The Best Sci-fi Games For Xbox One

Whether you’re looking for a new world to explore or a futuristic feel, there’s a big fan base when it comes to science fiction. If you own an Xbox One and want to dive into a sci-fi video game then check out our picks down below. Keep in mind there are no definitive lists, we all have our personal opinions. As a result, if you don’t quite agree with our list and have some other games that you would like to recommend then please do so. Leave a comment and share some other games worth checking out on the platform. We can’t wait to hear about your personal favorite sci-fi games on the platform as well.

#21 Titanfall 2

Titanfall released with quite a bit of success but fans were wanting a bit more content and depth to chew through. Thankfully the developers listened and with Titanfall 2 we received a single-player story campaign to go through. We found the story to be a bit generic and it does at times rely on players knowing the conflicts featured from the first game but overall the gameplay was a ton of fun to play through. There are even some big moments that we’re not going to spoil. It’s also a bit of a fast game campaign as well, similar to the likes of the Call of Duty franchise so you’re looking at about six hours to complete the campaign.

Still, that’s not to say there’s nothing left after you complete the game as this is still a great FPS multiplayer game. There’s a diverse set of titan classes, load-outs that vary between titans and the soldiers. Combat feels fast-paced, controls are well responsive and it’s everything you would want and expect from a Titanfall game. There are multiple maps and game modes to choose through which should give players plenty of content to enjoy until a third installment releases, though we’re not sure just when that will be.

#20 The Surge

The Surge is a game that will feel pretty much like a Dark Souls clone. That’s not a big surprise the franchise has been a big inspiration for a ton of great video games out there right now and this is just one of those that you’ll either really love or completely avoid. It’s an action RPG that follows a story that’s not as rich and deep that we’d had hoped for but its at least something. Without spoiling too much of what you’ll endure in this campaign, the world’s resources are scarce and you take a job in a massive corporation. Something goes haywire and next thing you know you’re fighting off a bunch of baddies wielding exoskeleton suits. A big portion of this game is all about upgrading and crafting items to further build your character up against the opposing enemies.

This is done basically by gathering resources and building it up yourself though there is also the option of battling an enemy and weakening the desired part on their body. If you weaken it up enough there’s the chance you’ll be able to slice it off and use it. Of course, that’s the main component of this game, combat is a challenge and it’s not going to be a game you’ll go in headfirst hoping to deliver a barrage of attacks. As mentioned, it’s a lot like Dark Souls with a timing structure, knowing when to attack, dodge, and even block is necessary in order to progress.

#19 Watch Dogs Legion

Watch Dogs received the third installment to the franchise in 2020 with Watch Dogs Legion. This time around DedSec is having to fight back against a new strict regime that has taken over London. However, unlike the past two installments for this IP, players won’t be diving into the game as a single character protagonist. Instead, the developers opted to make recruitment a crucial part of this game so to flesh up your roster of incredibly badass operatives, you’ll have to go and hunt them down yourself. In this game, anyone in the game world can be a playable character. From the brute security guards, a tech enthusiast, to a little old grandma, you can find someone with the necessary skill sets to complete your current mission objectives.

Just like the past two installments, tech and hacking are necessary to go through this title. Players can operate massive drones, hack surveillance cameras to get an inside look of what’s inside a closed-off area or use different unique gadgets to do your bidding. With that said, the development team really made the missions to be completed in a variety of ways so whether you want to go in with brute force or use a variety of technological advancements to keep your character at a safer distance from the danger.

#18 Crysis Remastered

There have been a lot of remasters as of late, have you noticed that? Because we certainly have, and Crysis Remastered is definitely one of the ones that caught our eye. Because the original Crysis was a game-changer graphically when it came out, so now imagine it in its Crysis Remastered form!

You won’t have to once you play the game and relive the classic title. You play as a soldier who was supposed to do a simple rescue mission. But when you get caught up in an alien invasion, you’ll have to fight tooth and nail to get out alive and take the enemies down.

Power up the Nanosuit you wear in any way you want, and use a variety of weapons to blast the enemies and their vehicles to pieces.

#17 Chernobylite

To this day, Chernobyl is a place that many think about in terms of what happened there, and what might really be there. In Chernobylite, you’ll play as a man who is going to the infamous Exclusion Zone in search for the truth. The truth of what? The truth of what happened to your finance.

The problem though is that you’re not alone, not at all. You’ll be with a team that you’ll need to manage and ensure are prepared for the dangers within the zone. What’s within the zone? How about military groups that won’t be afraid to shoot you, Stalkers who have their own agendas, and the supernatural beasts that the land has transformed.

This roguelike game will make sure that no two runs are the same. So be careful every time you go out on a mission, as you might not come back the same.

#16 Aliens: Fireteam Elite

How many Xenomorphs and other Aliens do you think you and your friends can take down? In Aliens: Fireteam Elite, you’re going to find out in epic campaigns and matches.

Because in the title, you and two friends, or computer AI, will be tasked with heading to a mysterious planet that just happens to be filled with Xenomorphs. It’ll be your job to wipe them all out and survive long enough to dig deeper into what the planet is.

But it’s not just about shooting, it’s about upgrading your crew so that you’ll be able to take on the next challenge, and the one after that. So customize your crew to the fullest and ensure you survive that which lives in the dark.

#15 Scarlet Nexus

In the future, after humanity obtained a new power, beings from above descended to try and wipe humanity out. So you know, your basic anime story.

You are part of a group of psionics who are the only ones powerful enough to fight back and reclaim the planet for humanity. With a special dual story, you’ll take the roles of two different characters and interact with your unit, go on missions, and kill the mutants that get in your way.

With your incredible abilities you’ll be able to turn the world around you into a weapon. So use it to the fullest, learn more about what is going on in the world and how your characters will play a role in all that is to come.

#14 Biomutant

Have you ever heard of “Kung Fu Fable RPG”? Well, you’re about to because we’re talking about Biomutant now. In the game, you’ll play as a character who hears about the slow death of the Tree of Life and decides to do something about it. But what will you choose to do? You can be the being that helps save the tree and the realm it protects. Or, you can be the one that ensures it dies and changes the land forever.

No matter what though you’ll have to learn the very unique form or martial arts and weapon combat that the game showcases. Which includes you being able to rewrite your own genetic code to be able to do more in battle and beyond.

What will you shape yourself to be?

#13 Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy

Are you ready for a trip across the galaxy with some of your favorite Marvel heroes? No, we’re not talking about The Avengers, do you remember what their last game was like? Exactly.

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy on the other hand was an incredible game that got a lot of buzz and attention for great reasons. It puts you as the one and only Star-Lord, who must guide his loyal teammates through the stars as they try and save the day, again. Then get in trouble as they try and make it happen, again.

There are PLENTY of references to Marvel lore in the game, and you’ll have a blast doing battles with the GOTG at your side.

#12 Doom Eternal

Doom Eternal was a big anticipated release and thankfully its one that proved to be a reliable and just a fun experience. Set after the events of Doom, the 2016 release, this time around hell has invaded the Earth and our protagonist is forced into saving humanity the only way he knows how, by slicing, blowing up, setting on fire, and ripping the limbs off of any demon nearby. This game is going to scratch all those itches you may have come up since the Doom 2016 release, it’s still a fantastic action FPS but there’s so much more added into the game that you’ll either like or feel a bit out of place. We’ve seen a lot of positions on it but there’s some platforming involved, you’re given a lot of abilities and to make use of those mechanics, you’re going to be dashing through the air to land on a particular platform, climbing up hills, using a grapple, among other skill sets.

There’s also a lot more story to endure that you might not have expected. We won’t ruin it for you, but among the chaos, there’s a narrative you can really follow along as you progress through the campaign. Don’t worry the game still has a central focus around action and it feels faster, smoother, and overall satisfying. Fighting enemies will also feel a bit more strategic as you aim for different weak points on their bodies. Not to mention the backdrop is gorgeous with the mixture of a collapsed city mixed with the different demonic structures, it just makes for some great eye candy. With that said, you will want to take it easy as going in headfirst could put players in a rather big disadvantage. You might find yourself easily getting overrun by demons simply by not paying attention to what lays ahead.

#11 Halo: The Master Chief Collection

Halo is a staple franchise for Microsoft and has a strong following with each platform generation launch. Being five mainline installments deep into the franchise, it was a welcomed treat when it was unveiled that a Halo: The Master Chief Collection would be releasing, essentially giving a remastered edition of several installments for players to go through once again. Not only are you given the full story of Master Chief but we’re also given options to enjoy multiplayer across all of the video game titles. You can get specific and search for matches of a certain game mode and even the video game title from the collection.

This science-fiction game series pins an elite soldier against opposing alien threats. As mentioned, this collection gives you everything you need to jump right onto the latest installment, Halo 5: Guardians and from there all you have left is the upcoming Halo Infinite release. With this collection, players are given access to Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Halo 2: Anniversary, Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST, Halo: Reach, and lastly Halo 4. If you missed out on the original Xbox or even the Xbox 360, you can still go through the space FPS epic in practically its entirety.

#10 No Man’s Sky

When No Man’s Sky was announced it really took off online. There were countless fans worldwide that couldn’t wait to get their hands on this epic space adventure game that puts players in control of a seemingly open-ended system. With countless worlds to explore and alien creatures to meet, fans built up some major expectations for this game and unfortunately, the development team didn’t meet a lot of those expectations. It became a meme online and an example of why consumers shouldn’t hype or even preorder some video games going forward. However, years have passed and the development studio has continued to make updates and adjustments to No Man’s Sky. It even sparked us to make two Before You Buy episodes, our initial impressions of the game, and then once again looking back at the title after several updates released.

At any rate, this game is filled with updates and really overhauls the title making it well worth checking out once again especially if you only tried the game out initially when it launched into the market. Players are still an explorer, tasked with visiting planets, charting out their findings, and moving on. It’s mainly a survival game set in space as you’ll venture into a planet, make a base, explore the area, gather resources, build up machines to help process more goods, and then you’re off onto the next planet.

There’s still the occasional space battle with pirates after your loot and you’ll still visit different space stations to sell or purchase items, but the updates continue to make the game feel a bit more defined. Not to mention there is multiplayer now and you can explore worlds together and interact with.

#9 Prey

Prey is a game that gives that same kind of feeling and tone as the BioShock and System Shock series, though it’s just a touch shy from really hitting the strides that those game franchises offered. Still, Prey is a fun science-fiction game that will easily take you a good sixteen hours to complete and that’s if you wish to avoid diving into anything extra. Overall, the narrative is a bit of a mystery, you awaken on a space station as part of some sort of experiment and all that remains is an overrun hostile group of alien creatures. This is an FPS RPG type video game as you explore the area and attempt to solve the mystery of what happened to the station.

As you progress through the game you’ll unlock new abilities and skills both in areas such as engineering and hacking but you’ll have ability skill sets found within the alien enemy you’ll mainly be facing against. The level design is really set up in a way that you’re given more control on how to tackle certain objectives which is a major plus since the game does give players different ability options. Not to mention the world feels a bit lived in with the different notes and extra little content you can read through if you care to know a bit more about the various employees that were stationed at work during the time of some sort of collapse.

#8 Cyberpunk 2077

It took what felt like ages to get here but Cyberpunk 2077 is finally available for purchase. Set in the distant future where humanity has taken up with various augmentations and most of the world in shambles, Cyberpunk 2077 showcases quite the immersive RPG experience. Players take on the role of a mercenary in Night City, one of the biggest cities in the world and a place where grime, greed, along brutal force thrives. Being a mercenary also means getting the odd job that can at times bring out some high-risk high reward situations.

If you’re familiar with CD Projekt Red’s previous works then you can expect a lengthy experience. This game has not only the main campaign, but class-exclusive missions, side missions, and a variety of choice and consequence situations that can alter the gameplay and narrative. As a result, you’re looking at a game to really sink some time into.

#7 Alien Isolation

The Alien franchise is certainly a massively known and popular sci-fi horror movie series. It’s become iconic and while most would be familiar with the cinematic film franchise, there are also a few video game titles released under the Alien’s IP umbrella as well. One that is often recommended and highlighted is Alien: Isolation, a game that not only brings in the essence and tone of the film series but continues on a narrative for those that are wanting to dive a bit more into the universe.

Within Alien: Isolation, players take the role of Amanda Ripley, the daughter of Ellen Ripley who is investigating the disappearance of her mother. It’s set fifteen years after the events of Alien and puts player front and center of a single-player action-adventure game focused around a terrifying universe. This is a game that also puts players on the edge of their seats because of the Alien creatures you may encounter. The AI, in particular, is what will keep your heart rate up as the Aliens are able to not only visibly see your character if you’re out in the open but also hear your location if you happen to be too loud.

From there it’s a race to quickly disappear and wait for these creatures to move along. To make things even harder is the fact that there is a save system attached to in-game computer terminals. This means having to travel to a location in order to save the game. Outside of having to fight off other hostile enemies such as androids, you’ll encounter some puzzles such as having to hack or rewire computer terminals, locating entry codes, and gathering different keys to unlock doorways.

#6 Doom

Doom is an iconic video game franchise. It’s been around for years and the game franchise continues to find new fans consistently. Being around since 1993, the series has mainly kept the FPS gameplay but has revamped the visuals, but in 2016, we got a massive reboot. The last mainline Doom installment we received was Doom 3 and that came out in 2004. Since then there was a long span of time where we really didn’t get much of Doom. That changed in 2016 when id Software decided to reboot the franchise and deliver the fast-paced FPS gameplay we were used to seeing but updating both visually and mechanically.

Overall, Doom 2016 saw the same setup from the original installment. Players take the role of a space marine that’s capable of taking down demon scum after a portal opens up on Mars. When scientists unknowingly unleash the demons into the human realm, our protagonist Doom Guy is forced into saving humanity even if it means sawing through one demon at a time.

It’s a heavy metal nonstop action game where you feel unstoppable. Swarms of demons may come at you, but players won’t typically feel overwhelmed. Likewise, this game is set in space along with throwing players into the pits of hell as well. From massive guns and brute force melee, Doom 2016 definitely keeps the original Doom essence intact. Fans were even given access to a level creation tool that gave players the ability to create their own maps and game modes. However, the game doesn’t stop there as a sequel launched in 2020 known as Doom Eternal, which we featured earlier in this list.

#5 Warframe

If you never heard of Warframe, think of this game like the Destiny franchise with plenty of active players and a variety of quests to take on. Players take on the role of a customized Tenno, an old race of warriors that are bound by blade and gun. Set in the far future, you awaken from a cryostasis as you’re needed once again in a grand war that has put a number of factions against each other. Of course, this game has been out since 2013 so there’s plenty more content to chew through right now if you have yet to actually make an account.

This is an action RPG title that has already five expansions and as of right now there doesn’t appear to be any case of the development team, Digital Extremes, slowing down. If you decide to go through the game with some friends, most missions are able to support up to four different players and if you’re into grinding through missions in order to find a particular item with fast-paced combat, this title is well worth checking out. With that said, the game suddenly got some competition online after Destiny 2 went free-to-play, but since this game has been around and enjoyed for years we don’t imagine they will lose out on players making their way onto Destiny.

#4 Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis

We’ll be honest here, Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis is here because it’s apparently a major hit in Japan and those who jump in it apparently have a great RPG experience.

Not to mention, this is an online game where you will be able to play with up to 31 other players and go on grand adventures with them. Admit it, that does sound like something you’d be tempted to try out, right?

Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis has been upgraded with various improvements, including the graphics, the gameplay, and more. So if you’re looking for a fun RPG experience to do with others in a unique sci-fi/fantasy world? This game is for you.

#3 Halo Infinite

Halo Infinite was a game a LONG time coming, and whether or not it has personally met your expectations on what it should be, there’s no denying that it’s here, and many are still playing it despite its fault.

Key among that fact is how the multiplayer is free for you to do right now. So if nothing else, jump online and have fun with friends!

Yes, there is also the campaign mode where you’ll once again play as Master Chief in an attempt to try and save humanity in a losing war against the Covenant.

So will you finally be able to Finish The Fight? You’ll find out once you play.

#2 Dying Light 2 Stay Human

If it’s true zombie action you’re looking for, then Dying Light 2 Stay Human is the game you’ll want to get soon. This game takes what the previous title offered and cranks it up to a new level.

In the game, you’ll play as a character who has memories they don’t fully understand, and this leads them to The City. A place where they can find the truth, but also find a lot of trouble. The good news for you is that your “mystery character” has a lot of skills and abilities that’ll get them to various jobs and places that can help you, once you help certain other people first.

Your choices will affect The City in ways both big and small, and you’ll have to do all this while resisting the infection you are slowly being changed by.

#1 Mass Effect Legendary Edition

The Mass Effect Legendary Edition is arguably one of the best remasters ever, and totally something that is worth your time. Especially if you haven’t replayed Mass Effect in a while.

This is the essential trilogy, Andromeda will not be spoken of, that defined RPGs for a new generation. You are Commander Shepherd, and its your job to make a team of allies to figure out the truth about the powerful race of beings known as The Reapers and stop them from wiping out all life.

The remaster boosts the graphics of all three games and makes other quality of life improvements. Trust us, you won’t want to miss out on this. There’s a reason these games hold up to this day.