One of the best-selling Xbox games right now is the 12 year old Xbox 360 game Aliens vs. Predator. Xbox lets gamers know of the top paid games on its platform, updating the lineup regularly so fans always know what's popular.
Thanks to the Xbox backward compatibility program, Xbox gamers have decades worth of video games to purchase and play on their modern Xbox consoles. Xbox Series X and Xbox One consoles can play original Xbox games like The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind and TimeSplitters, along with a wide selection of Xbox 360 games. Most of the time, the top paid games on any given day are newer titles, but there are occasions when older games get some renewed attention and work their way back into the spotlight.
One such game to do so recently is the aforementioned Aliens vs. Predator, which was first released in 2010 by Rebellion Developments and Sega. A first-person shooter, Aliens vs. Predator's defining characteristic is that it features three complete campaigns for players to go through: one starring a space marine, another focused on the titular Aliens, and finally, one about the Predator. The game also has multiplayer support and a horde-like co-op mode. It earned mixed reviews at the time of its release, but it still has its fans.
The biggest reason why Aliens vs. Predator is currently one of the top-selling Xbox games is because it's currently available as part of an ongoing sale. Right now, Xbox gamers can pick up Aliens vs. Predator for a mere $4.99, down from its usual price of $19.99. It goes to show that there is definitely value in backward compatibility, as otherwise this game would be trapped on older platforms and there would no longer be the opportunity to rally its sales numbers like this.
Aliens vs. Predator isn't the only older game that's currently near the top of the sales charts. Fellow Xbox 360 game Skate 3 is also on the list, likely because it remains the last Skate game released to this day. A new Skate game is in development, but it currently lacks a release date at the time of this writing.
Just recently, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 returned to the top of the sales charts after finding itself in a similar situation as Aliens vs. Predator. Typically, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 is priced at an eye-watering $49.99, but it was heavily discounted to $14.99 for a limited time. Such a heavy discount was apparently enough to convince many Xbox gamers to take the plunge and buy the classic CoD game at a low price.
Aliens vs. Predator is available for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360.