The Best Xbox Games of 2022

by Jason Dietz, Metacritic Features Editor – January 2, 2023

Which Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One games impressed professional reviewers the most during the past year? We rank the best-reviewed titles released between January 1, 2022 and December 31, 2022 by Metascore. Games must have at least 7 reviews from professional critics to be eligible for inclusion. If a game appears on both Xbox platforms, only the version receiving the higher quantity of critic reviews (typically the Xbox Series X/S version) is eligible for inclusion. (All scores listed here are from December 31, 2022.)

5 of 14 photo by Xbox Game Studios/Obsidian Entertainment

86 Pentiment

(#9) A Microsoft exclusive from Obsidian Entertainment (The Outer Worlds, Grounded), Pentiment is a historical adventure game set in 16th century Bavaria. At the heart of the game is a murder mystery, and you'll spend 25 years of your in-game life trying to solve the increasingly twisty case (and exonerate your accused friend). But what makes Pentiment stand out from the crowd is a distinctive art style featuring graphics inspired by illuminated manuscripts.

“Pentiment is a superb game that marks an important step forward for its genre. Quiet, contemplative and intelligent, it is a shining example of what happens when a team is allowed to expand their horizons and take risks.” —TheXboxHub

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