again.
15. Destiny 2
After the endless, life absorbing life sink of the original game what could Destiny 2 possibly do to beat it? The answer is actually obvious: more of the same, only richer, more accessible and... just... more Destiny. The sequel takes nearly every element of the space travelling, gun collecting, number raising MMO and polishes it to a fine sheen. You can see almost every area where Bungie learned from the last game, making the areas you explore richer with things to do, adding depth to both the systems that progress your character, and hte activities you take on to do so. Few games mix combat, multiplayer and character progressions so well and it's an addictive draw as a result.
14. Overwatch
Well if Valve aren't going to bother making Team Fortress 3, we'll have Blizzard do it instead. The World of Warcraft studio had never made a shooter before, so it makes no sense at all that Overwatch is one of the best multiplayer FPS' ever. A ridiculously varied cast of colourful heroes, each with powers that should logically break the game (Tracer can travel back through time for crying out loud!) Yet it all checks and balances, letting us fire bows and arrows, sky dragons, walls of ice and whip chains through the air for hours and hours without ever feeling like its cheaty or unfair. Months later, and still the only flaw we can find is Tracer's horrid cockney accent. By this logic, if Blizzard ever offer to make us dinner, expect world hunger to be eradicated within the hour.
13. Forza Horizon 4
Unlike the stuffier Forza Motorsport 7, Forza Horizon 4 is available free for Xbox Games Pass subscribers. One of the best technical showcases you can find for Xbox One, this breezy racer rules. Steering the sandbox franchise onto the roads of a bite-sized, extra blustery Britain, Horizon 4 serves up a series of exhilarating races. Those ludicrous Showcase Events also make a return, and they’re as brilliantly silly as ever. Want to race the Flying Scotsman as it steams through the Highlands towards Edinburgh? Have at it, petrolhead. The changing seasons, which add heaps of snow and eye-searing autumnal reds, ensure this is one of the most visually varied racers on Xbox One. The crisp handling model – pitched to just the right level of arcade accessibility – also remains best-in-class.
12. What Remains of Edith Finch
This is one of those things you really don't want to know too much about before playing. It's clever, inventive and emotional in a way few games have achieved. The story follows the Edith of the title as she backtracks through her family tree, rediscovering the lives of various relations who have all died early and unfortunate deaths. Each tale is built from completely different mechanics and vary from brief narrative punches to long, heartfelt looks into the characters they follow, matching it all to how it plays in incredible ways. Few games have managed to include so many different ideas, styles of gameplay and just pure feeling into a story about life, love and loss. It's a beautiful game that should be in everyone's collection.
11. Ori and the Will of the Wisps
A short but sublime action-platformer that’s sure to delight your eyes and ears – the soundtrack is sensational. While its predecessor is still one of the most gorgeous adventures on Xbox One, Ori and the Will of the Wisps wisely leans on another 2D Metroidvania to flesh out its backtracking quests. Introducing brilliantly judged new abilities in compelling drip-fed fashion – ala Hollow Night – the game’s adorable cat/marsupial thingie is a joy to control. Bounding around the screen with effortless jumps, vine swings and other powers we won’t ruin, there are few other games on Xbox One that feel quite so empowering with a controller in your hand.
See more of the best Xbox One games on the next page!
