The Xbox One features some of the best single player games around. Inside are 20 of those captivating experiences that Xbox fans know and love. Here are the best single player Xbox One games you can play right now. If you’re interested, here’s our PS4 version.
Best Single Player Xbox One Games
The Witcher 3
Every once in a while, a game comes around that is the pinnacle of its generation. While it may come partially off the backs of previous games in the series, The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt is one of those titles.
Geralt of Riva’s third adventure features solid gameplay, heavy RPG customization, and some of the best stories ever told in gaming. Whether you are into high fantasy or not, the characters and their stories are endearing and witty. Even the side stories in the game are more enjoyable than most title’s main plots.
Ori and the Blind Forest
Thanks to a high standard set by previous titles and a saturated marketplace, you have to do something pretty special to stand out as a platformer nowadays. Not only does Ori and the Blind Forest manage to do so, but it also looks beautiful doing it.
Inspired by the likes of Rayman and Metroid, this platform features tight controls and a methodical progression system. Just as players get frustrated by the difficulty, the platformer adds a new ability to help ease advancement, making it satisfying all the while.
Skyrim
If you’re an avid video gamer, there is a likely chance that you have played a game in the Elder Scrolls series. There is also a good chance that game is Skyrim, even for casual players. There is certainly a reason for that, as Skyrim is one of the most incredible games to come along in generations.
Fight dragons, join a civil war, quest through the college of Winterhold, and so much more in this massive RPG.
Fallout 4
Similar to past games in the series, Fallout 4 lets players wander around an apocalyptic wasteland, experiencing unique tales all the while. One of the main storylines asks you to juggle the morality that surrounds a sentient android race called synths, making story decisions surrounding the ethics of the situation.
The slow-mo based combat system known as V.A.T.S also returns, as players use it to explore the streets and wastes of Boston. Visit Fenway Park (Diamond City), follow the freedom trail, and experience a lot of Fallout flavored Boston landmarks in this massive RPG.
Dragon Age: Inquisition
Dragon Age: Inquisition takes place shortly after the events of Dragon Age 2, and not too far from Dragon Age: Origins. Players control a character known as the “Herald of Andraste.” Along with a ragtag group of characters, the Herald must close the breaches and save the world from a threat even more powerful than the blight.
Dragon Age: Inquisition brings back the gameplay, romances, and dialogue choices from Origins, alongside offering another broad open world. Inquisition solves a lot of the problems fans had with the second game in the series, presenting an enjoyable story as well.
Resident Evil 7
Resident Evil fans have ached for a return to form for the series ever since after Resident Evil 4. Capcom’s answer was Resident Evil 7. While many were skeptical of the title before its release, no one was once they got to play it.
While Resident Evil has always been scary, Resident Evil 7 is praised for its use of first-person horror elements. Though it could likely exist on its own, this title has reinvigorated the struggling franchise.
20 Best Single Player Xbox One Games
Quantum Break
Just like Alan Wake before it, Remedy Entertainment’s Quantum Break sneaks under most people’s radar, despite being an amazing game.
Quantum Break is a time-traveling action adventure game that places a heavy focus on bending time for the use of offensive and defensive capabilities. Protagonist Jack Joyce gains these time-based abilities after an accident and must use them to set things right.
The unique powers players have at their fingertips makes for an experience like no other. If you are really into the genre, the story hits all the right beats too, making this title a must play for most gamers.
Dark Souls III
Set in the Kingdom of Lothric, players take control of The Ashen One, an undead who looks to return Lothric and the Lords of Cinder to their thrones. Gameplay once again revolves around patience, potions, and a whole lot of dodging.
Just like any other game in this series, Dark Souls III is going to frustrate the hell out of you. Be ready to die a lot. Once you do manage to beat those annoyingly difficult enemies, it’s all worth it though. Just be careful not to get too confident, as anything and everything will kill you in this game.
Prey
While this first-person survival horror shooter may bear the name of Prey, it’s much more like a spiritual successor to System Shock. Gameplay revolves around resource management, upgrading abilities, and Neuromods.
Stolen from the race known as Typhon, Neuromods allows people who mix their DNA with the aforementioned race to use the same powers as them. Shapeshifting, kinetics, and manipulation are just a few of the things Morgan Yu is able to do with these powers in Prey. Using these abilities, players are tasked with many options, as they control the fate the space station, Talos I, and all the lives on it.
Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen
Plenty of RPG in recent years allow players to control more than one player at a time. But a lot of the time though, many would just like capable A.I. companions.
Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen’s pawn system solves a lot of these issues, as these smart A.I yell out useful hints and strategies for battles. Another simple, but useful, feature in the game is the grab action. This allows the main character to grab or cling to enemies, objects, or NPCs, resulting in advanced attacks.
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
Video games do an amazing job at turning fantasy into reality based on visuals and sound alone. No game has ever created the ASMR nightmare that accompanies Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice though.
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice is a gripping tale, one that deals with anxiety, depression, and a lot different subject matter that is difficult to convey in gaming. While the actual gameplay might be lighter as most titles, the story alone is enough to warrant a playthrough. Just be sure to bring tissues and a blanky.
20 Best Single Player Xbox One Games
The Evil Within 2
Survival horror games cater to a unique audience. While the genre is very popular in movies, games require players to maintain their focus, forcing them to drive through the fear they feel in order to accomplish their goal. Tango Gameworks’ The Evil Within 2 is one of the games that continues to push the genre forward.
This sequel features much larger maps than the original, as well as multiple ways in which to advance throughout them. Players can use stealth or confront enemies with weapons to complete these levels. These gameplay features add a whole new level of depth, which coincides along with the story even better than the first game.
Sunset Overdrive
The best part about video game developers is that they are some creative guys and gals. Sunset Overdrive is a testament to that, as the game takes inspiration from Prince of Persia, Jet Set Radio and, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, giving birth to a wacky, fun title as a result.
With a heavy focus on faced paced gameplay, Sunset Overdrive combines fluid movements like jumping and grinding with a wide array of unearthly weapons. An example of this is found in the TNTeddy grenade launcher, a weapon that fires fireworks, toy helicopters, and teddy bears strapped to sticks of dynamite.
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus
Five months after the events of the original, William “B.J.” Blazkowicz wakes up from a coma to find the United States has been taken over by Nazis. Blazkowicz must lead the revolution to stop them the only way he knows how: shooting a lot of guns. The game has just as much gun variety as the original. Players can use them for hit and run tactics or all-out firefights, resulting in a couple different ways to play.
Very few games provide the unique story that The Wolfenstein series presents with its alternate history.
Dishonored 2
The Dishonored series carries one of the most unique aesthetics in all of gaming, in both its gameplay and settings. Bethesda definitely doubled down on those elements in Dishonored 2, and the game is all the better as a result.
Players choose between either Emily and Corvo, each tasked with saving the other, as well as the world, from an evil witch. Playstyle, story prompts, and many other things vary depending on which character you choose. Regardless of choice, gameplay is as fluid as ever. Stop time, move through a building, assassinate guards, and complete your objective, all within the blink of an eye.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider
Crystal Dynamics deserves a lot of praise for rebooting the Tomb Raider franchise, turning Lara Croft’s adventures into a much more respectable series. The third and final installment in the saga, Shadow of the Tomb Raider once again manages to take Lara on a tense exploration, improving previous mechanics and creating new challenges along the way.
Two months after the events of Rise of the Tomb Raider, Lara is on the hunt to stop Trinity. What follows is an amazing array of set pieces, ornate puzzles, and a lot of beautiful lands to traverse.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance
Realism is hard to come by in games, as the majority of experiences tailored around making players as powerful as possible. Instead of catering to the usual power fantasy, Kingdom Come: Deliverance focuses on practicality.
In this RPG, stories, battles, and even conversations are influenced by how things would naturally occur in everyday life. Need to turn in a quest to a specific character? You’ll have to wait until they are awake to do so. This is just one example of the realism on display in Kingdom Come: Deliverance.
What Remains of Edith Finch
In this game, you play as Edith Finch, Jr, the last remaining member of the Finch family. Throughout the game, a story is unraveled, as Edith explores each room in her family’s home, interacting with objects to tell the stories of the passing of individual family members.
While the interactivity in What Remains of Edith Finch may be brief, it’s enough to place the players in Edith’s shoes, really driving home the emotions conveyed throughout the game.
Forza Horizon 4
The latest installment in Playground Games’ racing series, Forza Horizon 4 returns to Xbox One with even more tracks, racecars, and stunning visual and audio designs. Players can race up to 50 laps, featuring up to 72 players, throughout a vast Career Mode.
Honestly, you may even have a hard time telling the difference between real life pictures the game took inspiration from and in-game screenshots it’s so realistic. Even non-racing fans have to appreciate the majestic beauty of Forza Horizon 4.
GTA V
There are few games on this list that you’ll be able to get more hours out of than GTA V. Whether you are heisting online with friends, running through the intricate story mode, or just messing around in either, this game has hundreds of hours of content baked within it.
Racing, shooting, exploration, you name it, and you could probably do it in Grand Theft Auto V. In total, there are probably about five different genres mixed into one in this Rockstar title.
That does it for our list of the best single player Xbox One games around! Let us know which ones are your favorites in the comments down below.
The Witcher 3
Geralt of Riva's third adventure features solid gameplay, heavy RPG customization, and some of the best stories ever told in gaming. Whether you are into high fantasy or not, the characters and their stories are endearing and witty. Even the side stories in the game are more enjoyable than most title's main plots.
Ori and the Blind Forest
Inspired by the likes of Rayman and Metroid, this platform features tight controls and a methodical progression system. Just as players get frustrated by the difficulty, the platformer adds a new ability to help ease advancement, making it satisfying all the while.
Skyrim
Fight dragons, join a civil war, quest through the college of Winterhold, and so much more in this massive RPG.
Fallout 4
The slow-mo based combat system known as V.A.T.S also returns, as players use it to explore the streets and wastes of Boston. Visit Fenway Park (Diamond City), follow the freedom trail, and experience a lot of Fallout flavored Boston landmarks in this massive RPG.
Dragon Age: Inquisition
Dragon Age: Inquisition brings back the gameplay, romances, and dialogue choices from Origins, alongside offering another broad open world. Inquisition solves a lot of the problems fans had with the second game in the series, presenting an enjoyable story as well.
Resident Evil 7
While Resident Evil has always been scary, Resident Evil 7 is praised for its use of first-person horror elements. Though it could likely exist on its own, this title has reinvigorated the struggling franchise.
Quantum Break
Quantum Break is a time-traveling action adventure game that places a heavy focus on bending time for the use of offensive and defensive capabilities. Protagonist Jack Joyce gains these time-based abilities after an accident and must use them to set things right.
The unique powers players have at their fingertips makes for an experience like no other. If you are really into the genre, the story hits all the right beats too, making this title a must play for most gamers.
Dark Souls III
Just like any other game in this series, Dark Souls III is going to frustrate the hell out of you. Be ready to die a lot. Once you do manage to beat those annoyingly difficult enemies, it's all worth it though. Just be careful not to get too confident, as anything and everything will kill you in this game.
Prey
Stolen from the race known as Typhon, Neuromods allows people who mix their DNA with the aforementioned race to use the same powers as them. Shapeshifting, kinetics, and manipulation are just a few of the things Morgan Yu is able to do with these powers in Prey. Using these abilities, players are tasked with many options, as they control the fate the space station, Talos I, and all the lives on it.
Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen
Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen's pawn system solves a lot of these issues, as these smart A.I yell out useful hints and strategies for battles. Another simple, but useful, feature in the game is the grab action. This allows the main character to grab or cling to enemies, objects, or NPCs, resulting in advanced attacks.
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice is a gripping tale, one that deals with anxiety, depression, and a lot different subject matter that is difficult to convey in gaming. While the actual gameplay might be lighter as most titles, the story alone is enough to warrant a playthrough. Just be sure to bring tissues and a blanky.
The Evil Within 2
This sequel features much larger maps than the original, as well as multiple ways in which to advance throughout them. Players can use stealth or confront enemies with weapons to complete these levels. These gameplay features add a whole new level of depth, which coincides along with the story even better than the first game.
Sunset Overdrive
With a heavy focus on faced paced gameplay, Sunset Overdrive combines fluid movements like jumping and grinding with a wide array of unearthly weapons. An example of this is found in the TNTeddy grenade launcher, a weapon that fires fireworks, toy helicopters, and teddy bears strapped to sticks of dynamite.
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus
Very few games provide the unique story that The Wolfenstein series presents with its alternate history.n.
Dishonored 2
Players choose between either Emily and Corvo, each tasked with saving the other, as well as the world, from an evil witch.
Regardless of your choice, gameplay is as fluid as ever. Stop time, move through a building, assassinate guards, and complete your objective, all within the blink of an eye.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider
Two months after the events of Rise of the Tomb Raider, Lara is on the hunt to stop Trinity. What follows is an amazing array of set pieces, ornate puzzles, and a lot of beautiful lands to traverse.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance
In this RPG, stories, battles, and even conversations are influenced by how things would naturally occur in everyday life. Need to turn in a quest to a specific character? You'll have to wait until they are awake to do so. This is just one example of the realism on display in Kingdom Come: Deliverance.
What Remains of Edith Finch
While the interactivity in What Remains of Edith Finch may be brief, it's enough to place the players in Edith's shoes, really driving home the emotions conveyed throughout the game.
Forza Horizon 4
Honestly, you may even have a hard time telling the difference between real life pictures the game took inspiration from and in-game screenshots it's so realistic. Even non-racing fans have to appreciate the majestic beauty of Forza Horizon 4.
GTA V
Racing, shooting, exploration, you name it, and you could probably do it in Grand Theft Auto V. In total, there are probably about five different genres mixed into one in this Rockstar title.
About the author
Andrew McMahon
Andrew was Twinfinite's Features Editor from 2020 through until March 2023 and wrote for the site from 2018. He has wandered around with a Bachelor's Degree in Communications sitting in his back pocket for a while now, all the while wondering what he is going to do for a career. Luckily, video games have always been there, especially as his writing career progresses.