Hello gaming friend! As a long-time Xbox analyst and self-proclaimed action game aficionado, I‘m here to guide you through the absolute finest action-packed experiences the Xbox One console has to offer.
A Quick Xbox One Primer
But first, let‘s recap what the Xbox One is all about. Microsoft launched their 8th generation console on November 22, 2013 as a successor to the venerable Xbox 360. The base Xbox One touted 8GB RAM, a 500GB hard drive, and 8-core x86 processor specifically designed for strong multimedia and gaming capabilities.
Over the years, we saw mid-generation upgrades like 2016‘s Xbox One S with HDR support and 4K upscaling, followed by 2017‘s Xbox One X – a true 4K gaming beast.
While Xbox One lifetime sales of roughly 50 million units fell short of the PlayStation 4‘s numbers, the console built a reputation for player-friendly features like backwards compatibility and Xbox Game Pass. And when it comes to action gaming, the Xbox One was – and remains – a powerhouse platform.
Understanding Action Games
But what exactly makes a game an "action" game? In our expert gaming circles, action can cover a wide range of genres:
- Platformers: Mario, Sonic, Ratchet & Clank
- Fighting Games: Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat
- Beat ‘Em Ups: Final Fight, Castle Crashers
- Shoot ‘Em Ups: R-Type, Ikaruga
- Hack N‘ Slash: Devil May Cry, God of War
The common thread? These games emphasize hand-eye coordination, fast reflexes, and kinetic, intense gameplay above all else. Now let‘s see which Xbox One action titles reached the peak of gaming greatness!
#7: Dead Cells
Kicking off our list is Dead Cells – a supremely addictive "roguevania" (rogue-like metroidvania) platformer that took the gaming world by storm upon its 2018 Xbox One launch.
You play as a semi-silent protagonist only known as The Prisoner, battling through proceduraly generated levels and acquiring bruising weapons likebroadswords, flamethrowers, and magic turrets along the way. Slick combat blends with environmental puzzles for an intoxicating action cocktail.
Admittedly, I almost smashed my controller in frustation more than once on Dead Cells‘ unforgiving early levels. But with every new ability unlocked, it became easier to slash, crash, and bash my way through the game‘s bizarre bestiary.
- PlayScore: 91
- Sales: Over 5 million copies
- Notable Awards: Best Action Game (The Game Awards 2018)
If you crave tough-as-nails action platforming with mountains of content and endless replay value, Dead Cells belongs in your Xbox library.
#6: Overwatch
While mainstream competitive gaming continues to be dominated by Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and League of Legends, Blizzard‘s Overwatch has carved out a comfortable niche for itself since launching in 2016.
Set 60 years into a high-tech future version of Earth, you‘ll assemble teams of unique heroes like rocket-powered gorilla Winston, edgy assassin Reaper, ice wizard Mei, and pistol-twirling gunslinger McCree before blasting your enemies to bits across a variety of assault, control, and hybrid objective game modes.
Overwatch certainly isn‘t reinventing the team-based PVP formula. However, the sheer fun factor of its varied cast and frenetic abilities helps power an addictive gameplay loop that has already spawned licensed LEGO sets, snacks, and even a pornography parody titled "Oversnatch."
- Metascore: 91
- Registered Players: Over 50 million
- Highest Grossing Premium Game of 2016
While aspiring pro gamers flock to Valorant and CS:GO, Overwatch remains popular for its accessibility and diverse hero options that allow players of all skill levels to contribute. It may not offer the most complex esports action, but remains one of the absolute best social team shooters ever created.
#5: Rayman Legends
This vibrant 2013 platformer is a long-awaited sequel to the acclaimed Rayman Origins. Like its predecessor, Rayman Legends dazzles players with gorgeously animated worlds and characters as you run, leap, swim, and swing through over 120 levels of escalating challenges.
Fans praised Legends for maintaining the impeccable platforming action and tight controls of Origins while introducing new gameplay elements like rhythm-based levels synced to backing musical tracks.
Four player local co-op remains a riot as you and your friends hysterically scramble through levels – occasionally throwing each other into pits or spikes in misguided attempts to reach that next lower platform or collectible. While online features are disappointingly limited, Rayman Legends‘ wealth of modes and puzzles make this a must-own title for couch co-op enthusiasts.
- Metascore: 92
- Sales: Over 1 Million Copies
- Best Cooperative Multiplayer (BAFTA Video Game Awards 2014)
For my money, Rayman Legends represents the pinnacle of traditional sidescrolling platformer action on the Xbox One.
||Metascore|Userscore|Sales|Release Year|
|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|
|Dead Cells|89|8.7|5M+|2018|
|Overwatch|91|8.2|50M players|2016|
|Rayman Legends|92|8.6|1M+|2013|
And those are just a taste of the finest action experiences in the Xbox catalog! Let‘s see what other gems await, shall we?
#4: The Swapper
Now for something completely different – The Swapper is an eerie sci-fi action-puzzler set in the dusty corners of an abandoned space station.
You play as an mysterious explorer armed with a device that creates clones of yourself. Using your limited clone supply strategically to reach previously inaccessible areas creates an utterly engrossing spatial awareness and reflex challenge.
Of course, you aren‘t alone in these debris-choked corridors. Watch your step, as damaged equipment, malfunctioning AI drones, and the gnarled remains of the station‘s former crew threaten your progress. It‘s best not to learn too much about what transpired here.
While light on conventional "action," make no mistake – The Swapper‘s cerebral brand of conundrums get the blood pumping as you carefully thread past hazards and obstacles that can instantly flatten your currently controlled clone in a crimson splatter.
- Metascore: 93
- BAFTA Best Story Award
- Develop Award for Visual Art and Design
It isn‘t a long ride, but sometimes a few tight, unforgettable hours with stand out far more than sprawling 100-hour RPG epics. The Swapper sticks with you thanks to its eerie setting, minimalist storytelling, and spatial puzzles that have yet to be matched in uniqueness and challenge.
#3: Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course
Who said animated 1930‘s style indie platformers were dead? While the original Cuphead took Xbox gamers by storm in 2017 with its sleek art direction and white-knuckle run-and-gun battles, 2022‘s Delicious Last Course expansion delivered even more absurdly difficult sidescrolling shooter challenges to conquer.
Once again, you‘ll blast your way through adorable hand-drawn boss battles that hit a perfect balance between frustrating and fun. With The Delicious Last Course, we‘re introduced to a new playable character – Ms. Chalice – who adds an extra dose of challenge with her weaponless dash ability that requires expert mastery of parries and more precise evasion.
If you couldn‘t get enough of Cuphead‘s brutal brand of big band instrumentals and even bigger bosses, this expansion builds on that rock-solid core gameplay loop while introducing imaginative new environments and monstrosities to topple including a giant zombie horse, a possessed camera, and an ouiji board-summoned phantom train.
- Metascore: 89
- 4 million Cuphead sales as of late 2021
While criminally short, The Delicious Last Course gives Cuphead fans exactly what they crave – more absurd platforming challenges soaked in 1930s animated charm.
#2: Inside
The long-awaited followup to Playdead‘s harrowing mega-hit Limbo, Inside refined the developer‘s knack for minimalist yet emotionally gut-wrenching 2D adventures. Compared to its monochromatic predecessor, Inside introduces a significantly wider color palette while retaining Limbo‘s uncanny tension and mystery.
You guide an unnamed child through the game‘s sparse industrial environments, avoiding capture from forces who seem none too concerned about your basic human rights. It‘s an unsettling premise that only becomes more horrific as you infiltrate a strange facility with very sinister intentions regarding human experimentation.
With expertly tuned platforming and regular shocking reveals, Inside‘s brief runtime will leave you haunted for weeks afterwards. Like all great games, there‘s far more bubbling beneath Inside‘s brooding surface than initially meets the eye.
- Metascore: 93
- Won Best Visual Design at Bafta Game Awards and The Game Awards
- Named Overall Game of the Year by GiantBomb, Eurogamer, and more.
Inside represents the current pinnacle of Playdead‘s emotional action-puzzle formula. It stands out not just on Xbox, but across all gaming platforms as a harrowing must-play gem.
#1: Celeste
It isn‘t every day that a retro-stylized indie platformer swoops in to claim the coveted title of "greatest game on the system," but Celeste makes a very strong case.
You play as Madeline, a troubled young woman determined to conquer the treacherous Celeste Mountain, a twisting vertigo-inducing ascent filled with literal physical manifestations of her inner demons, mental trauma, and self-doubt. It‘s a heavy premise explored through the purity of precision 2D platforming.
With over 700 "stages" of ascending difficulty, Celeste pushes your platforming prowess to the very limits with its feather-tight controls. Even after dozens of hours mastering the game‘s pixel-perfect jumping and air-dashing challenges, I still gleefully grit my teeth after slipping off a cliffside for the hundredth time, determined to once again conquer the chapter‘s next brutal checkpoint.
- Metascore: 93
- Multiple Game of the Year awards (IGN, GameSpot, Polygon, etc.)
- Named among the Best Games of the 2010s Decade by several outlets
It isn‘t just me – Celeste is almost universally praised as one of the finest examples of 2D platforming ever crafted, with flawless controls, ingeniously designed levels, and a thematically rich story that tackles mental health issues while keeping the gameplay fun first and foremost.
While under 20 hours in length, Celeste leaves an imprint as profound as sprawling open-world epics thanks to its tactical platforming and relatable emptions. It remains my personal pick for "greatest game on Xbox One" and an instant recommendation for all gamers.
Xbox One Action Gaming Closing Thoughts
And there you have it – the finest action experiences to be found in the Xbox One library. Across various subgenres like shooters, brawlers, platformers, and more, these 7 titles represent the pinnacle of kinetic, reflex-testing gameplay for the console.
Whether it‘s the brutal challenges of Cuphead, political chaos of Overwatch, or personal journey of Celeste most resonates with you comes down to personal taste. But I have no doubt you‘ll expand your gaming horizons by experiencing these uniquely phenomenal titles.
Of course, the action genre continues to thrive – who knows what incredible indie gems and AAA blockbusters await us in the era of Xbox Series X/S? But when looking back on the best the Xbox One platform offered, these 7 games stand tall.
Let me know in the comments if you have any other personal favorite action games on Xbox One! I‘m always hunting for overlooked gems. Now get out there and enjoy blasting, slicing, and leaping your way across these classics!
