10 Best Selling Games on the Original Xbox

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Microsoft jumped into the world of video game consoles in 2001 with the Xbox, and it quickly became a leading competitor. The Xbox was powerful, functioning much like a regular computer with the Windows operating system and DirectX technology. It proved popular, largely thanks to a fantastic selection of games you couldn’t play anywhere else. While Halo was the most famous, there were many other successful franchises that helped establish Microsoft as a key player in the gaming industry. The Xbox sold a huge number of games overall, with many titles reaching millions of copies. Here are the ten best-selling games for the system, listed from fewest to most copies sold.

10) Need for Speed: Underground 2

In 2004, the popular Need for Speed series released Need for Speed: Underground 2 for consoles like the Xbox. This installment was a hit with players and critics thanks to its expanded customization options, a significant improvement over earlier games in the series. The game sold nearly 12 million copies across all platforms. While the Xbox accounted for over 1.24 million of those sales – a relatively small portion of the total – it was a strong performance for a new console competing in a crowded market.

9) Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

The Grand Theft Auto series began on the PlayStation and quickly became a huge success, selling millions of copies on various consoles. It also became available on Xbox, where it proved popular with gamers. When Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas launched in 2005, a year after its PlayStation 2 release, Xbox players purchased over 1.26 million copies. Since then, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas has been re-released several times, and has sold more than 27 million copies in total across all platforms.

8) Project Gotham Racing

Released in 2001 as an Xbox exclusive and launch title, Project Gotham Racing is an arcade-style racing game with over 200 cars and races set in four different cities. Critics and players praised the game, making it the first in a popular series. A standout feature was its realistic soundtrack, featuring 12 radio stations modeled after real-world broadcasts and voiced by actual DJs. Microsoft Game Studios sold over 1.4 million copies of the game on the Xbox.

7) Ninja Gaiden

The Ninja Gaiden series was revived in 2004 with a new game released for the Xbox. While it was later released on other platforms, initially only Xbox owners could play the reboot, which was created with Western gamers in mind. The game featured online play, and after Microsoft stopped supporting its servers in 2010, Insignia stepped in to keep it running. Though precise sales numbers are unknown, Ninja Gaiden sold over 1.5 million copies on Xbox. It proved popular in the United States, but didn’t perform as well in Japan, probably because the game’s story and gameplay were changed to appeal more to Western tastes.

6) Counter-Strike

Originally created for computers, Counter-Strike became a huge hit on the Xbox when it was released in 2003. This tactical, first-person shooter started the popular Counter-Strike series and was both critically acclaimed and a commercial success. Although Counter-Strike had already sold well on PCs for three years, it continued to thrive on the Xbox, exceeding 1.5 million copies sold—even earning a re-release as part of the “Best of Platinum Hits” collection. This re-release was reserved for games that sold at least 400,000 copies, a milestone Counter-Strike easily surpassed.

5) Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

Ask a group of Star Wars game fans to name their favorite, and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic consistently ranks highest. It’s remained incredibly popular since its release. When it came out on Xbox in 2003, fans quickly bought the game, especially since it wasn’t available on other consoles for over ten years – the Xbox was the only option for those without a gaming PC. KOTOR was a huge success, selling 250,000 copies in just four days and eventually reaching 2.77 million copies sold.

4) Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell

Originally released in 2002 as an exclusive title for the Xbox, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell quickly became a hit, selling exceptionally well on that platform for a year. It later became available on PlayStation 2 and GameCube. As the first game in the Splinter Cell series, it boasts a strong voice cast, including Michael Ironside, and was met with widespread critical acclaim, establishing the franchise. The game achieved significant success on Xbox, selling over 2.93 million copies and earning a Guinness World Record as the best-selling Tom Clancy video game.

3) Fable

The original Fable game came out in 2005 as a game only available on Xbox, and it quickly became a must-have title. Fable is an action role-playing game where your choices affect your character’s morality, leading them down a path of good or evil. This unique system was groundbreaking for console games at the time and added a lot of depth to the gameplay. The game was a critical and commercial success, selling over 3 million copies and becoming one of the best-selling games on the Xbox.

2) Halo: Combat Evolved

Anyone who played the original Xbox back in the early 2000s probably won’t be shocked to learn that Halo: Combat Evolved was one of its biggest hits. The game didn’t just kick off a hugely popular franchise that’s still going strong today—it was also brilliantly made, earning rave reviews and selling incredibly well right from the start. Halo was a major reason people chose to buy the Xbox, and it was frequently bundled with the console, even though it wasn’t officially included as a pack-in title. While exact numbers vary, around 6.43 million copies were sold.

1) Halo 2

While Halo: Combat Evolved convinced people to buy an Xbox, Halo 2 kept them coming back. Released in 2004, Halo 2 was a major improvement over the original in almost every way. It quickly became the most popular game on Xbox Live, staying at the top until Gears of War came out for the Xbox 360. The game introduced new features like dual-wielding and was a huge hit, selling over 8 million copies worldwide and becoming the best-selling game on the Xbox.

What’s your favorite Xbox game of all time? Share your thoughts in the comments and join the discussion on the ComicBook Forum!

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2026-05-09 19:19