As the year and the decade come to a close, it's time to take a look back and celebrate the many wonderful games that have come out. The Xbox One has been the primary console of the decade for Microsoft, taking up the majority of the time, but Microsoft Studios have released their fair share of excellent games exclusively for the Xbox platform.
The 2010s encapsulate the last couple years of the Xbox 360's life cycle as well as the Xbox One's, with many great titles between the two. Here are the very best, according to Metacritic.
10 10. Halo: The Master Chief Collection: Score 85
A story filled with tragedy and redemption, at the time of announcement Halo: The Master Chief Collection seemed like a dream come true for Xbox fans. Every mainline Halo game released up to that point, with Halo 2 getting a remaster treatment, and all four having online multiplayer seemed like one of the best deals in gaming.
A botched launch and multiplayer issues that took years to fix resulted in the game being more of a nightmare but with enough time and effort, the chief finally got a collection worthy of his name.
9 9. Cuphead: Score 86
While technically no longer an exclusive, as of the 2019 Switch release, Cuphead is a Microsoft owned game and they choose to put it out on Switch two years after the initial release with Xbox Live support.
The old-timey cartoon inspired 2D platformer/boss rush shows that waiting to release a game until it's truly polished is a great idea. The game plays nearly perfectly and is an incredible challenge for those who are interested in paying off their soul debt by collecting other souls for the devil.
8 8. Titanfall: Score 86
Respawn Entertainment's first release after being formed by ex-Call of Duty developers, Titanfall focused exclusively on high-quality FPS-multiplayer gameplay and nailed it. The game combined fast-paced run and gun style gameplay, with the MOBA style features like additional CPU enemies and massive titan mechs.
Released at a time when few other high-quality games existed for the Xbox One, the game eventually got a sequel with a fantastic single-player campaign. However, the multiplayer didn't hold an audience the same way the original did.
7 7. Killer Instinct Season 3: Score 86
Quietly one of the best supported and enjoyed fighting games of the current console generation, the free-to-play Killer Instinct is one of the most successful Xbox One exclusives, based entirely on how long it's been going.
In an era of so many failed "games as service" it's impressive that a fighting game maintained momentum and community support for this long. As long as the game continues to have the balancing and competitive community people enjoy, it will easily make the jump over to the new console generation as a premier Xbox exclusive.
6 6. Forza Motorsport 6: Score 87
Forza Motorsport and Forza Horizon both hit impressive strides during the last decade, with each series getting better with every entry. The second Motorsport title on the Xbox One, Forza Motorsport 6 combined high-quality simulation-style racing with gorgeous graphics and impressive gameplay.
One of the biggest features of the game is that it's an incredibly accurate simulation of rain and how it would impact cars racing around a track. It's hard to explain the differences from one game to the next but even a few minutes behind the wheel shows why Forza remains the best in class.
5 5. Ori and the Blind Forest: Score 88
Another Xbox exclusive that eventually found its way onto the Nintendo Switch (although that's technically the definitive edition but semantics) Ori and the Blind Forest is a gorgeous and sorrow 2D "Metroidvania" style platformer that plays into plenty of creative ways to keep it interesting.
The game features plenty of death and misery, in both the story and challenging gameplay, leading to plenty of inspired pain and suffering. The game balances challenge with a forgiving checkpoint system, making for the perfect combination for progress to feel earned.
4 4. Gears of War 3: Score 91
Concluding trilogies seemed to be the Xbox 360's bread and butter with Halo 3 and Gears of War 3 both having strong finishes to their perspective trilogies.
Gears of War 3 took everything built by the first two, from massive campaign set-pieces to Gnasher focused multiplayer to endure testing Horde mode and elevated them all to their peak. The campaign paid off the story built by the other, giving an emotional rollercoaster that eventually sees the Locust defeated, at least for a while.
3 2. Forza Horizon 3: Score 91
The Forza Horizon series takes the pixel-perfect car art of the Motorsport series and let's there be less simulation and more arcade, something that most casual players enjoy. The games all feature open-world environments with Forza Horizon 3 taking place in the Australian Outback.
The game lets players drive the fastest and nicest cars through deserts, across beaches, and in the DLC, on Hot Wheels tracks. Seamless open worlds with a nearly endless amount of activities make this a full experience, top-to-bottom.
2 3. Halo: Reach: Score 91
The final Halo game released on the Xbox 360 (and recently added to the Master Chief Collection) Halo: Reach was the mid-point game between old-school Halo and the new, faster-paced games.
Following the Noble squad during the final days of Reach, the game shows the sure power and overwhelming force Covenant and serves as a reminder of just how powerful the Master Chief truly is. The game added armor abilities for the first time, increasing the pace of the game without going far enough to upset fans, something that Halo 4 did.
1 1. Forza Horizon 4: Score 92
The craziest part of this is that Forza Horizon has continued to improve and expand in a way that feels meaningful with every title, justifying a new game every time they release a title.
Forza Horizon 4 not only adds tons of new cars and events, but it also adds an always online and connected open-world (that is optional) that is constantly populated with other players. The game also makes this experience fun, removing the ability for other players to just constantly ram you and constant co-op experiences make this season-spanning game one of the best racing experiences on the market.