The post is a the latest iteration of the Xbox Excellence Awards, which was created last year to celebrate how players engaged with various releases on Xbox. The Store Rating category lists 2025 games with the best ratings on the Microsoft Store, with an added requirement of the title having at least 500 ratings. Player Engagements is about the average number of hours spent on a game by each player within the first six weeks of a game’s release. Daily Active Users celebrates titles, expansions or updates with the highest single-day active users throughout the year. And finally Units Sold is fairly self-explanatory.

Going down the lists, you’ll find many of the biggest releases of the year, from ARC Raiders and Battlefield 6, as well as award-winning RPG Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Indie titles have also been well-represented, with games like Crime Scene Cleaner and Satisfactory making it into the lists. There also doesn’t seem to have been a singular genre to dominate the lists, since everything from sports games like EA Sports Madden NFL 26, to fantasy adventure life sims like Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time, and even fighting games like Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics are well represented.

Curiously, none of the games was present in all four of the categories. At most, we got to see titles like Borderlands 4 being able to make it on to three of them: Player Engagement, Daily Active Users and Units Sold. Even ARC Raiders, which has seen quite a bit of success, is only on the Units Sold and Daily Active Users lists.

Microsoft has also emphasized that the lists represent a diverse collection of games developed by studios of varying sizes. All in all, it represents 48 unique developers based out of 13 countries, with 24 publishers having had a hand in their release. 19 of the games were self-published. “Taken as a whole, it’s an encapsulation of development on Xbox – we want gaming to reach you wherever you are, and for the teams making those games to find you from wherever they are,” wrote the company.

Full list of games:

Store Rating:

• Call of Duty: Black Ops 7
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Crime Scene Cleaner
• Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles 2
• Digimon Story: Time Stranger
• Dreamcore
• Dynasty Warriors: Origins
• Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time
• Final Fantasy XVI
• Lies of P: Overture
• Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii
• Little Nightmares III
• Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics
• Minami Lane
• Mullet MadJack
• Poppy Playtime Chapter 4
• Satisfactory
• Silent Hill 2
• Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds
• The First Berserker: Khazan

Player Engagement:

• Borderlands 4
• Digimon Story: Time Stranger
• Dynasty Warriors: Origins
• EA Sports College Football 26
• EA Sports FC 26
• Elden Ring Nightreign
• Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time
• Farm Together 2
• Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles
• Helldivers 2
• Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
• Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii
• MLB The Show 25
• Monster Hunter Wilds
• NBA 2K26
• NHL 26
• Rust
• Satisfactory
• The First Berserker: Khazan

Daily Active Users:

• Arc Raiders
• Avowed
• Battlefield 6
• Borderlands 4
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 7
• DOOM: The Dark Ages
• Elden Ring Nightreign
• Fortnite
• Forza Horizon 5
• Grand Theft Auto V
• Grounded 2
• Helldivers 2
• Marvel Rivals
• Minecraft
• NBA 2K26
• Rematch
• Roblox
• Rocket League
• The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered
• Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege

Units Sold:

• Arc Raiders
• Assassin’s Creed Shadows
• Battlefield 6
• Borderlands 4
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 7
• EA Sports Madden NFL 26
• EA Sports College Football 26
• EA Sports FC 26
• Elden Ring Nightreign
• Grand Theft Auto V
• Helldivers 2
• Hollow Knight: Silksong
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
• MLB The Show 25
• Monster Hunter Wilds
• NBA 2K26
• PGA Tour 2K25
• Ready or Not
• The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered
• WWE 2K25

Capcom has announced it will go live with a new title update for the arcade fighter compilation this Wednesday, April 16. Chief among the new additions is an offline Versus option across all titles in the collection, while an increased resolution option will also be available to players on Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes.

Interestingly, the update will also allow players to choose between X-Men vs. Street Fighter’s versions 960910, 961004, and 961023 with a new version select option. Additional improvements include a game reset option, bonus remixed tracks, new artwork, and more. Check out the trailer below for the title update’s highlights.

Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics is available on PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC. 

Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics is available for PS4, Nintendo Switch, and PC. It collects all Capcom-developed Marvel fighting games, namely X-Men: Children of the Atom, Marvel Super Heroes, X-Men vs. Street Fighter, Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter, Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes, and Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes. There’s also the arcade beat ’em up The Punisher, just because.

Of course, there are also new features like the Museum for viewing concept art, rollback netcode for online play, one-button Specials, and more. There are also new features in its Training mode and leaderboards for The Punisher. Head here for more details on what to expect, and stay tuned for more announcements and trailers from the Capcom Spotlight.

The company has announced a doubleheader presentation for February 4 at 2 PM PT. It will premiere a new Capcom Showcase, where the star attraction is the long-awaited Onimusha revival, Onimusha: Way of the Sword. You can also expect new information on Capcom Fighting Collection 2, Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics, and upcoming content for Street Fighter 6.

That 20-minute showcase will followed immediately afterward by a Monster Hunter Wilds Showcase. Confirmed to be 15 minutes in length, it will also reveal details on the action RPG’s upcoming second open beta, in addition to a new trailer and details.

Monster Hunter Wilds is due out for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on February 28. Head here for details on how some of its ideas took inspiration from Monster Hunter World’s collabs with Final Fantasy 14 and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

Tune in live on Feb. 4 at 2pm PT for Capcom doubleheader! Join us for a 20-minute Capcom Spotlight followed immediately by a 15-minute Monster Hunter Wilds Showcase!

👉 https://t.co/wTzDBaKGFi

In Capcom Showcase, get the latest info on Onimusha: Way of the Sword, Street… pic.twitter.com/EoHd3IfOEJ

— Capcom USA (@CapcomUSA_) January 30, 2025

Retailing for $49.99, the collection includes X-Men: Children of the Atom, Marvel Super Heroes, X-Men vs. Street Fighter, Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter, Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes, and Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes. You can also play arcade beat ’em up The Punisher, which includes a High Score Challenge.

In addition to a Museum with art, a music player, and options for one-button special moves, there’s rollback netcode, Ranked Play, Custom Matches, and spectating options. There are also new display features and training settings for each title.

Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics will also be coming to Xbox One in 2025. A release window is still unknown, but stay tuned for updates.

Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics is out on September 12th. It includes six games – X-Men: Children of the Atom, Marvel Super Heroes, X-Men vs. Street Fighter, Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter, Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes, Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes, and The Punisher – with features like a Museum for concept art, rollback netcode, and more.

Capcom Fighting Collection 2 includes classic fighters like Capcom vs. SNK: Millennium Fight 2000 Pro, Capcom vs. SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium 2001, Capcom Fighting Evolution, Project Justice, Street Fighter Alpha 3 UPPER, Power Stone 1 and 2, and Plasma Sword: Nightmare of Bilstein, round out the collection. It’s out in 2025, so there’s a possibility of the Xbox One version launching alongside other platforms. Stay tuned for updates in the meantime.

We’re happy to announce that after technical discussions with our partners at Microsoft, MARVEL vs. CAPCOM Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics and Capcom Fighting Collection 2 will release on Xbox One! 🎉

Both Xbox versions arrive in 2025, so stay tuned for more information! pic.twitter.com/Omdfe6IgYH

— Capcom USA (@CapcomUSA_) September 3, 2024

First available in 2000 for arcades and Sega Dreamcast before coming to PS2 and Xbox in 2002, Marvel vs. Capcom 2 features a roster of 56 playable characters. Matches feature teams of three, who players can tag in at will. The Hyper Gauge returns, but you can now perform Delayed Hyper Combos and a team-up where every team member unleashes their Hyper Combo simultaneously.

Much like other titles in the compilation, players can enter Training Mode to refine their skills or visit the Museum to check out concept art or listen to the soundtrack. Head here for more details on other features like Ranked Play, rollback netcode, and more.

Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics launches on September 12th digitally for PS4, PC, and Nintendo Switch, with a physical release coming on November 22nd.

In MARVEL vs. CAPCOM 2 New Age of Heroes, 56 characters have assembled to fight it out in a 3-on-3 format.

Strategize and seize your chance to win with Delayed Hyper Combos, to perform up to three consecutive Hyper Combos against your opponent!#MvCFightingCollection pic.twitter.com/wSmxw7DVt7

— Marvel vs. Capcom (@marvelvscapcom) September 3, 2024

The compilation features a whopping six titles in the series, starting with X-Men: Children of the Atom and progressing through Marvel Super Heroes, X-Men vs. Street Fighter, Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter, Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes and Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes. You can also experience The Punisher, an arcade beat ’em up featuring good ol’ Frank Castle (and a new High Score Challenge).

Multiplayer is available for all titles with rollback netcode. Players can also set Custom Matches and spectate, try Ranked Play, experience new Training Mode features, and use new one-button special moves. You can also venture into the Museum to check out art or listen to the soundtracks of each game. Stay tuned for more details ahead of its launch.

These include upcoming releases like Monster Hunter Wilds and Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics. Available games like Monster Hunter Now, Street Fighter 6, and Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess, alongside titles launching before TGS 2024, like Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster and Ace Attorney Investigations Collection, will also be playable.

Of course, the content of these demos will be announced later, so stay tuned for updates. Tokyo Game Show starts on September 26th and ends on September 29th. Other attending companies include Sony and Kojima Productions, the latter hosting a special stage event for Death Stranding 2: On The Beach. Head here for more details.

Available for arcades in 1995 before coming to Sega Saturn and PlayStation One in 1997, Marvel Super Heroes features fighters from multiple Marvel franchises. Select X-Men characters like Wolverine and Psylocke return, but you can also choose Captain America, Iron Man, Blackheart, and Spider-Man. Former boss character Magneto is also playable for the first time.

To that end, it’s the first real crossover in the franchise, though Capcom characters wouldn’t arrive until X-Men vs. Street Fighter. Marvel Super Heroes is noteworthy for Aerial Raves and the Infinity Stones, the latter providing different benefits to characters. For better or worse, this could explain why the mechanic returned in Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite.

Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics doesn’t have a release date yet, but it’s coming to PS4, PC, and Nintendo Switch. Stay tuned for details on the other titles in the coming weeks.