10 Best Xbox 360 Games of All Time of 2026

Halo 3 is our answer to the best Xbox 360 game ever. Microsoft's launch release describes it as the final chapter of the original Halo trilogy, picking up where Halo 2 left Master Chief and Cortana in their fight against the Covenant. What lifts it above other shooters on the console is everything around the campaign: cooperative play, online multiplayer for Xbox LIVE Gold users, Saved Films for recording and replaying matches, and Forge, a map editor for building custom setups. The multiplayer beta introduced new vehicles and weapons such as the Mongoose, the Spartan Laser and Spike Grenades. Demand was unusual even then: Microsoft reported that preorders in North America passed 1 million weeks before the September 25, 2007 launch. A used disc lists at $19.99 at DKOldies. The trade-offs are that the story assumes you know the earlier games and that online features rely on Xbox 360 network services.

Mass Effect 2 ranks second because it is both the deepest story on the console and the cheapest disc here. BioWare and EA describe a mission in which Commander Shepard brings together old allies and recruits new specialists to resist the invading Reapers, warning that sacrifices must be made along the way. The sequel trims friction from role-playing: a new inventory system lets you equip weapons almost instantly, health regenerates, and prompt-based interrupts let you cut into conversations in ways that can alter the fate of your crew. Story expansions such as Lair of the Shadow Broker, Overlord and Arrival add hours if you want more. At $7.99 for a used Xbox 360 disc at DKOldies, it is the best value on this list. The limits are that it is single-player only and that it lands harder if you played the first game.

Skyrim is the Xbox 360's biggest world for the money. Bethesda Game Studios built a new engine for it, with rolling clouds, rugged mountains, bustling cities and ancient dungeons, and the store page promises that you can play any type of character and do whatever you want. You choose from hundreds of weapons, spells and abilities, and the character system grows from how you play rather than a fixed class. As the Dragonborn, you fight dragons and learn their powers. A used Xbox 360 disc lists at $9.99 at DKOldies, which makes it one of the best value buys on this list. It ranks just below Mass Effect 2 because the open structure suits explorers more than players who want a focused story.

Red Dead Redemption is the strongest open-world story on the Xbox 360. Rockstar's page sets it across three territories: New Austin on the last American frontier, the Mexican province of Nuevo Paraíso, and West Elizabeth with the modernizing city of Blackwater. When federal agents threaten his family, former outlaw John Marston must hunt the gang he once rode with, and the Undead Nightmare companion story turns the same map into a zombie-horror campaign. It is also the only game here whose publisher states on its own page that it runs on Xbox One via backward compatibility, which matters for players moving off old hardware. The catch is price: at $23.99 used at DKOldies it is the costliest disc on the list, which is why it ranks fourth despite a near top capabilities score. The content descriptors on Rockstar's page also make it a game for adults.

Batman: Arkham City is the best low-cost action game on the Xbox 360. Rocksteady's game sends Batman into Arkham City, a walled-off maximum security district that WB Games says is five times larger than the world of Batman: Arkham Asylum, populated by villains such as Catwoman, The Joker, The Riddler, Two-Face, Harley Quinn, The Penguin and Mr. Freeze. The Game of the Year Edition adds seven maps, three playable characters (Catwoman, Robin and Nightwing) and 12 skins, plus the Harley Quinn's Revenge story. A used Xbox 360 disc costs $9.99 at DKOldies. It scores slightly lower on capabilities than the bigger role-playing games because the world is smaller and there is no multiplayer, but it is one of the easiest picks to start and finish.

BioShock is the most atmospheric shooter on the Xbox 360. 2K's store page sets it in an art deco world hidden deep under the ocean and builds the combat on two layers: a full arsenal from revolvers to grenade launchers and chemical throwers, and injectable plasmids that modify your DNA. Those powers let you blast electrical currents into water to shock groups of enemies, freeze them solid, or release a swarm of hornets from your arms, and you can also hack devices, upgrade weapons and craft ammo variants. The pitch is that no encounter plays out the same way twice. A used Xbox 360 disc costs $14.99 at DKOldies. It ranks eighth because it is a shorter single-player game than the role-playing picks, and its violence makes it a game for adults.

Halo: Reach is the second Halo on the list and the easier place for a newcomer to start. Microsoft's announcement describes the story of Noble Team, a squad of Spartan soldiers making their final stand on Reach, humanity's last line of defense between the Covenant and Earth, developed by Bungie exclusively for Xbox 360. It paired an intense campaign with what Microsoft called the most action-packed multiplayer yet on Xbox LIVE, and the series store page lists Firefight and Invasion as classic modes. Interest was high: Microsoft reported that more than 2.7 million players joined the multiplayer beta, more than triple the Halo 3 beta. A used disc lists at $13.99 at DKOldies, against a $59.99 launch price. It ranks below Halo 3 because the trilogy finale adds Forge and Saved Films to a more celebrated campaign, and because owning both means two similar shooters.

Portal 2 is the friendliest game on this list and the best one to play with a partner. Valve's store page describes a single-player campaign with a host of new puzzle elements, a much larger set of test chambers and the return of GLaDOS, the computer companion from the first game. The two-player cooperative mode has its own separate campaign, story and characters, built so that players have to think together rather than just act together. Valve says the physics allow a much larger but not harder game, which is why it scores highest here on ease of setup: there is no combat skill to learn. A used Xbox 360 disc lists at $16.99 at DKOldies. It ranks below the open-world games because it is shorter and has less replay once the puzzles are solved.

Fallout 3 is the Xbox 360's best post-apocalyptic role-playing game. Bethesda's store page places you in the Capital Wasteland, with the great monuments of the United States in ruins, and frames the game with retro Vault-Tec humor. You build a character with the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. system and dozens of skills and perks, choose first or third person, and decide whether to play a villain or a good samaritan, talking your way through problems or shooting. V.A.T.S. pauses combat so you can target body parts and queue attacks, which helps role-playing fans who are not sharp shooters. A used Xbox 360 disc lists at $12.99 at DKOldies. It ranks tenth because Skyrim, from the same studio, is cheaper, larger and newer, but it remains the pick if you prefer wasteland to fantasy.

Gears of War 2 is the cover shooter that defined the Xbox 360 for many owners. Microsoft announced it at GDC 2008 as the sequel to the 4.5 million selling Gears of War, developed by Epic Games exclusively for the console, with a saga of survival, loss and retribution as Marcus Fenix and Delta Squad fight the Locust Horde. Epic's lead designer Cliff Bleszinski called it bigger and better than the first game. Game Developer reported Microsoft's figure that more than 1.5 million people logged into the game on Xbox LIVE in its first weekend. A used disc lists at $11.99 at DKOldies. It ranks ninth here because the story leans on the first game, the online side relies on Xbox 360 services, and the tone is relentlessly grim.