The Xbox 360 game library is simply magical. There were so many great games released for it between 2005 and 2013 that, if I were to list them all, we’d be here all day.
Thankfully, when a console has such an impressive library of games, you better believe that a large number of them are highly replayable. Some of it is due to the multiplayer aspect.
Like many of you, I spent countless nights on Xbox Live in college until the sun came up. Other times, it’s due to the strong single-player offering. There are several Xbox 360 games that offer a variety of ways to play through the games, ensuring that no playthrough is the same.
No matter how you play them, these highly replayable Xbox 360 games remain just as much fun today as they were when they were released over a decade ago.
10 Crackdown
Oh, Hey, They Gave Us A Game With The Halo 3 Beta
The joke around Crackdown was that you bought it to gain access to the Halo 3 multiplayer beta. The fact that a full-fledged game came out with it was just the icing on the cake.
In reality, Crackdown was a pleasant surprise, delivering a massively enjoyable open-world sandbox.
During an era when every open-world game was trying to emulate Grand Theft Auto, Crackdown zagged when other games were zigging. It doesn’t present itself as anything serious, instead focusing on fun, over-the-top action and allowing players to become as strong as humanly possible.
Sadly, the sequels to Crackdown never lived up to expectations, but we’ll always have the original to fall back on.
9 Fable 2
A Fantastic Action RPG For The Xbox 360
The original Fable was a great action RPG despite failing to deliver on its lofty promises. Then again, it wouldn’t be a Peter Molyneux game if it fell short of its lofty expectations.
The second still fell short on those overly ambitious goals, but it’s here that the dream is far more fully realized. Fable 2’s combat retains the hack ‘n slash goodness of the original, combined with the superior performance of the Xbox 360 hardware.
As much as I love to play through the original Fable, there are times when it feels clunky and outdated. That’s not the case with Fable 2. It’s a sequel that improves on the original in nearly every aspect.
For me, though, the highlight is that you can see the original vision come to life. Does every action I take change the entire world as we know it? Not quite, but the citizens of Albion react to my reputation and actions in a way that evokes emotions out of me in ways few games have. As someone who enjoys playing the “evil” path in games, Fable 2 actually made me feel guilty for some of my decisions.
8 Forza Motorsport 4
Sim-Racing Perfection
It’s unfortunate that the Forza Motorsport franchise has struggled lately. As much as I love Forza Horizon, it’s a totally different game. Sometimes I just want to take crappy cars and make them drive as fast as a McLaren, ya know?
Turn 10 Studios took an already incredible game in Forza Motorsport 3 and turned it up to eleven. It strikes a perfect balance of physics and performance, resulting in the ultimate simulation racing experience.
Forza Motorsport 4 really was the complete package, firing on all cylinders to deliver one of the best racing games ever played. The franchise is still chasing that high all these years later, and while we have better looking games available today, they don’t hold a candle to the magic that was on display here.
7 Gears of War
Helmets Optional
If Gears of War: Reloaded is anything to go by, it shows how well the original Gears of War has aged. The entire trilogy was a highlight from start to finish on the Xbox 360, delivering an incredible co-op experience backed by some of the most fun I’ve had gaming online.
I’m giving the edge to the original, though, because it hits all the right notes. The multiplayer, even with the frustrating host advantage and strength of the shotgun, is far and away my favorite. I was blown away on release night, and I’ll never forget bonding with strangers over how much fun the gameplay was.
Sure, later Gears of War games added in horde mode, but if you ask me, the original is still the best. The campaign is still a blast, the multiplayer maps are the best in the series, and I’ll never forget the memories made playing this game.
Something Something Arrow To The Knee
I don’t shy away from the fact that I think Skyrim is the third-best Elder Scrolls game in the franchise, falling behind Morrowind and Oblivion. With Oblivion’s recent remaster being the preferred way to play the game, Skyrim gets the nod here.
Despite my preferences, I can’t deny the magic that is Skyrim. All these years later, there’s still plenty to discover within its open world. It’s as inviting today as it was in 2011 when I first booted it up after picking it up during a midnight launch.
There’s a reason why this game has been re-released so many times. It’s an excellent adaptation of Bethesda’s gameplay formula that understands how to be more accessible to mainstream audiences without sacrificing what makes these games so iconic and beloved.
While Bethesda is keen to take their time with the next Elder Scrolls game, recently saying that they needed a creative reset, we’ll still be spending plenty of time making sure there’s nothing in Skyrim we’ve been missing out on.
5 Fallout: New Vegas
War Never Changes
It seems wild to consider that we got not just one but two Fallout games on the Xbox 360.
While Bethesda’s Fallout 3 marked the triumphant return of the franchise, and it’s a game that, for a long time, I’ve honestly preferred. So then, why does New Vegas get the nod here? Its depth.
I’ll always maintain that Fallout 3 is, overall, a better game, but New Vegas has superior writing, better immersion, and incredible characters. Every new playthrough of New Vegas feels unique and different.
This isn’t the first time Obisidian has followed in an iconic developer’s footsteps to deliver a masterpiece RPG experience. They’ve proven time and time again that they’re on a different level when it comes to delivering great RPGs we’ll never get tired of.
4 Mass Effect 2
My Favorite Game On The Citadel
To be honest, you can pick just about any game from the Mass Effect trilogy in this spot. Since Mass Effect 2 is the best in the series, though, that’s the one we’re going with.
It may not have the surprisingly addictive multiplayer of its successor. It’s also lacking the self-contained story of its predecessor. Having said that, Mass Effect 2 is the best in the series because it delivers on all fronts.
The same narrative depth and RPG elements are intact; it’s now just far easier and more accessible to play. Mass Effect 2 remains the gameplay gold standard not just for Western RPGs, but third person cover shooters as well.
While its story doesn’t have the cleanest of endings, the Omega 3 Relay is still an iconic sequence in video game history that will put your commitment to your squad mates and their backstories to the test.
3 Grand Theft Auto 5
That’s Right, This Was An Xbox 360 Game
-
- Released
- September 17, 2013
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ due to Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Mature Humor, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs and Alcohol
- Engine
- Rockstar Advanced Game Engine
- Cross-Platform Play
- no
- Cross Save
- yes
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- yes
- PC Release Date
- April 14, 2015
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
- March 15, 2022
- PS5 Release Date
- March 15, 2022
- How Long To Beat
- 32 Hours
- X|S Optimized
- Yes
- File Size Xbox Series
- 84 GB (July 2023)
- Metascore
- 81
- PS Plus Availability
- Extra & Premium
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
First, let’s address the elephant in the room: Grand Theft Auto 5 feels like it has been released on more platforms than Skyrim, especially on more recent consoles.
Having said that, it’s still an Xbox 360 game, and one that refuses to collapse under the weight of its own ambition.
Grand Theft Auto 4 set the stage for an HD GTA game with cinematic storytelling and an immersive, atmospheric open world worth exploring. It just asked you to go bowling a little too often.
Grand Theft Auto 5 not only addresses these critiques, but expands that storytelling and immersion in ways few studios can. No one is blowing up your phone to go sightseeing or hang out because it’s something you want to do organically. That’s the magic of GTA 5, and that’s why it’s still a blast to play all these years later.
2 Halo 3
Multiplayer Matches Until The Sun Came Up
I went back and forth between Halo 3 and Halo: Reach for this slot. Both are incredibly worthy entries, albeit for entirely different reasons.
Reach is my personal favorite Halo game, offering an emotionally charged, well-rounded campaign that delivers on all fronts.
However, Halo 3 is a game I keep coming back to occasionally when booting up the Master Chief Collection. It’s a game I poured countless hours into during the Xbox 360 days for a reason. It’s the pinnacle of Halo multiplayer, offering an impressive balance of its weapons, incredible map design, and the welcome addition of equipment to help add a new level of strategy for firefights.
All of Bungie’s Halo games offer something great, whether it’s the campaign, multiplayer, or anything in between. Halo 3 is what happens when everything falls into place and plays at a high level. Gears of War may have been the Xbox 360’s killer app, but Halo 3 was why you put in all those hours on your 360.
1 Rock Band 3
Rock And Roll All Nite
I have to be honest, though. If my friends and I weren’t playing Halo 3 back in the day, it’s because we were playing Rock Band.
Honestly, you can’t go wrong with either game in the original “trilogy.” Rock Band is the one that changed the world, Rock Band 2 is the one most people remember, but Rock Band 3 is the franchise’s peak.
Many people shrugged off the addition of the piano as a playable instrument, and I get it. It’s not entirely exciting, but for me, there were two things that stood out to me with Rock Band 3.
First, there’s the quality of life improvements that help make this the most accessible in the franchise. The second, and something that arguably gets slept on, is the on-disc soundtrack. It’s an incredible variety of iconic songs from several genres that appeals to just about everyone’s musical taste. Rock Band hype may be long over, but it’s something I still miss every day.
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Author: 360 Technology Group
