Best Xbox One Games in 2018

Red Dead Redemption 2 is in a league of its own, representing the best the video game industry has to offer. This action-packed Wild West shooter features some of the best writing, visuals, and gameplay the industry has ever seen, and it is more than worth your time and money. Everyone should play this.

The Witcher 3 is right up there with the best games of all time and easily takes its place as the best RPG on Xbox One today. Playing as monster-hunter-for-hire Geralt of Rivia, you end up intertwined in everything from regional military politics, local squabbles, and averting the apocalypse itself. Witcher 3 is a landmark title that everybody needs to play.

While Battlefield V does little new, the collection of tweaks creates a perfected formula making BFV the most explosive, dynamic, and rich multiplayer shooter money can buy today. And it simply looks staggeringly gorgeous on the Xbox One X.

Prey takes a place as the best campaign shooter on Xbox One for its painstakingly detailed levels, amazing story, thoughtful and rewarding combat, and engrossing atmospherics. Taking place aboard the Talos I space station in an alternative history, you must navigate a space colony infested with aliens that have escaped containment. Is this just a standard alien shooter? or is there a darker conspiracy at play here...? (It's the latter).

Forza Horizon 4 delivers the most cohesive racing experience on the Xbox One. With hundreds of cars and a dynamic British open world, the game amalgamates the finest components of its predecessors into a refined and invigorating package. Putting unparalleled customization and possibility in the hands of the player, Forza Horizon 4 is a perfection of the racing genre.

Life is Strange took the world by storm a couple of years back for its dramatic tale of friendship and high-school intrigue finished with a healthy dose of the supernatural. Life is Strange follows a murder conspiracy in a small town, calling on inspiration from the likes of the X-Files and Twin Peaks. It's one of the most moving games available, that everybody should experience.

Enhanced at 4K for the Xbox One X, Assassin's Creed: Origins takes the franchise to all-new heights, going even deeper on its RPG layer. Hunt animals, raid tombs, steal treasure, and upgrade your gear, in this absolutely huge open world set in Ancient Egypt. Assassin's Creed: Origins is a return to form for the aging franchise, putting the series back in the top spot for open world gameplay.

Resident Evil suffered a decline in recent years, but the seventh installment sent it screaming back to the top of the pile. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard rekindles the magic that made the franchise so great, delivering an explorative adventure that is as terrifying as it is brutally violent. Key hunting, ammo scavenging, and puzzle solving return in this bone-chilling game that easily reclaims the series throne as horror royalty.

Did you expect anything else?! Minecraft is a phenomenon that led Microsoft to drop billions to secure the franchise back in 2014. Since launch, the game has grown far beyond its humble Java beginnings, spawning several large updates, including cross-platform capabilities. Minecraft is also now helping to teach youngsters to code, making it educational AND fun.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider is a visually stunning archaeological adventure featuring the iconic Lara Croft, in her most explosive mission yet. Inadvertently triggering a global catastrophe, Lara battles an ancient organization on a quest to abuse mystical artifacts to achieve world domination.

After a long winter in development, The Long Dark has triumphantly emerged from the Game Preview program. The Long Dark is a survival simulator without equal. Playing either in the game's episodic story mode or open world sandbox mode, your task is to manage your thirst, hunger, and the biting Canadian cold. I've had some of my most exciting Xbox moments with The Long Dark and its emergent gameplay systems, and I can't recommend it enough.

After a jaunt with more action-oriented gameplay, the recent Hitman games have doubled down on what the franchise is known for: sprawling stealth puzzles that reward the patient, thoughtful gamer. Hitman 2 takes the premise to all new heights, with huge, complex maps filled with nefarious opportunities to complete your contracts.

Few games are as quick and easy to get into with friends than Diablo III. While it's a bit old, it's one of the few modern titles that support both split-screen and online co-operative play simultaneously, making it a great game for up to four friends. Diablo III is a gothic adventure game with an emphasis on fast-paced action, loot hunting, and seasonal gameplay content.

Surviving Mars is a sprawling strategy simulation game set on, you guessed it, Mars. Players must develop a colony on the surface of the Red Planet, managing oxygen levels, funding, food resources, and more, all while avoiding Mars' various hazards. Surviving Mars is a viciously addictive title fans of the genre will love.

Ori and the Blind Forest is the greatest platformer in an entire generation, and it's available exclusively on Xbox One and Windows 10. Guide the impossibly cute Ori through a gorgeous hand-drawn world complete with extremely challenging platforming and a beautifully woven story.

Rocket League combines high-octane cart racing with physics-based soccer rules to create something truly addictive. Two teams of up to four cars must race to score as many goals as possible in a set time limit, literally driving the ball into the opposing team's goal. Boost, rocket jump and drive on the arena walls — all tactics are valid in Rocket League.

Killer Instinct is a revival of Rare's classic fighter from the 90s. The combo-heavy fighting game enjoys an active player base with several large seasonal updates. If you're an Xbox One owner into fighting games, you probably own this game already. It's free to play, with optional character purchases.