On Nov. 15, 2026, the original Xbox will turn 25. Halo helped make the console famous, but its identity also came from split-screen races, party-game chaos, sprawling role-playing adventures, and an early push into online console play.
Halo: Combat Evolved was bundled with most Xbox consoles at launch, giving the system a sci-fi shooter with open spaces, vehicle combat, and multiplayer. Halo 2 turned that foundation into a bigger phenomenon, drawing 1.5 million U.S. preorders and selling more than 2.4 million copies on launch day. Its dual-wielding, vehicle hijacking, and introduction of the Arbiter helped make it Xbox Live’s most popular game until Gears of War.
Friends could meet for a race or a minigame instead. Project Gotham Racing brought four-player split-screen races across San Francisco, London, Tokyo, and New York City, with 29 cars and a Kudos system that rewarded stylish driving. Fuzion Frenzy took a different route, pitting four players against one another in a futuristic tournament of minigames such as Paint Panic and Falling Star.
Racing also meant more than cars. Xbox exclusive Amped 2 followed Amped, itself an Xbox launch title, with a snowboarding entry that broadened the console’s sports lineup. The first Forza Motorsport took on Gran Turismo and helped establish a racing series that later expanded with Forza Horizon.
Multiplatform hits also gave Xbox owners a different way to play familiar games. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas arrived on Xbox and PC after its PlayStation 2 debut. The Xbox version had sharper textures and faster loading than the PS2 release. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2X bundled remakes of the first two games with improved graphics, extra levels, and quality-of-life changes.
Some of the console’s most distinctive adventures looked nothing like its shooters. Jet Set Radio Future continued Sega’s skating series in a stylized future Tokyo, where the GGs used graffiti to resist the Rokkaku Group. It also remained exclusive to the original Xbox. The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind brought the series to home consoles for the first time, sending a customizable prisoner across its ash-covered province to face Dagoth Ur.
Role-playing games on Xbox ranged from established fantasy worlds to newer experiments. Fable built its adventure around morality, comic British humor, and interactions with its characters. Sudeki, developed by European studio Climax Group, paired a fantasy setting with action combat. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic added a sweeping story set roughly 4,000 years before the films, centered on the Jedi Civil War and Darth Revan.
Online play gave the console another defining piece. MechAssault was Xbox Live’s debut title, and its multiplayer offered Quick Matches, the ability to host games and invite friends, plus downloadable maps, game types, and mechs including Raven and Loki.
Other games showed how broad that library could be. Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge cast players as air pirate Nathan Zachary in an alternate America split into warring nations. Its pulp adventure sat comfortably alongside the comic fantasy of Fable and the science fiction of Halo.
Which game best captures the original Xbox for you? Stay connected for more stories about the console’s couch multiplayer and early online experiments on X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Steam and Telegram.
