Best shooting games for xbox live

Guns, guns, more guns, a few stylistic risks, a unique art direction, and just to be sure, a few more guns. How did that recipe turn out, you wonder? It was perfect. After fusing these elements with your typical first-person shooter conventions and some choice comedic script writing, it emerged as a genre-bending Frankenstein of epic proportions. A long development period, marketing hubris, and underwhelming delivery left fans less than enthused about this Y2K offering from industry wizard John Romero when it finally arrived.

We love you, John. Granted, he knew that. The survival sandbox boom was unprecedented. PUBG stepped up to captain this new ship, and the trend became completely inescapable. Although Fortnite was hot on its heels, it has sailed on steadily ever since. Even industry monoliths like Call of Duty and Battlefield stopped to take notes. That says a little something. Most people would read that title and immediately think of a slew of RTS greats that paved the way for most others, not a first-person shooter.

While it did bring a unique flavor to the table with its passable multiplayer mode, the core mechanics and single player landed somewhere south of innovative. Far, far south. Probably on a different continent. Your buddies are down. And you know there are at least two of them still out there, looking for you. You hurriedly attempt to disarm the explosive device in front of you. Just a few seconds longer…. Well, wait. But still, this scenario should be second nature to anyone that has put time into this online phenomenon.

We tend to take two things as a given when we see a sequel to a great game. But hey, at least we got to rock out with the Kidney Thieves in the soundtrack. Sensing relatively untouched ground outside of a few niche titles, EA DICE wanted to give us something different after the modern conventions of Battlefield 3 and 4. Well, we got it, we loved it, and we got to charge into battle on horseback with a cavalry saber drawn as the world exploded around us.

Way cool. With a massive amount of deep, powerful and interesting lore at its disposal, this was a project filled with promise. But what was delivered was an unremarkable and linear shooter splashed with a bit of Warhammer 40k paint. Her journey is harrowing as the voices she hears in her own head plague her and the player with doubts and bits of advice. While her quest is grueling, and it often makes you question whether or not the whole venture is worth it, it culminates in one of the most satisfying endings in gaming history.

Hellblade proves that battling your own demons is a fight worthy of recognition and esteem. Being busy is the name of the game as you have to manage how much money your farm is earning with upgrading tractors and other pieces of equipment in order to thus acquire more land and grow yet more crops. The detail given to this farming simulation is a delight for any fan of the genre. And what makes Farming Simulator an even better addition to the Xbox Game Pass library is the ability to play it with friends.

The title supports multiplayer, which means groups of friends can spend quality time being agricultural entrepreneurs together. The game comes with an appropriately hamfisted campaign mode, but the real treasure is its suite of multiplayer offerings: heart-pounding one-on-one duels, chaotic team battles, and even a few PVE bits all offer unique experiences of their own.

Golfing has never been more relaxing or stress-inducing than in Golf With Your Friends. This casual golfing title might seem like an enjoyable co-op experience for a group of friends to partake in. But beneath this seemingly tranquil surface is a turbulent and infuriating game that will break friendships instead of clubs. Easing a golf ball into a hole becomes a practice in impossibility thanks to convoluted courses. From water falls to ghosts to black holes, an array of jaw-dropping obstacles stand in the way of making par.

Is it annoying to sink every swing on a single hole? Is it easy to get lost in the dazzle of new courses? Most certainly. Is it an immense amount of fun to play? Fans of turn-based strategy games like XCOM or Fire Emblem might scoff at the idea of the action-packed Gears of War franchise being turned into a tactics game, but the result is an impressive first foray into the genre.

Gears has always been about player positioning, flanks, and coordinated strikes — the translation to top-down strategy game is remarkably seamless. Strategy game fans who have never touched a Gears title before should absolutely make the time to try out Gears Tactics.

The game strikes an impressive balance in its complexity. Newcomers to the turn-based strategy genre won't feel overwhelmed, but veterans will be pleasantly surprised by some of the very specific tweaks and customizations offered. A Plague Tale: Innocence is a 14th-century alternate history story with fantasy elements that follows two noble siblings chased out of their home by the English.

Set during the advent of the bubonic plague, the two find themselves wrapped up in a larger-than-life plot to find a cure for the Black Death while evading both political and religious forces that have their own ambitions. Despite its fascinating overarching narrative, the game is mostly centered around its heroes' relationships and their fight for survival.

Fans of triple-A blockbusters will feel right at home going through Plague Tale's stealth-action gameplay. The game has a very satisfying sense of progression on account of its naturally evolving plot, solid gameplay mechanics, and the intriguing player abilities obtained throughout the game. Doom was the revitalization the series needed to prove to the world that it was still relevant.

For a long time, Doom was considered a game of a bygone era, influential but no longer in its prime. Id Software changed all that with the creation of Doom The Doom Slayer came roaring back into existence, ripping and tearing a new place for himself in the gaming landscape. Not only did this reboot bring Doom back into the cultural awareness, it showed that a single-player campaign that is well-crafted and vigorous good fun can entice players just as much as, if not more than, another battle royale.

Doom is not one to miss for fans of fast-paced shooters and action-packed combat. Let's get this out of the way: Yakuza: Like a Dragon is a perfect jumping-off point for anyone new to the Yakuza series.

It's a whole new cast of characters in a whole new area. Yes, there are nods to the rest of the franchise, but there's nothing to hamper newcomers' enjoyment. What fans of the genre won't be expecting is how well these tropes translate to a modern-day crime drama about found family. Yakuza: Like a Dragon is fun, funny, and an absolute joy to play through. Don't miss it! However, in addition to the beautiful rendering of the entire planet, the game also gives players an opportunity to test out piloting skills thanks to its intuitive, simulated aircraft controls.

A variety of realistically rendered airplanes are at your piloting disposal, replete with interactive features and instruments that lend a deep sense of immersion to this already-stunning simulation title.

Take to the sky under a variety of weather and environmental conditions and earn your wings in the way of your choosing. Co-op fun of any sort is always a welcome addition to the Xbox Game Pass library, and those who own a subscription can now celebrate the inclusion of Gang Beasts on an already jam-packed roster of great games.

Goofy wrestling in silly costumes makes the violent thrashings seem hilarious and adorable. The stages on which players combat each other are simplistic in design, but wacky in concept, from outdoor elevators to churning factory floors to an active subway tunnel. Dipping into a game of Gang Beasts is enjoyable to the extreme, making this lighthearted title a must-play for anyone who wants to have a bumbling brawl. Knockout City is a competitive dodgeball game that's easy to learn but hard to master.

Fans of competitive shooters who struggle with twitch-based gameplay will feel right at home with Knockout City. It uses the very familiar rulesets of popular 3v3 multiplayer modes i. Team Death Match , but doesn't award victory to the team who can score the most headshots.

Instead, Knockout City is more about positioning. The game uses a lock-on targeting system, so knocking someone out has more to do with where a player is standing and how well coordinated the opposing team is.

It's an impressive spin on the genre reminiscent of Splatoon — and who doesn't love a pain-free game of dodgeball. Make no mistake, Darkest Dungeon sets players up for a brutal, turn-based roguelike experience. Cast as the unlucky beneficiary inheriting a cursed estate, players must recruit a party of daring-yet-vulnerable adventurers to root out the corruption that has overtaken it. The iconic mechanics of the more recent titles in the Mortal Kombat franchise were perfectly paired with the DC Universe in Injustice.

The sequel simply polishes an already explosive formula — from iconic mainstays like Batman and Superman to relatively deep digs like Blue Beetle and Atrocitus, the roster is bursting with heroic and villainous selections sure to delight the considerable intersections between DC and fighting-game fans to no end. Hollow Knight's exploration and genuine sense of discovery are easily some of the best in the genre.

It's a shining example of how to make a Metroidvania in the modern era. Hollow Knight never trades in its mystery or world-building for padded side quests or game-breaking boosts. It remains a somber, magical, and deceptively challenging game all the way through. It definitely takes a page from the Dark Souls series, so be prepared to wander into new areas with caution, and get ready to learn every boss' pattern exactly.

But it went over surprisingly smoothly — the controls were intuitively mapped for controllers, and the streamlined gameplay made for a great RTS title for fans of both the genre and the mainline Halo franchise.

Spiritfarer casts you as a ferry master shepherding souls to their final resting grounds. It sounds grim, but behind its premise is an incredibly hopeful game about love, loss, and growth.

The game's art design allows it to walk the line between tackling a depressing subject and remaining the soothing experience players expect from a management sim.

Spiritfarer wears a lot of hats. Premise aside, at its core, it's a light farming and relationship sim. It mixes and matches a lot of elements fans of the genre will be familiar with, including crop planning, gift-giving, and plenty of crafting. It has a lovely world to explore, and even some light platforming thrown in for good measure. To label Elite Dangerous as an ambitious space flight sim would be an understatement at best.

Players are let loose into an almost terrifyingly impressive recreation of the Milky Way galaxy as we know it, free to pursue whatever spacefaring adventures their hearts desire. As to what precisely that entails, the possibilities are exceedingly broad. The density of the flight controls might be a bit intimidating at first, but the thrill of participating in its continuously unfolding narrative alongside a dedicated community of fellow pilots is a feeling rarely replicated by other multiplayer titles.

Equal parts puzzle game and platformer, Human Fall Flat tasks players with navigating a series of surreal dreamscapes that revolve around a central theme. Each level introduces new mechanics that play a key role in traversing the clear-cut geometry of the environments.

Outlast 2 places players in the hapless shoes of Blake Langermann, a journalist who quite literally crash-lands into a hellish situation with no hope of escape.

The scares of Outlast 2 reach into core fears regarding human nature. The game utilizes this horror in an effort to craft an unnerving story experience that leaves one with a contradictory sense of numbness and fright. With a sequel finally here fifteen years and three console generations later , there's never been a better time to play through one of Double Fine's most beloved titles.

Fans of any 3D open-world platformers, collectathons, or adventure games will feel right at home in the world of Psychonauts. Not only is it one of the funniest games ever written alongside the likes of Portal , but the creativity of its level design rivals some of Nintendo's best worlds.

Applying a marvelous open-world formula to a purely underwater environment is a phenomenal concept, and Subnautica pulls it off with aplomb. After crashing onto a watery alien world on a single lifepod, players must do their best to survive using the resources at their disposal. Not only are food and water constant concerns, but the terrifying creatures of the deep must be contended with as well.

The survival genre might be oversaturated at this point, but Subnautica proves that with a few unique elements and a captivating atmosphere, even a small indie game can stand out in an ocean of similar titles. Grim Fandango has players exploring and solving puzzles in a film noir version of the Land of the Dead. It is easily one of the most striking and unique games in the Xbox Game Pass portfolio.

The game has an incredible style and sense of place, but it also backs all of its pizzazz up with equally compelling characters. But fair warning! For as great as Grim Fandango 's world and writing are and yes, they still hold up today , it is worth mentioning that this is a classic adventure game. There's very little hand-holding to speak of, even in the remastered edition on Game Pass. That said, there's no shame in looking up a puzzle or two. Though there are plenty of strategic titles available to play on Xbox Game Pass, sometimes all anyone really needs is the ability to be a goat for a short while.

Thankfully, Goat Simulator has this covered. The joy of being a destructive goat is brought to life in this riot of a title by Coffee Stain Studios.

Look like a goat. Act like a goat. Be like a goat. Very few developers can live up to the incredible quality of Nintendo games. In , Rare released Banjo-Kazooie on the N64, and managed to compete —and in some ways exceed— the genre-defining Super Mario Luckily, the HD re-release of Banjo-Kazooie holds up remarkably well. With so few traditional 3D platformers releasing to pick up the mantle, it remains one of the best games in the genre readily available today.

The original Banjo-Kazooie builds on the open-world hub design popularized by Mario 64 , and expands on it with an interlocking array of shortcuts and secrets. Combined with some incredibly creative abilities, a loveable cast, and an unforgettable soundtrack by the legendary Grant Kirkhope — it's obvious why fans are still clamoring for a Banjo-Kazooie 3 years later. Though the title may imply a relation to the iconic N64 title, Squadrons is most certainly a more immersive brand of space flight sim.

However, the multiplayer suite is clearly the star of the show. Read our review here. A heartfelt delight from start to finish, Undertale is an indie darling for a reason. It takes typical tropes found in old-school RPGs and uses them to spin a surprisingly deep tale that takes player action into consideration.

Players accompany a young child through an underground world of monsters as they try to make their way back to the surface. Undertale is the kind of game that comes around once in a lifetime, and it is a must-play title for any fan of the RPG genre.

Though the challenges that Undertale presents can be arduous, its story is nothing short of miraculous. Still, the decisions players make and the impact these have on the world still feel more tangible than a lot of modern games with branching narratives.

Fable 2's setting evokes whimsy and wonder, but it never feels toothless or childish. It's a perfect taste of the universe Lionhead and Peter Molyneux created and a great entry to jump into before the Microsoft Studios franchise reboot set to release on the Xbox Series X S.

Though the walking simulator genre is not for everyone, What Remains of Edith Finch is an undeniably unique experience. Edith Finch returns to her old family home to uncover the secrets behind a family curse.

While she explores the rooms of the creaky and gargantuan Finch house, she chases after the stories of her deceased family members. Players are treated to a smorgasbord of experiences as they dive into the memories of the Finch family.

Scenarios are played out that will delight and shock players as they are taken through both lighthearted adventures full of imaginative magic and narratives that evoke an ineffable sense of cathartic despondency quite unlike anything else in the medium.

Thrown into the mind of Morgan Yu, players must unravel the mystery behind the catastrophe that has befallen the Talos I space station. A strange alien life form known as the Typhon has taken over, and Morgan must contend with the peculiar threat they pose to the humans left alive on the station. Arkane Studios blends aspects of Dishonored , BioShock , and Soma in a masterful fashion, allowing players to choose how they wish to tackle problems they encounter.

They can proceed in a stealthy fashion, upgrade weapons and go in guns blazing, acquire almost supernatural powers from Neuromods, or use the handy GLOO Cannon to tackle the Typhon menace. The appeal of Prey comes not only from the immersive world of its narrative but from the diverse array of playstyle options it gives its players to do with as they will.

Stellaris , however, breaks that mold in fine fashion. After selecting or generating the civilization of their dreams, players are placed at its helm as it discovers faster-than-light FTL travel and begins its journey amongst the stars. Whether by military might, diplomatic intrigue, or economic guile, the general goal is establishing interstellar supremacy. The myriad of potential events that may unfold as you guide your civilization along the path to victory is truly astounding.

Occurrences that range from humorously bizarre to terrifyingly cataclysmic lurk behind every discovered planet and unmapped corner of the galaxy. Players will chase clues left behind by ancient precursor civilizations, encounter all manner of alien races, explore the furthest reaches of known space, and so much more.

No two games will ever turn out the same. Dragon Quest XI follows a silent protagonist and his band of merry friends as they explore impressive vistas and small towns in a typical JRPG fashion. Unlike the modern Final Fantasy games, Echoes of an Elusive Age sticks to the traditional turn-based battles of yesteryear. Yes, Dragon Quest XI is still an aggressively traditional JRPG, but that doesn't stop it from being a first-class game and a must for any fans of the genre.

Square Enix has been iterating on the Dragon Quest formula for three decades, and it shows. It's hard to imagine a more polished and complete package than Dragon Quest XI. The Commonwealth serves as a compelling setting, from the ruins of Boston to the Glowing Sea. Forza Horizon 4 makes simulation racing seem easy, expertly mixing arcade racer challenges with precision controls. Not to mention that Horizon 4 is easily one of the best-looking games on modern consoles — and it looks even better on the Series X.

Lara Croft remains an absolute badass, this time showing no restraint when it comes to slaughtering those who stand in her way. Read our full Shadow of the Tomb Raider review. If you are averse to gruesome violence, then Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville might be more up your alley. Nearly constant updates and additions have given us reason to keep playing for more than a year, including major universe-changing events. Read our full Fortnite review.

A more refined version of the formula Remedy Games established with Quantum Break , Control is also an even stranger game. That means you have access to paranormal abilities and will face some truly bizarre enemies, all with a story that is as confusing as it is intriguing. Control lacks some of the polish of its AAA contemporaries, but it makes up for it with its sheer oddness and commitment to its central themes.

Read our full Control review. The Insomniac Games project that time forgot, Sunset Overdrive is nothing short of a masterpiece.

Read our full Sunset Overdrive review. Taking strong inspiration from Contra: Hard Corps, in particular, the sidescrolling run-and-gun shooter is extremely challenging but not impossible. Players need to be precise, but the modern continuing system and nearly perfect controls make it always feel fair. Blazing Chrome is arguably the best game Contra has to offer. This game tickles your nostalgia in more ways than one. The graphics are reminiscent of classic arcade games and it allows you to rewind time to play through levels more than once in order to increase your power against certain enemies.

Completing levels with the many characters available, like Jean Rambois and Aimy McKillin, adds to the fun. Each character has specific moves that you can learn and add to new combo attacks. Sine Mora EX has perfected the formula for an apocalyptic horizontal aerial shooter.

The game builds a darkly weird environment that blends high-quality shooting with a surprisingly emotional tone. Incredible graphics and fun bonuses like the time mechanic round out an excellent game.

Instead of using the regular hit point system for life counts, Sine Mora EX uses time increments to reflect health.