Few genres are more satisfying to play than action games. The feel and flow of combat can sometimes make you and the game feel as one, with all your attention and focus on the game. Often these titles can be challenging, but they feel great to complete. Xbox has a long history of quality action games and thankfully many are backwards compatible on Xbox Series X/S.
Some of these games even include some additional improvements. Many action games are exclusive to Xbox, or at least natively exclusive, without having to deal with Playstation’s cloud gaming.
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10/10 Ninja Gaiden 2
If there’s one definitive proof why the emulation can be better than the original hardware, it’s Ninja Gaiden 2. On Xbox 360, Ninja Gaiden 2 was still a good game but had many flaws due to poor performance. NG2 had so many enemies on screen that it slowed down the game significantly and had very noticeable screen tearing. On the Xbox Series X, however, all of that is gone.
The game runs at a locked 60 fps the whole time at a resolution close to 4K, even with a ton of enemies on-screen. Ninja Gaiden 2 is one of the best and most chaotic action games of all time. The levels are solid, the weapons are awesome, and the combat is like no other. If you’ve only played Sigma 2, you’re missing out on the true version of the game.
9/10 Defeat
Vanquish is undoubtedly one of the best titles ever developed by Platinum Games. Shinji Mikami’s first and only game at Platinum, Vanquish follows Sam Gideon, a former star college football player who is taking part in the retaking of Providence. Vanquish is a third-person shooter that breaks away from many of the genre’s conventions upon release.
The game rewards you heavily by going on the offensive against the enemy instead of staying behind cover and taking potshots. It may take a while to get used to how Vanquish plays with its various mechanics if you are more familiar with standard third person shooters. However, once you get the hang of it, the game becomes incredibly satisfying. Both the Xbox One remaster and the backward compatible 360 ​​version are viable ways to play on Xbox.
8/10 Yakuza 5
Of all the action games on Xbox Game Pass, Yakuza 5 is the best. There is a lot of debate in the community about whether Yakuza 0 or 5 is the best. In terms of raw content, however, Yakuza 5 is the biggest, most packed, and most action-packed entry in the series. With five areas and five playable characters, this title is huge.
If you’re happy to aim for 100 percent completion, this entry will take you the longest in the series. Combat is also some of the best in the series, and all four fighters are incredibly fun. Yakuza 5 isn’t a great place to start if you’re new, but once you’re familiar with the series, this will be one of the most entertaining entries.
7/10 Serious Sam collection
Serious Sam was one of the last classic first-person shooters of its time. It’s a horde shooter with a distinct style. Early on in The First Encounter, Croteam teaches you to anticipate traps when picking up an item. The title aligns with this rule, and while it may seem cheap at first, later you adapt to it and you can see the traps coming. Both the weapon arsenal and the enemy types are great.
Once you gain experience, keep switching weapons to properly deal with threats. The Second Encounter is the series’ fan favorite due to its new additions and outstanding level design. Serious Sam Collection for Xbox contains the remastered versions of both encounters and Serious Sam 3 and is highly recommended.
6/10 Max Payne 3
Max Payne is one of those action titles that changed gaming with its bullet time shooting. While Max Payne 1 and 2 are currently getting a remake from Remedy, Part 3 won’t. Max Payne 3 is another excellent action game full of fun gunfights in the style of John Woo. The campaign has a good pace and lots of incredible moments, although it’s a shame you can’t skip cutscenes.
There are many difficulty levels and the hardest will test you to your absolute limits. Multiplayer was added in Max Payne 3, but the servers have since been shut down. All three Max Payne games tend to be available for sale quite often on Xbox, and the third game is definitely worth buying.
5/10 fear
While the first Fear title is showing its age, especially with its unorthodox control scheme, it’s still a fantastic action horror game. On Xbox Series X, the game has FPS Boost and runs at a locked 60 fps. The core of Fear is another bullet time shooter by John Woo but in first person perspective. Gunplay works incredibly well in this style, and blasting goons in slow motion is satisfying.
However, Fear’s controls will likely be a major hurdle for you as it’s unlike any modern shooter today. The developers hadn’t set FPS controls on consoles in the early 360 days. If you can get used to the controls, you will experience an excellent action game. Unfortunately, Fear 1 is not available digitally and can only be played from the physical disc.
4/10 quantum fracture
Quantum Break was one of the first hyped Xbox One exclusives, and while it’s not as good as other Remedy titles, it’s still a great game. Combat is a lot of fun and a prequel to what you would see in Control, with many similar abilities. Quantum Break has a pretty big story.
After each of the first four acts, you’ll watch a live-action TV show episode that changes depending on your action. Unfortunately, the show episodes are no longer streamed in-game, so you’ll need to download them, which is 70 plus GB. The game itself is already 100GB, so this game will take up a lot of space. Quantum Break is an excellent action game on Xbox if you have the space.
3/10 sinking 2016
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The final product is rather poor when most games are stuck in development hell. In games like Duke Nukem Forever and Devil’s Third you can almost see the restless development. That’s not the case with Doom 2016. This reboot reinvigorated the series while being unique compared to other shooters at the time.
There’s no reloading, no regenerating health, and no iron sights. The title felt like a triple-A old-school shooter and it’s a blast. With a fast-paced, solid campaign and a variety of DLC content, this game is a treat for any fan of classic shooters. It’s on Xbox Game Pass, and while the multiplayer isn’t great, it’s at least better than Doom Eternal’s battlemode.
2/10 Batman Arkham City
The crowning achievement of WB Interactive’s catalog is Batman: Arkham City. Arkham City, the sequel to 2009 Game of the Year contender Batman: Arkham Asylum, is an open world title and remains one of the best designed. With many open-world games, completing all the activities or getting all the collectibles can feel like a chore.
In this game everything is fun in the open world. Combat is superior to its predecessor, with more options to play and button press is less useful. Arkham City is packed with lots of content including a new game plus mode, story DLC and tons of challenges making it a must-see.
1/10 titan fall 2
Respawn Entertainment was a developer formed by former members of Infinity Ward after the studio’s major reorganization in 2010. Their first game, Titanfall, ultimately didn’t live up to incredibly high expectations. However, when Respawn brought it, Titanfall 2 was having a big time. The new campaign mode was excellent and in line with the high quality Call of Duty campaigns of yesteryear. Even the villains were great, which is rare for this genre.
Titanfall’s gameplay has that futuristic movement that’s been popular, but it can be difficult to adapt. If you’re used to the boots-on-the-ground gameplay of traditional shooters, it may take a while to figure out how to play. If you customize it, the game is awesome and one of the best action titles on Xbox Game Pass.
