LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga (Xbox Series X|S)

LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is a great big celebration of everything Star Wars that looks and plays like a dream on Series X. The upgrades to the series' core gameplay here — the combo-focused combat, flashy space battles, boss encounters, over-the-shoulder shooting action and cover system — all combine to make this the best LEGO Star Wars has ever felt to play. Throw in a humongous open world setting that's bursting at the seams with secrets and collectibles and you've got an absolute smorgasbord of all things Star Wars to dig into.

The galaxy is yours with LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga! Play through all nine Star Wars saga films in a brand-new LEGO video game unlike any other. Experience fun-filled adventures, whimsical humor, and the freedom to fully immerse yourself in the LEGO Star Wars universe like never before.

  • Smart Delivery? Yes
  • Xbox Game Pass? No

Microsoft Flight Simulator (Xbox Series X|S)

Microsoft Flight Simulator makes an almost perfect landing on Series X in a stunning port of the studio's massively impressive flight sim. Yes, you'll need to work a little bit harder to access menus and some of the nigglier aspects of your cockpit due to console controls but, besides this one tiny issue, Asobo have delivered the goods here with an endlessly playable, photorealistic, next-gen tour de force.

From light planes to wide-body jets, fly highly detailed and accurate aircraft in the next generation of Microsoft Flight Simulator. Test your piloting skills against the challenges of night flying, real-time atmospheric simulation and live weather in a dynamic and living world. Create your flight plan to anywhere on the planet. The world is at your fingertips.

  • Smart Delivery? No
  • Xbox Game Pass? Yes

MLB The Show 22 (Xbox Series X|S)

A PlayStation exclusive franchise returns for its second year on Series X and not only is it available via Game Pass, it's also one of the very best Baseball simulators you can get your hands on. MLB The Show 22 offers a huge package stuffed full of game modes for fans of the sport and, if you've never played a baseball game before, we recommend you jump in here and have a go, because this one's a big hitter that performs at a near flawless 60FPS at 4K on Microsoft's next-gen console. Welcome to the show!

Experience faster, deeper and more intense moment-to-moment match action on the field, with a variety of game modes for all you rookie players and returning seasoned vets.

  • Smart Delivery? No
  • Xbox Game Pass? Yes

Mortal Kombat 11 (Xbox One)

There are a lot of fantastic 'optimised for Xbox Series X' upgrades from the Xbox One generation as we've already mentioned in this list, and Mortal Kombat 11 sits among them as offering impressively upgraded visuals and performance. Plus, it's a fighter you can often get very cheaply as part of Xbox Store sales these days. Win-win!

Mortal Kombat 11 is the latest installment in the critically acclaimed franchise, providing a deeper and more personalised experience than ever before. The all new Custom Character Variations give you unprecedented control of your fighters to make them your own.

  • Smart Delivery? Yes
  • Xbox Game Pass? No

Ori and the Will of the Wisps (Xbox Series X|S)

Ori and the Will of the Wisps is another Xbox One game that truly shines on Xbox Series X, thanks to its 4K, 120FPS visuals (or even supersampled 6K, 60FPS!). It's still the same great adventure, but that extra performance and latency reduction really helps in a game that requires such precise platforming.

From the creators of the acclaimed action-platformer Ori and the Blind Forest comes an adventure through a beautiful world filled with friends and foes that come to life in stunning, hand-painted artwork. Set to a fully orchestrated original score, Ori and the Will of the Wisps continues the Moon Studios tradition of tightly crafted platforming action and deeply emotional storytelling.

  • Smart Delivery? Yes
  • Xbox Game Pass? Yes

Psychonauts 2 (Xbox Series X|S)

In our 10/10 review of Double Fine's hugely anticipated sequel we called Psychonauts 2 "an extraordinary achievement in both its gameplay and storytelling, balancing heavy themes of mental health with its whimsical world." This fantastic continuation of the franchise lands on Series X in an optimised version that massively improves loading times and hits the sweet spot with slick 4K/60FPS gameplay.

Razputin Aquato, trained acrobat and powerful young psychic, has realized his life long dream of joining the international psychic espionage organization known as the Psychonauts! But these psychic super spies are in trouble. Their leader hasn't been the same since he was kidnapped, and what's worse, there's a mole hiding in headquarters. Raz must use his powers to stop the mole before they execute their secret plan--to bring the murderous psychic villain, Maligula, back from the dead!

  • Smart Delivery? Yes
  • Xbox Game Pass? Yes

Rocket League (Xbox One)

We're starting to think Rocket League is gonna pop up on every "best of" list we write from here on in. Psyonix's superlative free-to-play vehicular soccer effort has been optimised for Series X and now allows you to get your automobile-flavoured kicks at 4K/60FPS, faster loading times and improved splitscreen performance. This is the ultimate console version of a bonafide arcade classic.

Winner or nominee of more than 150 “Game of the Year” awards, Rocket League is one of the most critically-acclaimed sports games of our generation. Rocket League is a high-powered hybrid of arcade-style soccer and vehicular mayhem with easy-to-understand controls and fluid, physics-driven competition.

  • Smart Delivery? Yes
  • Xbox Game Pass? No

Sea Of Thieves (Xbox One)

Yes, Sea of Thieves has also been enhanced for Xbox Series X, and it means the pirate adventure both looks and performs significantly better than ever before. This game is always getting new updates, and it's continually a blast to play with friends, so we're really pleased to see it receiving the upgrade treatment for Series X.

Sea of Thieves offers the essential pirate experience, from sailing and fighting to exploring and looting – everything you need to live the pirate life and become a legend in your own right. With no set roles, you have complete freedom to approach the world, and other players, however you choose.

  • Smart Delivery? Yes
  • Xbox Game Pass? Yes

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State of Decay 2 (Xbox One)

State of Decay 2 is another of those games that has been transformed ever since its initial release all the way back in 2018, redesigning its experience in the form of the 'Juggernaut Edition'. It also received an enhancement for Xbox Series X and S, which means the excellent visuals are now complemented with super smooth 60FPS performance.

The dead have risen and civilization has fallen. Not even the military could stop the zombies, and now it's up to you to gather survivors, scavenge for resources and build a community with up to three of your friends in a post-apocalyptic world – a world where every decision matters, and where you define what it means to survive in this ultimate zombie survival simulation.

  • Smart Delivery? Yes
  • Xbox Game Pass? Yes

The Artful Escape (Xbox Series X|S)

The delightfully named Beethoven & Dinosaur has delivered up a superb slice of platforming action in The Artful Escape, a musical romp through outer space that sees you assume the role of protagonist Francis Vendetti as he jumps, kicks, slides and thrashes his guitar across some wonderfully colourful levels that factor light rhythm game mechanics into their design.

With a stellar soundtrack, excellent writing and a voice cast that includes Jason Schwartzman and Lena Headey, this is a delightful romp with solid platforming action that's all wrapped up in one high-class package.

On the eve of his first performance, Francis Vendetti struggles with the legacy of a dead folk legend and the cosmic wanderings of his own imagination. In an attempt to escape the musical legacy of his uncle, a teenage guitar prodigy embarks on a psychedelic journey to inspire his new stage persona, searching for who he isn’t in an adventure spanning stolen opera houses, melodic alien landscapes, and the impossible depths of the Cosmic Extraordinary.

  • Smart Delivery? Yes
  • Xbox Game Pass? Yes