I Marathoned All 18 Xbox 360 Launch Titles for the 20th Anniversary and Here’s My Official Ranking

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November 22nd marks 20 years since the release of the Xbox 360, Microsoft’s most popular gaming console. I remember getting mine with my brother on Christmas Eve in 2006, just over a year after it came out. We quickly learned it needed extra storage to save games! We spent days trying to get as far as we could in Dead Rising without pausing, and we even played the entire Gears of War campaign in one go. Those are some of my best gaming memories, and the Xbox 360 remains my favorite console of all time.

We had a lot of trouble with the original Xbox 360, going through several consoles before we finally got one that didn’t fail with the infamous Red Ring of Death – and that one still works! From discovering silly hidden features in Call of Duty Zombies to being captivated by the stories in games like BioShock, the Xbox 360 created some lasting, happy memories for me during that era of gaming.

To celebrate the Xbox 360’s 20th birthday, I revisited all 18 games that launched with the console. I played sports and racing games until they weren’t fun anymore, but for story-driven games, I finished the whole thing. Thankfully, none of those original Xbox 360 games are very long compared to modern titles. I also explored the extra features each game offered and spent some time trying, mostly unsuccessfully, to play their online multiplayer modes.

Not pictured: Condemned and Kameo, which were played digitally.

18. NBA Live 06

I surprisingly enjoyed NBA Live 06 more than some of the other games here, but it has to be last on the list. It’s the only Xbox 360 launch game that actually made me feel sick. The standard camera view uses shaky movements and fast cuts that were hard to follow and genuinely painful to watch.

Many sports games for the Xbox 360, particularly those from EA at launch, didn’t offer as many features as their older versions, and NBA Live 06 is no exception. It includes a season mode and a quick play option, but online play isn’t available anymore. While other launch titles could claim to be the only option, NBA Live 06 wasn’t the best basketball game available on the 360 from the start.

17. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06

I don’t really follow golf, but I’ve played a fair share of golf games and had fun with them. However, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06 on Xbox 360 was surprisingly disappointing. While it has a few different game modes, it doesn’t offer nearly as many as other golf titles, and the online features are no longer available. Many of the in-game achievements are impossible to unlock because EA has shut down the game’s servers, and even if they were still running, there wouldn’t be anyone to play with online. Reaching 1,000 online matches or becoming number one in any online mode was never a realistic goal.

Honestly, the character models hold up surprisingly well for a game that came out with the Xbox 360. The courses themselves aren’t anything special, though. It is pretty funny to smack bystanders with golf balls and see them fall over, I’ll admit. But beyond that, there’s not a ton to keep you playing, unfortunately.

16. FIFA 06: Road to FIFA World Cup

FIFA 06: Road to FIFA World Cup was one of the first sports games available on the Xbox 360, but it doesn’t offer much content. It includes a few tournament options and the ‘Road to FIFA World Cup’ mode, but that’s about it. The online features are no longer active, and overall, the game feels rushed. However, the basic gameplay is still enjoyable and it provided a soccer game option for early 360 owners.

15. Madden NFL 06

Compared to other EA Sports games on the Xbox 360, Madden NFL 06 doesn’t offer much to do and is generally considered the weakest installment in the series. However, the graphics were decent for their time, and the core Madden gameplay remains enjoyable. It’s also an easy way to earn 1,000 gamerscore points by simply simulating 30 years in Franchise mode. Looking back, the difference in difficulty between achievements in early Xbox 360 sports games is quite funny. You can fully complete Madden NFL 06 in just a few hours, while Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06 demanded a huge time commitment and now has achievements that are practically impossible to unlock after 20 years.

14. Ridge Racer 6

When the Xbox 360 launched, three racing games were available, and Ridge Racer 6 is the least impressive of the three. It’s a decent arcade racer – exactly what you’d expect, but nothing special. The tracks aren’t particularly exciting, and surprisingly, some of the graphics look like they’re from an older console, even for a game exclusive to the Xbox 360. The announcer is also annoying, constantly making silly comments like shouting “Niiiiiitrous!” after every boost. On the plus side, it includes Pac-Man, which is a fun addition and sets it apart from some other launch titles. For achievement hunters, there’s a particularly challenging one: win a race on every course and with every car combination without crashing.

13. Quake 4

I love the older Quake games, but never got around to playing Quake 4 until this marathon. The first thing I noticed was that, aesthetically, Quake 4 is very similar to Doom 3, but with better-lit levels and a greater focus on action. Unfortunately, Quake 4 on Xbox 360 runs like absolute junk. There are massive frame drops throughout the game and in every single level, with one particular tram segment practically devolving into a slideshow. It’s not like Quake 4 had overwhelmingly demanding graphics either. It doesn’t look far off from an original Xbox game.

Despite its flaws, Quake 4 is an enjoyable game. Raven Software consistently delivers strong single-player FPS experiences, and they did so again with this title. Even the vehicle sections, despite some performance issues, are exciting and full of action. The game features a variety of cool weapons and a story that takes some surprising turns.

The game’s achievements are pretty amusing, and they really show its age as an early Xbox 360 title. Unlike modern games, completing the campaign on different difficulty levels doesn’t earn you multiple achievements. Plus, many achievements are tied to online play, which was challenging back in 2005 and is nearly impossible now. For example, there’s an achievement for reaching the top rank in all game types, which is just ridiculous. I tried playing online, but after 20 years, nobody still plays Quake 4 on the Xbox 360.

Fortunately, completing the game’s story mode gave me some new profile pictures. Plus, the Xbox 360 edition of Quake 4 includes Quake 2 and its expansions, which is a great extra!

12. Perfect Dark Zero

Despite a lot of criticism, Perfect Dark Zero can actually be a really enjoyable game. As a prequel to the beloved Nintendo 64 title Perfect Dark, it uses the same kind of first-person shooter gameplay as GoldenEye 007, which felt a bit old-fashioned even when it was released in 2005. The single-player story isn’t very exciting, though it’s at least playable with a friend in co-op. The game truly excels in its versus multiplayer. Finding an online match is nearly impossible now, but its support for 4-player split-screen and bots – many featuring classic Rare characters – keeps the multiplayer alive. I remember spending hours with friends battling bots on the Old Town map, turning the difficulty up as high as it would go just to test our skills. The inclusion of the Facility map from GoldenEye adds a nice touch of nostalgia, and even though it feels a little slow by today’s standards, it’s still a great time with the right people.

Despite being released 20 years ago, Perfect Dark Zero remains the most recent game in the Perfect Dark series. Microsoft tried to revive the franchise with a reboot developed by The Initiative and Crystal Dynamics, but the project was eventually canceled.

11. NBA 2K6

NBA 2K6 for Xbox 360 is far superior to NBA Live 06. It was a stunning game for its time, with incredibly detailed players and realistic courts. While NBA Live 06 feels empty, NBA 2K6 is packed with content and offers hours of gameplay, even without considering the now-defunct online features. It’s a more complete sports game, boasting a variety of modes and surprisingly easy achievements. It’s also a nice change of pace to play a game like NBA 2K6 without any of the microtransactions common in modern games.

10. Amped 3

While EA’s initial sports games for the Xbox 360 were disappointing, 2K Sports released several excellent titles, including Amped 3. This snowboarding game is full of fun and humor, features a fantastic soundtrack, and plays really well. It’s similar to the Tony Hawk series, but with snowboarding—and you can also ride snowmobiles and sleds for even more variety. The biggest downside is the lack of a dedicated multiplayer mode; adding one would have made Amped 3 truly exceptional.

9. NHL 2K6

NHL 2K6 offers a complete hockey experience with plenty to do offline, including franchise, season, and tournament modes, plus even air hockey! While the online multiplayer doesn’t work anymore – a common issue with early Xbox 360 sports games – the abundance of offline options more than make up for it. Even as someone who isn’t a huge hockey fan, I was really impressed. Compared to other games in the NHL 2K series, it might not have been a huge leap forward, but it was the best sports game available when the Xbox 360 first launched.

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2025-11-22 19:07