Skip to content

Top Navigation

EW.com EW.com
    • All TV
    • TV Reviews
    • TV Reunions
    • Recaps
    • What to Watch
    • Winter TV
    • Comedy
    • Crime
    • Drama
    • Family
    • Horror
    • Reality
    • Sci-fi
    • Thriller
    • All Movies
    • Movie Reviews
    • Trailers
    • Film Festivals
    • Movie Reunions
    • Movie Previews
    • All Music
    • Music Reviews
    • All What to Watch
    • What to Watch Podcast Episodes
    • TV Reviews
    • Movie Reviews
    • All BINGE
    • EW's Binge Podcast Episodes
    • Recaps
    • Survivor
    • This is Us
    • RuPaul's Drag Race
    • Stranger Things
    • The Boys
    • The Blacklist
    • The Walking Dead
    • Better Call Saul
    • All The Awardist
    • The Awardist Podcast Episodes
    • Oscars
    • Emmys
    • Golden Globes
    • SAG Awards
    • Grammys
    • Tony Awards
    • All Books
    • Book Reviews
    • Author Interviews
    • All Theater
    • Theater Reviews
  • Podcasts
  • Gaming
    • All Events
    • Comic-Con
  • Celebrity
  • Streaming

Profile Menu

Your Profile

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletter
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Logout
Login
Subscribe

Explore EW.com

EW.com EW.com
  • Explore

    Explore

    • A guide to The Last of Us Easter eggs

      A guide to The Last of Us Easter eggs

      From the Uncharted lighter to the giraffe plushie. Read More
    • 2023 Oscars predictions: See who will win at the 95th Academy Awards

      2023 Oscars predictions: See who will win at the 95th Academy Awards

      From Brendan Fraser and Angela Bassett to a potential upset in Best Actress, see who EW thinks will win at the 2023 Oscars. Read More
    • Meet the cast of Survivor 44

      Meet the cast of Survivor 44

      Here are the 18 contestants who will be vying for $1 million. Read More
  • TV

    TV

    See All TV
    • TV Reviews
    • TV Reunions
    • Recaps
    • What to Watch
    • Winter TV
    • Comedy
    • Crime
    • Drama
    • Family
    • Horror
    • Reality
    • Sci-fi
    • Thriller
  • Movies

    Movies

    See All Movies
    • Movie Reviews
    • Trailers
    • Film Festivals
    • Movie Reunions
    • Movie Previews
  • Music

    Music

    See All Music
    • Music Reviews
  • What to Watch

    What to Watch

    See All What to Watch
    • What to Watch Podcast Episodes
    • TV Reviews
    • Movie Reviews
  • BINGE

    BINGE

    See All BINGE
    • EW's Binge Podcast Episodes
    • Recaps
    • Survivor
    • This is Us
    • RuPaul's Drag Race
    • Stranger Things
    • The Boys
    • The Blacklist
    • The Walking Dead
    • Better Call Saul
  • The Awardist

    The Awardist

    See All The Awardist
    • The Awardist Podcast Episodes
    • Oscars
    • Emmys
    • Golden Globes
    • SAG Awards
    • Grammys
    • Tony Awards
  • Books

    Books

    See All Books
    • Book Reviews
    • Author Interviews
  • Theater

    Theater

    See All Theater
    • Theater Reviews
  • Podcasts
  • Gaming
  • Events

    Events

    See All Events
    • Comic-Con
  • Celebrity
  • Streaming

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Profile

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletter
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Logout
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. The 5 Best Games to Show Off the Xbox One X

The 5 Best Games to Show Off the Xbox One X

By Aaron Morales November 09, 2017 at 01:35 PM EST
Each product we feature has been independently selected and reviewed by our editorial team. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.
Skip gallery slides
FB

1 of 6

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

The 5 Best Games to show off the Xbox One X

Xbox One X Console Controller Front Tilt Top
Credit: Xbox

The Xbox One X is out now, and Microsoft is touting it as the most powerful gaming console ever created (you can read our review here). The $499 system supports 4K streaming, wide-color gamut, high dynamic range lighting, and 4K Blu-ray playback. In other words, if you have a 4K TV that supports HDR, your games and movies will look really freaking good on it.

But what’s a shiny new video game console without the games to show it off? All of Microsoft’s upcoming first-party games (such as Crackdown 3 and Sea of Thieves) will run in native 4K, and third-party studios are patching existing games to run better on the new hardware. Games that are Xbox One X Enhanced can feature faster load times, higher resolutions, and improved framerates.

More than 150 games are being enhanced (you can find a detailed and updated list here), but these are the five best games to show off the X’s capabilities right now. Be sure to update the games to download the latest 4K upgrades.

1 of 6

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 6

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Forza Motorsport 7

Forza Motorsport 7 Reviews Neck and Neck
Credit: Microsoft Studios/Turn 10

How it’s enhanced: 4K Ultra HD, HDR, faster load times

What's great about it: Ever since Ridge Racer sped onto the original PlayStation in 1996, racing games have been used to show off the graphical capabilities of new hardware. Forza 7 already purred nicely on Xbox One, but on the X, it positively roars. It runs in native 4K at a rock-solid 60 frames per second, rivaling a high-end PC, and with its painstakingly rendered cars and picturesque courses on display, it offers one of the biggest wow factors of any game at launch.

Buy it: Microsoft.com

2 of 6

3 of 6

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Middle-earth: Shadow of War

Middle-earth: Shadow of War - Gorgoroth
Credit: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

How it’s enhanced: 4K Ultra HD, HDR, choice of performance or visuals

What's great about it: Shadow of War gives you the option of favoring resolution, which targets native 4K resolution, or favoring quality, which focuses on improving the graphics (better textures, shadows, lighting, polygon counts, etc.) at a lower resolution. Either way, the action remains smooth and responsive no matter how many orcs are on-screen storming your fortress. Mordor has never looked better.

Buy it: Microsoft.com

3 of 6

Advertisement
Continued on next slide.
Advertisement

4 of 6

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Assassin’s Creed Origins

Assassin's Creed Origins Bayek and Sphinx
Credit: Ubisoft

How it’s enhanced: 4K Ultra HD, HDR, faster load times

What's great about it: Ancient Egypt is beautifully recreated in the latest Assassin’s Creed title, but it looks even more amazing on Xbox One X. The HDR lighting effects in particular show off realistic-looking skies and jaw-dropping sunsets, and torches cast moody shadows and effects in caves. But most impressive is the improved draw distance, which lets you perch high atop a pyramid and really soak up the game’s stunning vistas in even greater detail.

Buy it: Microsoft.com

4 of 6

Advertisement

5 of 6

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Gears of War 4

"Gears 4" - 4K Kait Raid
Credit: Microsoft Studios

How it’s enhanced: 4K Ultra HD, HDR, choice of performance or visuals

What's great about it: Last year’s marquee Xbox One game gets a substantial upgrade that puts it on par with any of 2017’s most graphically spectacular showpieces. For the first time in the series, you can play Campaign or Horde mode at 60fps (but only in 1080p resolution). Or you can opt to push the graphics to the limit with ultra high-quality textures running in 4K at 30fps. Either way, Gears’ trademark “destroyed beauty” has never looked so beautiful.

Buy it: Microsoft.com

5 of 6

6 of 6

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Rise of the Tomb Raider

xbox7
Credit: Microsoft Studios/Crystal Dynamics

How it’s enhanced: 4K Ultra HD, HDR, choice of performance or visuals

What's great about it:Despite coming out two years ago, Rise of the Tomb Raider receives one of the most substantial and graphically impressive updates on Xbox One X. Developer Crystal Dynamics offers three optimization modes: native 4K, enriched visuals, or high frame rate. The latter, which targets 60fps, runs almost freakishly smoothly. But the enriched visuals mode, which offers significant graphical upgrades at 30fps, makes this excellent adventure worth revisiting as you wait for Lara Croft’s return to the big screen next year.

Buy it: Microsoft.com

6 of 6

Advertisement
Advertisement
Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By Aaron Morales

    Share the Gallery

    Pinterest Facebook
    Trending Videos
    Advertisement
    Skip slide summaries

    Everything in This Slideshow

    Advertisement

    View All

    1 of 6 The 5 Best Games to show off the Xbox One X
    2 of 6 Forza Motorsport 7
    3 of 6 Middle-earth: Shadow of War
    4 of 6 Assassin’s Creed Origins
    5 of 6 Gears of War 4
    6 of 6 Rise of the Tomb Raider

    Share & More

    Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message
    EW.com

    Magazines & More

    Learn More

    • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
    • Advertise this link opens in a new tab
    • Content Licensing this link opens in a new tab
    • Accolades this link opens in a new tab

    Connect

    Subscribe to Our Newsletter
    Meredith© Copyright 2023 Meredith Corporation. Entertainment Weekly is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation All Rights Reserved. Entertainment Weekly may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
    © Copyright EW.com. All rights reserved. Printed from https://ew.com

    View image

    The 5 Best Games to Show Off the Xbox One X
    this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.