Microsoft entered the home video game console market in 2001 with the Xbox, and it’s been a major player ever since. The Xbox was essentially a computer system running Windows and DirectX, which it used to run its front end and games, and it was a hit, especially because it featured an extensive library of exclusive franchises. Most notable was Halo, but that’s only one of many, and the Xbox helped Microsoft find a solid foundation in the video game industry. The system sold plenty of games, and thanks to its strong library, many sold in the millions. These were the Xbox’s 10 best-selling games, arranged from the lowest copies sold to the most.
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10) Need for Speed: Underground 2
The long-running Need for Speed franchise saw the release of Need for Speed: Underground 2 in 2004 on multiple platforms, including the Xbox. The game introduced new features and mechanics, enabling greater customization than in previous entries. It was a major success, both commercially and critically. Across all of the consoles and PCs on which it was released, Need for Speed: Underground 2 sold close to 12 million copies. While the Xbox’s share of those sales didn’t take up a huge chunk with more than 1.24 million copies sold, that’s pretty good for a brand-new console in an already competitive market.
9) Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
The Grand Theft Auto franchise got its start on the PlayStation, and it definitely saw repeated sales in the high millions on subsequent platforms. Fortunately, the games also found their way onto the Xbox, where plenty of eager players scooped up copies. When Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas arrived in 2005, one year after its PlayStation 2 release, Xbox players bought it up, moving more than 1.26 million copies. Since its release, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas has been re-released multiple times, selling over 27 million copies across all platforms.
8) Project Gotham Racing
Project Gotham Racing is a 2001 game released as an Xbox exclusive, and it was also one of the system’s launch titles. The arcade-style racing game features 204 cars and races across four cities. The game was well received by critics and players, helping establish it as the first in a franchise. Its 12 radio stations were modeled on real radio stations and featured the vocal talents of real-world DJs, adding some authenticity and variety to Project Gotham Racing’s soundtrack. In terms of sales, Microsoft Game Studios sold over 1.4 million copies on the Xbox.
7) Ninja Gaiden
The Ninja Gaiden franchise was rebooted in 2004 with a new entry released for the Xbox. It was ported to numerous systems as time passed, but when it launched, only Xbox players got their hands on the reboot, which was designed specifically for Western gamers. It included online capabilities, which Insignia later supported after Microsoft shut down its servers in 2010. While the exact sales figures aren’t clear, Ninja Gaiden sold more than 1.5 million copies on Xbox. The game was a hit in the States but faltered in Japan, likely due to a strategy shift that refocused its story and gameplay for Western audiences.
6) Counter-Strike
Valve developed Counter-Strike for PCs, but in 2003, it found its way onto the Xbox, where it became incredibly popular. The tactical first-person shooter launched the Counter-Strike franchise, and it was a critical and commercial success. While Counter-Strike sold well on PCs during the three years before it landed on the Xbox, it continued to sell well on the new console. The game sold more than 1.5 million copies, which includes a re-release under the “Best of Platinum Hits” banner. Xbox games needed at least 400,000 sales to get that kind of re-release, which wasn’t an issue for Counter-Strike.
5) Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
If you were to poll a large group of Star Wars fans who enjoy the franchise’s many games, the one that most often sits at the top of their lists is Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. It’s been that way since the game’s release, and it remains incredibly popular. When it was released on the Xbox in 2003, KOTOR players jumped at the game, buying it in droves. This was partly because KOTOR wasn’t released on any other console until more than a decade later, so if a fan didn’t have a gaming PC, the Xbox was the solution. KOTOR set a record, selling 250,000 units in 4 days and reaching 2.77 million copies sold overall.
4) Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell
When it was first released in 2002, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell was an Xbox exclusive. The following year, it found its way onto the PS2 and GameCube, but for a year, it sold incredibly well on the Xbox. The game is the first in the Splinter Cell franchise and features an impressive cast of voice actors, including Michael Ironside. Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell received worldwide critical acclaim upon release, launching the franchise. Regarding Xbox sales, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell sold over 2.93 million copies, earning it the Guinness World Record for “Best-selling Tom Clancy video game.”
3) Fable
The first game in the Fable franchise launched in 2005 as an Xbox exclusive, quickly becoming the game to buy. Fable is an action role-playing game with an interesting morality system that aligns a player’s character towards good or evil based on the choices they make throughout their gameplay experience. This was innovative and added an interesting layer to the game that wasn’t common in console games at the time. Fable launched a franchise that received critical acclaim. Players bought over 3 million copies, making it one of the system’s best-selling games.
2) Halo: Combat Evolved
It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who played the Xbox in the early 2000s that Halo: Combat Evolved is one of the console’s best-selling games. Not only did Halo launch a massive multimedia franchise that continues to this day, but the game was also incredibly well-designed, receiving critical acclaim and becoming a commercial success almost immediately. Halo became the reason people bought the Xbox, and the launch title was often sold alongside the console, though it wasn’t a pack-in game. Total sales figures differ online, but 6.43 million seems a solid figure.
1) Halo 2
If Halo: Combat Evolved got people to buy an Xbox, Halo 2 is what kept them playing it. The game was released in 2004 and significantly improved pretty much every aspect of its predecessor. It quickly became the most popular game on Xbox Live, a distinction it held until the release of Gears of War on the Xbox 360. Halo 2 introduced several new mechanics and gameplay tweaks, including the ability to duel-wield certain types of weapons, and it was a massive success. Worldwide sales of Halo 2 exceeded 8 million units, which makes it the Xbox’s best-selling game.
What’s your all-time favorite Xbox game? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
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