The best Xbox 360 games, From Gears of War to Forza Motorsport

In this article, we will introduce the best games of the 7th generation Xbox 360 console and rank them.

Suppose we name the best Microsoft console in the last two decades. In that case, we all remember the Xbox 360 console, available to users in the seventh generation of video games. The console challenged its long-time rival, the PlayStation 3, at its release through a series of entertaining games and Kinect accessories. It quickly found its place in users’ homes. The introduction of the Gears of War series, Forza, and the continued success of Hilo were only part of the brilliance of this console in its heyday, which made the library of the best video games published in history named after this console.

Therefore, in this article, we have gone to the seventh generation, specifically the Xbox 360 console. So stay with us for the list of the best Xbox 360 games and their ranking.

The best Xbox 360 games

25- Street Fighter IV game

• Manufacturer and publisher: Capcom
• Publication year: 2009
• Style: Fighting
• Metacritic score: 93

Undoubtedly, one of the familiar names among fighting games is the Street Fighter series, which we have seen enter the world of video games since 1987. In 2008, after almost 11 years since the last official version of this series, Street Fighter IV, was released by Capcom Studio and quickly became very popular among fighting fans.

A work released for seventh-generation consoles, especially Xbox 360, while maintaining the general and traditional framework of the series and its attractive visual graphics and cartoons, provided players with fun and exciting gameplay. In this version, the events of which were a direct sequel to the second version of the series, we once again see the return of the main characters, Chun-Li, Ryo, and M. Bison, who have gathered together to provide the players with an exciting and fantastic fighting experience.

24- The Walking Dead: A Telltale Games Series game

• Developer and Publisher: Telltale Games
• Publication year: 2012
• Genre: Adventure
• Metacritic score: 92

The Walking Dead series of games can be considered one of the best-published works in the field of zombies and fighting them. A story-oriented series from the well-known Telltale Games studio, in the course of its episodic narrative, players feel the experience of living in an apocalyptic world every time. In the game story, modelled after a comic of the same name, zombies are running rampant all over America. The player, taking the role of a prisoner named Lee Everett, is unwillingly assigned to protect the life of a girl named Clementine.

As mentioned, the game’s story follows episodically and in separate chapters, and we see Clementine’s adventures with a new person in each chapter. The gameplay is point-and-click, and players can advance the game’s story as they like.

23- Braid game

• Manufacturer and publisher: Nambar Nan
• Publication year: 2008
• Genre: Puzzle platformer
• Metacritic score: 93

Braid is a mystery platformer game from Number One Studio that tells the story of a hero named Tim who tries to save a prince from the clutches of a monster. The gameplay of Braid is mainly based on solving puzzles in the game world, and players can go back in time indefinitely. The game is divided into six different worlds, and players can visit any of them anytime to solve puzzles.

Each of these worlds has its time-based gameplay mechanism. For example, in the world of Time and Forgiveness, players can solve various puzzles by returning time in a regular platformer world, but in the world of Time and Mystery, multiple objects cannot be affected by returning time, and players must use the exact mechanism to Solve the puzzles of Braid.

22- Mass Effect game

• Developer and Publisher: Bioware / Microsoft Game Studios
• Publication year: 2007
• Genre: Action RPG
• Metacritic score: 91

Copper Effect can be introduced as one of the best-released franchises in space exploration games. The series started its work with the first version in 2007, where players were first introduced to Commander Shepard and the game world. The game’s story takes place in the Milky Way galaxy in 2183. Humanity is threatened by a powerful race called Reapers, and players, taking the role of the game’s main character, must resist the attack of this threat.

During the game, players must complete various sub-missions by exploring different planets and interacting with other NPC characters to trade and progress. At the time of release, Copper Effect faced a very positive reaction from critics and users, and it received a lot of attention due to its deep characterization and the vast world it provided to its users. With the commercial success of this game, Bioware launched its second and third versions.

21- Far Cry 3 game

• Producer and publisher: Ubisoft
• Publication year: 2012
• Genre: First-person shooter
• Metacritic score: 91

Far Cry 3 is the third version of the popular Far Cry series, which takes place in the tropical region of the Rook Islands, and players can roam freely in its world. The gameplay focuses on exploring the game world and fighting against enemy forces. Players can use various weapons to face enemies and predatory animals.

During the story of the game, after a group of friends go to an island for a trip, things don’t go as they should, and the main character, Jason Brody, finds himself in a situation where he has to try to save the lives of his friends from the enemies. In this game, Jason can use different methods, such as weapons and stealth fighting, to destroy his enemies. The game also provides players with a skill tree to increase their abilities throughout the game by earning multiple points. Far Cry 3 is undoubtedly a turning point in this series, and we can see the effects of many of its gameplay elements in its subsequent versions.

20- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 game

• Manufacturer and Publisher: Infinity Ward / Activision
• Publication year: 2009
• Genre: First-person shooter
• Metacritic score: 94

It was in 2009 that Activision released Modern Warfare 2 after the massive success of Modern Warfare, during which we saw the return of modern warfare from the Call of Duty series. In this version, the special forces led by Soup McTavish must arrest their leader, Vladimir Makarov, to prevent the Russian troops from attacking Washington. Modern Warfare 2 includes three gameplay modes: Campaign, Special Ops, and Multiplayer, each providing players with a unique and entertaining experience.

The game received very positive reviews from critics due to its exciting story and fun multiplayer section, and the Xbox 360 version managed to record an average score of 94. It is interesting to know that in 2020, we saw the release of its remastered version for 8th generation consoles and the release of its remake version in 2022.

19- Gears of War 3 game

• Developer and Publisher: Epic Games / Microsoft Game Studios
• Publication year: 2011
• Genre: Third-person shooter
• Metacritic score: 91

The third version of the popular series Gears of War was released exclusively for the Xbox 360 platform in 2011, where we saw the conclusion of the story of this popular and entertaining trilogy. In the story of the game, two years have passed since the destruction of Jacinto, and now the COG group has migrated to Vectes Island to settle there. With the occurrence of various events, the Delta group must now face their final enemy and guarantee the safety of humanity for the future.

The gameplay of Gears of War 3, like its previous versions, is followed in the third person, and players can fight enemies and monsters with the help of different weapons they acquire. In this version, for the first time, players can tag their enemies so that their teammates can focus on that enemy. You can also trade weapons and ammo with other teammates, which can be very rewarding in different situations. Gears of War 3 is one of the best Xbox 360 games because it provides a decent conclusion to the life story of Marcus Phoenix and polished gameplay.

18- Dark Souls II game

• Developer and publisher: FromSoftware / Bandai Namco
• Publication year: 2014
• Genre: Action RPG
• Metacritic score: 91

The second version of the Dark Souls series is one of the most challenging games in the video game industry, released to players in 2014. In this game, players take on the role of a character who will never die because of a curse and will only become an empty being over time. Players must travel to the Drangleic Empire to destroy this spell and collect four Great Souls from the Old Ones.

The gameplay is the sequel to the Souls games, where dying is severely punished, and players face many challenges to advance the stages and face their boss fights. Finally, it is interesting to know that, unlike other games of the FromSoftware studio, this version was not directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki, and Tomohiro Shibuya and Yui Tanimura were responsible for leading the game development team.

17- Fallout 3 game

• Developer and Publisher: Bethesda
• Publication year: 2008
• Genre: Exciting action
• Metacritic score: 93

Fallout 3 is an action role-playing game from Bethesda Studio, which provided fans with 3D graphics and simultaneous combat as the third version of the popular Fallout series. The game’s events take place in the apocalyptic world of America and the state of Washington, DC, which has now become an uninhabitable ruin due to a nuclear war. The story of Fallout 3 is told in the year 2277, about 36 years after the adventures of the second version of the series. In it, players take control of one of the residents of hatch number 101 and perform various tasks by stepping into the outside world.

In Fallout 3, you can upgrade your character by collecting in-game currency and providing him with different clothes, ammunition, and weapons. The game heavily uses role-playing elements, and the players can customize the main character comprehensively and further advance the game’s story according to their wishes.

16- Forza Motorsport 3 game

• Developer and Publisher: Tran 10 Studio / Microsoft Game Studios
• Publication year: 2009
• Genre: Driving
• Metacritic score: 92

Forza Motorsport 3 was released as the third instalment in the Forza series in 2009 for the Xbox 360 console and received very positive reviews from critics. This game contains more than 400 cars from 50 car factories, and players can compete with each other on more than 100 different tracks.

In this version, for the first time, we saw the camera inside the car, and among other new features of this version, we can mention drag, drift, and the presence of SUVs. With all its unique features, this game is known as a perfect racing game as one of the best Xbox 360 games.

15- Batman: Arkham Asylum game

• Developer and publisher: Rocksteady / Idas Interactive
• Publication year: 2009
• Genre: action adventure
• Metacritic score: 92

Batman: Arkham Asylum is an action-adventure game from Rocksteady Gaming Studio, which was released in 2009 as the starter of the popular Batman series known as Batman: Arkham. During the game’s main story, Batman has to stop his old enemy, the Joker, who plans to take control of the Arkham mansion and, on the other hand, threatens Gotham City with the bombing. In this game, players take control of Batman in the third person and complete the stages using different gadgets and his combat skills.

In this game, Batman can roam freely in Arkham Mansion and interact with different characters. The game received positive reviews from critics due to its engaging storyline and fun combat system, and many considered it to be the best video game adaptation of the comic book series.

14- Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare game

• Manufacturer and Publisher: Infinity Ward / Activision
• Publication year: 2007
• Genre: First-person shooter
• Metacritic score: 94

The fourth version of the Call of Duty series, Modern Warfare, which introduced modern warfare to this series for the first time, is ranked fourteenth among the best Xbox 360 console games. It is a work that quickly became one of the most popular and best first-person shooter games of its time when it was released with its eye-catching visual graphics and captivating gameplay.

In the game, the players, who are members of a particular group, must prevent military conflicts between different countries, especially Russia. In addition to the story part, the game also benefits from an attractive multiplayer part, through which players can fight each other in different modes.

13- Gears of War 2 game

• Developer and Publisher: Epic Games / Microsoft Game Studios
• Publication year: 2008
• Genre: Third-person shooter
• Metacritic score: 93

The second edition of the Gears of War series is ranked as the 13th best game of the Xbox 360 console, which was released for this console after the success of the first edition in 2008. In this version, the COG group continues its battle against the Locusts. The Locusts are planning to sink all the cities of the planet Sera, and Marcus Phoenix and the Delta Group are trying to stop the destruction of humanity by attacking their territory.

In the game, players take control of Marcus. In the game’s dual experience mode, the second person can also experience the game in the form of Dom. The game had a more profound and exciting story than the first version and got an excellent average score of 93 on Metacritic.

12- BioShock Infinite game

• Developer and Publisher: International Games / 2K
• Publication year: 2013
• Genre: First-person shooter
• Metacritic score: 93

The latest version of the BioShock series can be considered one of the best versions of this series, which was made available to users in 2013. In fact, in the game BioShock Infinite, players go to 1912, where they have to take control of a character named Booker DeWitt and travel to a romantic city called Columbia to save the life of a girl named Elizabeth and enter into several challenges.

Inspired by its two previous versions, the game provides players with various weapons and skills to face enemies. After its release, BioShock Infinite got perfect scores from critics; therefore, it is ranked 12th on the list of the best Xbox 360 games.

11- Batman: Arkham City game

• Producer and Publisher: Rocksteady / Warner Bros
• Publication year: 2011
• Genre: action adventure
• Metacritic score: 94

The next game in the list is dedicated to another version of the Batman: Arkham game series, provided to players by Rocksteady Game Studio. During the game Batman: Arkham City, the players enter the slum area of ​​Gotham City, Arkham City, and face the sinister plans of the boss of the site, Hugo Strange.

Using the gameplay elements of the Arkham Asylum version and their overall improvement, the game provides fans with a memorable experience of this video game adaptation of Batman, which made us continue to see the following versions of this series.

10- Mass Effect 2 game

• Manufacturer and Publisher: Bioware / Electronic Arts
• Publication year: 2010
• Genre: Action RPG
• Metacritic score: 96

Only three years after the release of the Copper Effect game, Bioware Studio released the second version of this popular series. Once again, players were put in the role of Commander Shepard. The game events occur in the Milky Way galaxy in the 22nd century, Where humanity is threatened by an alien race called Collectors. Shepard and his comrades must go on an irreversible mission to prevent this threat.

To experience this game, you can directly use the save files of the first version and the decisions you made in it and advance the game’s story according to your desire. It was in 2021 that Biowar Studio released the remastered version of this game in the form of the Legendary Edition collection so that players can experience this fantastic work with updated and higher-quality visual effects for a long time.

9- Halo: Reach game

• Developer and Publisher: Bungie / Microsoft Game Studios
• Publication year: 2010
• Genre: First-person shooter
• Metacritic score: 91

Halo: Reach was released as the fifth instalment in the Halo series in 2010 for the Xbox 360 console. This game was a prequel to the main trilogy of the series, which took place in 2552, Where humanity is engaged in a battle with the Covenant aliens, and players, taking on the role of a super soldier named Noble Six, must prevent the destruction of the Reach residential area.

In this game, the creators have tried to design the gameplay as similar as possible to the first version of the Halo: Combat Evolved series. The game received a positive reaction from the critics after its release. In addition to the story part, presenting an attractive multiplayer part once again made the Hilo series famous.

8- The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim game

• Developer and Publisher: Bethesda
• Publication year: 2011
• Genre: role-playing
• Metacritic score: 96

The next game on this list is dedicated to the last released game from the Elder Scrolls series, Skyrim, which no doubt many of us have heard of at least once. A role-playing game that is the fifth version of its sequel and its events are narrated 200 years after the events of the Oblivion game. During the game’s story, players take on the role of a mysterious character to destroy a dragon named Alduin, who is planning to destroy the world.

Like other role-playing games, players in this game can perform various sub-missions and simultaneously improve the skills and abilities of the main character. Since the release of this game, different expansion packs have been released for it, and the game itself has made its way to the eighth and ninth generations of game consoles with the full support of Bethesda.

7- Red Dead Redemption game

• Developer and Publisher: Rockstar Games
• Publication year: 2010
• Genre: action adventure
• Metacritic score: 95

2010 can be considered one of the turning points of the video game industry, in which the history of games and impressive works made their way to home consoles, especially Xbox 360, one after another. One of these games was Red Dead Redemption by Rockstar Games Studio, released to players as a spiritual sequel to Red Dead Revolver. In this game, players take on the role of a retired bandit named John Marston, who lives a peaceful life with his family. But John’s past casts a shadow on his life again, and he is forced to cooperate with the government forces to save his family.

In this game, players can roam freely in the Wild West world, complete side missions, and interact with various events and characters. In many ways, the game provides its audience with an incredibly realistic experience that was unmatched in the video game industry before that time.

6- Portal 2 game

• Manufacturer and publisher: Velo
• Publication year: 2011
• Genre: Action, Mystery
• Metacritic score: 95

The sixth rank of the best Xbox 360 games is dedicated to Portal 2 by Velo Studio, which was made available to users as a sequel to the original version of this game, released in 2007. In this version, players again take the role of Chell and must find their way out of the Aperture area, which GLaDOS is rebuilding.

According to the portal weapon available to the main character, the game presents various puzzles and challenges to the players. The players must find their way to advance in the game by using it and the environmental elements in each area. Velo released new downloadable content after the game’s release, allowing users to create puzzles and challenges and share them with friends using the map editing feature.

5- GTA V game

• Developer and Publisher: Rockstar Games
• Publication year: 2013
• Genre: action adventure
• Metacritic score: 97

The latest version of the GTA series, available to players under the title GTA V, is considered the next game in this list, which undoubtedly can still be regarded as a perfect and excellent action adventure game since its release. It is a work in which the players, who are three separate characters whose fates are somehow tied together, have to perform specific missions. The events of the game, which take place in the fictional city of San Andreas, include many side and main tasks that have made players experience it for hours without feeling that the game has become repetitive.

Grand Theft Auto V was undoubtedly a huge commercial success for Rockstar Studios. Strangely, no news has been announced about the release of the next version of this series by this studio, and we have seen the release of this game on eighth and ninth-generation consoles.

4- The Halo 3 game

• Developer and Publisher: Bungie / Microsoft Game Studios
• Publication year: 2007
• Genre: First-person shooter
• Metacritic score: 94

The Halo 3 game was released to players in 2007 as the final part of the main trilogy of the Halo series. It is A work in which the players, taking on the role of Master Chief, go to a massive battle against the covenant and the Flood and try for the last time to end the constant struggle of humans with them. In this game, players could design and share their online competition maps with others in the multiplayer section and its different modes through the Forge mode.

It is interesting to know that Halo 3 was remastered in 2014 in the form of the Halo: The Master Chief Collection bundle.

3- Gears of War game

• Developer and Publisher: Epic Games / Microsoft Game Studios
• Publication year: 2006
• Genre: Third-person shooter
• Metacritic score: 94

The game and the Gears of War collection are some of the main elements of the success of the Xbox 360 console in the seventh generation. It was a work that undoubtedly gave life to third-person and tactical games, and we saw its gameplay being copied for years after that. Of course, one cannot ignore its perfect storytelling in an apocalyptic world. It is a story in which humanity is in despair in the battle with alien creatures called Locust, and a group of experienced soldiers led by Marcus Phoenix decides to prevent the destruction of society by fighting them.

In addition to the campaign part of the game, Epic Games Studio also provided an extraordinarily complete and entertaining experience to Xbox 360 console users in the multiplayer aspect of this game, the example of which was only seen in the Halo collection. The impressive success of this game made us know the release of the subsequent editions of this series, along with the release of comic book adaptations and various books from it.

2- BioShock game

• Developer and sponsor: International Games / 2K
• Publication year: 2007
• Genre: First-person shooter
• Metacritic score: 96

Second among the best games of the Xbox 360 console is the first version of the Bioshock series by International Games Studio, one of the most stream-inspiring games of the seventh generation and the history of the video game industry. Jack accidentally enters a utopia under the sea called Rapture during the game’s story. In this city, players get to know very advanced technology. They must try to free themselves in addition to discovering the events taking place in that area.

After its release, critics and users liked the game due to its artistic graphics, catchy music, and exciting story, and its Xbox 360 version managed to get an excellent score of 96 on the Metacritic website.

1- GTA IV game

• Developer and Publisher: Rockstar Games
• Publication year: 2008
• Genre: action adventure
• Metacritic score: 98

The rank of the version of this list is also dedicated to the GTA IV game by Rockstar Studio, which was released in 2008 for various platforms. It is an action-adventure work from the famous GTA series, during which players take on the role of an Eastern European character named Nico Blake and must complete various missions in the world of Liberty City. The game map with three different islands was considered the most significant world created in this collection. Players could freely explore its other parts, play various mini-games, and pay attention to the mental and physical conditions of the main character.

Unlike the previous versions, the creators adopted a realistic approach to creating the game world in this version. The result of the work became flawless and very entertaining, dubbed as the second game in the video game industry’s history, after Ocarina of Time, with an average score of 98 from critics.

---

common questions

1- What are the best Xbox 360 console games?

Xbox 360 is the birthplace of many popular series that have made a name for themselves today. From the series of Gears of War games to Forza Motorsport and Halo 3 rounds, each of which provides unique experiences to players.

2- How do you experience Xbox 360 console games?

Due to the backward compatibility of the 8th and 9th generation Xbox consoles, players can easily experience most of the games released for the Xbox 360 console.