If Someone Was Buying Their First Xbox Today, What Games Would You Recommend?

But then again, Xbox is synonymous with the likes of Halo, Gears and Fable… so is that a good starting point in your opinion, even though we’re still waiting on new entries from each of these franchises in 2026? How about going back to cult classics such as Ryse: Son of Rome, Sunset Overdrive and Quantum Break?

Obviously there’s the third-party stuff as well — you only need to look at the “Top Paid” Xbox charts to see the likes of Crimson Desert and EA Sports FC 26 trending right now — but that seems a bit obvious. We’re more interested in which Xbox games you’d recommend that feel like essentials for an Xbox-specific newcomer.

You might even just suggest they start with Xbox backwards compatibility titles… it’s certainly an option.

So, just in case we’ve got anyone browsing Pure Xbox today who’s picked up an Xbox console and doesn’t know what to play first, let us know your suggestions down in the comments below. All recommendations are welcome!