Best Xbox 360 Games: 25 Classics Worth Playing

The Xbox 360 library is massive, which is great if you are collecting, but not so great if you are staring at more than a thousand games and trying to decide where to start. The best Xbox 360 games cover nearly every major genre, from shooters and RPGs to racing, horror, fighting and open-world games.

25 Xbox 360 games worth playing

1. Halo 3 — A defining Xbox 360 shooter with a huge campaign and multiplayer legacy.
2. Gears of War — Cover-based combat, heavy atmosphere and one of the system's signature franchises.
3. Gears of War 2 — Bigger battles and one of the most memorable campaigns in the series.
4. BioShock — Story-heavy first-person action with one of gaming's most recognizable settings.
5. Mass Effect — A major sci-fi RPG built around player choices, squad relationships and exploration.
6. Mass Effect 2 — One of the strongest character-driven RPGs of the generation.
7. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim — Huge open-world fantasy RPG with enormous replay value.
8. Fallout 3 — Post-apocalyptic exploration and RPG systems in an enormous open world.
9. Fallout: New Vegas — Deep quest design, player choice and a cult following that has only grown.
10. Red Dead Redemption — Open-world western action with a huge story and memorable characters.
11. Grand Theft Auto V — One of the biggest releases of the generation and still a major collector/playable title.
12. Batman: Arkham City — Excellent superhero combat, exploration and atmosphere.
13. Assassin's Creed II — A major step forward for the series and still one of its most loved entries.
14. Dark Souls — Challenging action RPG combat with deep world design and huge long-term influence.
15. Dead Space — One of the defining survival-horror games of the Xbox 360 generation.
16. Left 4 Dead 2 — Fast co-op zombie action with huge replay value.
17. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare — One of the games that helped redefine console multiplayer shooters.
18. Call of Duty: Black Ops — Strong campaign, multiplayer and Zombies content.
19. Forza Motorsport 4 — A standout racing game for car fans and simulation players.
20. Burnout Paradise — Open-world arcade racing built around speed and spectacular crashes.
21. Street Fighter IV — A major fighting-game release that helped bring the genre back into the mainstream.
22. Mortal Kombat — A strong reboot that brought the series back to its classic style.
23. Portal 2 — Clever puzzle design, great writing and excellent co-op.
24. Spec Ops: The Line — A military shooter remembered for its unusual story and themes.
25. Skate 3 — A hugely replayable skateboarding game that still has a dedicated following.

Best Xbox 360 games for collectors

Collector interest is not always the same as “best game.” Lower-print releases, horror games, licensed titles, special editions and games that never received modern physical reprints can attract stronger collector demand.

Best cheap Xbox 360 games

One of the best things about collecting Xbox 360 is that many excellent games are still affordable. Browse our Xbox 360 games under $15 collection for budget-friendly options.

Shop Xbox 360 games

Browse more than a thousand Xbox 360 games at Zypher Trading, including Halo, Gears of War, Guitar Hero, and Spider-Man.

If you are selling instead, see current Xbox 360 trade-in information or learn what affects Xbox 360 game value.