10 Best Xbox 360 Games of All Time Ranked by Sales

The Xbox 360 left a massive impression on the gaming industry. Selling over 80 million units by 2021, it was one of Microsoft’s most notable and successful endeavors in providing entertainment to the masses. And, as one might expect, the best Xbox 360 games shared in the console’s success quite heavily.

The games that performed best on the Xbox 360, however, are quite odd. In a way, the best-selling Xbox 360 games are opposite to the best-selling PS3 games - ironic, since both consoles were competing against each other at the time. This list is mainly populated with third-party titles, but the top-seller is an exclusive…and it’s one very few people might expect.

The 10 Best Xbox 360 Games Ranked by Copies Sold

• 10. Grand Theft Auto IV
• 9. Halo 3
• 8. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
• 7 & 6. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Call of Duty: Black Ops II
• 5. Call of Duty: Black Ops
• 4. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
• 3. Minecraft
• 2. Grand Theft Auto V
• 1. Kinect Adventures!

10. Grand Theft Auto IV - 11.1 Million Copies Sold

Grand Theft Auto IV was a major step forward in the GTA franchise. Noted as the first game in the “HD Universe”, it featured updated controls, graphics, and mechanics, as well as a new story surrounding Niko Bellic, a man looking for a new life in America. While its sequel seems to have surpassed this title in popularity, GTA IV’s success still stands, kicking off this list and forever staying as a notable part of the Xbox 360’s history.

9. Halo 3 - 12.13 Million Copies Sold

Being perhaps one of the most well-known franchises of all, it’s no surprise Halo 3 makes it onto this list. It offered an intensive single-player campaign alongside vast new multiplayer experiences, such as the ability to create custom maps. The additions brought on by Halo 3 influenced the series in more ways than one, making it one of the most beloved Xbox 360 games out there - and perhaps the best-selling Halo game so far.

8. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - 13.49 Million Copies Sold

For a franchise almost as well-known as Mario and Pokemon, Call of Duty shows up quite a few times on this list. Modern Warfare 2, while not particularly innovative or game-changing, still brought a large amount of attention to itself for its improvements and continued story. It’s also the source of the infamous “No Russian” scene, generating large controversy around the title. Despite this, the game was an absolute hit, even taking a spot on Metacritic's top 100 games of all time.

7 & 6. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Call of Duty: Black Ops II - 13.7 Copies Sold

While the numbers for these two games might not be exact, they’re close enough to tie for the sake of this list. 

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is one of the most well-known titles in all of gaming. It might be one of the best Xbox 360 games out there, if not one of the best games of all time. Skyrim gave fans of The Elder Scrolls a brand-new world to explore and battle through, featuring a protagonist that battles dragons to unlock incredible powers. Skyrim’s success went beyond the Xbox 360, releasing on practically every modern console to this date.

Call of Duty: Black Ops II also went above and beyond, featuring a brand-new story with branching paths and a competitive mode for multiplayer. Activision marketed the game as having “disruptful innovation”, something they intended to follow through on. This desire for innovation certainly helped, with Black Ops II’s total sales surpassing 20 million total, and the Xbox 360 version taking a good chunk of that.

5. Call of Duty: Black Ops - 14.55 Million Copies Sold

While Black Ops II managed to do well, its predecessor - Call of Duty: Black Ops - edged it out in total sales. Though perhaps not as technically impressive, it left a much deeper mark on fans with its returning features and unique story. It also brought back the Zombies mode, which would become a staple of practically every future Call of Duty game. Between its numerous sequels and its incredible earnings, it would be wrong to say Black Ops wasn’t a massive success.

4. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 - 14.72 Million Copies Sold

The final Call of Duty game on this list, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 managed to surpass Black ops as the best-selling title in the franchise. While it might not hold this distinction anymore, that success wasn’t for nothing. Between a revamp of Modern Warfare 2’s systems, a continuation of its story, and brand new game modes, Modern Warfare 3 is perhaps one of the finest examples of Call of Duty’s overwhelming success.

3. Minecraft - 21+ Million Copies Sold

Minecraft is a game that needs no introduction. While mainly a PC title, the first console it was ported to was the Xbox 360, offering a unique experience while also expanding its audience. The success of the 360 version of Minecraft is possibly the catalyst that led to Microsoft’s purchase of the game’s rights, an act that led to the game reaching even greater heights. Even with its stripped-back features, people found a very faithful and newcomer-friendly experience on consoles; for a time, Minecraft might have been the best Xbox 360-exclusive game out there.

2. Grand Theft Auto V - 22.95 Million Copies Sold

Of course, Grand Theft Auto V had to be somewhere on this list. Having sold over 150 million copies total, and with the Xbox 360 version releasing alongside the PS3 version, this title’s incredible performance was guaranteed. It might not be the best-selling Xbox 360 game of all time, but depending on who you ask, maybe it should be held in that regard anyway.

1. Kinect Adventures! - 24 Million Copies Sold

That’s right - the most successful Xbox 360 title is Kinect Adventures!. While it might seem like a shock to most, it makes sense when you consider it was bundled with Xbox consoles that came with the Kinect add-on. As such, its success is more comparable to something like Wii Sports - it’s likely not many people were getting their hands on it on purpose. Even so, Kinect Adventures offered multiple game modes and even online multiplayer; people might not agree on whether or not it deserved such success, but it wasn’t entirely unwarranted.

As previously mentioned, this list contrasts the list of best-selling PS3 games. While the most successful titles on the PS3 were exclusives, only one game on the Xbox 360’s top 10 wasn’t even released on another platform. While some might see this as a disappointment, it’s honestly impressive - the PS3 was successful partially due to its exclusives, while the Xbox 360 was successful despite its best-sellers not being exclusives. The appeal of the 360 was universal, and it’s certain to be remembered as one of the most beloved consoles of all time.

Fans of Microsoft’s consoles should also check out the top 10 best-selling original Xbox games.

Sources:

Microsoft says Xbox 360 sales have surpassed 76 million units, Kinect sales top 24 million (bgr.com)
This violent videogame has made more money than any movie ever - MarketWatch (archive.org)
4J Studios on Twitter: "TU73 (the final update) for Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition will be out later today, adding The Nightmare Before Christmas Mash-up Pack. It's been a long journey since TU1 on May 9, 2012! Thank you to the more than 21 million #MinecraftX360 players for your support over the years :)" / Twitter
Best selling Xbox 360 games of all time | Windows Central
Skyrim : The Elder Scrolls V Statistics - Statistic Brain