The Xbox 360 expanded on what the original Xbox built for Microsoft. With the continuation of franchises like Halo and Fable and the introduction of Gears of War, the Xbox 360 launched Xbox into the seventh generation of gaming consoles. In this trip down memory lane, we will look at the best-selling Xbox 360 games of all time. The console sold 84 million units throughout its lifetime and expanded on the online service “Xbox Live” in addition to having some classic games released on it. Let’s look at the best-selling Xbox 360 games of all time.
10 Best-Selling Xbox 360 Games Ever
- Kinect Adventures
- Grand Theft Auto 5
- Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
- Call of Duty Black Ops
- Call of Duty Black Ops II (T6)
- The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (T6)
- Call of Duty Modern Warefare 2
- Halo 3
- Grand Theft Auto IV
10 Best-Selling Xbox 360 Games: Analysis
Kinect Adventures – 24 Million Units Sold
Taking first place on the list of best-selling Xbox 360 games of all time is Kinect Adventures. The game unleashed the power of the Kinect camera that came out post-release of the Xbox 360. The camera looked to answer the Wii and its motion-sensitive gaming model. Gamers were able to use the motion camera and play games such as 20,000 leaks, River Rush, Rally Ball, Reflex Ridge, and Space Pop. The game was offered alongside the Kinect giving it the top spot on the list.
Grand Theft Auto 5 – 22.95 Million Units Sold
Although Grand Theft Auto 5 has been released on multiple consoles the game was first released on the seventh generation of gaming consoles. For the first time, gamers were put in control of multiple characters in the Grand Theft Auto city of San Andreas as each character made their way through the story. This also saw the release of Grand Theft Auto Online which utilized the Xbox Live online service. The ever-evolving online game allowed gamers to create their own character in the GTA universe and make their way through San Andreas. Grand Theft Auto 5 is the second best-selling Xbox 360 game ever, and with its releases on subsequent consoles is the second best-selling game of all time.
Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition – 21 Million Units Sold
Much like Grand Theft Auto 5 the sandbox survival game, Minecraft has been released on multiple platforms. The 3D sandbox adventure game gave gamers the freedom to build, mine, and explore an open world with a variety of enemies. With its combined sales across multiple platforms, it is the best-selling game of all time. The Xbox 360 edition was released in May of 2012 and sold 21 million units total. In total Minecraft has sold 238 million units since its original release in November of 2011.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 – 14.72 Million Units Sold
Starting the Call of Duty section of the best-selling Xbox-360 games of all time is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Gamers were put back into the shoes of familiar faces Captain Price, Soap MacTavish, and Yuri. The campaign took off where the predecessor Modern Warefare 2 left off and effectively closed the Modern Warefare saga for Call of Duty until the rebooted Modern Warefare was released in 2019. The game continued Call of Duty’s multiplayer experience with a variety of solo and team-based multiplayer modes.
Call of Duty Black Ops – 14.55 Million Units Sold
Call of Duty Black Ops continues the Call of Duty section of the best-selling Xbox-360 games of all time. Black Ops brought gamers into the Cold War for the first time in Call of Duty history. The campaign also covers parts of The Vietnam War and builds off of what was started by Call of Duty World at War. Gamers are put in control of Alex Mason as he is being interrogated and play through many of the story missions through his recollection of the events he is being interrogated about.
Call of Duty Black Ops II – 13.7 Million Units Sold
The sequel to Black Ops comes in tied for sixth on the list of best-selling Xbox 360 games. Building on the success of its predecessor puts gamers back into the shoes of Alex Mason and Frank Woods in the late 1980s. The campaign also follows Alex’s son, David in the year 2025. David is pursuing Raul Menendez a drug cartel leader who kidnapped Woods in the 80s. Menendez’s actions sparked a second cold war in 2025 when gamers play as David. This is also the first Call of Duty to utilize futuristic weapon technology in the game, setting the stage for Call of Duty Advanced Warfare which was released in 2014.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – 13.7 Million Units Sold
The Elder Scrolls followed up Oblivion with the 2011 release The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Gamers create their character and then enter the world of Skyrim where they are tasked with saving the world from Alduin the World-Eater. Alduin is a dragon that has been prophesized to bring the end of the world that gamers must defeat. Skyrim is an open-world game that has no shortage of side quests to keep gamers busy before or after finishing the main storyline of the game. Skyrim has been re-released multiple times over multiple consoles and includes the DLC was that released following the initial release of the game.
Call of Duty Modern Warefare 2 – 13.49 Million Units Sold
The final Call of Duty game in the list of best-selling Xbox 360 games is Call of Duty Modern Warefare 2. Gamers take control of multiple characters throughout the campaign and see a return from Captian John “Soap” MacTavish as his team is on a mission to hunt down Vladimir Makarov. Modern Warfare 2 continued with multiplayer as a core element of the game. Through Xbox Live gamers were able to play in a variety of solo and team competitive game modes. The direct sequel Modern Warfare 3 was released in 2011 for the Xbox 360 as well and landed as the 4th best-selling Xbox 360 game of all time.
Halo 3 – 12.13 Million Units Sold
Getting towards the end of the best-selling Xbox 360 games of all time is Halo 3. Halo 3 concluded the main Bungie trilogy of the signature Xbox franchise. Gamers were put into the shoes of the Master Chief and his AI counterpart Cortana for the final time (so we thought at the time) as they conclude the epic trilogy that sees humankind fighting against the alien Covenant and Flood. The online portion of the game saw a long lifespan as the servers just recently shut down for the Xbox 360. The game was re-released as part of the Master Chief Collection on the Xbox One.
Grand Theft Auto IV – 11.1 Million Units Sold
Rounding out the list of best-selling Xbox 360 games is Grand Theft Auto IV. The first Grand Theft Auto in the seventh generation saw gamers arrive in Liberty City as Niko Bellic looking to make a name for himself in the big city. The game also saw downloadable content come in the form of The Lost and the Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony. Grand Theft Auto IV was released to critical acclaim and became a staple game not only for the Xbox 360 but for the seventh generation of gaming in general.
Best-Selling Xbox 360 Games: Honorable Mentions
A few notable games outside of the top 10 best-selling Xbox 360 games include Gears of War and Gears of War 2 which each sold 5 million copies. The franchise was launched on the 360 and continued onto the Xbox One with Gears of War 4 and 5. Other Halo games such as Halo 4 and Reach also cracked the top 15 best-selling Xbox-360 games of all time.
What were some of your favorite Xbox 360 games? Did you play any of the best-selling Xbox 360 games ever? Leave your comments in the comments section below and let us know your thoughts!
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