Best games
Best Action games on Xbox
The 107 best Action games on Xbox, ranked from 32,697 critic and player ratings.
The best Action game on Xbox right now is Half-Life 2, with a critic score of 96/100 — updated September 2026.
How this ranking is built
- Games are ranked on the aggregated critic score out of 100 imported from IGDB and Metacritic, never on Tier's own grades.
- A game only enters the ranking with at least 80 external ratings, so a single enthusiastic review never outranks a proven classic.
- Community grades from F to S are shown next to every game, and only stated as a fact above 5 Tier ratings.
- Release window covered: 1970 to 2026.
- 50 games are listed on this page, carrying 32,697 ratings between them.
- Rankings are recomputed hourly; this one was last rebuilt on 29 September 2026.
Top 50
01
S
Half-Life 2
1998. HALF-LIFE sends a shock through the game industry with its combination of pounding action and continuous, immersive storytelling. NOW. By taking the suspense, challenge and visceral charge of the original, and adding startling new realism and responsiveness, Half-Life 2 opens the door to a world where the player's presence affects everything around them, from the physical environment to the behaviors even the emotions of both friends and enemies.
96
/100
02
A
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
In the year 1986, Tommy Vercetti is heavily indebted to his mafia superiors after a drug deal gone awry, but his dreams of taking over Vice City (based on Miami) push him down a different path. Featuring a wide variety of vehicles and weapons, radio stations playing hit songs from the era and an intense atmosphere, GTA: Vice City is an open-world sandbox satire of '80's Miami.
94
/100
03
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Choose Your Path! Set 4,000 years before the Galactic Empire, you are the last hope for the Jedi Order and the Republic - can you master the ways of the Force to become their savior? Or will you fall to the dark side and achieve ultimate power? Hero, villain, peacekeeper, or chaos-bringer... you and your party will determine the fate of the galaxy! Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is a role-playing video game. Players will be able to create their own characters and be able to choose what gender, appearance, class, skills, attributes, and feats they have throughout the game - no two characters will be the same!
94
/100
S
Half-Life 2
1998. HALF-LIFE sends a shock through the game industry with its combination of pounding action and continuous, immersive storytelling. NOW. By taking the suspense, challenge and visceral charge of the original, and adding startling new realism and responsiveness, Half-Life 2 opens the door to a world where the player's presence affects everything around them, from the physical environment to the behaviors even the emotions of both friends and enemies.
96
/100
02
A
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
In the year 1986, Tommy Vercetti is heavily indebted to his mafia superiors after a drug deal gone awry, but his dreams of taking over Vice City (based on Miami) push him down a different path. Featuring a wide variety of vehicles and weapons, radio stations playing hit songs from the era and an intense atmosphere, GTA: Vice City is an open-world sandbox satire of '80's Miami.
94
/100
03
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Choose Your Path! Set 4,000 years before the Galactic Empire, you are the last hope for the Jedi Order and the Republic - can you master the ways of the Force to become their savior? Or will you fall to the dark side and achieve ultimate power? Hero, villain, peacekeeper, or chaos-bringer... you and your party will determine the fate of the galaxy! Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is a role-playing video game. Players will be able to create their own characters and be able to choose what gender, appearance, class, skills, attributes, and feats they have throughout the game - no two characters will be the same!
94
/100
04
S
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Returning after his mother's murder to the semi-fictional city of Los Santos (based on Los Angeles), Carl Johnson, a former gang banger, must take back the streets for his family and friends by gaining respect and once again gaining control over the streets. However, a story filled with crime, lies and corruption will lead him to trudge the entire state of San Andreas (based on California and Nevada) to rebuild his life.
93
/100
05
S
Grand Theft Auto III
Featuring a fully 3-D living city, a combination of narrative driven and non-linear gameplay and a completely open environment, Grand Theft Auto III represents a huge leap forward in interactive entertainment. For the first time, players are put at the heart of their very own gangster movie, and let loose in a fully-realised 3 dimensional city, in which anything can happen and probably will. With a cast of hundreds, 50 plus vehicles, ranging from sports cars to ice cream trucks and from boats to buses, 3 hours of music, including opera, reggae, house, drum and bass, pop and disco, a huge array of street ready weapons and some of the seediest characters in video game history, Grand Theft Auto 3 is a sprawling epic which will show you that sometimes, crime can pay and sometimes it can pay you back. Available now for PlayStation2, Xbox, PC and Macintosh.
93
/100
06
Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30
Based on a true story. Set during the famous airdrop before the invasion at Normandy, where Sgt. Matt Baker and his squad of 101st Airborne Paratroopers were scattered over the French countryside. As the story unfolds, you must choose between the success of your mission and the lives of your men - your brothers in arms. Brothers In Arms: Road to Hill 30 will immerse players in the historic, eight-day invasion of Normandy - with unparalleled imagery, authenticity, sound, and gameplay. One of a kind: Brothers In Arms Road to Hill 30 is the only first-person tactical shooter set in WWII. Real military tactics: Intuitive and easy-to-use squad controls appeal to both the hardcore and mainstream gaming audience. Real soldiers: Featuring a cast of more than 20 characters, each with a unique personality, appearance, and style. Revolutionary AI system: Allies and enemies use the standard operating procedures of fire and maneuver to flank and kill their foes. Unprecedented authenticity: Historically accurate and detailed battlefields, events, and equipment re-created from Army Signal Corps photos, aerial reconnaissance imagery, and eyewitness accounts. Innovative multiplayer: Players command three-man AI teams in a battle of wits and skill to accomplish exciting objectives. Award-winning team: Gearbox Software, creators of Half-Life Opposing Force and developers of James Bond: Nightfire, Counter-Strike, and Halo (PC).
92
/100
07
Beyond Good & Evil
Beyond Good & Evil is an action-adventure game with elements of puzzle-solving and stealth-based games. The player controls the protagonist, Jade, from a third-person perspective. Jade can run, move stealthily, jump over obstacles and pits, climb ladders, push or bash doors and objects, and flatten herself against walls. As Jade, the player investigates a number of installations in search of the truth about a war with an alien threat.
91
/100
08
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty is the sequel to the espionage action game Metal Gear Solid. Much of the gameplay remains the same, as the game's protagonist has to sneak past guards, outsmart them using various gadgets and defeat the tricky boss enemies. The game expanded its predecessor's cover mechanic, with Solid Snake or Raiden able to take cover behind walls or objects and pop out to shoot at enemies, while the improved enemy AI allowed enemies to also take cover from the player. Metal Gear Solid 2 is considered to be one of the greatest video games of all time, as well as a leading example of artistic expression in video games.
90
/100
09
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow
Pandora Tomorrow takes place in Indonesia during the spring of 2006, in which the United States has established a military presence in the newly independent country of East Timor to train that country's military forces in their fight against anti-separatist Indonesian guerrilla militias. Foremost among these Indonesian militias is the Darah Dan Doa (Blood and Prayer), led by Suhadi Sadono.
90
/100
10
The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay
Escape from Butcher Bay is set in the futuristic science fiction universe of the Chronicles of Riddick franchise, and is a prequel to the film Pitch Black. The game takes place inside Butcher Bay, a maximum-security prison from which no prisoner has escaped. The facility - constructed on a barren planet - contains three increasingly secure holding areas, and a subterranean mining operation.
90
/100
11
Fable (2004)
90
/100
12
Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast
89
/100
13
Burnout Revenge
89
/100
14
Counter-Strike
88
/100
15
Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven
88
/100
16
A
Far Cry
88
/100
17
Commandos 2: Men of Courage
87
/100
18
Halo: Combat Evolved
87
/100
19
A
Silent Hill 2
87
/100
20
Onimusha: Warlords
86
/100
21
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance
85
/100
22
Fahrenheit (Indigo Prophecy)
85
/100
23
Thief 3: Deadly Shadows
85
/100
24
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter
85
/100
25
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell
85
/100
26
Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne
84
/100
27
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
84
/100
28
Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood
84
/100
29
Serious Sam: The First Encounter
83
/100
30
Fable: The Lost Chapters
83
/100
31
Sid Meier's Pirates!
83
/100
32
Quake
83
/100
33
Painkiller (2004)
82
/100
34
Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance
82
/100
35
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
82
/100
36
The Suffering
82
/100
37
S
Halo 2
81
/100
38
B
Hitman: Blood Money
80
/100
39
Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones
80
/100
40
Deus Ex 2: Invisible War
80
/100
41
Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie
80
/100
42
Prince of Persia: Warrior Within
80
/100
43
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Double Agent
79
/100
44
Star Wars: Republic Commando
78
/100
45
Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil
78
/100
46
Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath
78
/100
47
James Bond 007: NightFire
78
/100
48
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory
78
/100
49
Hitman: Contracts
77
/100
50
Hitman 2: Silent Assassin
77
/100
S
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Returning after his mother's murder to the semi-fictional city of Los Santos (based on Los Angeles), Carl Johnson, a former gang banger, must take back the streets for his family and friends by gaining respect and once again gaining control over the streets. However, a story filled with crime, lies and corruption will lead him to trudge the entire state of San Andreas (based on California and Nevada) to rebuild his life.
93
/100
05
S
Grand Theft Auto III
Featuring a fully 3-D living city, a combination of narrative driven and non-linear gameplay and a completely open environment, Grand Theft Auto III represents a huge leap forward in interactive entertainment. For the first time, players are put at the heart of their very own gangster movie, and let loose in a fully-realised 3 dimensional city, in which anything can happen and probably will. With a cast of hundreds, 50 plus vehicles, ranging from sports cars to ice cream trucks and from boats to buses, 3 hours of music, including opera, reggae, house, drum and bass, pop and disco, a huge array of street ready weapons and some of the seediest characters in video game history, Grand Theft Auto 3 is a sprawling epic which will show you that sometimes, crime can pay and sometimes it can pay you back. Available now for PlayStation2, Xbox, PC and Macintosh.
93
/100
06
Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30
Based on a true story. Set during the famous airdrop before the invasion at Normandy, where Sgt. Matt Baker and his squad of 101st Airborne Paratroopers were scattered over the French countryside. As the story unfolds, you must choose between the success of your mission and the lives of your men - your brothers in arms. Brothers In Arms: Road to Hill 30 will immerse players in the historic, eight-day invasion of Normandy - with unparalleled imagery, authenticity, sound, and gameplay. One of a kind: Brothers In Arms Road to Hill 30 is the only first-person tactical shooter set in WWII. Real military tactics: Intuitive and easy-to-use squad controls appeal to both the hardcore and mainstream gaming audience. Real soldiers: Featuring a cast of more than 20 characters, each with a unique personality, appearance, and style. Revolutionary AI system: Allies and enemies use the standard operating procedures of fire and maneuver to flank and kill their foes. Unprecedented authenticity: Historically accurate and detailed battlefields, events, and equipment re-created from Army Signal Corps photos, aerial reconnaissance imagery, and eyewitness accounts. Innovative multiplayer: Players command three-man AI teams in a battle of wits and skill to accomplish exciting objectives. Award-winning team: Gearbox Software, creators of Half-Life Opposing Force and developers of James Bond: Nightfire, Counter-Strike, and Halo (PC).
92
/100
07
Beyond Good & Evil
Beyond Good & Evil is an action-adventure game with elements of puzzle-solving and stealth-based games. The player controls the protagonist, Jade, from a third-person perspective. Jade can run, move stealthily, jump over obstacles and pits, climb ladders, push or bash doors and objects, and flatten herself against walls. As Jade, the player investigates a number of installations in search of the truth about a war with an alien threat.
91
/100
08
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty is the sequel to the espionage action game Metal Gear Solid. Much of the gameplay remains the same, as the game's protagonist has to sneak past guards, outsmart them using various gadgets and defeat the tricky boss enemies. The game expanded its predecessor's cover mechanic, with Solid Snake or Raiden able to take cover behind walls or objects and pop out to shoot at enemies, while the improved enemy AI allowed enemies to also take cover from the player. Metal Gear Solid 2 is considered to be one of the greatest video games of all time, as well as a leading example of artistic expression in video games.
90
/100
09
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow
Pandora Tomorrow takes place in Indonesia during the spring of 2006, in which the United States has established a military presence in the newly independent country of East Timor to train that country's military forces in their fight against anti-separatist Indonesian guerrilla militias. Foremost among these Indonesian militias is the Darah Dan Doa (Blood and Prayer), led by Suhadi Sadono.
90
/100
10
The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay
Escape from Butcher Bay is set in the futuristic science fiction universe of the Chronicles of Riddick franchise, and is a prequel to the film Pitch Black. The game takes place inside Butcher Bay, a maximum-security prison from which no prisoner has escaped. The facility - constructed on a barren planet - contains three increasingly secure holding areas, and a subterranean mining operation.
90
/100
11
Fable (2004)
90
/100
12
Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast
89
/100
13
Burnout Revenge
89
/100
14
Counter-Strike
88
/100
15
Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven
88
/100
16
A
Far Cry
88
/100
17
Commandos 2: Men of Courage
87
/100
18
Halo: Combat Evolved
87
/100
19
A
Silent Hill 2
87
/100
20
Onimusha: Warlords
86
/100
21
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance
85
/100
22
Fahrenheit (Indigo Prophecy)
85
/100
23
Thief 3: Deadly Shadows
85
/100
24
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter
85
/100
25
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell
85
/100
26
Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne
84
/100
27
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
84
/100
28
Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood
84
/100
29
Serious Sam: The First Encounter
83
/100
30
Fable: The Lost Chapters
83
/100
31
Sid Meier's Pirates!
83
/100
32
Quake
83
/100
33
Painkiller (2004)
82
/100
34
Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance
82
/100
35
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
82
/100
36
The Suffering
82
/100
37
S
Halo 2
81
/100
38
B
Hitman: Blood Money
80
/100
39
Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones
80
/100
40
Deus Ex 2: Invisible War
80
/100
41
Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie
80
/100
42
Prince of Persia: Warrior Within
80
/100
43
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Double Agent
79
/100
44
Star Wars: Republic Commando
78
/100
45
Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil
78
/100
46
Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath
78
/100
47
James Bond 007: NightFire
78
/100
48
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory
78
/100
49
Hitman: Contracts
77
/100
50
Hitman 2: Silent Assassin
77
/100
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Action game on Xbox?
Half-Life 2 currently tops the ranking with a score of 96/100 across 4,105 ratings. Ranking updated September 2026.
How is this ranking built?
Games are ranked on their aggregated critic score out of 100, with a minimum vote threshold so a single glowing review never outranks a proven classic; the Tier community's own F-to-S grades are shown alongside each game.