The Xbox 360 had one of the greatest game libraries of any console in history. Between 2005 and 2013, it received hundreds of excellent titles — and not all of them were Halo, Gears of War, or Forza. Beneath the blockbusters lies a rich seam of games that were brilliant on release but somehow slipped through the cracks of mainstream attention.
The good news? Most of these games cost next to nothing now. We're talking £2–8 for games that would have been £40 on release. Here are eight Xbox 360 hidden gems that deserve a place in your collection.
The Xbox 360 library is at peak affordability right now. Most games are cheap, the hardware is reliable (stick to Slim models), and the library is enormous. In five years, prices will be higher. Buy now.
The Hidden Gems
Condemned: Criminal Origins
Horror / First-PersonA launch title that most people overlooked in favour of Perfect Dark Zero and Call of Duty 2. Condemned is a dark, atmospheric first-person horror game where you play as an FBI agent investigating serial killers — using environmental weapons (pipes, 2x4s, fire axes) rather than guns. The melee combat is visceral and satisfying, and the atmosphere is genuinely unsettling. One of the best horror games of the generation.
Why you missed it: Launch titles rarely get the attention they deserve. Condemned was overshadowed by bigger names and never received the recognition it earned.
Typical price: £3–8 disc only
Deadly Premonition
Survival Horror / Open WorldPossibly the most divisive game on this list. Deadly Premonition is a deeply strange open-world survival horror game set in a small American town, clearly inspired by Twin Peaks. The graphics are terrible. The controls are clunky. The voice acting is bizarre. And it is absolutely, completely brilliant. The story is genuinely compelling, the characters are memorable, and the game has a warmth and weirdness that no other game has ever replicated. A cult classic in every sense.
Why you missed it: The terrible production values put most people off. Those who pushed through found one of the most unique games ever made.
Typical price: £5–12 disc only
Vanquish
Third-Person ShooterPlatinumGames at their absolute best. Vanquish is a hyper-kinetic third-person shooter where you play as a soldier in a powered suit, sliding across battlefields at incredible speed and pulling off slow-motion kills. It's one of the most purely enjoyable action games ever made — tight, fast, and endlessly satisfying. The campaign is only about 6 hours long, but you'll want to replay it immediately on a higher difficulty. Criminally underplayed on release.
Why you missed it: Released in the same month as Fallout: New Vegas and Medal of Honor. It had no chance.
Typical price: £4–10 disc only
Binary Domain
Third-Person ShooterA Yakuza-team third-person shooter set in a future Tokyo where robots have begun to look and act human. Binary Domain has a surprisingly deep story about identity and humanity, a squad-based trust system where your teammates react to your decisions, and some of the most satisfying robot-destruction physics in gaming. Shooting the limbs off androids never gets old. An underrated gem from Toshihiro Nagoshi's team.
Why you missed it: Released in the shadow of Mass Effect 3 and never received adequate marketing. Most people have never heard of it.
Typical price: £3–7 disc only
Nier
Action RPGBefore Nier: Automata made the series famous, there was the original Nier — a strange, melancholy action RPG with a brilliant soundtrack, a deeply emotional story, and gameplay that shifts between genres mid-game (it becomes a text adventure at one point). It's rough around the edges, but the emotional core is extraordinary. If you loved Automata, the original is essential. And it's very cheap.
Why you missed it: Poor reviews on release focused on the rough gameplay rather than the exceptional story and music. The series only found its audience with Automata.
Typical price: £8–18 disc only (rising as Automata fans discover it)
Resonance of Fate
JRPGA JRPG from tri-Ace (Star Ocean, Valkyrie Profile) set in a steampunk world where the combat system is unlike anything else in the genre. Characters perform acrobatic gunfight manoeuvres, leaping and spinning through the air while dealing damage. It's complex, stylish, and deeply satisfying once it clicks. The story is deliberately obtuse, but the world-building is fascinating. A must-play for JRPG fans who want something genuinely different.
Why you missed it: Released in the same week as Final Fantasy XIII. Catastrophic timing for a niche JRPG.
Typical price: £5–12 disc only
Shadows of the Damned
Action / HorrorA collaboration between Suda51 (Killer7, No More Heroes) and Shinji Mikami (Resident Evil 4). Garcia Hotspur, a demon hunter, descends into hell to rescue his girlfriend. The result is a gloriously over-the-top third-person shooter with a punk rock aesthetic, crude humour, and some of the most inventive level design of the generation. The darkness mechanic — where you must use light to damage enemies — adds a genuine puzzle element. Weird, wonderful, and completely unique.
Why you missed it: Niche creative vision, limited marketing, and a deliberately provocative tone that alienated mainstream reviewers.
Typical price: £6–14 disc only
Spec Ops: The Line
Third-Person ShooterOn the surface, a generic military third-person shooter. Underneath, one of the most psychologically disturbing and morally complex games ever made — a modern retelling of Heart of Darkness set in a sandstorm-buried Dubai. The gameplay is deliberately unremarkable; the point is the story, which systematically deconstructs military shooter tropes and forces you to confront what you're actually doing. The white phosphorus scene remains one of the most affecting moments in gaming history. Not fun. Unforgettable.
Why you missed it: The generic marketing made it look like every other military shooter. Most people never got past the first hour.
Typical price: £3–8 disc only
Honourable Mentions
We couldn't fit everything into eight slots. Here are five more Xbox 360 games that deserve your attention:
- Enslaved: Odyssey to the West — A gorgeous post-apocalyptic platformer with exceptional character writing. Cheap and brilliant.
- The Club — A score-attack third-person shooter from Bizarre Creations. Unique, fast, and deeply underrated.
- Fracture — A terrain-deformation shooter that never got the attention its central mechanic deserved.
- Dark Void — Flawed but fascinating jetpack action game. Worth £3 for the flying sections alone.
- Damnation — Rough as sandpaper, but the vertical level design is genuinely inventive. A fascinating failure.
We stock a rotating selection of Xbox 360 titles, including many of the games mentioned in this article. Browse our current Xbox 360 stock →
Final Thoughts
The Xbox 360 era was one of the most creatively diverse periods in gaming history. Publishers were willing to take risks on unusual, experimental titles in a way that feels rare today. Most of those risks didn't pay off commercially — but they produced some extraordinary games that are now available for almost nothing.
Our advice: pick up a Xbox 360 Slim, grab a handful of cheap games, and explore. You'll find something brilliant that you've never heard of. That's the joy of retro gaming.
