The 7 Best Xbox One Action Games of All Time

Are you a fan of intense, skill-based video games that get your heart pumping and adrenaline flowing? If so, you‘ll definitely want to check out some of the best action games available on the Xbox One.

In this insider guide, I‘ll be counting down the absolute greatest action titles that push the Xbox One to its limits with smooth performance, gorgeous visuals, and thrilling gameplay.

These are the games built for action fans, offering some of the most intense and exciting challenges you‘ll experience.

Whether you enjoy fighting hordes of enemies, testing your reflexes with precision platforming, or competing in heart-pounding multiplayer arena battles, the Xbox One has you covered.

So without further ado, here are the 7 action games you simply must play on your Xbox One.

Overview: The Best of Xbox One Action Games

Before we jump in, let‘s briefly define the action game genre and why the Xbox One does it so well:

Action games emphasize skill-based challenges requiring quick reflexes, accurate controls, and split-second timing. Common action sub-genres include shooters, brawlers, fighting games, platformers, hack-n-slash, and more.

The Xbox One launched in 2013 as a powerful home console with improved graphics over the Xbox 360. While the competing PS4 ultimately outsold the Xbox One, Microsoft‘s console continued to offer top-notch hardware performance and an excellent controller built for action gaming.

As a result, Xbox One is home to some of the highest rated and most intense action titles across various game types. Whether an indie platformer or a big-budget blockbuster, these games represent the very best the genre has to offer.

Now let‘s get into the games! All Metascores below are from Metacritic to give an objective measure of critical reception.

#7: Dead Cells (2018)

The first entry on our list is Dead Cells, a rogue-like Metroidvania platformer with beautifully fluid 2D animation. You play as a semi-sentient green blob trying desperately to fight its way out of an ever-changing magical prison.

Armed with swords, bows, shields and all manner of magical spells, you‘ll slice and dice through hordes of rampaging zombies and creepy sewer dwellers. Boss battles are especially epic, pitting you against towering stone golems and fire-breathing dragons.

With permadeath ensuring you restart from scratch each time you die, and procedural generation randomly arranging the maps, Dead Cells offers near-infinite replayability and a brutal yet addictive challenge. It keeps you on the edge of your seat with relentless action.

If you enjoy tough-as-nails 2D combat, unlocking new weapons, and the adrenaline rush of a close shave with death, Dead Cells deserves a spot in your game library. This indie darling truly succeeding in breathing fresh life into the action platforming genre.

#6: Overwatch (2016)

When it comes to chaotic, adrenaline-filled multiplayer madness, nothing beats the arena shooter insanity of Overwatch.

Choose from over 35 unique heroes, each equipped with their own creative weapons and abilities to damage enemies and support allies. Perhaps you‘ll zip around the map as the lightning fast Tracer, blast foes into smithereens with Junkrat‘s grenade launcher, or strategize the perfect gravity well placement as astrophysicist Sigma.

With so much variety among the heroes and half a dozen objective-based game modes, no two matches ever feel the same. It‘s always an intense battle to the finish line as your team counters enemies and adapts hero selections to gain the upper hand.

Three years after release, Blizzard still actively supports Overwatch with new seasonal events, heroes, maps, and balances changes that keep gameplay feeling fresh. This game deservedly maintains a dedicated fanbase with its charismatic charm and strategic team-based combat.

Overwatch stands tall as one of the most entertaining and accessible multiplayer shooters ever made. If you enjoy intense action with friends, it‘s a must-buy.

#5: Rayman Legends

When it comes to jolly platforming fun for the whole family, the limbless Rayman and his colorful cohorts never fail to entertain. Rayman Legends stands as the best entry in the long-running 2D franchise.

With 120 meticulously crafted levels and additional daily/weekly challenge stages, Rayman Legends overflows with content. Levels introduce new twists like rhythm-based music stages and side-scrolling flight sequences to keep gameplay fresh and exciting around every turn.

Up to four players can run, jump and smack enemies together locally on the couch. This makes for hilarious chaos when everyone tries scrambling across moving platforms or getting caught by the same giant toad at once!

Rayman Legends absolutely nails its gameplay feel with pixel perfect inputs and silky smooth animations. Just try stringing together a 100+ hit combo while flying through a level to see what I mean!

When it comes to captivating thrill rides matched with charming personality, Rayman Legends is easily one of the Xbox One‘s finest action-platformers.

#4: The Swapper (2013)

Now for something completely original. The Swapper is an atmospheric sci-fi tale exploring consciousness and identity through expertly crafted environmental puzzles.

Set in the lonely halls of an abandoned space station, you acquire a device that creates clones of yourself. By swapping consciousness between clones, you can navigate treacherous terrain and unlock new routes. With clever placement of clones high and low, you‘ll traverse the eerie station and uncover haunting secrets of its former inhabitants.

The Swapper generates tension not through combat, but through lonely isolation. Gentle ambient sounds mix with foreboding music in the vacuum of space. It‘s sci-fi horror by way of clever puzzles rather than jump scares.

If you enjoy introspective, thoughtful games in the vein of Portal, The Swapper offers a short yet memorable journey through spacetime that will stick with you for awhile. Just another example of the diverse excellence found in the Xbox One action genre.

#3: Cuphead (2017)

A complete visual stunner, Cuphead pays loving homage to 1930‘s era cartoons with hand-drawn animations so smooth you could swear they were plucked straight from the Golden Age of Animation.

You take control of Cuphead or his pal Mugman in a gorgeous 2D run-and-gun sidescroller straight out of the imagination Tex Avery. Dash, shoot, parry attacks and screen-filling Supers in a bid to knock out menacing vegetables, gamboling clowns, and six-legged saxophonists pulled from the zaniest corners of cartoon fever dreams.

Boss battles are where Cuphead truly stands out from the pack. With multi-phase health bars and complex attack patterns, defeating these outrageous bosses tests your focus and determination. Prepare for white-knuckle tests of skill as you read tells, dodge danger, and ultimately claim victory against all odds.

Cuphead proudly carries the torch for pure gameplay challenges. It will continually push you to dig deep and overcome struggles through sheer force of will. If you crave that intensely rewarding feeling that comes from finally toppling an imposing boss after countless gut-wrenching defeats, Cuphead eagerly awaits.

#2: Inside (2016)

For tense, horrific thrills conveyed through gameplay instead of jump scares, the exhilarating Inside will leave you gasping for air. This shockingly dark puzzle-platformer drops players into a cruel, threatening world where danger lurks around every corner.

You control a young boy striving to push ever deeper into a strange, authoritarian complex guarded by troops interested in subduing you by any means necessary. You‘ll sneak in shadows, anticipate lethal traps, swim away from gnashing teeth, and even take control of mindlesshumans wearing bio-mech masks in your quest to uncover what horrors transpire there.

Creating an ambiance of intense dread through dynamic animations and stark lighting effects, Inside‘s world feels shockingly real and uncompromisingly twisted. Each new reveal feels like an electric shock delivered straight to your nervous system thanks to intentionally jarring deaths. Mercifully, the numerous checkpoints ensure you rarely lose progress despite the game‘s difficulty.

Inside will shatter your expectations of what a 2D puzzle platformer can be capable of emotionally and mechanically. If you think you‘ve steeled your nerves enough, descend into darkness and experience the game that set a new bar for indie prestige.

#1: Celeste (2018)

Sitting proudly atop our list with a staggering 93 Metascore is the delightful mountain climbing adventure Celeste. Its tight, responsive controls pair beautifully with fiendish level designs filled with deadly spikes, collapsing platforms, missile-spewing robots, and all manner of obstacles standing between you and the summit.

You dash through the hand-crafted 2D landscapes wielding little more than a jump button, climb ability, and an airdash that serves as your lifeline. As you progress, new mechanics build on these core abilities by incorporating feathers to glide on wind currents, golden crystal shards to reflect lasers, or strange luminous jellyfish to phase through barriers.

By constantly introducing new elements that riff on known concepts, Celeste manages to stay inventive for its entire duration. Meanwhile, the dynamic soundtrack perfectly punctuates the soaring highs and gut-wrenching lows of your journey towards self-actualization by way of platforming.

Approachable enough for genre newcomers but dastardly enough to challenge veterans, Celeste sets the pinnacle for what both indie games and 2D platformers can achieve with its meticulous design and universal messages of overcoming inner demons. Conquering Celeste may demand every ounce of precision and perseverance you can muster, but you’ll emerge from the experience renewed and ready to face any challenge life throws your way.

Conclusion

The Xbox One library shines particularly bright when it comes to action-packed gaming. These seven games represent the very best options available for adrenaline junkies and reflex masters who crave white-knuckle tests of skill.

From the multiplayer mayhem of Overwatch to the permadeath platforming of Dead Cells, there’s something here for all fans of intense, skill-based challenges. Add these instant classics to your collection and prepare for a masterclass in the exhilarating craft of action gaming!

So what do you think of my recommendations? Have you played any of these games already? Let me know which action game is your personal favorite on Xbox One! I‘d love to discuss more recommendations with you.