If you own an Xbox One in 2025, you’re basically sitting on a time machine packed with incredible adventure games. Sure, the Xbox Series X|S is shiny and new, but the Xbox One library is stacked with story-driven epics, emotional indie journeys, and massive open worlds that still look fantastic today. The best part? Many of these games are heavily discounted, on Game Pass, or available as complete editions with all DLC.

In this guide, we’ll walk through more than 20 of the best Xbox One adventure games worth playing right now. From cowboy dramas and Viking sagas to touching indie narratives and mind-bending sci-fi, there’s something here for every type of adventurer.

Why Xbox One Is Still a Great Adventure Machine

The Xbox One might be “last gen,” but for adventure games, that’s not a bad thing at all. In fact, it’s a huge advantage:

• Mature library: You get a decade’s worth of refined, patched, and complete games instead of buggy launch-day builds.
• Massive variety: Open-world action, narrative adventures, cozy exploration games, and horror-tinged thrillers all live happily on the same console.
• Backwards compatibility: Many “Xbox” and “Xbox Series” labels still run perfectly fine on Xbox One, especially story and adventure titles that don’t rely on ultra high frame rates.
• Great value: Game of the Year editions and complete bundles make it cheap to catch up on entire trilogies and DLCs.

With that in mind, let’s dive into the best Xbox One adventure games you should absolutely have on your radar.

The 20+ Best Xbox One Adventure Games Worth Playing

1. Red Dead Redemption 2

Best for: Players who want a slow-burn, cinematic Western that feels like playing a prestige TV series.

Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption 2 is a gold standard for open-world adventure. You play as Arthur Morgan, an outlaw trying to reconcile loyalty, morality, and survival as the Wild West fades into history. The game’s blend of cinematic storytelling, nuanced characters, and a living, breathing world makes it a must-play on Xbox One.

Expect long horseback rides interrupted by random events, tense shootouts, quiet campfire conversations, and side quests that feel as fleshed out as main missions. It’s not a “quick” game, but that’s the pointthis is an adventure you live in, not just rush through.

2. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Complete Edition

Best for: Fantasy fans who love dense lore, sharp writing, and making tough moral choices.

The Witcher 3 puts you in the boots of Geralt of Rivia, a monster hunter trying to find his adopted daughter while navigating warring kingdoms and ancient prophecies. This adventure is packed with morally gray decisions, complex characters, and some of the best side quests ever written.

The open world is huge, but almost every area contains something meaningful: a hidden quest, a monster contract, or a small story about ordinary people surviving in a brutal world. If you enjoy narrative-heavy adventures with deep RPG systems, this is a non-negotiable pick.

3. A Plague Tale: Innocence

Best for: Players who want an emotional, focused story rather than an endless open world.

Set in a plague-ridden version of 14th-century France, A Plague Tale: Innocence follows Amicia and her younger brother Hugo as they flee both the Inquisition and swarms of supernatural rats. The gameplay blends stealth, light puzzle solving, and environmental problem solving, but the real power lies in the sibling relationship at the heart of the story.

It’s a tight, 10–15 hour adventure that never overstays its welcome, making it perfect if you want a story you can actually finish without needing a spreadsheet to track your progress.

4. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

Best for: Fans of historical epics and sprawling open-world adventures.

In Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, you play as Eivor, a Viking warrior leading their clan to a new life in England. The game mixes settlement-building with exploration, combat, and stealth, giving you flexibility in how you tackle missions.

The adventure side shines in its worldbuilding: you raid riverside monasteries, forge alliances with local rulers, and uncover ancient mysteries tied into the broader Assassin’s Creed lore. If you love wandering huge maps and stumbling into stories, this one will keep you busy for weeks.

5. Life Is Strange

Best for: Players who want a character-driven, episodic story with choices that actually matter.

Life Is Strange follows Max Caulfield, a photography student who discovers she can rewind time. What starts as a small-town teen drama spirals into a mystery about missing students, hidden secrets, and the ripple effect of every decision you make.

The game is structured like a TV miniseries, and your choices shape relationships and outcomes across episodes. If you enjoy narrative adventure games where dialogue and emotion matter more than combat, this is a must-play.

6. Rise of the Tomb Raider

Best for: Anyone who loves cinematic action-adventure with platforming and puzzles.

Lara Croft’s second reboot outing, Rise of the Tomb Raider, is one of the best modern adventure games on Xbox One. You’ll explore snowy Siberian ruins, dodge traps, climb sheer cliffs, and solve cleverly designed tomb puzzles.

The balance of exploration, combat, and puzzle-solving makes this a great “all-rounder” adventure. It’s not as sprawling as some open worlds, but that makes it more focused, with plenty of optional tombs and collectibles if you want to explore deeper.

7. Batman: Arkham Knight

Best for: Superhero fans who want to feel like they are the hero.

Arkham Knight is the conclusion to Rocksteady’s Batman trilogy and one of the best superhero adventures on Xbox One. Gotham City is open for you to glide across, stalk enemies from the shadows, and interrogate thugs for clues.

The story leans into psychological drama, exploring Bruce Wayne’s fears and guilt while introducing a new villain. Combine that with smooth combat and detective sequences, and you get an adventure that’s as much about atmosphere as it is about punching bad guys.

8. Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice

Best for: Players who appreciate experimental storytelling and psychological depth.

Hellblade follows Senua, a Celtic warrior journeying into a mythic Norse underworld to save the soul of her beloved. The game is short but intense, blending combat and puzzles with an uncompromising portrayal of psychosis, represented through haunting audio design and visual distortions.

Play this with headphones. The binaural sound design makes you feel like you’re inside Senua’s head, surrounded by voices that both help and torment her. It’s unlike any other adventure on this list.

9. Outer Wilds

Best for: Curious explorers who love discovery more than combat.

Outer Wilds is a time-loop mystery about a tiny space program stuck in a solar system that resets every 22 minutes. There are no quest markers or hand-holding. You explore planets, read alien writings, poke around ruins, and gradually piece together what’s happening and why the loop exists.

Every revelation feels earned, and your knowledgenot your character’s statsis what moves the adventure forward. If you’ve ever wanted a game that makes you feel genuinely smart when things finally click, this is it.

10. Ori and the Will of the Wisps

Best for: Players who want a blend of platforming, exploration, and emotional storytelling.

While technically a “metroidvania” platformer, Ori and the Will of the Wisps is also a beautiful adventure about loss, hope, and courage. You guide Ori through a hand-painted world full of secrets, tough platforming challenges, and boss encounters.

The story is light on dialogue but heavy on emotion, relying on visuals and music to carry you through. It’s a great pick if you like heartfelt adventures that also test your reflexes.

11. Sea of Thieves

Best for: Co-op players who love emergent, unpredictable adventures.

Sea of Thieves turns you and your friends into pirates, sailing a shared world full of treasure hunts, skeleton forts, sea monsters, and other players who may want to team upor sink your ship and steal everything.

The game is less about a strict story and more about the adventures you create. That time you barely survived a kraken attack, the accidental betrayal when someone misfired a cannon, the chaotic races to offload treasure before enemy crews show upthat’s the magic.

12. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

Best for: Star Wars fans and anyone who loves skill-based combat with a strong narrative.

Fallen Order casts you as Cal Kestis, a young Jedi Padawan surviving after Order 66. The game combines lightsaber combat, Force powers, light RPG elements, and Uncharted-style climbing and exploration.

It’s a satisfying adventure that feels like a lost Star Wars movie, complete with memorable characters, new planets, and that classic “scrappy underdog vs. the Empire” energy.

13. Control: Ultimate Edition

Best for: Players who enjoy weird, mind-bending sci-fi and atmospheric exploration.

In Control, you arrive at the Federal Bureau of Controlbasically a government office for all things paranormaljust as it’s being overtaken by a strange force called the Hiss. The building, known as the Oldest House, is a shifting maze of brutalist hallways, secret rooms, and bizarre objects.

The adventure is part third-person shooter, part exploration, and part “what did I just see?” thriller. It’s perfect if you love piecing together lore from documents and environmental details while unlocking new abilities that change how you navigate the world.

14. Resident Evil 2 (Remake)

Best for: Horror fans who still want puzzles and exploration, not just jump scares.

The remake of Resident Evil 2 feels like the ultimate modern survival horror adventure. You explore Raccoon City Police Department and surrounding areas, solving puzzles to unlock new routes, managing scarce resources, and trying not to panic when Mr. X’s footsteps echo somewhere behind you.

It’s an adventure in the purest sense: you’re constantly mapping the environment in your head, planning routes, and slowly mastering an initially overwhelming setting.

15. No Man’s Sky

Best for: Players who want chill, exploration-first sci-fi adventures.

No Man’s Sky has grown into a huge sandbox overflowing with content: base building, storylines, co-op expeditions, space battles, and more. But at its heart, it’s still about landing on weird planets, scanning strange creatures, and seeing what’s over the horizon.

If you’re the type who can spend hours just exploring and upgrading your ship, this is an endlessly replayable adventure that feels different every time you play.

16. Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy

Best for: Players who love witty dialogue and character-driven adventures.

This game surprised a lot of people. Instead of a live-service grind, Guardians of the Galaxy delivers a tightly written, single-player story with excellent character banter and emotional moments that actually land.

You control Star-Lord in combat, issuing commands to the rest of the team, but the real star of the show is the writing. Your choices shape conversations, relationships, and how your crew reacts as the story unfolds.

17. Dishonored 2

Best for: Stealth fans who like solving problems creatively.

Dishonored 2 is an immersive sim that lets you tackle missions your way: stealth, lethal force, or a mix of both. You can play as Corvo or Emily, each with unique supernatural abilities, and experiment with different approaches.

Levels like the Clockwork Mansion and A Crack in the Slab are legendary for their design, offering multiple paths and solutions. It’s an adventure you could replay several times and still discover new tricks.

18. Dragon Age: Inquisition

Best for: Players who want a classic fantasy adventure with party-based storytelling.

Dragon Age: Inquisition casts you as the Inquisitor, a leader trying to close demon-spawning rifts while uniting fractured factions. You’ll travel with a party of companions, each with their own storylines, romances, and opinions about your decisions.

The game offers both big-picture political choices and small, personal moments by the campfire. If you love adventures where your party feels like a found family, this one delivers.

19. It Takes Two

Best for: Couples, friends, or family members who want a co-op-only adventure.

It Takes Two is a co-op masterpiece that takes two estranged parents, shrinks them into dolls, and forces them to cooperate through wildly imaginative levels to repair their relationship. Each chapter introduces new mechanics, from magic-based combat to side-scrolling platforming.

The variety is insane, and the game refuses to get stale. Bring someone you like (or want to like more) and play this togetherit’s easily one of the best shared adventures on Xbox One.

20. Stray

Best for: Cat lovers and fans of atmospheric, compact adventures.

In Stray, you play as a cat exploring a neon-drenched cybercity populated by robots. You solve light puzzles, sneak past threats, and uncover what happened to the world beyond the city walls.

It’s relatively short, but every hour is packed with personality, environmental storytelling, and opportunities to do very important cat thingslike knocking stuff off shelves, curling up on pillows, and meowing at absolutely nothing.

21. Bonus Pick: Chants of Sennaar / Other Indie Gems

Best for: Players who love clever, smaller-scale adventures.

There are many excellent indie adventure games on Xbox One, but titles like Chants of Sennaar, Superliminal, and Gorogoa deserve a special shoutout. They prioritize original ideaslanguage-decoding puzzles, perspective-bending environments, and interactive illustrationsover huge budgets.

If you’re burned out on 100-hour epics, these shorter adventures can be the perfect palate cleanser.

How to Choose the Right Xbox One Adventure Game for You

With so many options, how do you pick your next adventure? Start with these questions:

• How much time do you realistically have?
  If you only have a few evenings a week, a focused adventure like A Plague Tale: Innocence or Life Is Strange is better than a 120-hour open world.
• Do you want to play solo or with others?
  Solo players should lean toward The Witcher 3, Control, or Red Dead Redemption 2, while co-op fans might prefer Sea of Thieves or It Takes Two.
• How much do you care about combat?
  If combat’s your thing, pick something like Jedi: Fallen Order or Dishonored 2. If you prefer story and choices, Life Is Strange and Outer Wilds are excellent choices.
• Do you like being scared?
  Horror-leaning adventures like Resident Evil 2 and Hellblade are fantasticif you’re okay with your heart rate going up.

Think of your Xbox One as a bookshelf: you don’t have to read the biggest book first. Pick the game that fits your current mood and schedule, then let yourself sink into the experience.

What It’s Really Like Living with an Xbox One Adventure Backlog

Once you start digging into Xbox One adventure games, something funny happens: your “to-play” list grows faster than your free time. You install Red Dead Redemption 2 because everyone says it’s a masterpiece, but halfway through chapter two you remember you still haven’t finished The Witcher 3. Then a friend messages you to hop into Sea of Thieves, and suddenly you’re raiding a skeleton fort instead of tracking your main quests.

This is the real modern adventure gamer experience: juggling multiple worlds, switching between genres, and constantly deciding whether you’re in the mood to be a cowboy, a Viking, a Jedi, or a cat. The good news is that the Xbox One library makes it easy to play at your own pace. Most of these games let you take long breaks and slide back in after a weekor a monthwithout feeling completely lost.

There’s also something very satisfying about having a “comfort adventure” you keep returning to. Maybe that’s No Man’s Sky, where you log in just to chill, farm resources, and poke around new planets. Maybe it’s Life Is Strange, where you revisit specific episodes for the emotional hits. Or maybe it’s Guardians of the Galaxy, where you replay favorite chapters because the jokes still land and the soundtrack still hits.

And then there’s the social side. Even single-player adventures become group experiences in 2025. You swap stories with friends: how you approached a mission in Dishonored 2, who you romanced in Dragon Age: Inquisition, or how you accidentally got your entire crew sunk in Sea of Thieves by dropping anchor at the worst possible moment. Screenshots, clips, and “you had to be there” moments turn these games into shared memories, not just solo time-killers.

The trick to enjoying all these adventures without burning out is simple: give yourself permission not to “complete” everything. Let some games be your long-term project, others your weekend getaway, and a few your one-sitting experiences. Adventure games are at their best when you’re not rushing. Take your time, explore the worlds, talk to side characters you don’t technically need to talk to, and ride your horse or spaceship or pirate ship a little longer than necessaryjust because you can.

Owning an Xbox One in the age of huge backlogs isn’t a problem; it’s a luxury. You have a console that can jump between some of the best adventures of the last decade with a couple of button presses. Whether you’re chasing Game Pass discoveries or buying discounted classics, you’re never more than a few minutes away from a new story to dive into.

Final Thoughts

The Xbox One might not be the newest console on the block, but as an adventure machine, it’s still in its prime. From sweeping open worlds and emotional narrative journeys to inventive indie gems, the platform is stacked with games that are absolutely worth playing in 2025.

You don’t need to own every game on this list. Start with the one that excites you the mostmaybe it’s the gritty drama of Red Dead Redemption 2, the emotional punch of A Plague Tale: Innocence, or the quirky charm of Stray. Then let your own tastes guide you to the next adventure.

One thing’s for sure: if you love adventure games, your Xbox One still has a lot of incredible journeys left to give.

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