GameSpot may receive revenue from affiliate and advertising partnerships for sharing this content and from purchases through links.
To say that Xbox had a busy 2025 would be an understatement. It was a year full of big game launches, strategy shifts, and several unpleasant surprises from Microsoft’s gaming division in the form of price increases and mass layoffs. The main takeaway for Xbox in 2025 was consistency, as there was a steady feed of new games on PC and Xbox Series X|S from Xbox Game Studios alongside the launch of an expensive Xbox-branded handheld PC.
But what does it mean to be an Xbox game in 2025? Microsoft doubled down on bringing its console exclusives to PlayStation 5, and many of those games were bestsellers on Sony’s hardware. Doom: The Dark Ages, Gears of War: Reloaded, and The Outer Worlds 2 all had day-and-date launches on multiple platforms, and next year will see Microsoft’s crown jewel, Halo, arrive on PS5.
If an Xbox is the only console in your home, 2025 was still a great year overall for grabbing new games. From GOTY contenders like Blue Prince and Hollow Knight: Silksong to interesting third-party titles like Mullet MadJack and The Alters, there was no shortage of exciting games to grab. Many of them earned high review scores, and you can see which ones were critically acclaimed, thanks to some number-crunching by our sister site Metacritic.
For a deep dive into the best of 2025, you can also read up on GameSpot’s GOTY pick, the best Xbox exclusives, and the biggest news stories of the year. We’ve also got a running list of the best Xbox games and Game Pass games to play right now.
More Best Of 2025:
