The Best Xbox Games of 2021

by Jason Dietz, Metacritic Features Editor – January 4, 2022

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, 2021 and December 31, 2021 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 January 2, 2022.)

10 of 14 photo by Electronic Arts

90 Mass Effect Legendary Edition (Xbox One)

(#4) BioWare's genuinely legendary sci-fi action/RPG trilogy returned in May with a newly remastered compilation that allowed a new generation of gamers to discover what made the three Mass Effect games so special when they were first released. The compilation includes not only the three full games (now in HD with improvements to textures and framerates, among other tweaks) but also most of the trio's previously released DLC.

“With an absolutely staggering amount of content, Mass Effect: Legendary Edition is the best way to relive one of the best RPG trilogies from the last decade and a half. Bioware has done its due diligence in fixing what didn't work and improving what did. The end result is a sleek remaster that retains the soul of the beloved franchise.” —We Got This Covered

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