The best multiplayer games on the Xbox Series X

What list of multiplayer games would be complete without the latest in the biggest multiplayer shooter franchise of the past decade? If you’re a fan of FPS games, odds are you’ve played at least one Call of Duty game in the past, but there’s no denying how well the franchise has aged. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is the latest installment from the war shooter and has all the bells and whistles you’ve come to expect, with the only exception being a lackluster single-player. There are a ton of competitive game modes to try out, with classics like Team Deathmatch, Kill Confirmed, and Domination all making a return. The light RPG and progression systems of leveling up weapons, unlocking new attachments and perks, and rising through the ranks are as compelling as ever. Then there’s the new iteration of the Zombies mode, which can easily consume dozens of hours if you want to go deep into it. Call of Duty: Warzone 2 is still technically its own game, but it’s essentially the series’ ongoing battle royale mode. You can pick it up for free and essentially add this massive new mode to your COD experience. Battle Royales have become the most popular form of multiplayer gaming in the last few years, so it wasn’t a big surprise when Activision released its own spin on the genre. What was surprising was just how well it pulled it off.

There’s no genre of game more ubiquitous with multiplayer than fighting games. And if you’re looking for the best playing fighter on the Series X, there’s no better choice than Mortal Kombat 1. Serving as somewhat of a reboot, this is the perfect game to start the series with if you’ve never touched it before. The mechanics are easy to pick up, hard to master, but always bloody satisfying to pull off. If you’re a glutton for punishment, this is worth a buy just to show off the insane Fatalities to your friends.

If you’re more of a classic fighting game fan, or perhaps just don’t like the over-the-top gore of something like Mortal Kombat, then Street Fighter 6 will be perfect for you. This is the most accessible fighter the series has ever seen, thanks to the new Modern Control scheme that turns all the complex inputs for special moves into a single button press. Of course, you can always use the classic controls if you’re more familiar with them, but either way, the fighting has never felt so tight and satisfying. Whether you’re going at it online or locally, there’s plenty of fun and style to be had here for any fighting fan.

The NBA 2k series is basically the basketball equivalent of the Call of Duty series. It may not evolve a ton from year to year, but you can’t deny how solid they’ve nailed the presentation and feel of their respective genres. NBA 2K24 is the latest and most complete entry to date that lets you experience past, present, and even future matchups like never before. This game takes the series a bit further into the simulation aspect of the sport, making it a little more difficult but all the more satisfying to master. There was some controversy regarding how much of the in-game currency you need to make a decent player, but if you enjoy the core gameplay, this is still the best basketball game on the market.

Everyone knows Fortnite. It’s been the most popular battle royale game ever since it hit the scene and has only continued to expand and surprise players. For a free-to-play game, there’s no other title that can match how much new stuff Fortnite throws at you. From crossover events and challenges to seasonal game types, it’s easy to see why this is the multiplayer game for an entire generation of gamers. So long as you can get to grips with the building mechanics or are willing to learn, it’s hard to deny that this isn’t one of the most fun times you can have online, whether you win or lose a match.

One of the newer battle royale games on the market, Apex Legends came out of nowhere, almost literally, and immediately established itself as one of the heavy hitters for online games. Aside from also being free, which is always a huge bonus, Apex Legends carved out its own space in the genre by focusing on squads of three distinct characters working together with tight, tactical gunplay. Each character feels like they come from a hero shooter like Overwatch, but the game feel is something of a mix between the fluid movement of Titanfall 2 and the snappy responsiveness of a Call of Duty game, which all makes perfect sense considering the developers.

Sea of Thieves didn’t have the best launch — it was one of the first major titles Microsoft added to its Game Pass service, but at the time was dinged for a lack of content. People liked the concept of leading a crew of your friends on quests on the high seas, but there just wasn’t enough variety to keep players coming back. That was three years ago. Rare has been able to right the ship with tons of updates and content drops that continue to this day. Between the random events, other players interfering, and the chaos of trying to manage your ship with your crew, Sea of Thieves becomes a game you’ll walk away from with dozens of stories to tell. Add in an extremely successful Steam release and seamless cross-play, and this pirate adventure is a joy for all ages.