The 15 Series X Games That Just Might Help Xbox Reclaim Its Former Glory

Xbox always had a little more of a liberal method in naming its consoles than PlayStation. While PlayStation simply went up in numbers, Xbox worked in degrees, then word-numbers, then did a naming-method overhaul with the Xbox Series X. Admittedly, that hurt to say aloud at first, but it's been growing on me. And while the console wars are still in full swing, the Series X is part of an industry-wide pivot towards (finally) putting players first instead of cash.

With the Series X, Xbox is doing a full 360 from its Xbox One launch, which was notoriously hated, and bringing a lot that'll be new to gamers. The brand has consistently given us backwards compatibility, which allows the previous one or two generations' games to be played on a newer console. The Series X will have backwards compatibility, too. Then, with Xbox's Game Pass, which offers a Netflix-like subscription service for a ton of killer games (including the likes of Halo, Gears, and Sea of Thieves), Series X will also launch with all those titles. Along with that, many of the games will be enhanced for the Series X, and some cross-generation games will see a smart delivery system—meaning if you buy a game like Cyberpunk 2077 on Xbox One, you’ll get the enhanced Xbox Series X version for free.

All these tools for crossplay and cross saves and next gen upgrades help Xbox gamers save a ton of money—for once, you won’t have to put in an additional $700 buying games you already own—while also giving the Series X a hefty library right off the bat, which cleanly avoids the number-one problem new consoles usually face. In fact, it might just be one of the smoothest console launches in history. With that in mind, here are some of the most exciting titles confirmed for the Xbox Series X (and yes, even exclusives, an area where Xbox has traditionally struggled), which ought to make for a much tighter console race than years before and help Xbox backtrack to its glory days.