Whether you’re a long-time gamer or just starting, Xbox has some great arcade games to enjoy. These transport you to a whole new world in seconds and are jam-packed with brilliant audio and visual effects, (sometimes) cutting-edge graphics, and thrilling storylines. Whether you want action, adventure, shooting, or strategy, there is something for everyone. Plus, most titles are easy to learn but hard to master, and thus offer a lot of replay value. Also, you can play them online with friends or offline by yourself. Without further ado, here is the list of almost a dozen best arcade games for Xbox.
1. Killer Instinct
Killer Instinct is a fighting game that pits two players against one another in combat. The game has various modes, but the most popular is the Arcade Mode, which forces players to go one-on-one in a best-of-three match. The game is played with two main buttons and four attack buttons. The two main buttons are used to block and dodge, while the four attack ones can be employed to punch, kick, and perform special moves. Special moves are unique to each character, and players can achieve them by inputting a specific button combination.
2. Limbo
Few games are as frustratingly addictive as Limbo. In the game, you control a small boy who has to navigate a dark and foreboding world, avoiding traps and solving puzzles along the way. The catch is that you only have a minimal amount of time to complete each level, and if you die, you have to start over. Indeed, this is a recipe for frustration, but somehow, the game is so well-designed and engaging that you can’t help but keep playing. Limbo has good graphics, a great atmosphere, and is just plain fun.
3. Perfect Dark
The Perfect Dark game is a first-person shooter that tasks players with going on missions to defeat the aliens. It starts with Joanna Dark, an agent for Carrington Institute, receiving instructions from Mr. Blonde to investigate dataDyne Corp’s headquarters following their takeover by Dr. Cassandra Nova. The main objective of this mission is to break into the laboratory.
Then, you must find out more about Project: DarkLight and recover a prototype weapon being developed there called Xeno-Buster. As the game progresses, you’ll become involved in government conspiracies and alien cover-ups, and your life will be in danger at almost any moment. This Xbox remaster lets you experience the original game in 1080p and 60 fps.
4. Cuphead
In one of the most renowned Xbox arcade games, Cuphead, players take on the role of a cartoon character in search of contracts from the Devil. It’s unique in that 1930s cartoons, particularly Max Fleischer, heavily influenced it. The developers went to great lengths to recreate the look and feel of classic animation, from the hand-drawn artwork to the limited color palette. This attention to detail has paid off; Cuphead is among the most visually stunning games ever created. It has good reason to be, too; the game is incredibly challenging, and players will need all the help they can get to defeat the various bosses they encounter.
5. Super Meat Boy
This game is a retro platformer that will test your reflexes. In Super Meat Boy, you play as an animated cube of meat trying to save his girlfriend from a villainous fetus. As the game goes on, you can collect bandages and medals and discover over 20 unlockable and playable characters from prominent indie games such as Trip, Braid, and Bit. This game will keep you on your toes with more than 300 levels and five chapters. You can jump into warp zones to test your skills even further. In short, you can experience the old-school style of gameplay with modern graphics and sound.
6. Pac-Man Championship Edition DX
In Pac-Man Championship Edition DX, you guide Pac-Man through mazes in an attempt to eat all the pellets. There are over a hundred tortuous to tackle and several brand-new modes that will put your snacking skills to the test. In addition to the regular shots, some turn Pac-Man into a giant, and others give him a speed boost. There are also ghosts chasing you, and if they catch you, they’ll kill you. The game is over when you eat all the pellets or die four times.
7. Braid
Braid is a puzzle-platformer game with many levels. Players can manipulate the world by moving objects, changing the direction of gravity, and creating platforms to progress through each level. In some stories, Braid’s protagonist Tim encounters “The Princess,” who has been turned into a sheep by an evil monster called “The Beast.” By solving puzzles in these levels, he can rescue her from The Beast, and she will reward him with another ability or power. When one of these powers is used in other parts of the game, it changes its effect. For instance, when Tim uses his time-control power in reverse mode, it slows time down instead of speeding it up.
8. Metal Slug 5
This game focuses primarily on the action with platforming elements and has a heavier emphasis on shooting than previous games in the series. Due to its more open levels, which offer players many routes, it retains some of its predecessors’ non-shooting gameplay, such as driving vehicles or solving puzzles. The objective of each level is to reach the end without players losing life or their health.
Metal Slug 5 also introduces several new gameplay mechanics not seen in previous eponymous titles, such as double-jumping, crawling, and swimming. Various other changes have been made to the series formula. Most notably, the ability to rescue prisoners of war has been deleted. Others such as the continuation and scoring system have been altered.
9. Beyond Good & Evil HD
Beyond Good & Evil HD is one of the rare games with a female protagonist. The setting is fictional—a world where humans live side by side with talking animals, robots, and other mechanical creatures. It is divided into three competing factions: the peacekeeping Guardian faction, the rebel resistance movement called Alpha Centauri, and finally, Corpus (the industrialists). The player takes on the role of Jade, who begins as an inexperienced young artist from Pey’j’s home village of Anemos. She soon becomes involved in a conspiracy against the ruling empire and must use her wits, fighting skills, and morality to uncover the truth.
10. Atari Flashback Classics Vol. 3
The Atari Flashback Classics series is back with volume 3. Volume 1 and 2 were so successful that they decided to continue releasing new ones. These games are from an era when video games had a certain charm in their simplicity. This collection lets you relive the past and enjoy some of your favorite classic arcade games at home, with Xbox and a monitor or TV. More specifically, this collection includes Asteroids Deluxe, Battlezone, Centipede Arcade Game Video Display, Missile Command Arcade Game Video Display, and Tempest (1983).