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

What makes this all the more incredible is that it’s the ninth straight week that it achieved this feat, beating the free-to-play Counter-Strike 2 and Battlefield 6, which had a much larger launch in terms of sales. It even scored ahead of heavy hitters like Marvel Rivals, Helldivers 2, Rocket League, Warframe, and Baldur’s Gate 3.

While its console rankings aren’t nearly as dominant, it’s still in eighth place on PlayStation and seventh place on Xbox. Plus, you have to consider that the top five most-played games have remained relatively static since 2024.

What’s next for ARC Raiders, especially with Embark promising a roadmap “soon”? Aside from multiple new maps across a “spectrum of size,” you can apparently expect a new map condition this week in Toxic Swamps. The developer is also looking to implement bigger ARC threats, but those expecting Speranza to become a hub that players can traverse will have to wait a bit longer.

Helldivers 2

Arrowhead Studios delivered an absolute smash hit with Helldivers 2, a co-op game where players team up to fight waves upon waves of enemies across the backdrop of alien planets. Many of its ideas can be traced back to live service games like The Division’s PvP mode, but the game’s ability to induce a constant sense of chaos as you try to complete the objectives without veering into frustrating territory is what makes it so addictive in the first place. The gameplay has a knack for crafting some amazing stories, and that power of shared experiences and personal stories is what made it such a big thing.

Hi-Fi Rush

We wouldn’t really imagine a developer of games like The Evil Within creating a brightly colored rhythm game, but Tango Gameworks actually did that with Hi-Fi Rush and shadow dropped it out of nowhere. And the best part is that it all works beautifully despite the game being something that’s well out of the developer’s comfort zone. Everything from the fleshed-out world that operates on a tempo to a diverse range of rocking tracks and a combat loop that’s more rewarding than it is punishing, Hi-Fi Rush makes for a great first rhythm game for fans to get into this niche genre.

Palworld

Palworld felt like an interesting contrast of genres with initial trailers showcasing cute Pokemon-like creatures holding realistic guns against the backdrop of lush green plainscapes. And when it was released in early access recently, fans absolutely lapped it up thanks to a solid set of mechanics that work well in conjunction with one another. Sure, there are a few rough edges here and there – but the sheer creativity of it all is what makes it so endearing in the first place.

A Plague Tale: Innocence

A Plague Tale: Innocence might feel like a cheap knockoff of The Last of Us at first glance, and while that notion is true on some level – it isn’t entirely indicative of the entire story. Set against the backdrop of one of the darkest times of history, the story of Amicia and Hugo is an emotionally charged tale that features an equal share of heartfelt moments and adrenaline-pumping set pieces – which combined with the wonderfully well-realized characters makes for an incredibly exciting experience through and through.

Stray

Stray might not be a sprawling epic or a thrilling ride, but its unique concept of putting you in the paws of a stray cat was apparently more than enough reason for hundreds of thousands of fans to want to pick this one up. The puzzles are pretty simple, but interesting world-building and a snappy runtime that never lets the player get bored of the mechanics is what made it such a big deal when it was released back in 2022.

Demon’s Souls

The game that started it all. Demon’s Souls, first released for the PlayStation 3 back in 2009, surprised everyone with its brutal difficulty and intimidating boss battles. Featuring excellent art style and an eerie atmosphere (who can forget the crazy Valley of Defilement), Demon’s Souls went on to become an unexpected hit among players. Although later Souls games will take the genre further in different ways, Demon’s Souls still remains a memorable experience. If you have a PlayStation 5, you can try the excellent remake which was released back in 2020.

Lies of P

Lies of P is developer Neowiz’ take on the Souls formula, and while the initial showings were definitely promising – it wouldn’t come as a surprise if the final result would rank amongst the dozens of similar FromSoftware that keep releasing left, right, and center. But that skepticism was proven wrong, and Lies of P managed to actually deliver a worthy Soulslike with excellent level designs, memorable boss battles, and a couple of unique mechanics of its own.

Baldur’s Gate 3

Larian’s latest Baldur’s Gate 3 is a game that has huge ambitions, and it would be safe to say that it has set a new benchmark for RPGs in this generation. Baldur’s Gate 3 features a complex web of mechanics that work well in cohesion with one another, and there’s a bunch of distinct possibilities right from story endings to different playstyles and much more – and the attention to detail in each aspect is the major drawing factor which makes Baldur’s Gate 3 such a fun time.

Valheim

Valheim launched into early access in 2020, and it instantly became a smash hit with hundreds of thousands of fans flocking to make a living in procedurally generated worlds. Valheim features interesting boss battles, a high level of replayability, and memorable boss battles – but what makes it stand out amongst the crowd is a very tangible sense of progression as you get stronger and stronger with each biome you clear.

Lords of the Fallen

Talking about Souls games that managed to win the hearts of hundreds of fans, we have Lords of the Fallen. Released last year, Lords of The Fallen thrusts players into an appropriately murky dark fantasy setting and dates them to take on brutal bosses and trudge through overwhelming odds. Add to that an excellent world-shifting system and gorgeous visuals, and Lords of the Fallen becomes an unmissable game for fans of Soulsborne releases.

Dave The Diver

Dave The Diver is the kind of game that never fails to surprise the player. It’s a weird mishmash of genres ranging from farming simulation to adventure and much more, and the fact that it all works beautifully in a cohesive fashion makes it such a great time. It’s a game that’s bursting at the seams with its creativity, and there are more than a few fans who took note of this one.

Phasmophobia

Blending together a horror experience in a multiplayer format is definitely a tough task, but Phasmophobia aces that with its excellent atmosphere and clever design. Phasmophobia was released at a time when friends were isolated from one another, and the sense of camaraderie that arises from trudging through decrepit locations and taking up tasks together is something that brought us closer to one another during such challenging times – which is one of the biggest reasons behind Phasmophobia’s runaway success.

The Forest

Survival games are dime a dozen these days, but Endlight Games’ smash hit The Forest managed to stand out amongst the barrage of similar contemporaries thanks to its excellent understanding of what makes a game of this ilk tick. The Forest features brutal survival mechanics, and the scenarios it puts you through force you to be dynamic in your approach and come up with interesting solutions to the problem at hand – and that is what makes it a game that’s worth spending dozens and dozens of hours in.

Last Epoch

The recently released Hack and Slash action RPG Last Epoch took the video gaming industry by storm, boldly making a name for itself in a genre. Last Epoch’s primary reason for success is its flexibility in build crafting, and its ability to appease both the casuals who don’t want to dive deep and veterans alike. In addition to this, Last Epoch also offers plenty of valuable loot as you progress through the game’s bevy of dungeons, and that engaging hook of player progression is another major drawing factor for the game.

Rocket League

Driving an abnormally large ball into a goalpost while seated in a car might just sound like someone’s wildest dream, and the developer made that dream come true with Rocket League. And despite a few inherent frustrations that come with this interesting yet unwieldy concept, Rocket League manages to be a greatly fun game that becomes even better if you have a few friends to play alongside as you make memorable stories of last-minute victories and defeats alike.

The Ford Bronco Raptor RLE bundle is available through the in-game Rocket League shop, and is priced at 1,100 credits. It will be available until August 16.

Rocket League recently tied up with MGM and Aston Martin to celebrate James Bond’s 60th anniversary with the release of the 007’s Aston Martin DBS bundle.

Earlier this year, Rocket League celebrated its seventh anniversary since release with an in-game event dubbed Birthday Ball. The event ended on July 19, and featured time-limited game modes, as well as various bundles.

Rocket League is free-to-play and available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch.

The highlight for the celebration is the 007’s Aston Martin DBS car making its debut in Rocket League. It includes 007’s Aston Martin DBS Engine Audio, 007’s Aston Martin DBS Wheels, a Reel Life decal, and an Aston Martin DBS Player Banner.

The James Bond theme will also be available as a Player Anthem in the game. The car is priced at 1,100 Credits, and the Player Anthem is priced at 300 Credits in the Item Shop.

The previously-released 007’s Aston Martin DB5, and 007’s Aston Martin Valhalla will also be coming back to the Item Shop, priced at 1,100 Credits each.

The James Bond content will be available in Rocket League starting on July 13, and until July 19.

Completing the new event challenges in Birthday Ball will allow players to unlock up to 300 Credits as rewards. Other challenge rewards include the Golden Goat title, the Precious Metal Avatar border, and Golden Eggs. Players can use Golden Eggs to unlock items from Champions Series 1-4.

The Birthday Ball event will also bring with it two limited-time game modes: 2v2 Heatseeker and Knockout. Heatseeker will be available from July 6 to July 13, and Knockout will be available from July 13 to July 19. During the event, anniversary-themed items, including a new car, new decal, and a Top Hat: Anniversary Edition topper will be rotating through the in-game item shop.

Rocket League is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch.

For starters, Neo Tokyo, a new arena variant, is added for free play and private matches. A few changes are also being made to the way the report/block player menu works. Blocking someone from the menu will prevent players from seeing their text chat during a match, and it carries over to further matches. Psyonix has also said that soon, blocking someone will also mute them from voice comms.

Bug fixes for crashes during four-player split-screen on PlayStation have also been made, along with the PC version receiving a fix for the framerate cap reset bug.

Apart from the above, the Rocket League OST Vol. 1 and Rocket League OST Vol. 2 music playlists have been removed from the game with this update, so if you enjoyed dribbling to the tunes of that playlist, well, tough luck.

To read the changes and the new content the Rocket League patch adds, head on to the blog post by the developer. Alternatively, you can read them down below.

ROCKET LEAGUE UPDATE 2.12

NEW CONTENT

New Arena Variant

• ‘Neo Tokyo (Comic) is now available in Private Matches, and Free Play

CHANGES AND UPDATES

• The Mute/Report Player menu has changed to ‘Report/Block Player’
• Blocking a player from the Report/Block Player menu will prevent you from seeing their text chat during a match
  • This will also block you from hearing that player in voice chat when it becomes available in the future
• Blocking a player carries over between matches
• You can unblock players from the same Report/Block Player menu
• Blocking a player you are friends with through Epic Games will remove them from your Epic Games friends list
• The ‘Mute All’ button has been removed
  • If you prefer to play with text chat muted, you can go to Settings -Chat – Text Chat Settings, and make changes there

Soundtracks

• ‘Rocket League OST Vol. 1’ and ‘Rocket League OST Vol. 2’ music playlists have been removed from the game

BUG FIXES

• [PlayStation] Fixed a crash scenario involving four-player splitscreen
• [PC] Fixed a bug causing framerate cap to reset on start or when opening the Settings menu
• Fixed a trading error when attempting to trade equipped Avatar Borders and Player Banners
• Fixed a notification display error when looking at new items
• The SARPBC Theme Player Anthem now plays correctly when streamer safe is enabled
• Fixed a bug causing Painted Samurai Car Bodies to lose color on trim when using its Common Decals
• Fixed localization for Tournament queue text
• Fixed appearance of several Painted Excavator Trails
• Fixed a bug causing XVII Decal to change trim color on Marauder
• Centered several Decals for the Insidio Car Body
• The 50th Anniversary and Hot Wheels Race Team Decals for Fast 4WD and MR11 will now change colors when switching teams
• Fixed Exo and Planetarium Paint Finishes on Gizmo
• Fixed a Paint Finish error when using the 2020 Team Liquid decal on Fennec Car Body

The theme that this event will follow is GRIMES- the electro pop artist who has collaborated with the developers of the game, Psyonix. Hence, all the unlockables in the event will be themed around the artist, which includes “Shinigami Eyes”, “Player of Games” player anthem, GRIMES themed items like toppers, and more.

Along with this event, the heatseeker ricochet mode will be returning, which will let players hit the ball with accuracy towards the opponent team’s goal, and each time a hit on the ball happens without a goal, the speed of the same significantly increases.

Apart from the above, players can also earn Golden Moons for the duration of the event, which can be exchanged for items from the Impact, Nitro, and Overdrive item series.

Hopefully, this will provide more incentives for new and existing players to try out an already great game.

The Aston Martin Valhalla will cost 1100 in-game credits, and will be available from October 7th through to October 13th. There will also be new challenges associated with James Bond, and completing those will net players the Aston Martin DB5 Player Banner, Agent 007 Avatar Border, and the “00 Agent” Player Title. There’s also a special event, Agents vs Villains, which will be streaming on Twitch and will be featuring “personalities in the community.”

Rocket League has been an incredible success for developer Psyonix, and it seems that the developer is keen on capitalizing on the hype. The game has also been free-to-play across all platforms for some time now, so interested fans should give it a go.

https://youtu.be/gSvvm1fxC2g

The Ratchet and Clank Punk Decal for Octane, Negatron Collider Boost, Clank Balloon Topper, and Ratchet Balloon Topper are the cosmetic items that fans on PlayStation platforms can claim for free. The only caveat is – players need to log in before January 3rd, 2022.

Fans can also get excited for the 120 fps mode being added to the game with the same update, which is great for a competitive title such as Rocket League. The game went free-to-play earlier this year, and fans who claimed it on Epic Games Store also got a $10 coupon to spend on games.