Skip to Content
Tier
Tier Your gaming journal
Get
Best games

Best Xbox games of 2005

The 30 best Xbox games released in 2005, ranked from 6,130 critic and player ratings.

The best Xbox game of 2005 is Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30, with a critic score of 92/100 — updated November 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: 2005.
  • 30 games are listed on this page, carrying 6,130 ratings between them.
  • Rankings are recomputed hourly; this one was last rebuilt on 13 November 2026.

Top 30

Played them? Give your tier with the + next to each game. No account needed to try — create one to keep your tiers.

01 Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 2005 · 94 ratings 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
02 Burnout Revenge Burnout Revenge 2005 · 113 ratings In Burnout Revenge, players compete in a range of racing game types with different aims. These take place within rush-hour traffic, and include circuit racing, Road Rage (where players cause as many rivals to crash as possible within a time limit, or until the player's car is wrecked), Burning Lap (a single-lap, single-racer time attack mode), Eliminator (a circuit race where every thirty seconds, the last-placed racer's car is detonated; the race continues until only one racer is left), and Crash (where the player is placed at a junction with the aim of accumulating as many "Crash Dollars" as possible). A new gameplay feature in Burnout Revenge is the ability to ram same-way small to medium traffic, known as "traffic checking", propelling the rammed car forward; the event in which a "checked" car hits a rival is considered as a Traffic Takedown. Traffic checking is the focus of a new race type, Traffic Attack (whereby a player must earn a set amount of Crash Dollars through checking traffic), which can be used later on. During these events, players have access to a limited amount of boost which is acquired through various dangerous driving techniques, including but not limited to driving on the wrong side of the road, tailgating opponents and drifting. Unique to the series is the concept of battling other rivals; unlike other video games in the racing genre, players are encouraged, and sometimes even required, to ram rival cars and cause traffic to crash. Causing a rival to crash is referred to as a "Takedown", rewarding the player by extending the length of their boost gauge and completely refilling it. In designated events, boost can also be used to activate a "Crashbreaker" during a crash, detonating the car and causing other nearby cars to crash. When the rival car takes the player down, the player will have to take the ultimate REVENGE by taking down the revenge rivals (which the arrow at the top of the car turned red) is referred to as "Revenge Takedown". In the main single-player game mode, players compete in a world tour consisting of 169 events across three continents, divided into a series of 11 "ranks" (Rank 11 has no events). The ranks which a player has access to is determined by their "Revenge Rank", which increases after completing events. By increasing their Rank sufficiently, the player "ranks up" and unlocks the next rank of events. There are 77 cars in the game, some of which can only be used for crash events. The SUVs and saloon cars are some of them. The game also features support for multiplayer gameplay, both online and offline. In addition to the racing modes, the game features three types of Crash modes: Crash Battle (multiple players attempt a junction at the same time), Crash Party (players take turns at attempting junctions across several rounds), and Crash Tour (a golf-like version of Crash Party, with players attempting to accumulate a certain amount of Crash Dollars in as few attempts as possible; after the last round ends the player with the lowest score wins). The Xbox 360 version of Burnout Revenge includes several new features and improves the graphics of the game to utilize the power of the next-gen console. The game includes 10 new crash junctions on the Crash Tour. It also includes a vastly improved online mode that introduces online Revenge Rivals. This system allows players to keep track of their number of times they have been taken out or have taken out any given player. The new version also includes a new Burnout Clips feature, which allows to save 30 second clips of any offline race played and can be shared with other players over Xbox Live. 90 /100
03 Fahrenheit (Indigo Prophecy) Fahrenheit (Indigo Prophecy) 2005 · 558 ratings · finished by 60% 85 /100
04 Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones 2005 · 481 ratings · finished by 36% I returned home expecting peace. Instead, I found my kingdom ravaged by war and my people enslaved. Now I am a fugitive, hunted by hostile armies and plagued by a curse that is gradually possessing my soul. A darker Prince resides in me now. And I must embrace his powers and skill if I want to restore peace to my land, my people, and my soul. 85 /100
05 Indigo Prophecy Indigo Prophecy 2005 · 414 ratings Indigo Prophecy is an action-adventure game that involves the player in making decisions to alter the narrative. The name change in North America was made to avoid confusion with Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 documentary film, which was released in 2004. Indigo Prophecy introduced elements like ethical ambiguity, romance, the inability to perish, and interactive storytelling that would endure in Quantic Dream later games. 85 /100
06 Psychonauts Psychonauts 2005 · 428 ratings Psychonauts is a platform-adventure game developed by Double Fine Productions and released in 2005. It follows Razputin “Raz” Aquato, a young psychic who runs away from the circus to attend a summer camp for aspiring psychonauts. Players explore imaginative levels set inside the minds of different characters, each reflecting their mental states. Gameplay combines platforming, combat, and the use of psychic abilities such as telekinesis and levitation. The game was praised for its creativity, humor, and distinctive art style. 85 /100
07 Fable: The Lost Chapters Fable: The Lost Chapters 2005 · 214 ratings · finished by 34% Fable was expanded and rereleased as Fable: The Lost Chapters for Xbox and Windows PC platforms in September 2005. The game was later ported to Mac OS X by Robosoft Technologies and published by Feral Interactive on 31 March 2008. The Lost Chapters features all the content found in the original Fable, as well as additional new content such as new monsters, weapons, alignment based spells, items, armour, towns, buildings, and expressions, as well as the ability to give children objects. The story receives further augmentation in the form of nine new areas and sixteen additional quests. Characters such as Briar Rose and Scythe, who played only minor roles in the original game, are now given more importance and are included in certain main and side quests. Other character-based augmentations include the voice of the antagonist, Jack of Blades, sounding deeper, harsher and more demonic, and the ability to uncover (and resolve) the murder mystery of Lady Grey's sister. The updated edition of the game also applied fixes for certain glitches, such as the "dig glitch," in which the protagonist would move backward each time he used the shovel, pushing him through solid objects and sometimes trapping him. 84 /100
08 TimeSplitters: Future Perfect TimeSplitters: Future Perfect 2005 · 106 ratings TimeSplitters: Future Perfect is a first-person shooter video game developed by Free Radical Design and published by EA Games for the PlayStation 2, GameCube and Xbox video game consoles. It is the third game in the TimeSplitters series, after TimeSplitters 2, which was released in 2002 (itself the sequel to TimeSplitters released in 2000). The game features a single-player mode consisting of levels where the player assumes the role of Sergeant Cortez, a time-traveling marine from the 25th century. 84 /100
09 Star Wars: Republic Commando Star Wars: Republic Commando 2005 · 263 ratings · finished by 18% Chaos has erupted throughout the galaxy. As a leader of an elite squad of Republic Commandos, your mission is to infiltrate, dominate, and ultimately, annihalate the enemy. Your squad will follow your orders and your lead, working together as a team-instinctively, intelligently, instantly. You are their leader. They are your weapon. Star Wars: Republic Commando is a tactical first-person shooter video game, set in the Star Wars universe. It was developed by LucasArts using the Unreal Engine, and published for the Xbox and Microsoft Windows in 2005. The game features both single-player and multiplayer game modes. In the story, set in the Star Wars Legends expanded universe, players assume the role of RC-1138 ("Boss"), an elite clone trooper, known as "clone commando", and the leader of the special ops unit Delta Squad, consisting of three fellow clone commandos with distinctive personalities and character traits: RC-1262 ("Scorch"), RC-1140 ("Fixer"), and RC-1207 ("Sev"). The story follows Delta Squad as they complete increasingly difficult missions throughout the Clone Wars and learn to bond as a team. Republic Commando received generally favorable reviews at release. Many critics praised the story and combat, but criticized the short length and average multiplayer. In the years since its release, it has come to be considered one of the best Star Wars games ever made, and has gained a cult following. An enhanced port of the game by Aspyr is set to release for the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 on April 6, 2021. As reported by Jordan Ramée of GameSpot, "Handled by Aspyr Media, Star Wars: Republic Commando Remastered brings the original 2005 Xbox and PC game to PS4 and Switch with enhanced HD graphics and modernized controls, though the multiplayer is absent. Otherwise, it's the same game. And though the flaws in its gameplay are only more noticeable now 16 years later, this remaster manages to still deliver a compelling story of four specialized commandos engaging in a variety of combat missions across the Clone Wars.". 81 /100
10 Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie B Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie 2005 · 143 ratings · 1 Tier vote Play as man. Play as Kong. Embark on an epic adventure created in collaboration with Academy Award-winning director Peter Jackson and based on the Universal Pictures' film. Survive as Jack in a world crawling with predators and live the legend as Kong. Use weapons, traps and your team wisely to survive in first-person as Jack. Break jaws, slam enemies and throw massive objects in Kong's third-person battles. 80 /100
11 Jade Empire Jade Empire 2005 · 119 ratings 82 /100
12 Lego Star Wars: The Video Game Lego Star Wars: The Video Game 2005 · 259 ratings 80 /100
13 Serious Sam II Serious Sam II 2005 · 189 ratings · finished by 15% 78 /100
14 Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil 2005 · 132 ratings 78 /100
15 Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory B Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory 2005 · 361 ratings · 1 Tier vote · finished by 28% 78 /100
16 Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth 2005 · 135 ratings · finished by 16% 76 /100
17 Sniper Elite A Sniper Elite 2005 · 82 ratings · 1 Tier vote · finished by 7% 76 /100
18 Star Wars: Battlefront II Star Wars: Battlefront II 2005 · 739 ratings · finished by 18% 76 /100
19 Tony Hawk's American Wasteland Tony Hawk's American Wasteland 2005 · 120 ratings 75 /100
20 Ultimate Spider-Man Ultimate Spider-Man 2005 · 178 ratings 74 /100
21 Gun Gun 2005 · 149 ratings 73 /100
22 FIFA Soccer 06 FIFA Soccer 06 2005 · 81 ratings 70 /100
23 Still Life Still Life 2005 · 81 ratings · finished by 9% 68 /100
24 Total Overdose Total Overdose 2005 · 88 ratings 66 /100
25 Madagascar B Madagascar 2005 · 83 ratings · 1 Tier vote 66 /100
26 The Matrix: Path of Neo The Matrix: Path of Neo 2005 · 83 ratings 66 /100
27 Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith 2005 · 81 ratings 64 /100
28 Crash Tag Team Racing Crash Tag Team Racing 2005 · 86 ratings 60 /100
29 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 2005 · 156 ratings 57 /100
30 Shadow the Hedgehog Shadow the Hedgehog 2005 · 114 ratings 48 /100
Browse all the best Xbox games

Other years

Best Xbox games of 2006Best Xbox games of 2004Best Xbox games of 2003Best Xbox games of 2002Best Xbox games of 2001

Same year, other platforms

Best PC games of 2005Best PlayStation 2 games of 2005Best GameCube games of 2005Best Mac games of 2005Best Nintendo DS games of 2005Best PSP games of 2005Best Xbox 360 games of 2005

Nearby rankings

Best Xbox games of 2004Best Xbox games of 2006

Catalog statistics

Most abandoned gamesMost completed games

Frequently asked questions

What is the best Xbox game of 2005?

Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 currently tops the ranking with a score of 92/100 across 94 ratings. Ranking updated November 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.