As 2015 starts to draw to a close, it’s time to start to look ahead to next year’s clutch of thumb mashing delights, so we’ve trawled the latest from big name developers to put together our top 20 Xbox ONE games 2016. It’s a pretty rich mix of incredible wonders that ranges from blood curdling first person shooter reboots like Doom to long awaited titles like Tom Clancy’s The Division, which we’ve been banging on about for years now.
Not all of the release dates have been announced for the upcoming 2016 Xbox ONE games, so we’ve put them in order of expectation with number 1 being the game we’re most looking forward to. If you disagree with our selection, or you think we’ve missed a big title let us know in the reply section below. There will also be a fair few more games getting announced over the coming months, for example there’s bound to be the annual Assassin’s Creed and COD release, so we’ll update the list as new titles are confirmed, which might push a few of the games below out of our top 20.
Top 20 Xbox ONE games 2016:
1. Tom Clancy’s The Division
Release date: 8th March 2016
There’s not really a great deal to say about Tom Clancy’s The Division except counting down the clocks to the March 2016 release date. Hopefully the third person action shooter, post apocalyptic New York survival adventure lives up to expectations and the extra time developers Ubisoft has had on the game has been well spent.
Check out more details with our Tom Clancy’s The Division preview.
2. Final Fantasy XV
Release: TBA
It’s a similar story for the latest entry to the legendary Square Enix RPG series, except there’s a big change in Final Fantasy XV as it’s going to switch things from the former turn-based battle system to more of a free roaming action concept. This will see you running around and battling the mega monsters and super villains at will and while it’s probably going to disappoint a few of the die-hard traditionalists, for us it looks and sounds like an exciting development.
Read more with our Final Fantasy XV preview.
3. Hitman
Release date: 11th March 2016
With an impressive combination of sniper action, stealth gameplay, brutal realist and high quality graphics, Hitman could go on to be one of the stand-out games of 2016. While the Hitman: Agent 47 movie didn’t exactly light things up that much on the big screen, Xbox ONE gamers have still got a lot to look forward to in the refresh of the series.
Read our Hitman (2016) preview for more info.
4. Quantum Break
Release date: 5th April 2016
This time controlling third person action adventure looks very sharp and has a cool concept behind it, but a lot will depend on how it plays. The success of Quantum Break will be won or lost on the gameplay element and with all the focus on the storyline campaign it will need to be one epic plot to keep us hooked.
Check out the Quantum Break preview to find out more about the game.
5. Gears Of War 4
Release: Expected Q4 2016
While Quantum Break is an unproven, but exciting prospect, Gears Of War 4 continues with the critically acclaimed and much-loved gaming series from developers, The Coalition. The third person shooter was one of the best games at E3 2015 and should go on to be a real crowd pleaser when it arrives late next year. Take a look at the gameplay video below to see it in action for yourself and check out our Gears Of War 4 preview for all the latest on the game.
6. Mafia III
Release: TBA
Mob life is set to reign supreme in 2016 with the release of Mafia III, the first instalment of the open world first person action adventure game on the Xbox ONE. We’re predicting this to get a November release, but we’ll update as soon as series debutants, Hangar 13, confirm the details, but for now you can wallow in the brutality of the gameplay trailer below.
7. Doom
Release: Expected in the 1st half of 2016
First person shooter horror and gore is scheduled to get a reboot next year with the creation of Doom. Impressive visuals and a big list of frightening foe should make this a genuinely visceral experience from the team of crack developers at Bethesda Studios that have been quietly and ferociously working on the game over the last few years. Find out more with our Doom (2016) preview.
8. Mass Effect: Andromeda
Release: Expected Q4 2016
It’s been a good few years since the last title lit up the Xbox 360, but next year will see the third person space adventure blastathon take its first jaunt on the Xbox ONE. You’ve probably got around a year to go for the release, so for now you’ll have to content yourself with the reveal teaser video below.
9. Homefront: The Revolution
Release: Expected spring/summer 2016
This is an exciting open world first person shooter with incredible atmospherics and stunning graphics. It’s early days still but it could go on to be one of the best game releases of 2016, so it could find it’s way much higher up our top twenty list in the coming months. Check out the epic Homefront: The Revolution gameplay trailer below to see what the fuss is about.
10. ReCore
Release: Expected late spring/early summer 2016
There’s even less to go on for action adventure title, ReCore, but somehow it managed to capture our imagination thanks to the robot end of humanity concept and desert setting featured in the reveal. While it doesn’t exactly give away much about the actual gameplay, the interview video below, featuring developers Comcept and Armature Studio is as close to an explanation of the game as it gets right now.
11. Mirror’s Edge Catalyst
Release date: 24th May 2016
There’s more super-slick, hyper stylised parkour and martial arts action to look forward to in 2016 with Mirror’s Edge Catalyst. The first-person adventure looks very cool in the gameplay video below.
12. Sébastien Loeb Rally Evo
Release date: 29th January 2016
Next year is looking pretty light where racer action is concerned with Sébastien Loeb Rally Evo the only real contender so far. The graphics aren’t nearly as impressive as Forza 5 or 6, but with all of the rally stages and night races it should provide a different kind of racing experience. You can see a little of the gameplay in the video below.
13. Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2
Release date: 23rd February 2015
It’s time for more subversive third person shooter fun with Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2. It’s never going to be the best game for visuals, but when it come to unadulterated, mindless fun it has few, if any, true comparisons.
14. Lego Marvel’s Avengers
Release date: 26th January 2016
Another fun outing is the universal splice that is Lego Marvel’s Avengers, which will see the characters from the movie series taking Lego form and going toe-to-toe with brick equivalents of their most nefarious villains. The addition of Lego City Undercover inspired open world settings could be the deciding success factor for the game.
15. Far Cry Primal
Release date: 23rd February 2016
We’re not entirely sold by the concept of Far Cry Primal, but with such an impressive series behind it you can’t entirely write it off. It’ll be interesting to see whether or not Ubisoft can take such a well received franchise, throw it so far out of its comfort zone and make it work. Check out the trailer below to see what you make of it.
16. Crackdown 3
Release: Expected early summer 2016
This looks like a mental game and it’s hard to figure out what to make of it, but from the look of the gameplay action below, there’s a fair amount of potential locked up in Crackdown 3. The game physics demoed in the video below look incredible, but it’ll be interesting to see how it develops the gameplay ready for its summer 2016 release date. It’ll be an exclusive title, so the only place to play it will be on Xbox ONE.
17. Dead Island 2
Release: TBA 2016
Free roam open world zombie mayhem is what Dead Island 2 promises and it looks like it’s shaping up well from the brief snippet of gameplay video action below.
18. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
Release date: 23rd August 2016
Initially, we weren’t crazy bowled over by the potential of Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, but it’s the latest game from what has become a very popular series, so it’s impossible to leave it out of our top 20 list of 2016 Xbox ONE games. However, looking at the graphics in the gameplay video below it’s starting to win us over.
19. Killer Instinct: Season 3
Release date: 24th March 2016
There’ll be a fresh round of mayhem next year from the Rare clan as they return with Killer Instinct: Season 3. The addition of Battletoads‘ Rash to the party looks like it’s going to be a lot of fun.
20. Kingdom Come: Deliverance
Release:Q2 2016
The hyper realistic sword fighting adventure that is Kingdom Come: Deliverance could go one of two ways. It could either be a brutally lifelike recreation of medieval battle or it could be a plodding slasher with little else to excite. Either way it’s shaping up to be a fascinating Xbox ONE release with period-accurate armour, clothing, combat techniques, and real-world castles, plus the fact that it’s been build by Cryengine, the tech behind Ryse: Son Of Rome, would indicate that it’s going to be a real looker.
More upcoming Xbox ONE games 2016:
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands
Release: TBA
While it’s heavily rumoured to be one of the big Xbox ONE games of 2016 to look forward to, developers Ubisoft hasn’t as of yet confirmed that it will be arriving in the year, so it misses out on being in our top 20 on a technicality. However, if this gets confirmed then it will be straight in and high up with some very cool open world military adventures to be had from the look of the latest gameplay trailer. Find out more with our Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands preview.
Dishonoured 2
Release: Expected summer 2016
There’s no gameplay action as of yet for Dishonoured 2, so it doesn’t quite get to make the top twenty list, but if the reveal trailer is anything to go by it could shoot right the way to the top in the not too distant future. The fact that Bethesda is behind it adds even more weight to its latent potential.
Friday The 13th: The Game
We’re not too sure how well Friday The 13th: The Game is going to translate for the Xbox ONE, but if it can summon up the same kind of atmospheric tension that made Alien: Isolation such an impressive title then it could stand a decent chance of success.
UFC 2
The first game in the series didn’t really wow us, but there are a lot of UFC fans out there, so we thought it’s one to put on the bench list anyway.
Dark Souls III
Another title that’s just not our bag, but with its own fan base, Dark Souls III deserves a little mention in the least. It’s got some epic looking big bosses, so if you’re a fantasy horror addict then it’s one to look out for.
