8 Xbox games turning 10 in 2025

Summary

• Rise of the Tomb Raider was a timed exclusive in 2015 with a solid story and great gameplay.

• Screamride offered a unique experience of testing roller coasters and destroying things on Xbox.

• Ori and the Blind Forest surprised gamers as an exceptional indie with captivating visuals and deep storytelling.

At launch, the Xbox One did not have a backwards compatibility system. Therefore, the first years of the system's life were important for building a strong catalog of games. Since 2015 was only two years after the Xbox One was released, a lot of responsibility fell on that year in particular.

While you wouldn't say 2015 was a banner year for the brand, especially when it came to exclusives, there were some solid titles released for the Xbox consoles. These were some of the most notable examples that will turn ten in 2025.

8

Rise Of The Tomb Raider

The Tomb Raider series has been around longer than the Xbox brand. In fact, the first titles were often associated with the PlayStation. Still, Rise of the Tomb Raider was released in 2015 on Xbox 360 and Xbox One, almost a year before it was released on PS4. Therefore, it was a timed exclusive for the green brand and a very good one at that.

Rise of the Tomb Raider ranks among the best games in the series due to its excellent story and solid gameplay. The said game involves solving puzzles, climbing things, sneaking around and shooting people. Each of these things feel very polished in Rise of the Tomb Raider.

7

Scream ride

There aren't many games like Screamride. You might see the roller coaster on the cover or promotional materials and think it's a RollerCoaster Tycoon-like game. However, this is not the case. You don't run some kind of theme park. You test roller coasters and destroy things.

The actual goal depends on which mode you are playing. One is about solving puzzles to develop coasters, another is about staying alive while riding coasters, and the last is about destroying as much as possible. The whole thing is a unique experience, and Xbox hasn't had a game like it since.

6

Ori and the Blind Forest

One of 2015's biggest surprise Xbox hits was Ori and the Blind Forest. Not only was it an indie game, but it was also the first ever game released by Moon Studios. So, forget launching a series, this game launched a studio.

The reason it was able to do that is because it's an exceptional 2D platform adventure title with an eye-catching visual style and a surprisingly deep story. Also, the general platforming and puzzle solving is a lot of fun.

5

Halo 5: Guardians

The most notable Xbox exclusive of 2015 was Halo 5: Guardians, simply because it is the part of the series most synonymous with Xbox. This one is a little different as Master Chief shares the lead role with a Spartan named Locke. Each protagonist has his own team of Spartans and tries to deal with the returning Cortana, who has suddenly become a major threat.

It's fair to say that the story isn't loved by everyone, nor is Locke as a character. But the game is still a fundamentally sound first-person shooter with tons of great weapons and enjoyable shooting mechanics. It might not boast the best campaign in the Halo series, but it's still an entertaining shooter.

4

Forza Motorsport 6

The Forza Horizon franchise was already around in 2015, but Microsoft was still committed to the Forza Motorsport franchise, as evidenced by the release of Forza Motorsport 6. It is one of the most critically acclaimed games in the franchise and was one of the best racing titles that year.

It's visually stunning, as both the cars and tracks look very realistic. The authentic sounds and wonderful weather effects add to the realism. The game won't go down as one of the most iconic racing games of all time, but it was a very nice entry in a strong series.

3

Rare repeat

Rare Replay isn't just a single game; it is a collection of games by the developer Rare. Even for 2015, these weren't new titles. Instead, there were classic titles from the 80s, 90s and 2000s.

There are 30 of them in the pack in total, including the likes of Battletoads, Banjo-Kazooie, Conker's Bad Fur Day, and Perfect Dark Zero. Not only are many of the games in the bundle fun to play, but some were very influential and iconic when they were released. So, the collection lets you experience some gaming history.

2

#IDARB

Anyone who has looked through the Xbox games catalog alphabetically over the last ten years will have heard of #IDARB as the '#' places it near the top of these lists. However, the title doesn't really tell you what the game is about. It's an arcade-style sports title where two teams of pixelated characters try to get the ball into the opponent's goal.

This makes for a fun little game that has tons of customization and doesn't take itself too seriously. What's most interesting about it, though, is how it came about. The creator of the game tweeted out an image of a small red square and asked the internet what to do with it, leading to many suggestions and the final product. That's why the title of the game stands for “It Draws a Red Box”.

1

Gears Of War: Ultimate Edition

Gears of War has long been one of Xbox's most consistent exclusive franchises. After all, it's a series that hasn't really had a bad start. The 2015 episode is actually a remake of the original title.

It features the same well-written story of humanity taking on the Locust horde. But the cover-based third-person shooting feels much smoother, and the images are much more impressive. In addition, the campaign includes additional chapters that were not present in the original Xbox 360 version. So it certainly lives up to its title, as it is clearly the ultimate version of the game.