Best Xbox Single Player Games 2022

The Forgotten City (Xbox One)

The Forgotten City takes its inspiration from a mod released for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim back in 2015, although this is very much its own standalone adventure, and it proved one of the pleasant surprises of last year, with our 8/10 review here at Pure Xbox calling it "a delightful puzzle box of ideas".

The game is a narrative-driven time loop adventure in which you need to travel 2000 years into the past and discover what happened to a cursed Roman city, where if one person sins, everyone dies. It's fair to say we weren't expecting this one to be quite so fantastic, but it ended up being listed on a wide range of GOTY lists.

• Xbox Game Pass? Yes

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (Xbox One)

A game that needs no introduction at this stage. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is right up there with the very best this medium has to offer. CD Projekt Red really did serve us up one of the finest RPGs ever made with this one and Geralt of Rivia's adventures are a solo experience that every single gamer out there owes it to themselves to check out.

We'd seen the promise this franchise held in the excellent The Witcher 2, but with this 3rd entry the overall clunkiness that had held the series back ever-so-slightly was now nowhere to be seen, resulting in a majestic adventure of truly epic scale that's seen two amazing slices of DLC added since its release to further enhance the overall package here. We also have this game to thank for a TV show in which Henry Cavill walks around all sweaty and dirty and gets his top off a lot so...yeah...you sort of have to play it now as thanks for that.

• Xbox Game Pass? No

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The Witness (Xbox One)

Jonathan Blow's incredible The Witness is a towering achievement in game design. Initially, it appears to be constructed of relatively simple puzzles which require you to connect simple dot matrixes with lines and so on, but the reality is that The Witness is slowly teaching you a language that you'll eventually use to solve almost inconceivably clever problems with. It's a game that stretches its idea to unimaginable boundaries. In terms of immersive puzzle titles, we can't think of many that come close to the level of this bonafide masterpiece, and even if you feel like puzzles aren't really your bag, jumping in here and engaging with what's on offer may very well surprise you.

• Xbox Game Pass? No

Tunic (Xbox Series X|S)

We've been waiting impatiently for the arrival of Andrew Shouldice's sublime action-adventure ever since we first clapped eyes on it a couple of years ago, and now it's finally here and on Game Pass!

Tunic is a fantastically clever adventure with an exquisitely designed world to explore. It's a great big Zelda-esque puzzle-box to probe and prod at as you progress through a story that's got just the right amount of mystery and intrigue about it to keep you hooked in. This one's a surprisingly big, surprisingly challenging experience that's absolutely one of our favourite games of 2022 so far.

• Xbox Game Pass? Yes

Undertale (Xbox One)

We're pretty sure there aren't many players out there by now who haven't at least heard of Toby Fox's sublime Undertale.

A wonderfully well written and surprisingly subversive take on retro RPGs, it may assume a certain level of prior experience with the genre but, even without this, Undertale is still a constantly surprising and devilishly clever good time. This is a game that toys with genre expectations and conventions, mocks and twists gameplay tropes, deviates from the norm, serves up delightfully difficult puzzles, a cast of wonderfully weird characters and an unexpectedly weighty story. Oh, and the soundtrack absolutely rocks. If you've yet to try it out, get onto Game Pass and treat yo'self!

• Xbox Game Pass? Yes

Unpacking (Xbox Series X|S)

Witch Beam's Unpacking is all about...well...unpacking, funnily enough. Not so much a puzzle game, this is more of a meditative experience, if you choose to play it that way, a wonderfully relaxing little game that gives you creative freedom to chill into the rhythm of simply unpacking boxes of possessions into rooms however you see fit.

There's a rather touching narrative that develops over the course of proceedings, your protagonist's possessions changing as time passes, and the whole thing just feels and sounds wonderful, the simple act of placing objects made satisfyingly tactile and addictive. There's some light challenge here and there in how you're presented with objects to stow away, but overall this an experience about doing it your way, playing with the tools and unpacking how you want to. A unique and beautiful thing and one of favourite experiences of 2021.

• Xbox Game Pass? Yes

What Remains of Edith Finch (Xbox One)

If you're looking for something emotionally challenging, What Remains of Edith Finch not only has one of the best indie narratives we've experienced thus far, but some of the very best writing in gaming. Period. It's ideal going in knowing as little as possible here, diving into a narrative-driven adventure that delves into some dark and deeply personal subject matter. Despite this, it somehow never feels bogged down by the weight of its story, instead constantly finding fresh new ways to surprise and delight its players. We highly recommend checking this one out, even if you're not sure it's gonna be your cup of tea, it feels like a truly important game - and you can even finish it in a single sitting for maximum effect.

• Xbox Game Pass? Yes

Yakuza: Like a Dragon (Xbox Series X|S)

Yakuza: Like a Dragon, deviates from the original series by introducing some kick-ass turn-based combat into proceedings, replacing the franchise's traditional arcade street-slugging with something a little more complex and, in our opinion, engaging.

It's a unique Yakuza title that infuses its JRPG combat and systems into a contemporary modern day setting. Exploring the streets of Japan has never felt more immersive and the emotional story resonates, right up to its heart-wrenching conclusion. Yakuza: Like a Dragon is one of the very best in the series and a perfect entry point for newcomers who have been put off by the long list of previous titles in the franchise.

• Xbox Game Pass? Yes