5 Games That Were Surprisingly Xbox Console Exclusives

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For a while now, Xbox hasn’t always had as many popular exclusive games as PlayStation and Nintendo. However, it’s easy to forget that some hugely popular games actually began as exclusives for Xbox consoles. Here are five of those games – you might be surprised to learn they started on Xbox! While many were also released on PC, they weren’t initially available on PlayStation or Nintendo consoles, though later sequels often appeared on those platforms.

Here are five surprising Xbox console exclusives.

5) The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind

The Elder Scrolls series has long been popular on computers, but Morrowind was the game that really brought it to a wider audience. This was partly due to Bethesda releasing Morrowind on the original Xbox, which allowed people who didn’t own PCs to experience the game.

Okay, so the Xbox version wasn’t quite as stunning as playing it on PC, but honestly, for Bethesda’s first big attempt at a console game, it was really good! It didn’t look exactly the same, and we couldn’t use mods, but it still had that amazing, open-world feel we all loved. And more importantly, it got Bethesda started with console gaming, which has led to so many incredible games from them over the years!

4) The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

The Witcher 2 was first released on PC in May 2011, and Xbox 360 players received the Enhanced Edition almost a year later, in April 2012. This extra time allowed the developers, CD Projekt Red, to improve the game significantly. The Enhanced Edition included numerous bug fixes, plus over four hours of additional gameplay and 36 minutes of new cutscenes, enriching the game’s story.

The success of the improved version of The Witcher 3 allowed CD Projekt Red to keep developing games for consoles. Although the release of Cyberpunk 2077 was disappointing for many, players will likely be excited for The Witcher 4 because the studio has shown they are committed to improving their games after a rocky start.

3) Left 4 Dead

Considering how incredibly popular Left 4 Dead and its sequel were, it’s surprising they weren’t released on more platforms. After all, The Orange Box – a collection of games like Half-Life 2, Portal, and Team Fortress 2 – came to PlayStation 3 not long after its initial release on PC and Xbox 360.

Despite its popularity, Left 4 Dead wasn’t released on the PlayStation 3. A major reason was the challenge of adapting the game to the PS3’s complex Cell processor. Developing for the Xbox 360 was much easier, making the PC version’s port straightforward. Valve, and specifically Gabe Newell, became so discouraged with the PS3 that they outsourced the port of The Orange Box to EA UK instead of handling it themselves.

2) Call of Duty 2

Man, Call of Duty 2 is a strange one to look back on. It came out in 2005, and it launched with the Xbox 360, actually hitting shelves a month after the PC version. But here’s the kicker – the 360 version was actually considered the better one! Everyone loved how smart the AI was, how realistic it felt, and the whole campaign was really solid. It was a big hit too, selling around 200,000 copies in just the first week, making it one of the most popular games at the start of the 360’s life.

It’s odd that Call of Duty 2 never appeared on a Sony console. While Activision has made exclusive deals before, they later re-released the original Call of Duty on both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. That first game started on PC, but they didn’t do the same for Call of Duty 2. Interestingly, you could play Call of Duty 2 on mobile phones back in 2006, potentially even on a Sony Ericsson.

1) Mass Effect

The original Mass Effect game came out on Xbox 360 in November 2007. Its developer, BioWare, had worked with Xbox before on games like Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Jade Empire, so it made sense that the game was exclusive to the Xbox at the time.

It’s a little strange looking back at the release dates for the Mass Effect games. Mass Effect 2 came to PlayStation 3 almost immediately after its release on Xbox 360, and Mass Effect 3 launched on both consoles at the same time. However, the original Mass Effect didn’t arrive on PS3 until late 2012. Given how much the series emphasizes player choices and story carried over from previous games, it’s odd that players could play the sequels before even having access to the first game on PlayStation.

BioWare no longer releases games exclusively or in stages. When the next Mass Effect game is released, it should be available on all platforms simultaneously. Let’s hope it’s a significant improvement over Mass Effect: Andromeda.

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2025-11-21 01:13