The Most Overlooked Games On The Xbox Series X|S

Even with Microsoft’s lucrative Game Pass service, it’s still hard to keep up with every new release on Xbox Series X|S. More often than not, there will be some that will slip under the radar for most gamers.

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There are a plethora of amazing games to choose from at any given time, ranging from narrative-rich story-driven adventures, frantically action-packed shooters, and humble indie gems. A lot of these games enjoyed the initial buzz from a fresh release but soon got lost among a competitive crowd of triple-A blockbusters. These underrated Xbox games may not have got the attention they initially hoped for, but still deserve a lot of love.

Updated January 28, 2025, by Ben Jessey: Not every Xbox Series X|S game gets as much attention as it deserves. So, we created this list to shine a light on some of the most overlooked ones. In this update, we’ve added a few more to the collection.

21

Road 96

The characters in Road 96 are living in a fictional nation run by a dictator. So, they want to get out of there. You have to help them cross the border. As each character, you walk around, interact with things, and make decisions.

Your goal is to get to safety, but you can only achieve that by making the right decisions. Once the journey of one character ends, you take control of another. It’s a unique and compelling game.

20

Banishers: Ghost Of New Eden

Systems

Released

February 13, 2024

Developer(s)

DON’T NOD

Publisher(s)

Focus Entertainment

ESRB

T For Teen Due To Blood and Gore, Language, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco, Violence

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden was a 2024 game that went under the radar a little. It’s a game about a pair of lovers who are also ghost banishers. One of them becomes a spirit herself early in the game. As the remaining one, you have to go about your ghost banisher business while attempting to get the other’s body back.

Along the way, he struggles to decide what to do with the spirit of his old partner. It makes for an emotionally powerful game about grief and loss. The game’s strong writing really brings the story together. The general gameplay is solid, too. It’s a third-person action-adventure game where you use swords and powers to keep various creatures at bay.

19

Open Roads

Even though it features the voices of Keri Russell and Kaitlyn Dever, there hasn’t been much discussion surrounding Open Roads, and the reviews have been mixed. This is a shame, as it’s a very good walking simulator.

It doesn’t contain many gameplay mechanics, as all you do is walk around the environment, interact with things, and make dialogue choices. The conversations and story is what make it a compelling adventure. The tale is about a mother and daughter going on a road trip together. Along the way, they engage in plenty of interesting and powerful discussions.

18

Gotham Knights

Systems

Released

October 21, 2022

ESRB

m

Any third-person action-adventure game set in the Batman universe is going to be compared to the Arkham games. This is likely what hurt the reception of Gotham Knights, as despite being similar to the Arkham titles, it isn’t as good. Yet, that doesn’t mean it’s bad. It’s a solid game with fun combat and good writing.

It’s also unique because Batman isn’t around, meaning Batgirl, Nightwing, Robin, and Red Hood have to be Gotham’s main protectors. Also, the game includes some original and interesting versions of classic Batman characters, which adds to the uniqueness of the experience.

17

Gears Tactics

Systems

Released

April 28, 2020

Developer(s)

Splash Damage, The Coalition

ESRB

M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language

It’s rare for a game from a huge series like Gears to fall under the radar. Yet, that is exactly what happened to Gears Tactics. This is because it isn’t a third-person shooter like the series’ main entries. Instead, it’s a turn-based tactics title where you must organize and order around your squad in an effort to defeat your opponents in battle.

So, it’s all about planning and strategic thinking, which isn’t really the case for the other Gears games. Yet, it still has a similar style and presentation to the other instalments, and you’re still spilling plenty of Locust blood.

16

Hi-Fi Rush

Systems

Released

January 25, 2023

Developer(s)

Tango Gameworks

ESRB

Rated T: Fantasy Violence, Language

You can’t say that Hi-Fi Rush has been completely overlooked, as critics loved it and a bunch of people played it. Yet, it still feels like the game deserves more attention. After all, it’s one of the Xbox Series X|S’s best and most original games.

The premise is that you’re playing as someone who accidentally gets a music player inserted into his chest while participating in a test program for a shady company. He is then seen as a defect by the company, and they attempt to eliminate him. It’s a bit of a wacky story, but that fits into the theme of the game. It’s an outrageous and colorful experience where you’re encouraged to keep up with the music beat as you put the beating on your enemies.

15

Cocoon

Cocoon is a puzzle adventure game that puts you in control of a mysterious insectoid. It’s not the only thing about the game that is mysterious. You aren’t clearly told who you are, where you are, or what’s going on. You’re just tasked with completing puzzles, and you may be able to understand things while you play.

5:59

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Speaking of the puzzles, they’re very creative and challenging. They mostly involve moving around world-containing orbs, yet there is plenty of variety to keep things interesting. One element that keeps your interest high is the ability to use these orbs to transport between different worlds. It makes for a unique gameplay mechanic. In fact, the entire game is unique, which is it’s main appeal.

14

Prince Of Persia: The Lost Crown

The Prince of Persia series was put on hold for many years as Ubisoft seemed to focus more on Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry. However, it has made an incredible return with The Lost Crown.

Well, it’s an incredible return in terms of quality, as it’s an engaging 2D action-adventure platformer featuring great visuals and fun combat. Unfortunately, though, the game hasn’t sold significantly well, which is why it’s considered underrated. It’s certainly worth playing.

13

Guardians Of The Galaxy

Square Enix’s Marvel’s Avengers perhaps hurt the company’s Guardians of the Galaxy game before the latter even came out. The Avengers game was so disliked that many people seemed to expect the same for the Guardians title and didn’t give it a chance.

This is a shame since it’s an excellent action-adventure game. It has solid team-based combat, interesting characters, and fantastic writing. In regards to the writing, the script is not only hilarious but also has plenty of depth as the story dives into serious topics like loss.

12

Marvel’s Midnight Suns

Systems

Released

December 2, 2022

Developer(s)

Firaxis Games

ESRB

T For Teen Due To Language, Mild Blood, Violence

You don’t expect a Marvel game that includes the likes of Spider-Man and Captain America to ever be overlooked. Yet, the sales of Midnight Suns were unimpressive, and people don’t talk about it too much. The fact it’s a turn-based title probably contributed to its lack of attention, as not everyone appreciates the genre.

5:28

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It’s a shame because Midnight Suns is an incredible game that not only offers enjoyable combat but also has an engaging story. Plus, its social mechanics are very wholesome, as you get to make friends and create social clubs with iconic Marvel characters. Who doesn’t want to participate in a book club with Blade, Captain Marvel, Captain America, and Wolverine?

11

Pentiment

Pentiment flew under the radar when it was released in November 2022. It probably didn’t help that a few big games came out that same month, which took most of the attention. Pentiment deserves some love, too, though. It’s a narrative-focused RPG all about engaging in conversations and making decisions.

The game is set in the 1500s, and you play as an artist-turned-investigator who is tasked with solving a series of murders. It’s a fascinating adventure that is pretty to look at due to the brilliant art style and overall impressive presentation.

10

Immortals Fenyx Rising

Borrowing heavily from Nintendo’s magnum opus, Immortals Fenyx Rising is about as close you can get to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild before a copyright claim is made. You get to explore a vibrantly colorful world filled with mythical beasts from Greek Mythology on a quest to save the gods from a dark curse that has befallen the land.

The game was released alongside the launch of the new generation of consoles and was somewhat overshadowed by this, despite having next-gen versions available. It also fell short when compared with Breath of the Wild and seemed to fall by the wayside among a sea of big triple-A releases during the busy winter period. But it’s one worth playing, nonetheless.

9

As Dusk Falls

Systems

Released

July 19, 2022

Developer(s)

Interior Night

ESRB

M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Drugs and Alcohol, Violence

As Dusk Falls is a brilliant adventure title, where story and characters take precedence. More of an interactive drama, you must make measured choices on the fly that will have a significant impact on the characters and overarching story. It begs you to replay it over and over to experience its vastly different outcomes.

Unfortunately, the game didn’t take off quite as much – probably due to the passive nature of the gameplay. It’s a shame as there is a fantastic narrative at its core, and it’s an experience that blurs the lines between video games and cinema. It has a brilliant art style and pushes the boundaries of what games can be.

8

Citizen Sleeper

Released alongside a sea of triple-A heavy hitters, Citizen Sleeper went over a lot of people’s heads in 2022. It’s an immersive action RPG where you take control of a washed-up android nomad trying to survive while drifting through space on a giant lawless space station.

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7

Tunic

Despite the game’s great reviews and initial buzz around its release on Game Pass, the love for Tunic has died down a little since its launch. That’s a shame, as it really is one of the most charming modern indie titles you can play.

It wears its Zelda-infused inspirations on its long green sleeves. It features tough-as-nails combat inspired by the Souls series and the deeply engaging explorative backtracking of Metroidvanias. It also has a whimsically charming in-game manual where you must collect the pages to help you unlock new areas and overcome puzzles. It’s a nice throwback that more seasoned gamers will appreciate.

6

Nobody Saves The World

As a top-down action RPG dungeon crawler, Nobody Saves the World moves away from the melee-infused sidescrolling of Guacamelee and instead has you traverse through a series of dungeons as a formless “Nobody” who has the power to be pretty much anything it wants.

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You can transform in up to fifteen different forms, with each offering different combat abilities, unique quests, and its own set of gameplay mechanics. All that transforming fun doesn’t stop there, as you get to mix and match forms to your heart’s desire, allowing you to combine abilities and play with powerful customized builds.

5

Prodeus

Prodeus is a love letter to the glory days of first-person shooters, with all the retro-style pixelated gore and powerful over-the-top guns you can handle. Its graphics expertly merges the retro lo-fi pixels of games like Doom and Hexen with the impressive lighting and particle effects of modern titles. It’s a striking combination that makes running and gunning through this violent world an absolute treat.

As well as an action-packed single-player campaign, there’s four-player co-op, a variety of frantic multiplayer modes, and a surprisingly intuitive level editor that has already generated a load of cool community-created maps. Its fans adore it, but the game doesn’t garner as much attention from the community as it should, despite its fantastic gameplay and ridiculously gorgeous visuals.

4

Tinykin

As video game premises go, Tinykin’s is definitely unique and memorable. You take the reins of Milo – a space traveler who crash lands on Earth in an oversized domestic house in the ’90s. You can jump, float, and soap-glide your way through a house that has been taken over by a population of insects, ants, and the titular tinykin.

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You must use your Pikmin-like ability to lead an array of these curious little creatures around the house to find the necessary parts to fix your ship and generally do your bidding. It’s a colorful and whimsical platformer that takes elements from the Pikmin series and the beloved collectathon platformers from the ’90s. It’s a charming and delightful experience and should be experienced by more people, especially with its addition to Game Pass.

3

Somerville

Systems

Released

November 15, 2022

Developer

Jumpship

Publisher

Jumpship

ESRB

e

Somerville is a smaller indie game that offers a truly unique experience. Fans of War of the Worlds will love this one, as it sees a man fighting to survive an invasion of earth by strange structures and even stranger beings.

Looking for his family, you must learn how to adapt if you’re going to truly understand what happened. With strange characters to meet and supernatural powers to gain along the way, Somerville is easily a must-play – and being on Game Pass, it’s so easy to give a try.

2

Scorn

Systems

Released

October 14, 2022

Developer(s)

Ebb Software

Publisher(s)

Ebb Software

ESRB

M For Mature 17+ due to Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes

Inspired by the brilliant twisted works of H.R. Giger, Scorn is a deeply atmospheric first-person horror title that turns up the creepiness to the max. It was released to underwhelming and lackluster reviews, largely due to subverting people’s expectations of what the game actually is. There’s something we can all agree on – it looks horrifyingly beautiful in all the right ways.

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The game focuses on head-scratching puzzle solving rather than all-out action and is a slower, more measured experience because of it. The puzzles themselves are very difficult and the checkpoints are given out sparingly – you really need to be on your A-game. Most players quit the game early due to frustration, but if you stick it out there really is something special to be experienced.