It’s hard to believe that we’re out of the Xbox One console generation. The last-generation of console platforms had some great video game titles and quite a few big sellers. When it comes to the best-selling video game titles on the Xbox One, we have you covered. Below you’ll find the 10 best selling Xbox One video game titles to have released so far.
#10 Halo 5: Guardians
The Halo franchise is a massive one and fans have been following the series since the first Microsoft Xbox console release. Throughout the years, the development team mainly behind the project was Bungie so it was a bit of a worry when it was announced that the studio was leaving the IP and in their place, 343 Industries was stepping up to handle the game series. Halo 5: Guardians was not only fully in control from 343 Industries but it was also the start of a new generation for the franchise. As you can imagine a ton of anticipation and hope that this game would be delivered was riding on this installment for fans.
After all, Halo was also a big exclusive for Microsoft that plenty of fans around the world were picking up the Microsoft Xbox console platforms just to play these video games. Halo 5: Guardians was a bit different as we weren’t not fully in control of Master Chief this time around. Instead, the developers focused on another group of Spartans who were tasked with hunting down Master Chief after he seemingly went rogue with his own unique task, but I won’t spoil the narrative for you here. While fan reception of the campaign was hit and miss, there were still plenty of online matchmaking game modes available.
#9 Fallout 4
For years, fans have been going through the Fallout epic RPG series. However, it wouldn’t be until Bethesda brought Fallout into the first-person 3D realm in Fallout 3 that fans were able to see the Wasteland in a more immersive way. It was after Fallout 3 that the developers over at Bethesda gave the IP to Obsidian Entertainment to bring out their own unique RPG experience which resulted in Fallout: New Vegas, arguably the biggest hit for the franchise to date when it launched on the previous-generation video game consoles. Bethesda was likely hoping to set the bar even higher with Fallout 4 which once again put players into a new storyline that picks up mainly after the nuclear holocaust.
This time around, players were starting the game just moments before the nuclear bombs dropped. Barely escaping our protagonist along with their spouse and newborn, players arrive at their local vault location in time before the bomb struck down. With each vault holding its unique tests, the vault location in Fallout 4 was made to put all the inhabitants into a cryostasis with the hopes of awaking the citizens after the nuclear mess subsides. However, our protagonists wake up early to see two kidnappers snatching up their newborn baby and killing your spouse. Forced back to their slumber, players eventually wake back up, yet again, and start on another journey to find their child. Just like the past Fallout video game installments from Bethesda, players are venturing the open-world where they’ll meet all kinds of NPCs along the way and a slew of quests.
#8 Battlefield 1
Battlefield 1 brought the franchise back to the more gritty FPS set during the First World War. EA DICE was looking to bring players into different historical moments of the war as players were tossed into a few unique stories. Overall, players will be jumping into different protagonists from a variety of armies around the world set within the war which gives a bit more variety of scenery but also humanizes each side of the war. While the campaign mode was relatively short, there is a ton of love for this game’s online multiplayer.
The developers went back and worked on the different gun mechanics which was a big overhaul from the previous iteration. Here players were given period weapons that looked and reacted realistically. Not to mention, this was a game that also thrived a bit because the developers went to the classic historical war era whereas its competitor, Call of Duty, pressed on with a futuristic war title with Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare which was quite a bit of a miss for the Call of Duty IP.
#7 Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
For a good stint there the Call of Duty franchise was focusing on more futuristic battles. Taking the setting and dropping historical wars for more science-fiction-based wars. One of those installments that was a big hit in terms of units moved at launch was Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. This time around players were following a narrative based around a private military group. With a failing congress, our employer of Atlas is looking to make a big move into selling power through brute force. However, similar to pretty much all of the Call of Duty campaign modes, this is more or less another linear action-packed gameplay storyline that will take players a few hours to complete. That’s not to say it’s bad, a ton of players enjoy the Call of Duty games as just that, a big action-style game full of explosions and over-the-top battles.
As mentioned, this is a futuristic installment that has players making use of an exoskeleton more than anything. With the help of the suits and their various upgrades, players can make massive jumps into the air, cloak themselves, or quickly dash out of the way. While these modes are not readily available the entire campaign, players could freely tweak their suit to their liking for the multiplayer component. As a result, this online gameplay was incredibly fast-paced giving players some chaos in an already thrilling multiplayer-focused franchise.
#6 Minecraft
Come on, you already know about Minecraft. This IP blew up immensely and players all around the world are enjoying the simplicity and casual gameplay of Minecraft. It’s a real testament to the creators of this game as we’re still logging in countless hours today with Minecraft just as we had initially when it launched. There are a few ways to play Minecraft with its block-filled world. Players could go through the game as a survival title where they are actively acquiring resources and attempting to thrive in the randomly generated world. From having to build up a base, gather food, craft up tools, mine for new resources, and expand their world with new farmlands and refineries.
Meanwhile, those that are simply interested could play the game in a creative mode which would eliminate the survival elements and battles again any hostile mobs that popup during the night. Within creative mode, players are simply able to explore and build up their worlds with whatever they see fit. Not to mention that countless multiplayer servers give players a way to connect online with friends and again either survive the world or build up their creations peacefully. Best of all, the development team over at Mojang is continuing to add new content into Minecraft so players could eventually find new biomes, creatures, or items being added into the gameplay mix over time.
#5 Red Dead Redemption 2
Rockstar Games was well known for the Grand Theft Auto franchise. For years, the developers were putting out these criminal enterprise-focused titles which had players stepping into the role of a thug looking to make some money fast while keeping out of the eyes of law enforcement. So when Rockstar Games announced Red Dead Redemption, most chalked it up as nothing more than a Grand Theft Auto clone without the cars. To quite a few fan’s surprise, this franchise was just as gritty and thrilling to go through as the mainline Grand Theft Auto games. Players were sacrificing the more modern-day settings for the wild west. With gunslingers, criminals roaming the open world, dangerous wildlife, and small towns that attempted to thrive in a rather barren land, it was a pretty active world despite not having the bustling cities we’re used to in Grand Theft Auto.
Red Dead Redemption 2 released and Rockstar Games set the bar incredibly high. The number of details and world-building put into this game had players exploring every little area to uncover what developers had hidden away. This game was also a prequel to Red Dead Redemption. While players were not stepping into the role of John Marston, we did get another iconic character within the infamous Dutch Van Der Linde gang. Players not only had a thrilling old western gang storyline to follow, but they could tweak our protagonist into either giving in to the life of crime or breaking good. Likewise, the world was expanded on in so many more ways than the original. Players were given a much larger world to explore with more hidden secrets, side quests to complete, and random occurrences to watch unfold.
#4 Call of Duty: WWII
In the Call of Duty franchise for the past few installments, there was a push for a futuristic setting. Some were bigger hits while others didn’t quite hit the strides that the developers were hoping for. However, it was Call of Duty: WWII that brought the franchise back to its roots by bringing the series into World War II. For some that was a big deal, this game was going back to where they remember the franchise for, that being historical wars. Here, just like all the other Call of Duty video game campaigns, it’s a big action-packed story. Players may find that it’s a bit linear, but overall, you’re going in different iconic moments from WWII such as D-Day. You can expect the usual tropes from an FPS title set in WWII such as the more authentic weaponry and battling against swarms of Nazis.
Meanwhile, there was one big change-up for this installment and that was the fact players are not given health regeneration. If you’re in battle and get hit with some shots, it’s not as simple as finding cover and waiting for your health to go up on its own. Here, players have to seek out health packs. Meanwhile, where most of the franchise thrives on, multiplayer is still readily attached. It’s what you would expect, there are battles with other players in normal matches while other multiplayer modes feature some objectives to complete. Not to mention, there’s a zombies mode, which is again what you would expect from a Call of Duty game. There are waves of zombies, objectives to complete and a new map to play around within.
#3 Call of Duty: Black Ops III
Another Call of Duty game hits this list with Call of Duty: Black Ops III. The Black Ops franchise in general for Call of Duty has been an iconic one and with the third installment, players were thrown into the near future. It plays a bit on the cybernetics with soldiers using not only different technological advances to their bodies to deliver more power against hostile forces or being a bit more nimble on their feet, but also robotics being used as another breed of soldier. Here you’re not just battling another human on the opposing side but cyborgs, robots, and drones to name just a few. As always with these games, the campaign is more or less linear gameplay where you’re constantly moving forward with big over-the-top action moments. It’s not a lengthy game so you’re only playing for a few hours before wrapping up the storyline.
As always, the multiplayer is here giving players a ton of combat which with the new technological advancements, the gameplay is a bit more snappy and even strategic at times with certain powers giving players an advantage before having to wait through a cooldown after use. We can’t forget there is zombies mode as well with the game giving players a rather unique cast of characters. Other than the new characters, the zombies mode is just as you’d expect from the past installments, there’s a new map and waves of zombies to deal with. Although there is a new power that allows players to tap into a beast which gives them a bit more attack power and abilities to use for a short period.
#2 PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, or otherwise known as PUBG, was a massive hit game when it launched originally on PC in 2017. It wasn’t until that following year when the developers brought the game over to the Xbox One which was released through the Xbox Game Preview program. For those of you who may not be aware, that’s essentially Microsoft’s early access program which gave the developers a chance in selling the video game while they continued development. That would mean players could see adjustments along the way and there were certainly quite a few initially. Regardless, this title was incredibly hyped and console players couldn’t wait to get their hands on the gameplay.
This is a battle royale title with players dropping down in a big open world as they sought out different weapons and gear to make use of in hopes that it would allow an easier time when having to eliminate the enemy. Similar to other battle royale titles available in the marketplace, the map adjusts quite a bit with the game actively shrinking the area down forcing players to get closer together. Additionally, certain areas of the map will get bombed with a heads up to players in that area to flee before time runs out. There have certainly been more popular battle royale games available such as Call of Duty: Warzone and Apex Legends, but when it comes to spending money, this title was one of the biggest sellers for the Xbox One platform.
#1 Grand Theft Auto V
Grand Theft Auto is Rockstar’s bread and butter. They know how to deliver a thrilling video game installment to this franchise and over the years we’ve received quite a few of them. With so many mainline and spin-off installments, fans of the series couldn’t wait to get their hands on Grand Theft Auto V. The new video game took players to Los Santos, a fictionalized Los Angels setting where we took the role of not one protagonist but three. Each character has their motives and backstories, likewise, players could swap between the three characters on the fly. These three characters gave players enough content to chew through as well. Each had unique missions with some missions even overlapping with the characters causing players to swap between the three to complete the objectives.
I can’t forget to mention that this game launched as the fastest-selling entertainment media to make a billion dollars. Fans were ready for this game installment when it launched into the marketplace. Furthermore, at the time of writing this description, this game is still highly enjoyed today thanks to the online multiplayer component, Grand Theft Auto Online. Developers are still bringing out new content into Grand Theft Auto Online, with new items, game modes, missions, and locations to explore.
