Xbox 360 turns 20: these were the best-selling games of a mythical console

Xbox 360 celebrates twenty years and we review its best-selling and most remembered games.

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This weekend marks two decades since Xbox 360 hit the market and opened an era that, for many gamers, marked a before and after. It was the console where millions discovered online gaming, achievements, Xbox Live Arcade, and sagas that defined an entire generation. Its impact is still very much present in the community, and this anniversary puts the magnitude of its legacy back in the spotlight.

Over the years, Xbox 360 built a catalog as wide as it was influential, with releases that dominated sales charts and still remain among the most played titles thanks to retrocompatibility on Xbox Series. And to celebrate its 20th anniversary, it’s worth looking back and remembering which games truly reigned supreme on the console.

The best-selling Xbox 360 games on its 20th anniversary

The list makes it clear which franchises marked the generation and which titles became genuine phenomena within and outside of Xbox:

1. Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 – The best-selling game of the entire console.

2. Call of Duty: Black Ops – Another multiplayer giant that was a trend for years.

3. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 – One of the most popular shooters of its time.

4. Halo 3 – The great icon of Xbox 360 and a genuine revolution in Xbox Live.

5. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 – Considered by many to be the best COD in history.

6. GTA V – A global phenomenon that still endures over a decade later.

7. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare – The foundation upon which the entire modern FPS genre was built.

8. Halo: Reach – One of the most beloved titles in the saga from Bungie.

9. Call of Duty: Ghosts – A massive commercial success at launch.

10. Halo 4 – The beginning of 343 Industries’ era and one of the most powerful generation-closing games.

Two decades later, these games continue to demonstrate the weight Xbox 360 had in the history of the industry: it was the console where modern shooters were consolidated, where Xbox Live became a standard, and where millions of gamers made the definitive leap to online gaming.